motivation

The ever-elusive 1:55

Maximum Z editing, goals, motivation, pie, running, screenwriting, self-confidence, The Walking Dead, writing
Only one way to go – up

When you start out doing something, you know what your goal is from the very beginning.

“This is what I want to accomplish” is your mindset.

You work and work, always striving to reach that goal.

There may be setbacks, but you don’t let them stop you or deter you. You remind yourself that reaching that goal will take time. Persevere, as my dad is fond of saying.

Set that bar. Reach for it. Every effort and attempt gets you that much closer to it.

Hit a milestone on the way to that ultimate goal, and ask yourself “How can I improve?” Always strive to do better, because you know you can.

The whole time you’re working towards that goal, part of what keeps you going is looking forward to seeing all that hard work pay off.

And when that goal is finally reached, take time to enjoy it.  Besides, chances are you’re going to immediately set another goal and start working towards that one.

My goal in screenwriting is to write a script that will start me on the path of writing them for a living.  After a few more tweaks, I think the latest draft of my current script may be the one that does that.  This has been a long journey, but I’m a much better writer now compared to when I started out, and it’s all contributed towards reaching that goal.

And working towards these goals doesn’t just apply to creativity.

My goal in running is to do a half-marathon in 1:55.  This weekend’s run in Los Angeles yielded a time of 1:57:45, which isn’t bad. I still beat the 2-hour mark, but I know I can eventually hit my goal time. (The hot weather didn’t help. I don’t do well with the sun beating down on me.) In the meantime, I’m continuing to train and am already looking at potential races for next year.

My current goal in the kitchen is to make a pumpkin pie completely from scratch. After years of using the canned stuff, I’ve taken the plunge and bought a sugar pumpkin. (The baklava project has been put on hold until the holidays.)

Everybody has multiple goals they’re working towards. Don’t stop trying.

-Movie of the Moment – ARGO (2012). Absolutely loved it. Great story, great characters, smart script. Highly recommended. I’d be surprised if it didn’t get some Oscar nods. Also can’t help but wonder how Affleck would do directing a film where he wasn’t part of the cast.

Also finished Season 2 of THE WALKING DEAD. Solid all the way through, and ready to jump into Season 3.

Thrillingly terrifying, or possibly terrifyingly thrilling

Maximum Z agent, analysis, confidence, editing, manager, motivation, Multiplex, query letter, Radioslot.com, rewrite, screenwriting, webcomics
Yeah. Kind of like that...

My mind is racing at a faster rate than usual these days. There are a zillion things I need/want to do with DREAMSHIP over the next few weeks. Finish the edit. Polish where necessary. Research potential script analysts. Create and fine-tune a list of potential managers, agents and production companies. Compose a persuasive query letter.

I kinda/sorta knew this all along, but it didn’t really hit me until I started price-checking different services like Done Deal Pro and IMDB Pro:  this is like me officially entering the field of battle, and not entirely sure I’m armed and ready.

I hate self-doubt.

I know my script is good, but there’s still that little voice in the back of my head saying “But is it good enough?” There are literally thousands, probably even tens of  thousands of people just like me trying to accomplish the exact same thing.  It’s me against them. Every man for himself.

My script not only has to be a solid piece of work, it has to have that certain something that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.  Once you start reading, you don’t want to stop. You NEED to keep going.  You are COMPELLED to know what happens next. That’s the impact I want.

I can only hope that’s what actually happens.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t have time to worry. I’ve worked too hard to let that stand in my way. I may be nervous about what’s coming next, but I won’t let that stop me.

Besides, this is what it’s all been about.

-In case you missed the most recent installment of The Script Adventurer!, my guest this week was Gordon McAlpin, the mind behind the webcomic Multiplex.  Apart from some technical difficulties, it was great talking to him. The fine folks at Radioslot have added an additional replay, so now you can catch the show live at 1PM on Monday, or hear it again 7AM on Wednesday or 7PM on Sunday (all times Pacific Standard Time).

Hitting your goal, then going further

Maximum Z motivation, screenwriting
Don't stop! Keep going!

When you write, you set goals for yourself. This many pages a day. Whole thing done by the end of the month.  Those self-imposed finish lines can be really effective motivators.

And while it’s great to meet those goals, a little part of you relishes when you do more. “I usually do 3 pages a day, but today I did 5!” It’s a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.

Despite some recent delays, I finally got back to work on my DREAMSHIP rewrite. I was at page 97.  All I wanted out of today was to get to 100.

And I did. It felt great.

