Author: Maximum Z

“She pressed a couple of 38s against my chest…

Maximum Z Doc Savage, pulp fiction, screenwriting, storytelling, The Shadow, The Spider, writing
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

…and then she pulled out some guns.”*

*I heard this joke years ago and still find it extremely hilarious. To commemorate Mickey Spillane’s birthday, I once used it at the end of a traffic report on a public radio station. The program director was not amused.

With company coming, I was forced to finally get around to unloading some more boxes from our semi-recent move. These just happened to hold books I’d amassed over the years. Many of which could be classified under the category of ‘the pulps’.

It’s been a long time since I read any of them. If you’ve never experienced the sensation of immersing yourself in a world of tough guys, brassy dames, femme fatales and itchy trigger fingers, then you’re really denying yourself one of life’s simpler pleasures.

There’s a definite charm to this kind of storytelling. Since the writers got paid by the word, not only did they have to be prolific, they had to also make sure the writing was strong enough that you’d want to keep coming back for more.

I also love how even though the stories are from the 30s, 40s and 50s, once you get past the time capsule aspect, they still read as fresh and exciting.

But I’m positively ecstatic when it comes to ‘men of mystery’ stories like The Shadow, The Spider and Doc Savage.  Give me a stack of those, a comfy chair, and maybe a properly-made gin and tonic, and I am one happy guy.

I never really made the connection before, but I suppose the scripts I like to write could kinda-sorta be considered variations on pulp stories. Or at least leaning in the direction of the fantastic.

A rip-roaring adventure involving flying pirate ships. A revenge-seeking woman in the Old West. A scientist battling monsters to literally save the world.  They all sound pretty pulp-y to me.

At first it seems too challenging. “I’ll never compare to those guys!”  But if you take the aspects of what you like in those stories, put your own personal spin on them, and let your imagination run wild… voila!

A pulp story all your own. In my case, one in screenplay form.

Remember the old adage: Write what you know.  You probably know more than you realize.

Back to basics

Maximum Z Emily Blake, loglines, screenwriting, scriptshadow, writing
Feels like I just did this

Work on the outline revamp is temporarily on hold while I divert my attention to something equally, if not more important – the logline.

This thing has been through countless revisions, and the last time I had rewritten it, it seemed…okay.

Not so.

It was too wordy, and didn’t sum up the story the way it needed to.  So back to the interwebs I went for guidance.

There are lots of opinions about what constitutes a good logline, but the general consensus is that it should include the hero, the hero’s goal, what’s at stake, and the antagonist.  Some suggest adding the ‘ticking clock’ factor, but that could make it unnecessarily longer. Use at your discretion.

The logline should also convey what sort of story this is going to be. If it’s a comedy, it should sound funny. An adventure should sound exciting. You get the idea. Let them know what they’re in for.

The logline should pique their interest so much that they can’t resist wanting to read the script.

Sometimes a writer will include some kind of vague generalization, or a phrase that evokes emotion, such as “…and learns about himself in the process.” Personally, I don’t care for those. It’s like the writer doesn’t trust the story enough to interest you, so they throw that in. The items listed above should be enough.

Since I’m always open to feedback on anything I work on, feel free to take a look at my assorted loglines (right there under the ‘Scripts’ tag up top) and give me your two cents.  Do they work? How could they be improved?  Don’t be shy. I’m happy to do the same for you.

-The screenwriting blogs have been very busy the past couple of days with this whole “Emily Blake vs Carson Reeves/Scriptshadow” conflict. I’ve been an avid follower of both, and think it’s a shame it’s come to this.

Scriptshadow is a great resource for learning the craft, but if this is something I’m spending an exorbitant amount of time and effort on, then I want to the one responsible for reaching that goal.  And $1000 is WAY TOO MUCH to charge for notes.  I had to make sure I could afford this before I submitted. (Incidentally – definitely worth it)

My original plan was to submit DREAMSHIP to SS and see if anything happened. But now I’m not sure I want to.  I’ve been pretty good about working on my own, and I’ll probably stick with it.

