A verbal solution for a writing problem

June 30, 2023 Maximum Z adventure, characters, community, determination, encouragement, goals, ideas, Indiana Jones, output, patience, perseverance, persistence, productivity, progress, quality, rewrite, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, strategy, success, writing, writing process adventure, characters, community, determination, encouragement, goals, ideas, Indiana Jones, output, patience, perseverance, persistence, productivity, progress, quality, rewrite, science fiction, Screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, strategy, success, writing, writing process

Even despite a temporary lapse, output on the sci-fi adventure rewrite was progressing at a decent pace.

I already knew there’d be more work to do once it was done, but something still felt off. A piece of the puzzle was missing, and it felt weird to keep pushing forward. Like building a house with incomplete blueprints.

Although my original intent was to finish the rewrite, I wanted to take care of the missing puzzle piece. This in itself was quite challenging.

Once again, my network of savvy writing colleagues comes to the rescue.

I’ve been doing more one-on-one Zoom calls with writers I’ve only known through social media. It’s a great opportunity to get to know them as people, as well as talk a lot of shop about screenwriting.

Such was the case earlier this week. Another writer and myself were discussing some of our current projects, and the sci-fi adventure came up. Despite my stumbling through the “pitch”, my friend got really into the concept, prompting them to ask a lot of thought-provoking questions about the story and the characters. Some I had an answer for, some I didn’t.

(side note – I used to be embarassed about not having all the answers when it came to my stories, but have since embraced it and am now willing to say “I don’t know” or “no idea” because this usually leads to a discussion where everybody involved helps me come up with an answer.)

This led me to realize that some aspects of the story weren’t as defined as I thought. That, in turn, had a ripple effect on the rest of the story. The same story of which I had just passed the halfway mark with rewriting.

It was like taking a piece out near the bottom of the tower in a game of Jenga. Not that everything came crashing down; more like things got a whole lot more wobbly.

We talked things through some more, and did some impromptu brainstorming, all of which which helped point me in the right direction.

Long story short: the rewrite’s on hold and the reset button’s been pushed. But like I mentioned during the discussion, once those fixes are worked out and implemented, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get back on track.

While I originally hoped to be done with the rewrite around now, or at least mighty close to it, I don’t mind making another trip to the drawing board to take care of this. I’m already looking forward to taking this on and seeing how it goes.

Bonus – the chance to make any other fixes in the 50+ pages I’ve already written.

Yet another reason to be active and interactive within your personal writing community.

–The final chapter in the Indiana Jones series opens today. The characters and storytelling have been a huge influence for me and my writing, and I can only hope that my scripts can someday be compared to them.

I also hope the movie’s good.

From the archives: Two shoulders, no waiting

June 23, 2023 Maximum Z anxiety, community, contests, emotion, encouragement, frustration, mental health, moral support, screenplay, screenwriting, script, support, sympathy, writing anxiety, community, contests, emotion, encouragement, frustration, mental health, moral support, screenplays, screenwriting, script, support, sympathy, writing

Over the past few weeks, as part of group Zoom calls and one-on-one discussions, I’ve discussed with other screenwriters the frustration with how things are going for the writing, establishing/maintaining a career, and just the overall experience. And the current writers strike ain’t helping much, either. Sometimes all you can do is listen and offer encouragement and moral support. It might not be much, but it can still make a difference. It also reminded me of this post from August 2019. Enjoy.

Trying to make it as a screenwriter is a tough choice to begin with. It’s a long, drawn-out process that takes a long time before any significant results can be achieved. Sure, there are exceptions, but for the most part, it remains a marathon, not a sprint.

And that also means there’s going to be A LOT of heartache and disappointment along the way, and that can really take its toll on you. Not to sound too New Age-y, but all that negative energy can do significant damage to your confidence and self-esteem.

“This is never going to work.”

“I can’t do this.”

“Why do I even bother?”

If you’ve never said or thought any of these things, I’d love to know how in the world you managed to accomplish that and still call yourself a screenwriter.

Many’s the time I’ve seen comments on a public forum from another writer that echo these sentiments, or had them send me a private note saying something similar.

And I feel for them – whole-heartedly. I’ve been that writer thinking those thoughts a lot, too.

Do I wish I could help them out in any capacity? Without a doubt.

Even though it may not be much, I’ll offer up whatever support or encouragement I can. Don’t underestimate the power or effectiveness of telling somebody you’re in their corner. It makes quite the difference knowing you’re not alone during this tumultuous journey.

I once got a note from a writer I barely knew. They knew a writer I knew, and had seen some of my postings online. We were both semi-finalists in a prestigious contest, and it was the day the finalists were being announced.

For reasons totally unknown to me, they contacted me, asking if I’d received any kind of update. I hadn’t.

“Having a total shit writing year so far so I’m clinging to anything positive ha,” was their response.

I told them I was sorry to hear that, and offered up my own frustratingly good-but-not-great batting average, along with a few words of encouragement in the vein of “much as it hurts to get thrown off, you just gotta keep getting back on the horse”.

