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It’s either optimism or hypothermia

Maximum Z baking, blog, exercise, half-marathons, inspiration, manager, motivation, podcasts, productivity, representation, running, screenwriting, The Script Adventurer!, writing
Luckily for me, it doesn't snow here
Luckily for me, it doesn’t snow here

My bike ride to work is an enjoyable 6-mile pre-dawn journey across most of San Francisco. The temperature when I left the house just after 4 this morning was 43 degrees, so by the time I got to work 40 minutes later, some of my outer extremities were a bit chilled and are taking longer than I’d like to thoroughly thaw.  Especially my feet. They’re still cold.

But looking back today at how this year developed for me combined with what I’m hoping to make happen in 2013 make for that warm glow of satisfaction.

-My writing has definitely improved. Several drafts later, DREAMSHIP is much stronger now, and I’m feeling really confident about it. While a sale would be fantastic, I’ll focus on getting representation for now.

-Because of the feedback I’d received on DREAMSHIP, the outlining process for LUCY is working out much, much smoother. Once the outline is ready, and it almost is, I’m really looking forward to getting started on pages.

-I didn’t get to read as many scripts as I’d wanted to, so setting a weekly goal of at least 2 seems pretty doable.

-I had a blast doing The Script Adventurer!, and am that much closer to bringing it back as a podcast. Still planning on a January launch. This is becoming a real learning process, and is actually kind of exciting.

-I did three half-marathons, finally breaking 2:00. I plan on doing at least three more this year, hopefully adding 1-2 more into the mix. Once again, the objective is to break 1:55.

-Since the running took care of my lower body, 2013 will also see more attention to upper body. Hoping for bigger arms and flatter abs. First up – the 100 Pushups program.

-I made a lot of pies this year. So many that they’re now strongly requested when friends invite us over for dinner. Pie-making will continue, but baklava remains at the top of the “I really want to make this” list. (This is not necessarily counter-productive to the previous item – it’s all about moderation)

-I’ll try to keep posting on a semi-regular basis. As always, my appreciation and gratitude for those of you willing to endure my ramblings continues to be limitless.  I hope 2012 saw good things happen for you, and that 2013 is even better.

Happy New Year, and see you on the other side.

Break out the party hats

Maximum Z blog, screenwriting

This is my 200th post since starting this blog two years ago.  That’s a lot.

I’ve certainly enjoyed writing it.  When I first started, I was really bad about posting, then hardly posted at all. For months at a time.  K would occasionally ask “Did you write something on your blog today?” I would grumble some kind of response, then feel guilty for doing so, then feel even more guilty for not writing anything.

What kind of writer doesn’t want to write?

I decided to try and post on a much more regular basis sometime last July.  I couldn’t do every day, but maybe 3-4 times a week.  I figured if I could do this, then there’d be no reason I couldn’t do more script stuff as well.

It seemed to work.

Although I abandoned my attempt at comedy, I came up with what I consider a great idea for my next script, and decided to go through with the rewrite of a previous script.  It’s been fun.

I’ve tried to keep the topics interesting, even though I usually end up talking about my progress.  Hopefully it hasn’t bored you too much.

It’s also been a real kick to write about scripts I’ve read, or films I’ve seen.  There are so mnay great examples of each out there, and I love finding them all.  Suggestions or recommendations are always welcome.

Sure, there are lots of other screenwriting blogs, many of which get a lot more hits and traffic than mine, but I don’t mind.  I enjoy documenting my progress, ruminating on any number of random subjects, and occasionally opening a window into the non-writing parts of my life.

I hope you’ve enjoyed it as well, and thanks for coming along.

Totally unexpected but much appreciated

Maximum Z anime, blog, I Blame Ninjas, loglines, Netflix, outlines, screenwriting, scriptshadow

After weeks of agonizing self-doubt and re-examining of whether or not the outline works, I may have stumbled onto the solution I’ve been looking for.

And I owe it all to a guy I’ve never met.

During some of my downtime earlier today, I was checking out some of the screenwriting blogs I like. Some of those led to links, which led to some I’ve checked out once in a while, to a few I’ve never seen.

This guy falls into the middle category.

Patrick Sweeney lives in the Sacramento area and runs the blog I Blame Ninjas.  He wrote a script called GHOST TRAIN, which is also a western-adventure, but apparently with a more supernatural bent.  I asked him if I could take a look and he sent it without hesitation.  I plan on reading it tomorrow.

I also asked him what his logline was.  He sent it.  It is totally kick-ass, and put mine to shame; anything that includes the phrase ‘a train carrying phantom gunslingers to Hell’ has to be good.  But instead of wallowing in self-pity, I realized mine could be almost as good.  So I tinkered.  Now I’m definitely closer to a better one than I was a few days ago.

It also got me thinking that my existing outline is NOT written in stone, and that I CAN make changes and take liberties and all that.

So I did.

Right now I’ve got a completely different beginning, which I like a lot.  I still need to work on the rest of it.

