ideas

Start. Write. Repeat.

Maximum Z burnout, creativeness, creativity, ideas, multitasking, opportunity, Paris, productivity, rewrite, screenwriting, script, writing , ,
Apropos of nothing. I just like Paris.
Apropos of nothing. I just wouldn’t mind being there.

With all the activity surrounding the one script these past few months, and even though I was working on some new stuff, I’d practically forgotten that I really needed to build up my arsenal of material. When somebody asks “What else have you got?”, I want to be able to say “This, this and this.”

Thus the pattern of always working on something continues. As it should for every writer.

Progress on the western spec has been pleasantly steady. And with school starting up the week after next, there’s no reason I can’t bulldoze my way to FADE OUT soon after that. When that’s done, it’s right into reworking an older script with the hope of a quick turnaround.

Changing your focus every once in a while helps keeps things fresh, both on the page and in your head. It gives your creativity a necessary recharge. If you’re working in different genres, it allows you to put yourself in a totally different mindset.

Think of it as crosstraining for the mind. You work on this for a week, then something else the next week, then another the following. Skills are sharpened while attention is spread out equally. In the end, you’ve got progress on multiple fronts.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly rewriting the same thing over and over, which can quickly lead to frustration and burnout. New work can help avoid that.

Take advantage of the opportunity to switch it up, and even when you start something new, keep one eye looking just ahead to the project after that.

-Stan Lee update. Didn’t get to meet him, but took some nice pix from deep within the crowd. I also won a signed copy of Avengers #31. Both V and I had a good time despite the Giants losing 6-1.

Getting around the mental roadblock

Maximum Z creativeness, creativity, editing, ideas, outlines, scenes, screenwriting, script, story, writer's block, writing
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This might take some figuring out

Wouldn’t you know it? There I am, being all productive and cranking out pages, when I suddenly decide “There’s got to be a better/shorter way to do this sequence,” and out it goes.

All I need to do now is compress the purpose of that sequence into one, maybe two scenes, and my machine-like output can continue.

Ah, if it were only that easy.  Arm-in-arm with Elvis, my creativeness has apparently left the building.

Sucks, doesn’t it?

I don’t hate writer’s block. I loathe it. I despise it.  My dislike for it burns with the intensity of a thousand suns all on the verge going supernova. The frustration of wanting to write something, but not being able to.

If there was a valuable ceramic piece within my reach, it would definitely be flung at the opposite wall.

And to make things worse, I know how this part starts and ends; it’s all the stuff that happens in the middle that’s giving me so much trouble.

But there’s not much to be accomplished with all this bitching, moaning and overall kvetching.

This requires taking a step back, a few deep breaths, patience and clear-headedness.  I’ve worked my way through this type of situation before (sometimes even with better-than-expected results), and hopefully this time will not be an exception.

But I still don’t like when this happens.

-Movie of the Moment – ffolkes (aka NORTH SEA HIJACK) (1979). A tight, compact thriller reminiscent of DIE HARD, even though this one came almost a decade earlier, and the main character (portrayed by having-a-ball Roger Moore) is a misogynistic, sociopathic cat-loving jerk who of course is the best at what he does, which is training commandos.

I vaguely remember seeing this on TV way back when and obviously it stuck with me. When I saw that it was on Netflix streaming, I made a point of rewatching it to see if it held up.

Apart from some cheesy guitar riffs here and there, absolutely. Nothing too fancy and maybe a little predictable at times, but still smart, gripping and intense. With a running time of 1:48, this thing really moves.

A sure sign of the times – this was rated PG! I honestly thought it would have been an R (since PG-13 wasn’t around yet). A shocking revelation at first, but there’s not that much actual violence in it; it’s the subject matter that makes the difference. Can you imagine a movie about terrorists holding a multi-billion-dollar oil platform hostage being released now with a PG rating?

Exactly.

Definitely worth seeing.

That’s me – the human flying buttress

Maximum Z Comedy Film Nerds, encouragement, ideas, Movie of the Moment, originality, screenwriting, script, Star Trek, story, storytelling, writing
Just offering what little support I can
Just offering whatever support I can

When another writer follows me on Twitter, I’ll send a thank-you DM when applicable and ask how their latest project is coming along. The responses are usually pretty enthusiastic, and it’s great to see such a wide spectrum of material and how each person’s path is developing.

(What writer doesn’t like to talk about their work? I’m no exception either.)

