Sorry, chums. No post today.
Very busy with editing and polishing the animated fantasy-comedy spec.
Plus – need to do notes on two scripts.
Catch ya next week.
Red pen in use time
Author: Maximum Z
Quality first and foremost
I’d finished a draft of the animated fantasy-comedy in late November and thought “Okay! This will definitely be ready for some of the contest early bird deadlines.”
Then I started getting notes on it. Which led to subsequent rewrites.
Then more notes, then another rewrite, followed by even more notes, culminating in an inspired push to complete a significant rewrite before the clock struck twelve on New Year’s Eve.
I made it with two hours to spare.
Bonus – 8 pages shorter than the previous draft.
I had a new draft of which I was particularly proud, but was it good enough to stand a chance in the big contests?
Kinda-sorta, but a decision had to be made.
On one hand, I could still make the rapidly-approaching early bird deadlines with the script as is, or get some already-scheduled professional notes and make the necessary fixes, thereby sending it regardless of the fee.
You can probably guess which option I chose.
One set of pro notes are coming in next week, and then another set in early February, so the hope is to have a contest-ready draft by the end of February or early March. Whatever the fees are around that time, that is what I will pay.
As I recently wrote to a writing colleague: I’d rather have a quality script that could do well in a high-profile contest than save a couple of bucks.
Your three for ’23
A new year is upon us. One hopefully jam-packed with opportunity and lots of forward momentum for all.
I had the recent pleasure of having lunch with a writing group. As things started to wrap up, one of the members asked the rest of us to list the three writing-related things we hoped to accomplish in 2023.
It was a great idea, and just as great to hear what everybody was setting out to do.
For me, it’s adding two scripts to my catalog, filming the short, and possibly resuming the quest for representation. That last one’s still a maybe, with “Elevate the quality of my writing” a suitable alternative.
So in the same spirit of camaraderie, I pass the question on to you:
What are your three writing-related goals for 2023?
More than that is fine, but three is a good starting point.
No matter what they are, I wish you the best of luck with of all of them.
Go get ’em, chums. I’m rootin’ for ya.
See you next year.
From me to you
Festivities around Maximum Z HQ are underway, so taking a moment to say that which must be said.
As the year winds down, we all look back and think about what did and didn’t happen, writing-wise.
Progress was made, along with a few of the usual setbacks and disappointments.
We all know this ain’t easy, but why would we do it if we didn’t enjoy it?
The important thing is we keep trying.
I sincerely hope that each of you continues to push forward in 2023 so that this time next year you can proudly claim “Look at all the amazing stuff I was able to accomplish this year!”
Know that yours truly will always be in your corner, cheering you on and offering up as much encouragement as possible.
I’m extremely fortunate and grateful to know so many amazing and talented writers, and wish all of you nothing but the best in the coming year for all of your projects.
Happy holidays, you phenomenal creatives, you.
A nice wrap-up
2022 is starting to wind down, and the general consensus around Maximum Z HQ is:
It’s been a pretty good year.
-First and foremost, I finally managed to publish my books. Took a while to put it all together, but thanks to a heaven-sent editor/advisor, they became a reality.
Also nice is that they’ve been very positively received. And they make a great gift for any screenwriter (plug, plug).
-A lot of the year was also spent writing. I completed a few drafts of the animated fantasy-comedy spec – huge shoutout to the readers who provided some excellent notes that helped improve each draft. Hoping the end result achieves what I set out to do.
I’m also wrapping up the script for the microbudget feature. The producer who brought me onto the project really likes what I’ve come up with so far, which is always nice to hear. They’re hoping to start production in the spring, so fingers remain firmly crossed that becomes a reality.
Bonus – the producer also asked me to write a short, which I did. It’s a completed project and is already being submitted to festivals. Keeping any other details under wraps for the time being.
-Wasn’t able to make my horror-comedy short film, but I did connect with a local director who’s open to helping out. This whole “make it yourself” thing is quite a learning experience.
-Speaking of connecting, I got to meet a whole new bunch of local writers. I always enjoy that.
-I once again took part in the screenwriting track for the San Francisco Writers Conference, which included being on panels and offering advice to writers one-on-one. Had a great time with that, and I’ll get to do it again in February.
-Being part of the conference also led to doing a lecture about screenwriting for the California Writers Club, which it looks like I might get to do again sometime soon.
-Didn’t do so well on the contest front, but as evidenced in everything else I just talked about, I think I’ve done okay.
Here’s hoping for more good news and positive vibes for all of us in 2023.
Keep pushing forward, chums. I’m rootin’ for ya.
Maximum Z 