Author: Maximum Z

Goosebumps, I tell ya!

Maximum Z adventure, comic books, Netflix, outlines, plot, screenwriting, story, thrillers, westerns, WWII

I didn’t get to do much story development today due to time constraints, but what I did accomplish was the ongoing fleshing-out of the LUCY outline.

Last night before I went to sleep, I thought I hit on the right first act turning point and midpoint, but didn’t write them down!  Argh.  So the latter half of this afternoon involved trying to reach back into my subconscious and get them back.

I think I sort-of managed to do that.

I worked on filling in the blanks of my little ‘plot milestone’ sheet, and there were some spaces that remained empty longer than the others.

What I think my next step really needs to be is where I write down all the things I can think of that would be connected with the major plot elements of the story, and see if anything develops out of them.

I’m sure this will pay off; it usually has before.

The more I work on this, the more excited I get to do it.  I really think that when all the elements are in place, this thing will take practically no time to write up.

But I have to make sure it works from both the story and thrills perspectives. I want to keep the reader/audience enthralled.  That’s right.  Enthralled.  This is supposed to be a western-adventure that I would want to see; even pay to see, so it HAS to be good AND exciting.

I think I can do that.

-This past weekend was the Alternative Press Expo, or APE as it’s commonly called.  My friend Neil and I have gone for about the past four years, except last year (timing).

It’s a great mix of independent comic artists and writers.  Some are people who xerox stuff at Kinko’s, fold and staple the ‘books’ themselves, then sell them.  Others are people who actually have a publisher.

It’s a nice alternative (hence the name) to the biggies, like WonderCon and Comic-Con, which is kind of nice.

This year we had to take V, since K was unavailable.  While I’m sure a lot of the stuff was over her head, she took great joy in spotting things she knew, like sketches of Spidey, the guy who sold fuse-bead interpretations of Pokemon characters (which we bought one of), or the guy who does some awesome Clone Wars sketches ($20 for a head sketch, $50 for the whole body, neither of which were purchased by us).

I always feel  bad for the people who are hawking stuff that doesn’t appear to be interesting.  It’s so awkward to smile as you pass by, thinking “There is no way in hell I’m buying anything from YOU!”  But maybe they sell a few things, possibly even breaking even, and enjoying themselves.  What do I know?

Going back to the artists’ angle, there are always a ton of incredibly talented artists there with all this phenomenal art for sale, mostly prints, but sometimes the original.  Like I told Neil, if I bought every piece of art I liked at APE, I would have no space left on the walls, and no money left over; not to mention probably a less-than-thrilled wife.

So now the countdown to WonderCon begins.  Only 164 days left and counting!!

-My sister-in-law is visiting, so no Movie of the Moment tonight.  However, I did watch RIO BRAVO, which was okay, but a little long.  Two hours would have worked fine.

The next night was NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH, a pre-WWII British spy thriller with a very skinny Rex Harrison.  It dragged a little in the beginning, but got better as it went along.  It also had Paul Henreid as the bad guy, but I know him best as Victor Laslo in CASABLANCA, so it was an interesting contrast.

What was nice was it actually raised the question of “WOULD HE DIE?”  I won’t give anything away, but it keep you hanging on until the very end.

Nice.

Ooh, harsh!

Maximum Z screenwriting, writing group

I got a big envelope in the mail yesterday.  Before you jump to conclusions, it wasn’t anything official or important.

It was the first act of the first draft of BABY LIKES JAZZ, which I finished some time in August.  I think.  Anyway, I sent that out to the writing group back then, expecting comments and feedback.

The woman who organizes the group finally got around to her comments.

And boy did she.

Basically, she tore it apart.  There really didn’t seem to be anything about it she liked.

Keep in mind this was a first draft.  I know and accept that it would need a lot of work.  I don’t have a problem with the criticism, but it seemed like she was annoyed it wasn’t better.

What really threw me was the comments sheet, which I’m guessing is comparable to what a professional reader would fill out.  I was intrigued more by how she put it together rather than what it actually said.

