I had it all planned out. The rewrite’s done, but I won’t be able to send it out for professional notes until after January 1st, so until then, I’d have plenty of time to research the best places to query and work on my western outline.
It was nice to think that.
But as is usually the case, things have changed a bit.
A trusted colleague sent some extremely helpful notes, and more are due from another.
*side note – I connected with both through social media and networking. Proof it has benefits!
It would seem a short rewrite session is in my immediate future.
I welcome these latest developments. They contribute to making the script as strong as it can be, and that’s what counts the most.
Added bonus: a lot of this first set of notes deals more with format, rather than story, so fixing them won’t be too difficult.
Even better added bonus: the notes ended with the words every writer lives to hear: “I wish I wrote this.”
If that ain’t a confidence-building good omen, I don’t know what is.
-Winter break begins this weekend at our house. Hoping to take V to see THE HOBBIT and LES MISERABLES during that time. Anything a parent should be concerned about with either? (She hasn’t seen LOTR, but seems eager to catch HOBBIT)
It took a while, but the initial editing phase is complete. There aren’t a lot of significant changes to be made, but almost every page has something that requires some kind of fix. Fortunately, most of them are very minor, like changing a verb or rearranging the way a scene is described.
There are at least 3, maybe 4 scenes where something needs a little more attention, so I circle it and write my standard “Work on this”.
So all that’s left is one or two thorough typing sessions, one more read-through, a little feedback (professional and trusted colleague), and then diving headfirst into the fray and getting the script out there. (which reminds me I really need to get on the ball and get back to the research phase)
And honestly? I’m getting a little nervous. But in a good way.
This is what I’ve been working towards, and now it feels like it’s just about here.
Is it wrong for me to think there could possibly be a good chance of something happening?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting a million-dollar sale. Although selling a script would be fantastic, I’d much rather get representation and take some meetings that result in steady projects. That would be phenomenal.
For some reason, I’m flashing back to a meeting I had about 11 years ago with a professional writer. I’d written 2 scripts and he read both of them purely as a favor. When we met, the first thing he said was that I was a good writer. I had the talent, but really needed to keep writing in order to get better.
Which is exactly what I’ve been trying to do ever since.
Keep in mind that like everybody else, my first efforts were incredibly lousy (at least compared to my current stuff), so either he was being kind or he actually meant what he said. I really hope it was the latter.
For now, this remains an ongoing process. I’ve said many times it’s all been an absolute blast, and that still holds true.
And something deep inside tells me there’s bigger and better things ahead.
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.
I’d forgotten how much I enjoy giving feedback on other people’s scripts. I’m definitely not a guru, but I think my advice is pretty solid.
I just finished a script that has a great concept at its root, but still needs a lot of work. There are a lot of rookie mistakes, most of which are easily fixed, and I’ll make suggestions regarding the big stuff – story, structure, character development, etc. I’m curious to know if the writer will implement any of my comments. Of which there are a lot.
I don’t know if other writers experience this when reading somebody else’s work, but more than once I’d think, “how can they not know this is the wrong way to do this?”
Then I’d remind myself of two really important points – first, maybe they don’t know, so I’ll explain my comments as best I can, hopefully enough so the point gets across and it helps improves their writing, and second, feedback from a negative place doesn’t do anybody any good. The recipient is less likely to give your opinion any merit and you come across as bitter and angry. (Check out the forums on Trigger Street to get a better idea of this.)
It’s possible to give constructive criticism without tearing somebody down, but it’s also up to the writer to understand any feedback they get is about making their work better, and not an attack on them personally.
