Nicholl Fellowship

Roll up for the My Writing Process Tour!

Maximum Z action, adventure, analysis, Back to the Future, Beatles, blog, characters, creativity, Done Deal Pro, feedback, genre, ideas, inciting incident, Indiana Jones, mystery, Nicholl Fellowship, originality, outlines, plot, plot points, Raiders of the Lost Ark, representation, rewrite, screenwriting, script, setup, spec, Star Wars, story, storytelling, structure, subplot, theme, tropes, westerns, writing
Sorry, no walruses involved
Step right this way! Sorry, no walruses involved

I’ve been invited to take part in The My Writing Process Tour, which is kind of a blog/chain letter thing. One blogger asks another to take part and answer some insightful questions, then link to writers/bloggers we’d recommend.

I was nominated by Henry Sheppard, aka Adelaide Screenwriter, from the Australian metropolis of Adelaide. He’s always offering up some fantastic material, including articles, interviews and shorts. Definitely worth checking out.

As for me…

1. What am I working on?

Three items currently hold my attention: revamping the outline of a pulpy adventure spec, the rewrite/polish of a Christmas-themed mystery-comedy and resuming the hunt for representation.

2. How does my work differ from all others of its genre?

Even though I’ve written in several genres, the one thing I always try to convey is a sense of fun and excitement. It takes a lot more effort than people realize to really engage a reader that way.

I want you to enjoy the story beyond just “this is good writing” and more like that amusement park thrill ride you rush to get back in line for as soon you get off.

3. Why do I write what I do?

My formative years were the late 70s/early 80s, so I had the benefit of being heavily influenced by the likes of STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and BACK TO THE FUTURE. To me, those are textbook examples of what smart storytelling should be, and it’s what I strive for in my own work.

I’ve stated before about being a fan of the genres I write, so not only am I trying to write something I’d want to see, but I try to create something I haven’t seen before.

4. How does your writing process work?

It all starts with an idea. Is there a story behind it? If so, what happens over the course of that story? How could I tell it in an original way?

Once I have a general idea about that story, including knowing how it starts and ends, I set up the plot points (statement of theme on page 3, inciting incident on page 10, etc), then fill in the gaps between them.

If it’s a genre-specific film, I try to incorporate elements that are part of that genre while trying to avoid tropes, or at least approach them from a different perspective.

I do a majority of my work in developing the outline, and it makes a huge difference. It gives me a better overview of the whole thing so it’s easier to keep track of character development, storylines, subplots, setups and payoffs. I won’t even consider starting on pages until I think the outline is solid.

Because of my schedule, I write when I can. When it comes to pages, I try to produce at least 3 a day. Sometimes it’s more. It’s gets easier the more you do it. They add up fast, and before you know it, you’ve got a completed draft to go back, edit and rewrite.

I’m also extremely fortunate to have several friends and trusted colleagues I can turn to for feedback. They pull no punches in telling me if something doesn’t work.

Lastly, I’ll rewrite and polish the script until I think it’s good to go.

Over there on your right is a list of blogs I think make for some excellent reading and advice. I’ve added three definitely worth checking out:

–The Single Screenwriter by Christie LeBlanc

–Writer of Fine Things by Evan Porter

–The Screenwriting Process from James (don’t know his last name) in the UK

Bonus! If you’re looking for some reasonably-priced professional analysis for your script, you might want to consider:

-Doug Davidson’s Four Star Feedback. Doug is the only writer to win a Nicholl Fellowship with an animation script (2004), but he happily covers all genres.

-Andrew Hilton aka the Screenplay Mechanic. His services have garnered extremely high praise on the Done Deal Pro forums.

Thanks for reading!

Getting ready for the next go-round

Maximum Z contest, Nicholl Fellowship, PAGE International, rewrite, screenwriting, script, spec, story, westerns, writing
Hang on! We're going back to almost where we just were!
Hang on! We’re going back to almost where we just were!

The previous draft of the mystery spec was a nice round 100 pages. As this rewrite continues, I just hit page 90 and I’m still in the last quarter of Act 2, so there’s probably somewhere around 20-30 pages left.

Not too bad, and as I move ahead, I’m already thinking about what needs to be fixed in the rewrite after this.

The constant question during initial writing and each subsequent rewrite is always “How can I make this better?”

Even as I crank out pages, the wheels are already turning as to what changes and improvements to implement.  Honestly, sometimes it’s a little dizzying trying to keep track of everything.

This is just a part of the whole process, but it seems to get a little easier with each rewrite.

-Contest news update! The western has been submitted to the PAGE and the Nicholl, with maybe 2-3 more targeted for later in the year.

Fingers, as always, firmly crossed.

In the meantime, focus has switched back to the current ongoing projects because the arsenal must continue to build and it’s never too early to get ready for next year.

