jokes

Fall back. Regroup. Hit ’em again.

Maximum Z adventure, analysis, comedy, contest, editing, feedback, goals, jokes, mystery, productivity, pulp fiction, rewrite, screenwriting, script, self-confidence, spec, story, storytelling, westerns, writing, Young Frankenstein
Disappointed? Sure. Defeated? Never.
Disappointed? Sure. Disillusioned? A little. Defeated? Never.

Oh, what a week this has been.

The first round of the Nicholl Fellowship competition is complete. The quarterfinalists have been named, as well as those who placed in the top 10, 15 and 20 percent of all entries.

Regrettably, my western fell into the latter-most category. In some ways, that’s not too bad. Obviously not was I was hoping for, but at least worth noting.

It goes without saying that while there may still be hope for the script in the handful of other contests I entered this year, it’s also safe to say I should probably expect similar results.

But here’s the silver lining to all of this. I sent the script out, thinking it was ready. Since then, I’ve received lots of great feedback about how it could be improved – tighten this, work on that, etc. – and more is on the way.

This script was pretty good before. With a little more work, it could be fantastic.

I’ll be dividing my time between that and the rewrite of the mystery-comedy spec, of which I will definitely seek out professional feedback (Lesson learned here – after I think a script is good to go, I’ll spring for 1-2 sets of pro analysis. Definitely worth it.)

The silver lining to all of this: there’s no reason I couldn’t have two scripts ready to go for next year. Three if I really push myself with the pulpy adventure spec, but that might be overreaching.

Movie of the Moment – YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) One of K’s favorites, so we watched it as a family. V liked some of the jokes in the beginning, but her interest waned as it went on.

As for me, still holds up as one of the best comedies ever. Smart, funny and a cornucopia of quotable dialogue.

Semi-regular post with a joke in it

Maximum Z jokes, query letter, writing
Don't forget to tip your wait staff
Don’t forget to tip your wait staff

The past few days have been all about sending out a disproportionately large amount of query letters, so I’m a little tired and not exactly motivated to write something of an inspirational nature.

So instead, here’s one of my favorite jokes. You’ve probably heard it, but bear with me.

-Three morons were getting ready to hike across the desert.

The first one said, “I’m going to bring a canteen full of water.”

“How come?” asked the other two.

“In case I get thirsty, I can drink it.”

The second one said, “I’m going to bring a bag of food.”

“How come?”

“In case I get hungry, I can eat it.”

The third one said, “I’m going to bring a car door.”

“How come?”

“In case I get too hot, I can roll down the window.”

Thanks. You’ve been a great audience. I’m here all week.

Find a tone and stick with it

Maximum Z characters, comedy, creativity, feedback, jokes, mystery, outlines, protagonist, rewrite, scenes, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, tone, writing
Something in this seems a little out of place
Something in this seems a little out of place

I used to dread getting feedback. It always meant having to go back and rewrite something.

Fortunately, I’m well past that and now appreciate how necessary both feedback and rewriting are.

Feedback makes you learn to value the necessity of hearing how somebody else interprets your work, and more importantly, how to be objective when it comes to really understanding what they have to say.

While working on the outline of my mystery rewrite, I looked for opportunities to put in an occasional joke (read: cheap laugh).

The problem, according to my top feedback-provider, was that the jokes, while understandable for their intent, were totally wrong for this kind of story. They make my protagonist come across as an idiot and the action comes to a screeching halt each time. And since this is more mystery than comedy, they shouldn’t be drawing attention to themselves like that.

There were other notes besides this one, but this one really struck a nerve – in a good way. I’ve been working on rewriting the jokes to make them a better fit within the context of the story, rather than have them be glaringly obvious and out of place.

As you create the world of your story, you have to make sure all the elements combine to make a believable scenario. This goes way beyond the story and the characters – take everything into account.  If something seems out of place, fix it or get rid of it.

And if you’re not sure, that’s what feedback is for.

Put your best joke forward

Maximum Z comedy, jokes, writing
Go ahead. Make me laugh.
Go ahead. Make me laugh.

Rather than my usual dispensing of invaluable screenwriting wisdom, I’d like to head into the weekend on a slightly more humorous note.

In the comments below, tell me your favorite go-to joke.  The one you automatically think of.

Doesn’t matter if it’s corny or just plain bad. As long as it’s funny.

Here are two of mine. You’ve probably heard them before, but I still like them.

-Three morons start out across the desert. The first one carries a canteen.

“What do you need that for?” the other two ask.

“In case I get thirsty, I can drink some water.”

The second one carries a bag of food.

“What do you need that for?” the other two ask.

“In case I get hungry, I can eat.”

The third one carries a car door.

“What do you need that for? the other two ask.

“In case I get too hot, I can roll down the window.”

-Two fish are in a tank.

One says to the other, “You know how to drive this thing?”

-Now it’s your turn. Come on. Don’t be shy.