Being done with this rewrite is almost a reality; emphasis on the word ‘almost’.
There’s this one scene that’s really bothering me. Something about it feels very…off. It’s necessary in that it wraps up a subplot, but the way it’s written feels less ‘show’ and more ‘tell’.
I’m not exactly sure how to handle this. The scene still works, but part of me thinks it could be better and another part wonders if it should stay as is. This is definitely going to require some figuring out.
One unfortunate side effect of making changes is it will most likely drag things out and make the script longer, which really is the last thing I need right now.
Which brings me to another issue.
This is at least 7-10 pages too long, so the next step after all the writing is done is to hack, slash and rewrite this down to a more agreeable length. I don’t want a potentially interested party to be put off by the number of pages before even starting to read it. (Although in my defense, this is a real page-turner of a script)
I don’t like setting deadlines for myself, but with the end of the year looming, the rest of the month seems like a good opportunity to really wrap this script up once and for all. I’ve been in contact with a professional writer who gives notes, so that’s where it’ll go when all is said and done.
Which will most likely lead to more rewriting, but you and I knew that was going to happen anyway.
When you start out doing something, you know what your goal is from the very beginning.
“This is what I want to accomplish” is your mindset.
You work and work, always striving to reach that goal.
There may be setbacks, but you don’t let them stop you or deter you. You remind yourself that reaching that goal will take time. Persevere, as my dad is fond of saying.
Set that bar. Reach for it. Every effort and attempt gets you that much closer to it.
Hit a milestone on the way to that ultimate goal, and ask yourself “How can I improve?” Always strive to do better, because you know you can.
The whole time you’re working towards that goal, part of what keeps you going is looking forward to seeing all that hard work pay off.
And when that goal is finally reached, take time to enjoy it. Besides, chances are you’re going to immediately set another goal and start working towards that one.
My goal in screenwriting is to write a script that will start me on the path of writing them for a living. After a few more tweaks, I think the latest draft of my current script may be the one that does that. This has been a long journey, but I’m a much better writer now compared to when I started out, and it’s all contributed towards reaching that goal.
And working towards these goals doesn’t just apply to creativity.
My goal in running is to do a half-marathon in 1:55. This weekend’s run in Los Angeles yielded a time of 1:57:45, which isn’t bad. I still beat the 2-hour mark, but I know I can eventually hit my goal time. (The hot weather didn’t help. I don’t do well with the sun beating down on me.) In the meantime, I’m continuing to train and am already looking at potential races for next year.
My current goal in the kitchen is to make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch. After years of using the canned stuff, I’ve taken the plunge and bought a sugar pumpkin. (The baklava project has been put on hold until the holidays.)
Everybody has multiple goals they’re working towards. Don’t stop trying.
-Movie of the Moment – ARGO (2012). Absolutely loved it. Great story, great characters, smart script. Highly recommended. I’d be surprised if it didn’t get some Oscar nods. Also can’t help but wonder how Affleck would do directing a film where he wasn’t part of the cast.
Also finished Season 2 of THE WALKING DEAD. Solid all the way through, and ready to jump into Season 3.
Working from the end of Act Two into Act Three is certainly proving to be an exercise in staying organized, story- and detail-wise.
It’s one thing to jot down the idea behind a scene in your notes, thinking “I’ll fill in the details later,” and totally another when it’s time to fill in those details.
Case in point: I write “daring escape!” to sum up a scene. Now I have to figure out not only HOW the escape is daring, but have to put it together in a way that’s exciting, original and entertaining, reinforces how it fits between the scenes before and after it, all while making sure it also works within the context of the story, characters and theme.
Quite a lot to keep in mind, isn’t it? And this applies to EVERY scene in your story, no matter how big or small.
Not only that, but while you’re putting a scene together, it’s easy for some details to slip your mind. How can this character be involved here when I had him trapped over there? Hey, this character is just sitting there. How can I involve them?
This also re-emphasizes that most of the heavy lifting comes while putting the outline together. It’s a lot easier to fix a sentence or short paragraph rather than a few pages of script, especially when you come up with a scene or sequence you absolutely love, then discover it just doesn’t work.
