Month: May 2014

Smashing through the wall you just hit

Maximum Z anxiety, comic books, determination, encouragement, goals, Hulk, ideas, perseverance, productivity, screenwriting, script, self-confidence, stress, writer's block, writing

 

If it were only this easy all the time
If it were only this easy all the time

Some days it’s hard to write. Really hard.

This isn’t about finding the time. This is about when the words and ideas just won’t show up.

No matter how many times you try something, it just doesn’t work.

The more you stress over it, the harder it gets. The frustration can be downright crippling.

We already put an exorbitant amount of pressure on ourselves in our attempts to produce quality work, and being angry for not doing so is just counter-productive.

How can people think this is easy? Like us, they soon discover it’s anything but.

Is it at least a little reassuring to know that this is just as common among the pros? Just because you’re a working writer doesn’t make this any easier.  In fact, it may make it even harder – their paycheck is on the line.

Believe me, I wish I could offer up some kind of all-knowing sage advice that goes beyond “Step away, take a deep breath and gather your thoughts,” but sometimes that’s all you can do.

Maybe it’ll work, maybe not. At least give it a try.

The more scripts you work on, the more the odds will be in your favor that you’ll be able to find your way back into that groove and have a few more good writing days.

This is just part of what it takes to be a screenwriter, so you have to know what works for you when this happens.

Which it will.  A lot.

Are you ready?

Got an A for my Q?

Maximum Z adventure, analysis, conflict, creativity, genre, monsters, networking, outlines, productivity, public forums, rewrite, screenwriting, script, social media, spec, structure, writing
Gimme the straight scoop, pal
Gimme the straight scoop

Every time I connect with somebody on some kind of social media or community forum, I ask the same question:

How are your latest projects coming along?

It’s always a wide variety of genres in various stages of development, and always nice to hear.

Here’s what’s going on with me.

-Still trudging my way through the revamp of the outline for the pulpy adventure spec. I’m somewhere between the midpoint and the page 75 plot point. It feels a bit disoriented as I work my way through it, but it should get better as I push my way forward.

So how about you? What’s occupying your time these days?

Greetings from No Man’s Land!

Maximum Z characters, conflict, continuity, creativity, goals, guidelines, ideas, monsters, obstacles, outlines, payoff, plot, plot points, problem-solving, protagonist, rewrite, rules, scenes, screenwriting, script, setup, spec, story, structure, subplot, theme, writing
Lost? Of course not. Just recalculating my position.
Lost? Of course not. Just recalculating my position.

It took some doing, but I finally managed to get to the midpoint of the rewrite of the monster spec outline.

As is required for this particular plot point, my hero is now firmly committed to achieving his goal, plus not one, but two new conflicts thrown into the mix to make it that much harder for him.

There’s still a little setup-payoff work that needs to be applied to some earlier scenes, but I really like how it’s coming along.

But for now, my attention shifts forward – further into the vast wasteland that is the rest of Act Two.

To some, a staggering task of herculean proportions.  For me – not too much.

Well, maybe a little.

Act Two can be incredibly intimidating. Your script can have a killer opening and fantastic ending, but if what happens between them isn’t as good, if not better, than you’re in trouble.

What takes place in those 50-60 pages can really make or break your story. A reader or audience wants to see things happen as the characters grow (or at least change).

With such a vast canvas to work with, you might lose track of a lot of elements – supporting characters, subplots, etc. I remember reading a script that introduced what I thought was going to be an interesting subplot, but after that initial appearance, it never showed up again. It’s possible the writer just forgot about it, or maybe didn’t know how to develop it.

Take your time to plan things out. Yes, we all want to get done faster, but in this case, that’s the worst thing you could do.

Let’s assume you’ve got your plot points in place, so now it’s a matter of connecting them.  What has to happen in each scene to move things ahead to the next one?

Remember: each scene, no matter how big or small, should advance the plot, theme and character, as well as contain some kind of conflict.

It’s easy to get lost in all the details. Maybe there’s too much focus on this part, and not enough on that one. Again, take your time to figure it out.  Besides, you’ll be able to make the necessary fixes in the next batch of rewrites.

It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers right now, but there are lot of details you’re going to need to fill in as you move forward. And always keep asking “Is this the best way to have this happen?”

The journey through Act Two can definitely be a challenge, but it can be a little less daunting if you go into it prepared and knowing where you want to go.

Please. Pique my interest.

Maximum Z editing, loglines, message boards, originality, public forums, reading, representation, screenwriting, script, story, writing
All of that in one sentence? Gosh, this is tough.
The whole story in one sentence? Gosh, this is tough.

When it comes to online communities and public forums, I’m more of an observer than active participant. Maybe I’ll post a comment when I think it’s appropriate, but for the most part, I sign in, look around a little, then leave.

One of the most interesting sections is always the one for loglines. Writers submit a logline and ask “What do you think?” I’ve done it myself, with mixed results.

(Side note – ask other writers whose opinion you value and trust, rather than a crowd of the anonymous and online. You’ll feel better about yourself.)

While comments and feedback can range from “brilliant” to “are we reading the same thing?”, my criteria is pretty simple and straightforward:  Does it make me want to read this?

Unfortunately, a lot of the time the answer is “No,” but don’t take it personally.

If your logline doesn’t grab me, why would I want to read your script?

And this isn’t just me, a lowly nobody, asking. Those with the power to make things happen are going to ask the same thing. Don’t forget – they’re always looking for a reason to say “no”.

Just as your script has to be totally bulletproof, so does your logline.

Does it effectively encapsulate what the story’s about? I’ve read a lot that don’t.

Sometimes it focuses too much on one part of the story, rather than giving a more widespread view. Counter to that, it might offer up too much information, which just makes things confusing.

Is this a story we haven’t seen before, or at least a new twist on an old one? What’s unique about it?

A lot of the time, someone in the forums will ask about the intent, meaning or significance of a word or phrase in the logline, and the writer will then explain (sometimes with a little too much detail).

My argument is that the logline should be written in such a way that you don’t have to ask; everything should be laid out right there in front of you.

Do your homework and study the loglines of other films and scripts. How are they put together? What is it about them that’s different than yours?

And this isn’t going to be easy. You may have to struggle through several dozen versions until you come up with the one that really works.

But, like everything else we work on, it takes time and is worth the effort when we get it right.