Not necessarily my internal struggle, but you get the idea…
(If you have absolutely no idea who either of these guys are, go here.)
The rewrite’s done, and all of a sudden, I’m nervous. Like, ridiculously so.
I’ve sent scripts out before, but this time something is making it a lot different.
A fear of failure. Of rejection.
What if nobody likes it?
What writer hasn’t gone through this?
But as I tell K every once in a while – the only way I could fail is if I stopped trying, and I don’t plan on doing that either.
It may be that after all this time, the idea of possibly being that much closer to actually achieving my goal is kind of overwhelming. This is where that internal voice kicks in.
Do I have what it takes? Is the script just about ready to be sent out?
Damn straight. I’ve got a lot of confidence in this script and my writing ability.
I can and will do what it takes to make this work.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to be the rewrite to be this far along, but that’s how it’s working out.
Utilizing elements of the previous draft, the revamped outline and the occasional sudden inspiration, I’ve been copying, pasting and making fixes left and right.
Pretty significant – changes in Act One extended it another 6-7 pages, which turned out not to be the problem I thought it might. This combined with changes in the first half of Act Two have kept things on track, so now I’m around 4 pages ahead. Still not a problem.
Even more significant – I’ve been able to insert important story elements in appropriate places, except for one. Still working on that, but not worried about it.
Basically, the whole process has been extremely energizing. And I’m loving it.
-Had a nice chat with the guy whose script I provided notes for a few weeks ago. He’s already made two films on his own, and this is his third. Despite his eagerness to start filming, I did my best to emphasize the importance of making sure the script is rock-solid and bulletproof first, including recommending a 2-week break from the script, followed by a page one cold rewrite.
After I gave my two cents about other topics like incorporating theme, conflict, character development and so on, the poor guy seemed stunned. Almost as if I’d scared him into submission. But he said he’d take everything I said into consideration – but he had to get going because he was headed out to scout locations.
Can’t say I didn’t try.
-Movie of the Moment – THE WALKING DEAD, Season Two. I’d watched Season One on DVD about a year ago, and thought it was fantastic. I never got around to catching Season Two when it actually aired on TV. Now Season Three has started up, but we’re phasing out Comcast (Roku or Apple TV? Your thoughts please) and I’m using Hulu and Netflix Streaming when I can.
Hence Season Two.
One of the many things I really appreciate about the show in general is the suspense factor. Sometimes it’s low, and sometimes it’s through the roof, but it’s always gripping and definitely leaves you wondering what’s going to happen next. And the occasional plot twist out of nowhere doesn’t hurt either.
Throw in 3-dimensional characters, believable situations (despite the whole zombie apocalypse aspect), and just plain great writing, and it’s easy to see why this has been so successful. Very eager to keep going.
-Totally forgot to mention – took V to APE this past weekend. Met a lot of great self-published comic creators. Hoping to write about it later this week, including links to some extremely talented folks.
Fall is here! Time for pie! (subcategory – pumpkin, subdivision – whipped cream)
Packing was stress-inducing, but the move went smoothly (including movers who were reliably fast and efficient), and the unpacking stage seems never-ending.
But it’s all in the past now. Time now to realign my focus back on the outline and get things done.
Despite not having a chance to actually write over the past week, my creativeness was definitely being put to work, including coming up with a potentially stronger beginning. You don’t realize how much you miss working on a project until you’re forced to not work on it.
Suffice to say, I’m really hoping to be super-productive over the next few weeks.
-I’m fully recovered from last week’s half-marathon, and now have to resume training for the one next month in the City of Angels. I was hoping to get a run in tomorrow, but part of the move involved switching out TVs, so I’ve got to spend tomorrow afternoon waiting for the friendly neighborhood Cable Guy to show up and check stuff out. Unfortunately, the run will have to wait.
Always seeking the silver lining, I plan on utilizing my time waiting for him by either a) unpacking some more, or b) working on the all-important rewrite. Maybe a little of both.
-It’s been a while, but time now for the triumphant return of MOVIE OF THE MOMENT! – Up today: GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE (2012)!
I think “disorganized mess” sums it up nicely. It veered back and forth between fun comic book-style popcorn flick and predictable, cheesy thriller. Nic Cage was all over the map, but seemed to be enjoying himself.
Too hard to sum up the plot, but something about the Rider having to prevent Satan’s representative on Earth from taking over the body of a 13-year-old boy. I think.
It wasn’t what you’d call easy to understand, which is especially surprising since David Goyer is one of the credited writers.
Possibly a minor complaint – not enough of the title character in action. Something like 3-4 sequences, including a humongous fiery mining vehicle, but I was hoping for more.
I apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. I’ve been developing a big new project, and now I can finally talk about it.
I’m going to be hosting a weekly hour-long online radio show about writing and movies on Radioslot.com. It should launch in the next few weeks. Keep in mind this is NOT a podcast, which you can download and listen to anytime you want. This will have a designated live broadcast time, and possibly one to two rebroadcasts in the week until the next new show.
Since the show will be done live, there may be a chance for listeners to email questions/comments, which could be addressed live. Tthe emphasis will be on writing and movies, but knowing me, there will probably also be the occasional dip into assorted other fields, such as comics and webcomics. I’m also in the process of setting up some interviews. I had a great guest for my audition show, and hope to bring him and his partner back.
Once everything is finalized, I’ll set up a link. Despite my cool exterior appearance, I’m actually all aflutter. Exciting times, indeed.
Suffice to say, my writing progress has taken somewhat of a hit during this time. Maybe about 7 or 8 pages, but I’m hoping to get a little more back on track soon.
-Movie of the Moment – CHRONICLE (2012). This was one of the first 2010 Black List scripts I read, and was looking forward to seeing it. Putting my enjoyment of superhero flicks aside, this was quite well done. It took a realistic approach to a fantasy subject, and didn’t short-change either side.
Parts of the script warranted a hard R rating, but those parts were toned down to make it PG-13, and I wonder if keeping it as originally written would have worked better. Case in point – the spider scene stayed the same, but the script has Andrew doing the same thing to his father in the hospital room. While that would have been pretty messy, but just dropping him seemed not as effective. I also remember the final showdown (the original script is set in Portland, Oregon) as having more spectacle to it.
Don’t get me wrong. This was a lot of fun and definitely worth your time.
Maximum Z 