It’s also a great opportunity to experiment. What if this happens? How about if the character does THIS instead of this? Let your imagination run wild. Pull out all the stops. Just make sure it all makes sense in terms of moving the story forward.
Work your way through the details during the outline phase, and you’ll find the page-writing phase will go much more smoothly.
We’ve all been there. After countless hours of slaving away on a project, you’re closing in on finally being done. Hallelujah, the end is in sight! The urge to steamroll your way through whatever’s left and be done once and for all overwhelms you. That is an option, but it’s also one of the worst things you could do.
My work on the current polish/rewrite is about 20 pages from being done. While the ambitious part of me is ready to start researching professional script analysts, and maybe some agents and managers, the more rational part is saying “Hold on there, speedy.” When I finish this draft, I’m going to go through it at least 2-3 more times with the proverbial fine-tooth comb, as well as get additional feedback from my trusted colleagues. A fresh pair of eyes on something you’ve practically memorized by now can be extremely helpful.
Even during this current stretch, I’ve found a few story points that needed a little touching up and some typos here and there. Nothing major, but I want to make sure everything is how it’s supposed to be. Even though all of this is pushing back the inevitable sending out, it’s more than worth it.
You’d think it would be common sense for somebody to make sure their work was as perfect as they can make it before submitting it to a professional. But this happens all the time. There are countless tales of somebody reading a script and easily identifying problems with it, both in terms of appearance and execution.
When you’re presenting something this important, wouldn’t you want it to be the absolute best it can be? Of course you do. Then check it as many times as possible to make it that much harder for somebody to say ‘no’.
-Movie of the Moment: Jam-packed edition! With V out of town, my movie-viewing has been plentiful.
-PROMETHEUS. As a friend put it, “A big hot mess.” Such a letdown, especially after all the hype. I didn’t like it. Pretty to look at, but a muddled plot that raised too many questions (as in “Would a person with any common sense really do that?”). Especially disappointing because of bad writing. Expected more from co-writer Damon Lindelof.
-MOONRISE KINGDOM. Loved it. I don’t have a problem with Wes Anderson’s style, but it did seem a little too similar to his earlier works. Still, a great story with perfectly-cast actors in each role. Nice to see Bruce Willis once again exercise his acting chops. The two leads, 12-year-olds who’ve never acted before, were really impressive.
-THE WOMAN IN BLACK. Wonderfully creepy gothic horror with a surprisingly spot-on lead performance by Daniel Radcliffe. What I liked most was that it seemed as if half of the scenes were dialogue-free, relying on mood and sound to raise goosebumps. Best when watched in the dark.
-TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL. I’m not a fan of slasher flicks, but this was a clever spin on the “college kids in the backwoods” story. Funnier than I expected. Maybe one more run at the script wouldn’t have been a bad idea, so call it almost-great.
Man, this rewrite is just zooming along, especially with the much-appreciated, very helpful feedback I’ve received. Spending so much time plotting things out before churning out pages really paid off. I tried to make sure any possible questions that arose could be easily answered through the course of the story. One or two small issues may still need a little work, but looks like they can be handled without too much heavy lifting.
Nevertheless, confidence levels still running high.
Most of the edits took no time, but the biggest challenge was changing how the antagonist’s story ends. This has been in place since day one, but I’ve received more than a few comments saying it seemed too intense compared to the rest of the story. So change was necessary.
I must have spent around two hours trying out at least a dozen scenarios until I finally came up with something I like. It may need a little fine-tuning, but the execution is pretty solid and I think it fits in nicely with the rest of it.
You know how a writer’s mantra is/should be “write every day”? I’ve tried to adhere to that as much as I can, and it really feels like it’s paying off in terms of being able to think my way out of potential writer’s block situations. Getting stuck trying to figure something out isn’t as much of a hassle as it used to be.
Cliched as it sounds, your creativity really is like a kind of muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. And you don’t even have to break a sweat.
Maximum Z 