The way you actually write doesn’t have to be as challenging
Although not an officially recognized holiday, or even one the general public is aware of, January 5th is still considered National Screenwriters Day; a day to celebrate us hard-working folks who crank out the pages containing the stories of what you’re seeing and hearing in all that content on all those screens.
No doubt you’ve probably heard of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, aka November.
Well, since we’re just over a month away from National Screenwriters Day, why not make December be the month you write and finish a script?
It’s not a class, or a competition, or even a clever scheme to part screenwriters from their hard-earned money. Instead, it’s just a writer-friendly Facebook page where people can come for inspiration, motivation, encouragement and conversation.
But mostly, they’ll come where they can proclaim to the public regarding their plans and process as part of the Thirty Day Screenplay challenge.
(Yes, we know there are 31 days in December, plus the first four days of January, but seeing as how December is more likely to be chock-full of holiday activities, you’re more likely to have some time to write during at least 30 of those days.)
This is entirely a personal choice. If you want to do it, go ahead. If not, that’s cool too. But you have to admit it would be pretty cool to start off 2019 with a brand spanking-new script.
Not sure what to get that special screenwriter in your life, or are you a writer and want to splurge and get yourself a little something? Well, worry no more because here’s an extensive list of gift ideas any writer would absolutely love!
SCRIPT CONSULTANTS
Some offers include a code for the discount, so if you contact one NOT listing a code, make sure to tell them you found them via Maximum Z – or you run the risk of not getting any discount at all.
ScriptArsenal – 20% off script coverage services through 14 Dec with the code MAXIMUM20
Gerald Hanks of Story Into Screenplay – 10% discount through 31 Dec on feature coverage services and the one-hour phone consultation
Scotty Cornfield – no matter the genre, if your script involves police or law enforcement, and you want to make sure those parts are accurate, former police detective Scotty is offering a 10% discount on services to help accomplish exactly that
Script Reader Pro – Script Hackr online screenwriting course for $59 (normally $299) through 1 Dec using code SCR1PT
BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS!
Even writers know they should take a little break, and what better way to relax than with a good book? Here are some about screenwriitng, along with a few that cover all sorts of other topics and genres.
Every writer has their own way of doing things, and each way is probably different – maybe a little or a lot – from somebody else’s. If it works for you, then by all means, have at it.
Just because your way isn’t how I’d do it doesn’t mean either of us is wrong; it just means we each have our individual approaches. I’m content with how I get a script written, and you can do yours however you want.
Some recent conversations with other writers, along with reading some interviews with professionals, really reinforced this mindset for me. Especially when it came to outlining your story.
Count me in the camp of those that prefer doing it, while others opt not to.
I’ve written before about how I put a story together, and I find it extremely helpful to make sure the outline is rock-solid (to me) before starting on pages. And as is often the case, there’s a strong possibility some elements of the story will change while those pages are being written. But for the most part, a good portion of my outline remains more or less intact.
Again, this is what works FOR ME.
Not really knowing how those who don’t like outlines operate, I admit to being curious/intrigued/impressed with how they do it.
Do they at least have some kind of basic structure in place? Do they just sit down and start writing? Do they know where things are going? Is it all about feeling spontaneous and just jumping right into it?
All I’m asking is – How do they do it?
One pro said something along the lines of “outlining removes the element of surprise”. Honestly, I’m not really sure what to make of that. I’m fairly certain they don’t mean “didn’t see that coming” – or do they?
Others have commented that “outlining a script takes away from its organic nature”. (Again – paraphrasing.) Not sure how that would work either. If the story’s put together in the most effective way the writer can make it, with a solid structure that flows along nice and smoothly, and with three-dimensional characters, wouldn’t that fall under “organic”?
Like I said at the beginning, if you don’t like to outline your story, don’t outline your story. If that’s how you do it, great. All I’m saying is it’s not something I could do, nor would I expect either of us to suddenly change our methods.
Would I ever give it a try? Probably not. I’d be more concerned the end result would be a big mess. I enjoy taking the time to put things where I think they should be, from both the storytelling and screenwriting aspects.
How about you? Pro- or anti-outline? Or somewhere in the middle?
The crowds are already forming, eager to get their mitts on some of the quality merchandise to be offered.
Busy times around Maximum Z HQ (including some details listed below), so another shorty today, but first:
Big announcement time!
Two weeks from today, the 2018 Maximum Z Screenwriter’s Gift Guide will go up. It’ll feature holiday deals on script consulting services (from many of the consultants profiled on these very pages), books about screenwriting written by screenwriters, along with books written by screenwriters, but aren’t about screenwriting, as well as all kinds of other fun stuff that any screenwriter would enjoy receiving.
If you have a product or service like these that you’d like to be included, or if you’re a filmmaker with a crowdfunding effort for your latest project, and you’d like more people to know about it, don’t hesitate to drop me a line. (Email’s on the About Me page)
Cutoff date is Tuesday 20 November, so don’t wait until the last minute!
Now about those aforementioned busy times…
-Slow but steady progress on the horror-comedy spec. So far, my outline-to-page ratio is a bit off – page count exceeding outline expectations – which means I’ll some major editing (i.e. cutting) to do once it’s complete. But I’m having fun writing it, which is really what it comes down to anyway.
-Also have a little touch-up work to do on the sci-fi spec, with the help of some recently-received great notes.
-Been busy with the occasional reading and giving-of-notes. Have I mentioned how great it is to know so many talented writers? Yes indeed.
-Speaking of crowdfunding, filmmaker Ben Eckstein is looking for more backers for his current project WINNING. They’re a portion of the way there, but every little bit helps. Donate if you can!
The daily churning-out of pages for the first draft of the horror-comedy continues – still in Act One as of this writing – and now that November is underway, if I can maintain my current output of approximately 3 pages a day, there’s no reason the typing-out of FADE OUT couldn’t happen by mid-to-late December.
I’d probably be a little further along if it weren’t for my ongoing desire to keep going back and editing/revising what I’ve already written, which is a lot more tempting than you’d expect. But doing what I can to just write a scene and move on to the next one. Once again, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
And since this is supposed to be a horror-comedy, I’ve also gotten into the habit of trying to make sure each scene features some element of each genre – something scary and something funny. Trying being the key word here. This is a much bigger challenge, but again, doing what I can. Also helping – recent touch-up work on my two other comedies.
With one of the definitive screenwriting mantras being “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”, I don’t have any problems with taking an evenly paced and semi-methodical approach. There are some writers who can sit and crank out a draft in record time, but I’m not one of them. I lean towards the “hope I can hit my page goal today” camp.
But most importantly, I’m just trying to not stress about it and enjoy the whole process. It’s a fun story, and I like the concept, so why not make it a positive experience rather than fret and obsess? That way, it seems a lot less like work and more like “here I am having a blast being a writer and stuff”.
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