I’m also planning on following Emily’s lead and subscribing to Done Deal Pro. $24 a year is a pretty good deal, and probably worth my time.

Lo, the cowboy ponders his fate

Maximum Z adventure, confidence, creativity, Django Unchained, ideas, originality, outlines, productivity, Rossio & Elliott, screenwriting, script, story, Tarantino, The Lone Ranger, westerns, writing
Guns + horses + good story = winning combo

Ah, air travel. When it works in your favor, it’s a very pleasant experience.

When it doesn’t…well, let’s just say it’s a good thing I had a pen, some paper, an outline to work on and an abundant supply of spare time.

I worked my way through the first act of my western-adventure, making changes and setting up setups where applicable. I still like how this is coming together. All that work fine-tuning the previous script is really paying off for this one.

But there’s one thing still nagging at me. Some significantly high-profile westerns are headed our way: Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED at Christmas, Verbinski/Rossio/Elliot’s THE LONE RANGER next summer and Chan Wook-Park’s THE BRIGANDS OF RATTLEBORGE sometime next year (in theory). All very different takes on the genre, and no reason why none of them won’t be successful.

So while I plug away at my story, the angst that plagues every writer kicks in: is it still worth the time and effort to do it?

In the end, there’s only one definitive answer:  Of course it is.

This is a story I’m very enthusiastic and passionate about, so to not write it would simply be a big mistake. It’s got familiar elements but based on an original idea to make it fresh and exciting.

And if those three films are successful, that could potentially create a demand for more scripts of that nature.

Which is where mine comes in.

All the more reason to hunker down, dive in and make sure this thing is done right.

What’re YOU working on?

Maximum Z adventure, feedback, outlines, productivity, rewrite, screenwriting, script, westerns, writing ,

Just curious.

I’ll go first.

Returning to the outline of my western-adventure while waiting for feedback on latest rewrite.

Now you.

The ever-elusive 1:55

Maximum Z editing, goals, motivation, pie, running, screenwriting, self-confidence, The Walking Dead, writing
Only one way to go – up

When you start out doing something, you know what your goal is from the very beginning.

“This is what I want to accomplish” is your mindset.

You work and work, always striving to reach that goal.

There may be setbacks, but you don’t let them stop you or deter you. You remind yourself that reaching that goal will take time. Persevere, as my dad is fond of saying.

Set that bar. Reach for it. Every effort and attempt gets you that much closer to it.

Hit a milestone on the way to that ultimate goal, and ask yourself “How can I improve?” Always strive to do better, because you know you can.

The whole time you’re working towards that goal, part of what keeps you going is looking forward to seeing all that hard work pay off.

And when that goal is finally reached, take time to enjoy it.  Besides, chances are you’re going to immediately set another goal and start working towards that one.

My goal in screenwriting is to write a script that will start me on the path of writing them for a living.  After a few more tweaks, I think the latest draft of my current script may be the one that does that.  This has been a long journey, but I’m a much better writer now compared to when I started out, and it’s all contributed towards reaching that goal.

And working towards these goals doesn’t just apply to creativity.

My goal in running is to do a half-marathon in 1:55.  This weekend’s run in Los Angeles yielded a time of 1:57:45, which isn’t bad. I still beat the 2-hour mark, but I know I can eventually hit my goal time. (The hot weather didn’t help. I don’t do well with the sun beating down on me.) In the meantime, I’m continuing to train and am already looking at potential races for next year.

My current goal in the kitchen is to make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch. After years of using the canned stuff, I’ve taken the plunge and bought a sugar pumpkin. (The baklava project has been put on hold until the holidays.)

Everybody has multiple goals they’re working towards. Don’t stop trying.

-Movie of the Moment – ARGO (2012). Absolutely loved it. Great story, great characters, smart script. Highly recommended. I’d be surprised if it didn’t get some Oscar nods. Also can’t help but wonder how Affleck would do directing a film where he wasn’t part of the cast.

Also finished Season 2 of THE WALKING DEAD. Solid all the way through, and ready to jump into Season 3.