originality

That’s me – the human flying buttress

Maximum Z Comedy Film Nerds, encouragement, ideas, Movie of the Moment, originality, screenwriting, script, Star Trek, story, storytelling, writing
Just offering what little support I can
Just offering whatever support I can

When another writer follows me on Twitter, I’ll send a thank-you DM when applicable and ask how their latest project is coming along. The responses are usually pretty enthusiastic, and it’s great to see such a wide spectrum of material and how each person’s path is developing.

(What writer doesn’t like to talk about their work? I’m no exception either.)

Or maybe they’ve hit a bump in the road. “I’m stuck in Act Two,” “This rewrite’s killing me!” or “I’ve been dragging my feet on getting this draft done.”  Happens to all of us.

Based on how they’re doing, I’ll usually write something like “That’s awesome!” or “Hang in there!”, followed by the ubiquitous “Best of/Good luck!”

And I actually mean it.

Honest.

So it was a little surprising when I got this response during a recent DM chat – “You have a special gift of encouragement. WHO does that these days?”

Really? Nice, supportive people are now considered a rarity?

I’m not an idiot. This is a savage business a lot of us are trying to break into. It’s extremely competitive, and the odds are definitely not in our favor.  It’s extremely easy to get disenhearted and want to throw in the towel after receiving that 97th rejection letter.

A few words of support are never the wrong thing to say, even if it’s something as simple as “Good luck.” That may be just the extra push you need to get yourself to keep going, start again, or what have you.  If you’re lucky, you have loved ones, friends and trusted colleagues who support your efforts, regardless of how long it takes.

And consider me part of that group as well.

-Movie of the Moment – STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (2013). Nice to look at, but is it really asking too much for an original story and characters – again? I didn’t like the Leonard Nimoy/Spock part of the 2009 movie, and was disappointed at the way this one played out.

For a funnier, NSFW spoiler-filled review, click here.

It bothers me that Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof have become the go-to guys for pop culture sci-fi flicks. Yes, they’ve got talent (to a certain extent), but their work just feels like something’s missing. Maybe too much relying on flashy spectacle and not enough smart storytelling?  The effects should enhance the story, not the other way around.

As much as I enjoy a good fanboy film, I’ll take a solid story over gee-whiz special effects every time.  I suspect a lot of people also feel this way, or at least hope they do.

Trust your audience to be able to follow along; they’ll appreciate it.

The argument for originality

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Nobody saw it coming, and look what happened
Nobody saw it coming, and look what happened

As a screenwriter who hopes to one day see my work displayed on the big screen at your local theater, I strive to have each of my scripts present a unique tale that takes the audience on an entertaining ride.

Part of that uniqueness comes from me wanting to offer up a story that hasn’t been seen before. What’s better than being surprised with something you weren’t expecting, and liking it?

A lot of scripts adhere to “familiar, yet different,” which is fine. But there’s something to be said for putting a little more emphasis on the second part.

There’s an abundance of complaints about the lack of new ideas, or at least how sequels/remakes/reboots/re-imaginings are outnumbering original ideas.  (I won’t argue with that, especially with the recent announcement of a planned remake of GREMLINS. As the saying goes, is this really necessary?)

Don’t let that stop you.  New, smart and interesting will always triumph over dull, cliched and predictable.

Part of your job as a writer is to make your story so appealing that it becomes impossible for someone to say ‘no’ to it.

Put your creativeness to work.  Figure out what could make your story different. Don’t be afraid to take chances.

Show off those writing and storytelling skills.  Make the most of it and give ’em something they’re really going to remember.

It may be a cliche, but it’s still true

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Something seems intriguingly different here...
I always did enjoy standing out in a crowd

Familiar, but different.

That’s what we’re told Hollywood wants. But the more I read the loglines or concepts of spec scripts that sell, there sure seems to be a lot more ‘familiar’ and a lot less ‘different.’

I mean, how many stories of an aging hitman/cop/gangster out for revenge or to settle one last score do we really need?  Or a family/child terrorized/haunted by demons/evil spirits? Or a career-focused woman who would gladly throw it all away for a shot at true love?  Or a man-child acting unrealistically outrageous?

And let’s not even get started on the Tarantino ripoffs.  There’s only one of him, so stop trying to write like him. Please.

Every so often, something truly original will come along and capture the public’s attention. It’s labeled a success, and before you know it – BOOM. A deluge of poorly-written, second-rate copycats.

Thus the challenge all of us are facing – write something original. Something they’ve never seen before.  Sure, you can incorporate familiar elements, but the tough part is putting your own spin on them.

I strive to write stories that are different. I want you to remember my script because of it’s originality (as well as being extremely well-written and entertaining, but those go without saying).

Take a good, hard look at your story. What makes it really stand out from the rest?  If you can’t easily answer this question, then you’ve got some editing and rewriting to do.

Remember, it’s you versus every other screenwriter out there busting their ass just as hard as you to succeed. Harder, even.

I’m in. Are you?

You want realism? Go outside.

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You invoke the ‘i’ word? I beg to differ

“…the idea of a female train engineer during the time of steam locomotives or even into the early decades of the twentieth century is, I think, virtually inconceivable.”

This was part of a comment that pointed out the historical and factual inaccuracy and basic impossibility of the concept behind my western-adventure.

My problem isn’t with what this person is saying. They’re entitled to their opinion.

What bothers me is that they seem to just flat-out refuse the idea that such a story could, or even should be considered.

Which is exactly why I want to write it.

We don’t go to the movies to watch a reflection of our lives. We go to see a story told in an original and interesting way. The more original and interesting, the better.

I happen to think this one has the potential to be both.

It may not be a 100 percent-accurate depiction of the era, but I’m not setting out to make a documentary.  This is escapism. Pure and simple.

Besides – how could I pass up the chance to give my imagination a workout like this? This is why I write.

There will always be those who shoot your ideas down, or at least find fault with them.  Listen to what they have to say, take what you want from their comments, and ignore the rest. Then go write what you want.

If they think they can do a better job, by all means  – let ’em try.

Lo, the cowboy ponders his fate

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Guns + horses + good story = winning combo

Ah, air travel. When it works in your favor, it’s a very pleasant experience.

When it doesn’t…well, let’s just say it’s a good thing I had a pen, some paper, an outline to work on and an abundant supply of spare time.

I worked my way through the first act of my western-adventure, making changes and setting up setups where applicable. I still like how this is coming together. All that work fine-tuning the previous script is really paying off for this one.

But there’s one thing still nagging at me. Some significantly high-profile westerns are headed our way: Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED at Christmas, Verbinski/Rossio/Elliot’s THE LONE RANGER next summer and Chan Wook-Park’s THE BRIGANDS OF RATTLEBORGE sometime next year (in theory). All very different takes on the genre, and no reason why none of them won’t be successful.

So while I plug away at my story, the angst that plagues every writer kicks in: is it still worth the time and effort to do it?

In the end, there’s only one definitive answer:  Of course it is.

This is a story I’m very enthusiastic and passionate about, so to not write it would simply be a big mistake. It’s got familiar elements but based on an original idea to make it fresh and exciting.

And if those three films are successful, that could potentially create a demand for more scripts of that nature.

Which is where mine comes in.

All the more reason to hunker down, dive in and make sure this thing is done right.