ideas

>Insert diabolical laughter here<

Maximum Z antagonist, conflict, creativity, ideas, Monty Python, outlines, protagonist, rewrite, screenwriting, westerns
Followed immediately by this. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

 

I vowed to get to the end of Act Two, and by gosh, I did. And then some. This really is the “all seems lost” moment for my protagonist. I had to make sure it seemed like she has no way whatsoever of reaching her goal, and that’s how it’s playing out so far.  How in the world is she going to get out of this exceptionally insurmountable situation? Which is exactly what I want you to think.

(Actually, you should be thinking that in every scenario for anybody’s script.)

While it’s fun to put the whole story together, I get a certain joy from devising what kind of obstacles to keep throwing into the mix. Taking this one step further, after I come up with the problem, I have to figure out how my hero gets out of each scrape. And since this is a Western, there’s a whole lot to choose from.

Those who know me personally would not hesitate to call me a nice person. “Still a boy scout,” even. But when it comes to developing the bad guys? Hello, dark side! From somewhere deep within the far reaches of my mind, I’m able to conjure up actions and characters most sinister.  The harder I make the conditions for my hero, the more interesting the story gets.

I want my hero to succeed, right? Then they have to go through hell in order to do that. And it’s up to me as the creator of this particular world to devise every hellish detail and solution.

If the prospect of doing this doesn’t make you giddy, then you’re in the wrong business.

Next up: keeping you on the edge of your seat while wrapping it all up in Act Three.

Stumped!

Maximum Z creativity, dialogue, ideas, rewrite, screenwriting, writer's block, writing
At least it gives me a place to sit and think…

There’s this one line of dialogue that’s giving me a lot of trouble. Actually, I hate it. The way it’s written now is too much tell, and not enough show, rather than the other way around.

I know what I want the line to say, but coming up with exactly the right words is proving to be quite the challenge. This line is pretty important on several levels, so it really has to pack a punch.

Time once again to step back, take a breath and not think about it. That usually helps the solution present itself. Not time for panic mode yet.

Despite this minor setback, this summer is still off to a pretty good start.

Putting an even more positive spin on this, while part of my creativeness figures this one out, the other part can get back on track and resume the fine-tuning of the western-adventure outline.

Hacking my way through the rewrite jungle

Maximum Z confidence, creativity, Dreamship, editing, feedback, ideas, rewrite, screenwriting, story, writer's block, writing
Yeah, it can feel like that sometimes…

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.

Inner movie geek to the rescue!

Maximum Z creativity, ideas, movies, originality, plot, screenwriting, story, writing
What can we expect when we see YOUR movie?

No doubt you’ve heard “write what you know”. But how often do you hear “write what you love,” or “write something you would want to see”?

If you have a favorite genre, try writing something in that style. Put your own spin on whatever it is you have a strong appreciation for.  I’m not at the same level as STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK or THE LORD OF THE RINGS, but that didn’t stop me from devising my own thrilling rollercoaster ride of an adventure. Hence DREAMSHIP.

“Familiar, yet different” is another mantra. Use well-known examples as a model or guideline for your story, but figure out how to make it different. You don’t want somebody to read your script and think “blatant ripoff”. What would make  it completely your own?

The more appreciation you have for a style or genre, the more it will show on the page. You want your work to capture the mood or essence of what it is you liked about it in the first place. Reach inside and use it to enhance your story.

Chances are you could easily fall into that trap of writing something very cliched, so while you’re still in the planning stage, take a step back and think “What would be a more interesting way to do this? What would I as a moviegoer NOT be expecting? What have I NOT seen before?”

The great thing about writing something like this is that you already know what works and what doesn’t. And even better, you have can fun with it. Because if it’s not fun, then why are you doing it in the first place?

Vamoose! Amscray! Skedaddle! Rampaging thesaurus on the loose!

Maximum Z creativity, Go Into The Story, ideas, research, screenwriting, thesaurus, writing
Egad! A gargantuan leviathan extirpating a metropolitan conveyance venue!

I read this the other day and loved it.

It’s too easy to rely on everyday verbs while you’re putting a script together.  The more picturesque a word, the more visual it becomes.  It makes the script that much more exciting and interesting to read.

I usually have two minimized windows running while I’m writing. Pandora for creativity-inducing background music and Thesaurus.com for when I just can’t think of a solid alternate verb. It might take a little effort to find the one that fits, but oh the satisfaction when you do.

Not sure if  a verb works? Follow the example in the quote and read the sentence aloud. Try it with different verbs. Which one sounds spot-on? Does it not only convey action but mood as well?  If somebody storms into a room, you can probably guess how they feel.  Compare it to somebody who slinks, sashays or (always a favorite) moseys in.

The writer’s job is to paint a picture of the story in the reader’s mind. And you want to hold their attention by using words that will do just that. A compelling story with fleshed-out characters helps too, but dull writing makes for boring reading.

I can’t remember the exact wording or who said it, but there’s this great quote that says something like “There are a million words in the English language. Use them.”

Sound advice indeed.