Stepping into the arena

Maximum Z contest, encouragement, Nicholl Fellowship, PAGE International, proofreading, screenwriting, script, TrackingB, writing
That's one way to eliminate the competition (no pun intended)
That’s one way to eliminate the competition (insert rimshot here)

If your inbox is anything like mine, chances are you’ve been getting a lot of emails lately touting the pending deadline of more than a few contests.

For the most part, I usually ignore them. Maybe the Nicholl if I have a script ready, but rarely any others, if any at all.

But a little more confidence in my abilities and encouragement from other writers is making me gradually change my mind.

I’m seriously considering biting the bullet and submitting a script, warts and all, to a few competitions over the next few months.

It’s one of those things every screenwriter should do at least once or twice.

But which ones? There are a lot to choose from, ranging from the obscure to the high-profile.  While there’s nothing wrong with the Brand X Screenwriting Competition, you have to admit it doesn’t carry the same cachet as being a finalist in Austin, PAGE or TrackingB.

Everybody has different criteria for what they’re looking to get out of a particular contest. While a cash prize is nice, most are seen as stepping stones to making industry connections and getting representation.

Some offer script notes – a handful do it for free, but almost all charge extra for it. It’s not something I’d do, but that’s me.

If you’ve decided this is the year you take the plunge, then do your homework and research the ones you’re interested in to find out they have to offer. What kind of reputation do they have? How was the experience for previous entrants and winners? Do the prizes justify the amount of the fee?

No matter which ones you decide on, keep in mind you are going up against a lot of other writers just as eager and ambitious as you. Do you think your script is ready to take them on? Like, REALLY ready?

Even if you have a tiny amount of uncertainty, how much time is there between now and the deadline? Use this to your advantage and give your script an extremely thorough read-through (or two) and fix what needs to be fixed. Nobody likes finding a typo after the fact.

Do whatever you can to make your script ready to go, cross your fingers when you hit ‘submit’ and hope for the best.  How long you wait until getting back to your current project is up to you.

Good luck.

Ten days in, and…?

Maximum Z Disney, inspiration, motivation, networking, Nicholl Fellowship, opportunity, productivity, reading, screenwriting, script, social media, writing
I'm more of an unofficial conscience
I’m more of an unofficial conscience

So how’s 2014 been going for you so far, writing-wise?

Even if you’re not the type who makes New Year’s resolutions, you probably promised yourself this would be the year you were going to definitely…

-Write every day!
-Read more scripts!
-Connect with more writers!
-Have the script ready for the Nicholl days, even weeks before the deadline!
-Not surf the internets when you’re supposed to be writing! (tough, but not impossible)

Have you done any of this? If so, good for you! It doesn’t matter how much you accomplished; the important thing is you still did it.

Feels awesome, doesn’t it? Keep at it!

If not, why not?

Sure, it’s easier to procrastinate than to do the actual work, but if you want to call yourself a writer, then you kind of have to, you know, write. Even if it’s just a page a day.

So consider this the digital equivalent of a motivational, well-intentioned kick in the pants to get yourself going.

There’s still time to start the year right, so as soon as you’re done reading this (which should include hitting the ‘like’ button and leaving a comment of praise/gratitude), go and do any or all of those things listed above.

Like the saying goes, this thing ain’t gonna write itself.

Unfortunately, more of the same

Maximum Z Black List, Godzilla, movies, Nicholl Fellowship, originality, Pacific Rim, reboot, remake, Robocop, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, studio, writing
What? A new, original idea? That's crazy talk!
What? A new, original idea? We don’t know if our brains can take it!

“Don’t remake good movies. Remake bad movies and improve them.” – John Huston

As a writer and fan of original material, it’s quite disturbing how many remakes and reboots keep appearing or are announced, with no sign of it coming to an end.

Sadly, this is how the industry works, with most of the studios afraid to take a chance on something new and original, as opposed to something that’s already proven itself.

But apart from a few exceptions, how many of those trips back to the well have been successful?  On top of that, there’s no avoiding a comparison to the original, with the remake usually found lacking.

Putting this in perspective – I’m a huge fan of the original ROBOCOP, which will have a remake released in February. I have no desire to see it because the trailer doesn’t make it look that interesting, and I don’t see the point in remaking it in the first place.

Counter to that, the forthcoming GODZILLA remake/reboot looks great because it appears to be a smart, new approach to the story, and definitely feels like a significant improvement over the one from 1998. I really hope it doesn’t fall victim to PACIFIC RIM syndrome – big build-up, followed by big letdown.

Now they’re announcing Ed Helms as Frank Drebin in a reboot of THE NAKED GUN. Have they no shame? Apparently not.

The movie-going public wants, no, craves new stories.  Look at The Black List, or the latest batch of Nicholl finalists. This is high-quality stuff, people. Just about any one of them would make for a great film.

There’s a ton of fantastic original material out there, but all we can do as writers is keep writing and hope somebody believes in it enough to drum up the courage to do something with it.