Or maybe they’ve hit a bump in the road. “I’m stuck in Act Two,” “This rewrite’s killing me!” or “I’ve been dragging my feet on getting this draft done.”  Happens to all of us.

Based on how they’re doing, I’ll usually write something like “That’s awesome!” or “Hang in there!”, followed by the ubiquitous “Best of/Good luck!”

And I actually mean it.

Honest.

So it was a little surprising when I got this response during a recent DM chat – “You have a special gift of encouragement. WHO does that these days?”

Really? Nice, supportive people are now considered a rarity?

I’m not an idiot. This is a savage business a lot of us are trying to break into. It’s extremely competitive, and the odds are definitely not in our favor.  It’s extremely easy to get disenhearted and want to throw in the towel after receiving that 97th rejection letter.

A few words of support are never the wrong thing to say, even if it’s something as simple as “Good luck.” That may be just the extra push you need to get yourself to keep going, start again, or what have you.  If you’re lucky, you have loved ones, friends and trusted colleagues who support your efforts, regardless of how long it takes.

And consider me part of that group as well.

-Movie of the Moment – STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (2013). Nice to look at, but is it really asking too much for an original story and characters – again? I didn’t like the Leonard Nimoy/Spock part of the 2009 movie, and was disappointed at the way this one played out.

For a funnier, NSFW spoiler-filled review, click here.

It bothers me that Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof have become the go-to guys for pop culture sci-fi flicks. Yes, they’ve got talent (to a certain extent), but their work just feels like something’s missing. Maybe too much relying on flashy spectacle and not enough smart storytelling?  The effects should enhance the story, not the other way around.

As much as I enjoy a good fanboy film, I’ll take a solid story over gee-whiz special effects every time.  I suspect a lot of people also feel this way, or at least hope they do.

Trust your audience to be able to follow along; they’ll appreciate it.

The argument for originality

Maximum Z creativity, ideas, originality, pulp fiction, screenwriting, script, storytelling, writing ,
Nobody saw it coming, and look what happened
Nobody saw it coming, and look what happened

As a screenwriter who hopes to one day see my work displayed on the big screen at your local theater, I strive to have each of my scripts present a unique tale that takes the audience on an entertaining ride.

Part of that uniqueness comes from me wanting to offer up a story that hasn’t been seen before. What’s better than being surprised with something you weren’t expecting, and liking it?

A lot of scripts adhere to “familiar, yet different,” which is fine. But there’s something to be said for putting a little more emphasis on the second part.

There’s an abundance of complaints about the lack of new ideas, or at least how sequels/remakes/reboots/re-imaginings are outnumbering original ideas.  (I won’t argue with that, especially with the recent announcement of a planned remake of GREMLINS. As the saying goes, is this really necessary?)

Don’t let that stop you.  New, smart and interesting will always triumph over dull, cliched and predictable.

Part of your job as a writer is to make your story so appealing that it becomes impossible for someone to say ‘no’ to it.

Put your creativeness to work.  Figure out what could make your story different. Don’t be afraid to take chances.

Show off those writing and storytelling skills.  Make the most of it and give ’em something they’re really going to remember.

The hurry up and wait countermeasure

Maximum Z creativity, ideas, opportunity, productivity, writing
I suppose watching paint dry is an option...
I suppose watching paint dry is one option…

What a dreadful phrase.

Everybody’s been through this at one point or another. It’s an inevitability, no matter what field you’re in.

I got to experience it twice in the past couple of days. The first was mentioned by a colleague waiting to hear back about one of his numerous projects.  The other’s me waiting for a new batch of script notes.

You work and slave for countless hours, then send the finished product off, eagerly waiting for the go-ahead to move forward.  But it never happens as fast as you want at it to, and it’s killing you.

“What the hell’s taking them so long?” you think to yourself.

Fortunately, the perfect solution is always available to us folks of creativeness, and it’s not as hard as you think – focus on another project.

Doesn’t matter what. Start something new, go back to a previous one, maybe finally dive into that completely different something you’ve always wanted to try.  Productivity is always a good thing.

Worrying about that thing you just sent out isn’t going to do you any good, so you may as well redirect all that anxious energy into something positive.

The more time you spend on this new thing, the less you’ll think about that previous one. And before you know it, progress has been made.

Added bonus – building up your arsenal of material. This way you’ll be well-prepared when asked “What else have you got?”