Lucy Steele

Where exactly do you put a 300-pound Irishman?

Maximum Z characters, Lucy Steele, Netflix, outlines, screenwriting

Not the set-up for a joke, but a question that will be answered shortly.

I took yesterday’s work on the outline and inserted it into the main one today.  Still have some gaps to fill in, but it’s coming together nicely.  This is really turning into a rip-roaring adventure story, let me tell you.

But I couldn’t help but notice one thing about everything I had worked on last week, especially those scenes from page 45 to the midpoint.  There were a lot more than I remembered writing.  While it should be somewhere around 15-18, this was more like 27.  Way too much!  Some emergency editing was necessary.

As much as I hated to do it, I was going to have to get rid of the scenes involving a character I really like.  That would be the somewhat rotund fellow in the title of this post.  He and his flunkies would have to go.  One of the many rules of screenwriting: Kill Your Darlings.  So I did.  The end result is still satisfying, but not as much as it was when I had two sets of double-crosses in the works.  Now it’s back to one.

But all is not lost.

Since I’m now focusing on the next set of scenes, the midpoint to around page 75, part of those involve a mine.  I don’t know what kind, but originally it was going to be abandoned.  Not anymore.  I’m working on turning it into a kind of hideout where this nefarious band of ruffians is currently holed up, thereby increasing the level of conflict in the story.

It keeps surprising me how writing something one day, and maybe jotting down a thought or line, even just on a whim, can really pay off somewhere down the line.  I really like when that sort of thing happens.  It’s almost a kind of self-vindication.

I’m hoping to have a Movie of the Moment for tomorrow.  I haven’t had a lot of spare time lately, so I’ve had to spread my film-watching out over a few days.  Surprisingly, parts of this film are eerily similar to DREAMSHIP.  Crazy, huh?

Now entering Euphoria. Drive safely

Maximum Z Lucy Steele, outlines, screenwriting

I am in what can definitely be considered a state of giddiness. Sheer and unmitigated joy. The heavens have opened and are shining down upon me.

For today, I hit the halfway mark. And it feels freaking AWESOME!!

But it’s more than just reaching that point in the story. It’s also about how I got there. Yesterday I was concerned about the page count from where I left off. Today I was determined to reach the Point of No Return no matter what.

I had my characters in an already dicey situation, but needed to keep making it harder for them to come out ahead. A minor story point from earlier this week paid off in spades in terms of establishing more conflict. I saw an opportunity to insert another character that would create still another obstacle. The ideas were coming in fast and furious, to coin a phrase.

Sure, some of the scenes need to be fleshed out a bit, but they WORK! And at no time whatsoever was I ever concerned with page count. I knew what I wanted and needed, and followed through accordingly.

It felt absolutely incredible to fill in the blanks for something I was really stressing over just a week ago.

It would be even more incredible if I can make this kind of progress now that the latter half of Act Two is here. A little intimidating, but really quite exhilarating.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m having an absolute blast, and the best really is yet to come.

Time to put on my editing hat

Maximum Z Lucy Steele, outlines, Pixar, plot, screenwriting

Nice progress today on the outline.  I’m getting close to the midpoint, with only a handful of scenes left to fill in.  But it also looks like I’m going to need more scenes than I expected to get there.

I’m a bit concerned I may try to jam too much into that handful.  The first quarter of Act Two is approximately 16-17 pages, and I’m nearing the end of that second quarter.  I know what I would like to happen in those pages, but worry it may run around 20 pages, or even more.

I’m trying to keep things nice and tight, but don’t want to skimp on moving the story forward.

I may go the “get it all on the page” route, and then edit the hell out of it.  I could also probably shrink down that first quarter-section by at least 1-2 pages.  I suppose the important part is it’s getting done, period.

I’m also a little surprised about how productive I’ve been over the past few weeks.  When I first started this a few months ago, I had a very basic idea of what I wanted.  But the more I worked at it, the harder it seemed to keep things moving.  The self-doubt started to creep in, but I had a good feeling about this and was determined to keep going.

I noticed that when I would read what I had written, some of it would come across in a different way than I originally intended, which really triggered the creative process.  A lot of “What ifs?” and “How abouts?” just bubbled to the surface, paying off immeasurably more than I could have expected.  So far, that feeling returns just about every time I sit down to work.

No doubt about it.  I am a creative dynamo when things are clicking.