The fact that I had basically abandoned BABY LIKES JAZZ probably helped.  But it does make me wonder/concerned how she’ll react to LUCY STEELE.

But I’m not going to worry about it.  As much as I wish I could write comedy, action-adventure is more my style.

The whole experience reminded me of the first time I got a script back from a peer.  It was covered in her infamous red pen.  This was about ten years ago, so I wasn’t used to criticism and thought I was a better writer than I actually was.

I wasn’t.  All that red made my confidence crumble.  That really was the start of me being able to pick and choose from comments and feedback, no matter how harsh or nice they were.

Granted, I don’t know the complete background of this woman.  Maybe she just takes this way too seriously.  And that’s not right.

He went thataway!

Maximum Z screenwriting

So I started the latest rewrite of BABY LIKES JAZZ, and it went okay.  It’s different than the last version.  Edgier. Leaner. Funnier (maybe).  Of course, I only got to page 3.

I thought 3 pages a day was pretty good.

WARNING! Pending roundabout story in 3…2….1!

So K will be away on Election Day, which means she got to go to City Hall and vote early.  Which meant I dropped her off and circled around while I waited.

While I was driving, I plugged in my iPod and was enjoying an episode of The Cisco Kid (otr western).  Part of the story involved a train.

I like old-timey trains (see BTTF PtIII).

For quite some time, I’ve always wanted to do a story about the first female Secret Service agent, but could never come up with a plot.  Quite frustrating.

And I once again did not win the logline contest.

Then all of a sudden…

Like a bolt from the blue…

WHAM!!!

A story about a female train engineer in the Old West.  Feisty.  Spunky.  Barbara Stanwyck-ish.

I hate to say it, but it pushed BABY off to the side.

An adventure-type story with a female protagonist set in one of my favorite genres?  How can I resist?

I can’t.

I may not look it, but I’m practically giddy about the possibilities here.

Time to start racking my brain and come up with ideas for this.

But first, my week will be spent working on a good logline to enter into the contest for Friday.

In retrospect, BABY LIKES JAZZ was a good effort, but comedy just ain’t my thing.  It was always in the back of my mind whether or not I could write like Tina Fey or the people behind THE HANGOVER.

I can’t.  I tried, but I can’t.

So it looks like I’ll be staying in the adventure genre, which really suits me more.

Progress as it applies to various stories will be documented here as it develops.

Rest well, BABY LIKES JAZZ.  You were a valiant effort.

Moving on…

I feel refreshed! Rejuvenated!

Maximum Z outlines, Pushing Daisies, screenwriting, treatment

I was going to just jump into BABY LIKES JAZZ, then decided I really needed a basic outline.

Then I remembered: I already have one!

I had completely forgotten I wrote it just over a month ago.  There were some tweaks and adjustments here and there, but I think it’s in pretty good shape.

Now I need to figure out if I use that to start on pages, or flesh it out a little bit.  If I can remember to make sure almost every scene has a joke, then I’ll be set.

Sometimes it really does amaze me when I find something I’d written weeks, or even months before, and the material still works; possibly even better than I expected.

That feels really cool.

Knowing me, I’ll probably want to flesh it out a little bit, but not too much.  If I really throw myself into this, there’s no reason it couldn’t be done relatively soon, which in itself is a relative term.  Although it WOULD be cool to go into the holiday season with at least a first draft done.

-I was thinking about this earlier regarding the writing group.  Some of the people are really good and offer great feedback.  My problem, and I’m sure it’s this way for others, is the lack of consistency in terms of meeting.  I say set up a time that works best for a majority of the members, and leave it at that.  If somebody can make it, great.  If not, better luck next time.

I thrive on feedback, and when I don’t get it, I start to doubt my abilities.  And I do not like that.

Did I mention I’m feeling really good right now?  Like I can take on the whole Empire and all that.

Fingers firmly crossed hoping it lasts.

No Movie of the Moment, but we watched another episode of PUSHING DAISIES last night.  The writing on that show was simply incredible.  Clever, smart, original and other words of high praise.