They were in total agreement.

An hour or so later, the finalists were announced. I wasn’t one of them. But they were. Naturally, I was disappointed, but also happy for them because they had something good happen.

The takeaway here is that you’re not alone in this. Every other writer goes through it. We’re all going to have a lot of bad days, probably a lot more than the number of good days, and it can be tough to get through it, let alone come out stronger.

This is one of those added benefits to networking and connecting with other writers. You’re not just helping to develop your writing and analytical skills, you’re creating your own emotional support network.

Chances are you’ll have a stronger relationship with a small number of people; the ones you’ve interacted with, or shared scripts, exchanged notes, etc., on a more regular basis.

Don’t be afraid to reach out and tell one of them “Hey, I’m not feeling too good about this right now. Mind if I talk about it?” They’ll understand, and be supportive about it (in theory). Just being able to talk about it could help you feel a little better.

Screenwriting is complicated enough, and gets even more so when you throw all your hopes and ambition into it. Sometimes you’ll feel strong, powerful, ready to take on the world. And sometimes you’ll feel like the world’s beaten you to a bloody pulp with no hope for recovery. (Again, I’ve experienced both.)

You can’t force yourself to feel better and restore your confidence, but you can take little steps to help yourself out – at your own pace. And any help you might need is always there and easily accessible.

Savoring the victory

June 16, 2023 Maximum Z adventure, animation, comedy, community, contest, draft, fantasy, feedback, pie, polish, rewrite, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing adventure, animation, comedy, community, contest, draft, fantasy, feedback, pie, polish, rewrite, science fiction, Screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing

Super-shorty post today, due to a small turn of events:

My fantasy-comedy placed 3rd in the Family/Teen/Animation category for StoryPros.

Not too shabby.

Previous scripts have made it to various levels in this contest, but this is the first time I got this far.

Feeling quite accomplished about it.

And this was an earlier draft. Several rewrites/polishes have taken place since, and I like to think it’s a stronger script now.

No idea how it’ll do in upcoming contests, but hope and confidence levels continue to hold strong.

Taking a little time to celebrate, then it’s back to the grind for the sci-fi adventure (which is almost at the halfway point)

I also want to acknowledge and thank all the amazing and talented writers who provided me with an abundance of notes and feedback that helped me get the script to what it is today.

Hope everybody enjoys a piece of pie with my compliments.

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1

June 9, 2023 Maximum Z adventure, characters, dialogue, education, film, movies, rewriting, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, Star Wars, story, storytelling, subplot, writing, writing process adventure, characters, dialogue, education, film, movies, rewrite, science fiction, screenplays, screenwriting, script, Star Wars, story, storytelling, subplots, writing

During a recent break from the writing, I saw a few posts on social media celebrating the 43rd(!) anniversary of the release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I was around for that. Proudly so.

I decided to give it another watch, mostly for nostalgia’s sake.

Even though I’ve seen it numerous times, this time felt a little different. I found myself watching it from a writer’s point of view.*

It made for a very different experience, involving continuously making mental notes and asking questions.

“How did this look on the page?”

“Wow, that dialogue gets right to the point without being on-the-nose”

“What an incredibly tight scene”

“Pay attention to how the characters are shown changing over the course of the story”

Just seeing how smooth the story flows, how tight the whole thing is, and how all the subplots are laid out really struck a chord for me.

THIS is how I want my scripts to come across.

I’ve already said that this current draft of my sci-fi adventure is all about getting pages written and holding off on editing/revising until it’s complete. That still applies.

But when I do get to that point, I’m already anticipating looking at each scene and trying to figure out what changes could be made to achieve that same level of tightness, structure, and efficiency.

And it’s just a coincidence about my script being a similar genre; this approach would help no matter what I was working on.

This is all just further proof that a writer’s education never truly stops, watching well-written films can benefit your own writing process, and that there’s always an opportunity to learn how to improve your writing.

*Full acknowledgment to credited writers Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas*

Step away from the keyboard and grab a fork

June 2, 2023 Maximum Z books, pie, screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing books, pie, screenplays, screenwriting, script, writing

Today was originally supposed to be the grand unveiling of the multitude of scripts submitted to be part of the Maximum Z Summer ’23 Script Showcase, but because of all the writers concerned about their potential status in someday being part of the WGA, and the ongoing writers strike, that ain’t the case.

Without any changes regarding the strike in the foreseeable future, it’s probably a safe bet to say that the next Showcase will be the Autumn/Winter edition later this year – still looking at December 1st, with an “open for submissions” date of November 10th. That gives you plenty of time to decide which script you’d like to submit.

In the meantime…

It’s been a minute since another popular topic of this blog was discussed, so I humbly offer an assortment of mouth-watering photos of pies because as much as we love writing our scripts, it’s perfectly okay – encouraged even – to take a break from writing and allow yourself a small indulgence, calories be damned.