And by reading a script review on Scriptshadow, I also discovered what had really been holding me back before in terms of my antagonist: his motivation.  Why does he do what he does?  For now, it’s one of the two standards: money or revenge.  I’m not sure yet, but both have definite possibilities.  He can’t just be bad because it suits the script.

I also thought of introducing yet another subplot about a treasure map (to tie in with that whole ‘money’ motivation), but I don’t need any more headaches over this thing, so I’ll stick with what I’ve got.

No Movie of the Moment today, but I’ve been enjoying the risque anime MOUSE about a cat burglar and his three buxom assistants.  More or less PG-13 material, but typical Japanese sex humor and not for kids.  Unless you’re a teenaged boy who gets a big kick out of skits on Benny Hill.

Amazingly, I’m not the one who put this on our Netflix queue.  That honor goes to the lovely K.  But I’m really grateful she did.

Really grateful.

Not so fast, mental block!

Maximum Z Back to the Future, blog, characters, Dreamship, outlines, screenwriting, ScriptQuack, story

Once again, my productivity levels go up when I’m supposed to be doing something else.

This time it was V’s hockey practice.  While my incredible child was working on stopping shots in goal, I sat in the stands with pen and paper, determined to get through the latest bout of writer’s block.

I think I’m on my way.

I managed to come up with an exciting end to a scene that originally seemed kind of boring.  I came up with a better way to introduce the infamous bounty hunter much earlier in the story; this also necessitates and hastens the inevitable rewriting of Act One.  Which is okay.

But I worry the focus on the main character is being drawn away by the ever-developing subplots.  Granted, some of the short scenes I was coming up with are very, very short, but it’s really important that the reader/viewer is always thinking “Will Lucy succeed?”, and especially when she’s NOT in the scene.  (Case in point: I think there’s one or two scenes in Back to the Future WITHOUT Marty McFly.)

So for now, I keep plugging away.  I’m hoping to get to the midpoint by the end of the year.  There are a few weekend shifts as part of that, so that will definitely help.

-A very big thanks to everybody who took a look at this blog over the past few days.  I had a whopping 19 (most ever!) people visit on Wednesday, and that’s a lot.  I hope you’re getting as much enjoyment out of reading this as I do in writing it.

And as always, comments and questions are highly encouraged.

-I haven’t had a chance to start reading my Black List scripts yet.  That may fall under that weekend category as well.  Either GANGSTER SQUAD or THE 13TH MAN will be first.

-While work on LUCY is chugging along (ooh, a train reference!), I keep forgetting I have these great notes on DREAMSHIP from the fine folks at www.scriptquack.com (highly recommended, but I don’t think they’ve put up my testimonial yet).  I’d really like to enter it in next year’s Nicholl, so I gotta get my ass in gear and get to work.  Looks like I may have to go the Stephen King route and work on each one on alternating days.

That’s right.  This never ends.

Urgh. Not again

Maximum Z blog, loglines, outlines, plot, screenwriting, story

Like it does with the roads and traffic, a rainy day messes me up something fierce.

The threat of rain this morning extended my workday three hours, which I don’t mind because a few more ducats on my paycheck is a welcome thing.

K had a lunch appointment, so that meant driving downtown to pick her up, which I also don’t mind because I’m such a loving and helpful husband.

V had soccer practice, which meant running around in a blustery, heavy mist along with the coach and 5 2nd-grade girls on a muddy field, and the final game of the season is tomorrow, and they needed the practice, but I don’t mind since I’m such a dedicated and helpful father.

V’s friend is sleeping over, which meant making dinner (hot dogs and oven-baked fries) and dessert (banana bread and chocolate ice cream).  Now the girls are watching HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE while I write about not working on the outline.  It’s that very last part I mind.

On one hand, I don’t like not getting anything done.  At all.  It feels counter-productive.  A day spent not writing is another day to wait for things to pay off.  Like the saying goes, “this thing ain’t gonna write itself.”

But, if I look at it from a different angle, I wasn’t feeling as productive as I could have been, so maybe not writing actually worked in my favor.

I’ve been running scenarios in my head since yesterday.  Where do I want the story to go from here?  Can I still follow my plot point milestones?  Am I still in control of this thing?

I’m working on the first question, and a fairly certain ‘yes’ to the second two.

I don’t know how much I’ll be able to get done this weekend, so progress may be on hold until Monday.  But during that time I’ll be trying to figure stuff out, including maybe incorporating possible suggestions/feedback from the writing group.

But for now, my main concern with the first act is that I didn’t do enough exploring the main character.  Again, hopefully the feedback from the group will be helpful.

-I’ve recently started mentioning new posts on Facebook, which I think is contributing to more people checking this blog out.  And that’s great.

I hope people are enjoying my materials, which is what any writer wants.  I’m curious to know what they think of all of this.

Are they enjoying following my progress?  Do they have any questions about how this works?  Does this remind you of another blog, and if so, which one?  Do you think that writer would like mine?  Does anybody know somebody in LA that would be interested in my taking a look at my stuff?  These are questions that need, almost demand, an answer.

So to paraphrase Chicago elections, comment early and comment often.