I thought I was done for the day, but the opportunity to keep going presented itself in the evening and I jumped at the chance. I got to 101, just as a big action scene is starting.

4 pages. 1 more than my daily objective. I gladly accept that.

Pushing yourself just a little bit more pays off in that not only do you get that much closer to having a finished product, but do it often enough and before you know it, being more productive becomes easier.

Then you push yourself some more.

Nobody self-laments like a writer

Maximum Z confidence, creativity, loglines, motivation, screenwriting, scriptshadow, writing
Slap a metaphoric pair of these on when necessary. Or literal if you can

For those in the screenwriting know, this past Saturday was Scriptshadow‘s experimental TwitPitch.  Basically, you tweeted your logline, and if it was deemed good enough, it made it through the first round.

It pains to me report mine was not among the select few.  And I gotta admit: I was devastated. How could it not have worked?  Not even a single mention of it in the comments section?  This is a sign. I’ve got no talent. I’m wasting my time. Done before I even started. Might as well stop trying.

But rather than constantly berating myself and doubting my own ability, I recalled the words of a guy I met way back around the turn of the century. I had three scripts under my belt and wanted to get some professional feedback.  His very first words to me about my work:  You’re a very talented writer.  Now you need to get better.

I’ve held onto that advice ever since.  Every writer loves positive feedback.  But in this business, there are a lot more negatives than positives, which can really beat you down.  It’s extremely easy to get discouraged when all you’re hearing back is ‘no’ and things don’t go your way. Especially when you get your hopes up.

But this is a hard business.  Some people struggle for years and years before achieving any kind of success.

The key, as my dad always says, is perseverance.  Keep going.  There will be lots of bad days, but don’t let that stop you from chasing the dream.

A lot of writers say they can’t imagine doing anything else.  Count me among them.  Like everybody else, I have good days and bad days. And it’s still hard to get past the bad days, but I manage.

And learn from my mistakes.

I try to see what I could do next time to change the outcome more in my favor.  Just as an example, I’ve already rewritten my logline so it’s (hopefully) better than the previous version.

I write because I love writing. If I can make a living out of it, all the better. The important thing is I still enjoy the process.  And no amount of ‘no’ is going to change that.

Boing boing boing

Maximum Z creativity, Dreamship, motivation, Radioslot.com, rewrite, running, screenwriting, scriptshadow, The Script Adventurer!
Yeah, kind of like that

What a day.

Avid readers/followers of ScriptShadow will no doubt be aware that an amateur script is currently the absolute hottest thing in the film industry right now.  Said script will be officially reviewed tomorrow (there, not here). There is so much buzz about this script that when Carson sent it out to his readers yesterday, he mentioned how he’d received more voicemails in one day asking for it than any other time or for any other script he could remember.  And that the writer had received calls from just about every single major agency, production company and studio, asking about making a deal and/or representation.

To put it in perspective, that’s like being the holding the only winning ticket for the highest-ever lottery in the history of mankind.

The first thing I thought: Wow. That must be some script.

Second thought: Lucky bastard.

Third thought: Wish I could get that kind of response from my stuff.

I’m sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other writers who are thinking the same things.  But I can’t stress enough that I don’t resent this writer his success.  I read the script, and it is extremely good.  Definitely high concept. Compelling premise and story. Interesting characters.  A definite page-turner.  Smart.  This guy has earned his rewards.

(Without giving too much away, it came across as a modern interpretation of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Not necessarily a bad way to go.)

While it was easy to feel sorry for myself, I didn’t like disappearing into a “poor me” mood and instead opted to do something about it.

I went for a run. (New Orleans Half-marathon is a week from Sunday. I think I’m ready.) That always helps me reflect on whatever might be bugging me at the time.  It’s also good for clearing one’s head.

After I got home, I knew I had some time to work on DREAMSHIP, including incorporating the additional scenes I mentioned yesterday. That went a lot better than expected. One scene I really wanted to do just wasn’t going to work, but I managed to find a good alternate way of doing it.

I also reminded myself that my script is completely different from his on several levels, but still has to be rock-solid.  And more importantly: this is only the first draft of the rewrite, so I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.  Once I type in “FADE OUT”, then I can go back and see what needs to be fixed.

So a day that started off making me upset ended up with me feeling pretty darned good about things.  The key now is figuring out how to keep that latter feeling going into the next day.

Shameless self-promotion: The Script Adventurer! on Radioslot, live on Mondays 1-2PM PST, and replayed Sundays at 7PM PST. What, you’d rather watch 60 MINUTES?  Of course, the Oscars are this Sunday, so I won’t be offended if you opt to watch that instead.