Dreamship

Ain’t no stoppin’ me

Maximum Z Dreamship, rewrite, screenwriting, seminar

Today was quite the milestone. While I didn’t actually advance past the page 75 twist, I did type up everything from the midpoint to there, and I really like how it’s coming along.

It seems a lot more…streamlined than the previous draft. Things happen much quicker, there’s less lagtime, and I like to think it’s showing my hero in a more active role.

All that remains is getting to the end of Act Two and the whole of Act Three.  The former may be somewhat similar to earlier incarnations, but the latter may have to be totally redone.  At first, that sounds a bit intimidating, but that’s how I felt about this whole project since the beginning.  Happy to say my expectations have been a bit overestimated.

We’re supposed to go away for a few days near the end of June. I’m really hoping to have some kind of rough draft for K to read on the plane.  She enjoys doing that, and I appreciate her feedback.

-If you’re a screenwriter in the Bay Area and are free next weekend (May 21 & 22), click here for what sounds like a great opportunity.  I can’t do it because I’ve got prior commitments.  I don’t know if it’s still available, but it couldn’t hurt to check it out.

-No Movie of the Moment today, but THE KING’S SPEECH, 500 DAYS OF SUMMER and TRON: LEGACY are due up next. Always welcome to comments on any of them.

Wheeeee!

Maximum Z Dreamship, outlines, screenwriting

It’s amazing how accomplishing just a little bit more than you originally anticipated can make you feel pretty darned good. That sums me up quite nicely today.

I’m working on the third section of Act Two, between the midpoint and the page 75 twist. I have a target amount of about 18 scenes, with 13 or so being the current tally.  What’s great about this is not only do I remember some of what happened in the previous draft, but without those actual pages in front of me, it’s a lot easier to pick and choose from that and keep what I think still works.

And I can’t explain why, but it’s also getting easier for me to figure out how to raise the stakes in each scene.  Almost as if I remember what I had before, but now I’m able to take the underlying question – how can this be harder for my hero? – and really run with it.  In all honesty, I’m having a blast.  Color me giddy.

It would be great to finish Act Two by the end of the week, but I think I’ll be happy with what I have no matter what the result.

-Still working middays, so still too pooped to watch anything.  Expecting to resume the usual routine next week.

Eureka! (You don’t smell so good yourself)

Maximum Z anime, Dreamship, inspiration, Movie of the Moment, rewrite, screenwriting

Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.  Old 3 Stooges joke.

The reason behind that exclamation of wonder is because of what I was able to accomplish on yesterday’s DREAMSHIP rewrite effort.

Reading other scripts, especially those from the Black List, has really helped open my eyes in terms of how a good script looks, not only in terms of story, plot and character, but also regarding how it flows from scene to scene, and its actual appearance on the page.

As much as I’d like to name the fantastic actioner I read last week, I promised the person who sent it to me I wouldn’t, so I’m not.  But reading it made me realize I could take the same approach to my script. Great set pieces. Showing character through action. You get the idea.

Part of my problem with rewrites is that I always tend to not veer too far from the original material, so things don’t change that much. So far, that does not seem to be the case.  It’s kind of a thrill to take what I had, see if there’s a way to turn it around, or at least do something completely unexpected with it.  Even better, the new result is stronger, and also strengthens the story in ways I had never thought of or anticipated.  I like when that happens.

-Movie of the Moment: another two-fer. First, TALES FROM THE SCRIPT. A documentary consisting of interviews with screenwriters about their craft. Informative, fascinating, funny, and necessary viewing for writers trying to break in.

Second, AIKA R16: VIRGIN MISSION, anime from Japan. A prequel of sorts for a female adventurer, explaining how she got her start. Apparently this was released ten years after the original series, which I’ve yet to see. A clever concept and fun to watch, but way too many gratuitous panty shots. Just not my thing; in fact, it got a bit monotonous after a while.

Anybody got an anime series or film they’d recommend?  I lean more towards the sci-fi/comedy mix. I’ve seen just about all the Miyazaki oeuvre and most of the more well-known ones (AKIRA, STEAMBOY, COWBOY BEBOP, PROJECT A-KO), but gladly welcome something new.

*Last-minute item. This was supposed to post yesterday, but I wasn’t paying attention and inadvertently erased it.

While I was writing the above content, I got an email from my rewrite client from last week. They thanked me for my work and wanted to know what I thought about the script.

If you’ve been diligently following along, you’ll recall I did not have the highest of opinions.  Therefore, I’m working on a response I can only hope that will be politely and tactfully helpful.

We can rebuild him

Maximum Z Dreamship, Nicholl Fellowship, rewrite, screenwriting

Some good progress on the rewrite today. I’m getting closer to the page 45 twist, and may have also come up with a few ideas on how to fix a few glaring plot holes.  Always nice when that happens.

While I do the work, I usually have a piece of paper in case of sudden inspiration, the word document containing the current outline, and the original script open in a separate window.  All three slowly working together, hopefully to result in something good.

Looking over my previous draft, I can’t help but notice how slow parts of it are. Here’s hoping this rewrite will avoid that.  When other writers start a page one rewrite, how much do they refer back to the previous draft?  Do you start completely from scratch, or take what you have and see if a little tweaking would do the trick?  Just askin’.

-My Nicholl-deadline-reaching may yet again be in jeopardy, but not because of the rewrite.  I’m waiting to hear back about a project involving punching up somebody’s script, at least in terms of the action lines.  One of the instructions was basically “do NOT touch the dialogue”.  It’ll be interesting to see what the writer says regarding making changes (read: fixing), if necessary, to the story.

Don’t count me out just yet

Maximum Z Black List, Dreamship, screenwriting

Really nice progress on the DREAMSHIP rewrite today. While I like what I had to begin with, what I came up with today is quite an improvement.

I also realized I was taking my ScriptQuack notes too literally.  I don’t have to accept everything they suggest.  While some of their comments definitely have merit, it’s ultimately MY script, and I can pick and choose which of their suggestions to use.

If I can keep up this kind of pace between now and the end of the month, I may make that deadline after all.  I’m not saying it’s definitely doable, but the odds are slowly working their way back in my favor.

-The stats feature for WordPress tells me what categories are leading readers here.  Several of the more recent ones are connected with some of the Black List scripts I reviewed earlier this year.  This reminded me I have about another 12-15 to check out.

I’d forgotten what great reads they can be, but they’ll have to wait until after the rewrite.  Time for a nice cup of GET BACK TO YOUR SCRIPT.