What’s also really cool about working on LUCY is I’m really enjoying it.  I worked on BABY LIKES JAZZ for two years, and was never satisfied with it.  As much as I enjoy comedy, it just ain’t my thing.  In contrast, the spirit of adventure that runs through LUCY is quite liberating, and dare I say it?  Energizing.

Hopefully people (and Hollywood) will feel the same way when it’s done and ready for public consumption.

Movie of the Moment: RATATOUILLE. V and I watched the first half the other day. This is one of Pixar’s underappreciated gems, and I’m not just saying that because I love Paris.  And food.

It’s a clever, original story, told with the usual Pixar flair.  My one complaint is the number of chefs in the kitchen.  It was hard to keep track of who was who, and it’s Linguini’s story anyway, so when they all left, things were much easier to follow.

Yet another burst of inspiration

Maximum Z anime, DC, Lucy Steele, Miyazaki, Netflix, outlines, screenwriting, theme

I don’t know how other writers do it, but when I start a story, I come up with the basic plot and see what theme works with it.

When I started LUCY, I didn’t have one.  I worked on the story, but couldn’t figure out a strong-enough theme.

I settled on one I thought worked.  At the time, it seemed okay.  But it didn’t fit.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but going off to V’s hockey tournament two weeks ago was exactly the break I needed.  It’s remarkable what a few days of watching 8-year-olds skate their hearts out can do to one’s creative batteries.

So when I sat back down to work on the outline, something was different.

Not only was I able to get through a creative block, but on a whim, I changed my one-word theme.  And it really clicked.

Boy, did it.

Even better, it works with a lot of the scenes I already had.

So today I wanted to see if I could keep the creativity flowing for the second half of the first half of Act Two.  I worked on expanding the ideas I came up with yesterday.  In each scene, I would ask “what’s the worst that can happen, and will it ask the central question of the story?”  That helped a lot.

Right now, I’m in the middle of a necessary sequence, and hopefully tomorrow can get to the end of it.  Working the midday shift has a better chance of yielding success.

If I can keep up this kind of progress, I’m hoping to be done with an outline I like by the end of February.  Later than I originally hoped, but the point is: IT WILL BE DONE!

And then the real fun begins.

Movie of the Moment: THE LOSERS, which I completely forgot was based on a DC/Vertigo comic.  Overall, it was a lot of fun with some really predictable moments (I saw the smoldering teddy bear a mile away).  It definitely had some good parts, but sometimes the cheese got a little overwhelming.  Glad I didn’t pay to see it.  My biggest complaint: Jason Patric as the bad guy. Either he was really playing up the camp or the only one not taking it seriously.

Since V is on her Miyazaki kick right now, tonight’s feature was MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO.  I’d seen it a long time ago, but couldn’t really remember anything about it.

It’s yet another charmer, full of warm-fuzzy moments.  Watch it with your kids.   And explain to them that, yes, Japanese families take baths together.

Lastly, it really too much to ask for Netflix to be a little more vigilant about scratched-up discs?  We missed about 12 minutes out of the whole thing because it would freeze, and then jump ahead.

V still loved it.

Not necessarily floodgates, but still…

Maximum Z Lucy Steele, Oscars, outlines, pie, screenwriting, story

Nice progress today.  I’m putting together the bare basics of what I’d like to happen in that page 45-to-midpoint range.  A few ideas, maybe skipping one or two scenes here and there, but overall, really coming together.

I really wish there could be more days like this.  After so much time struggling and being frustrated, I can’t write the ideas down fast enough.

Sure, some of them may not work in the end, but just the fact that I’m able to do this right now is the writing equivalent of a runner’s high.  Believe me, it feels awesome.

I also realize the proverbial well could dry up at any moment, so I’m enjoying it while it lasts and will really try to remember what this euphoria is like when all I’ve got is a blank screen and a blinking cursor.

-My two cents on the Oscars.  I haven’t seen a majority of the nominees, so I couldn’t tell you who’s going to win what (except maybe TOY STORY 3 for Best Animated Feature).  I’m always really bad at it anyway.

My opinion: go back to five nominees for Best Picture; ten is stupid.

Last year we went to a great party at a friend’s house and played Oscar bingo during the ceremony.  It was a lot of fun.  I also like to think my infamously delectable pecan pie added to the festivities.

It doesn’t look like this year’s cards are ready yet, but Google ‘Oscar bingo’ the closer it gets to the show and print ’em out for your own enjoyment.

You’ll also have to make your own pie.