Despite how it may look, I assure you everything is under control
I wouldn’t say the first draft is becoming bigger than I could have possibly imagined, but when a scene in the outline is 1-2 sentences, and it takes 2-3 pages to properly execute it, then chances are pretty good that overall page length is something to keep an eye on.
Fortunately, this is a first draft, so the primary goal for now is just working through the story and putting it all on the page. At the rate I’m going, I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing hits around 150.
Not an issue for a high-profile pro, but way too much for somebody like you or me. Would you want to read a potential 2-1/2-hour spec? Me either.
This is another item added to the mental scene checklist – on top of everything else, can this scene be written as short as possible and still do what it has to? (moving the story ahead, character development, etc.)
Take a look at this post by John August from 2007, which has also been turned into a very useful infographic every writer should print out and keep near their workspace.
I’ll worry about the numerous edits and changes that will no doubt be necessary later.
For now, I’m focusing on reaching the finish line, page length be damned (but still kept in mind).
When I start a new story, one of the first things I do is figure out the major plot points – statement of theme on page 3 (or at least thereabouts), inciting incident on page 10, and so on. After that, it’s coming up with the most effective way to get from one to the next. It’s how I’ve always done it, and it works for me.
One of the key purposes of the end of your first act is to get your hero off on their journey. This includes raising the central question of your story – will the hero accomplish their goal? For example, in STAR WARS it’s the scene after Luke discovers the smoldering corpses of his aunt and uncle. He tells Ben he wants to go with him to Alderaan, learn the ways of the Jedi, etc.
Since I’d started working on my western outline, a lot of the plot points were pretty firmly established. I knew what I wanted to happen and when. For the most part, they’ve stayed the same this whole time.
I filled in the gaps between those points with scenes and sequences that I felt did the best job of moving the story forward, including some that needed to have the proper amount of emotional gravitas.
Jump ahead to the present. The churning-out of pages continues. Some scenes are easier to write than others, but progress is constant. I work my way through Act One, wrapping it up with a sequence that really changes things around.
But then I realized Act One really ends in the scene right before it. This short, dialogue-free scene still moves the story forward, but has a more significant impact on the story itself – moreso than the rousing sequence that follows. The hero’s situation completely changes direction, and you can’t help but wonder how she could possibly accomplish her goal after this. No matter what, her situation is going to get worse before it gets better.
Working all of this out during the outline stage was a huge benefit. It seems very doubtful I would have discovered this if I had just dashed off a quick outline and dove into pages. Further proof why it’s important to take your time and fine-tune your outline.
So now I’m a few pages into Act Two and as this sequence kicks in, things get changed up even further. Only negative that came to light: my hero isn’t the one making things happen. She has to be more active and less reactive. I may spend a little time on it now, or come back to it during the rewrite.
And if I’ve done a good enough job on developing this outline, the answer may already be right there in front of me again.
Sometimes you just have to go back and do it again
Y’know one of the best things about putting together a story?
If something doesn’t work, you can change it (and most of the time, the change is for the better).
Most of the details in my western outline seemed pretty solid, and they were transferring nicely to the steady output of pages.
Then I got to the culmination of a big sequence – it involved a shootout. Something seemed out of place. I read the thumbnail sketch of the scene in the outline again.
Wait a minute. Where did the one character get a gun?
A quick check of some previous scenes. There was no opportunity for that happen.
So now I’ve got a choice to make: keep it as written in the outline, or try something different. Keeping it would mean going back and changing several scenes, which could also potentially slow the pace of the story. I opted for something different.
The end result was a shortened scene that retained crucial story and plot points, which gave them more of an impact. I also went with ending the scene ‘bigger’, keeping with the overall tone of the story.
There’s a good chance this will also result in having to rework parts of the big finale, but for now I like the way it plays out. Besides, there’s another chance for a rewrite for the better.
So even though you think your story’s ready to go, chances are more than likely you’re going to reach a point where something has to be changed, fixed, altered or just plain rewritten. Don’t see this as a negative – welcome the opportunity with open arms.
You want each scene to advance the story in the most effective way possible, and now you’ve given yourself the chance to do that.
Ask yourself if this is the best way a scene can be done. If not, what can be changed so it not only does what it’s supposed to, but does it better than your original version?
Then do the same for the next one, then the one after that, until you reach the end.
You know that feeling when you come up with a story idea you can’t wait to jump into, and then when you actually do, writing it is even better than you could have possibly imagined? Almost as if the physical act of writing is no longer a chore-like slog, but has become a thrilling way of putting the excitement of your imagination right there on the page?
That’s exactly what’s happening now as I turn my western outline into a script.
I’ve been doing my best to stick to the at-least-1-page-a-day method, and so far, it’s been working out nicely. Going into yesterday, I was on the verge of getting to page 3, but made it to almost the end of page 4 courtesy of bringing my laptop to V’s soccer practice. It was also cool to completely revamp the scene’s ending totally on the fly. I like when the creativeness kicks in like that.
(Working in a public space is becoming so much more productive. Good thing there are lots of coffee shops and cafes in our neighborhood.)
It’s really hard to describe how jazzed I am about writing this. I don’t know if it’s the love of the genre, or letting my enjoyment of pulp-y adventure shine through, or just plain having fun with it. Maybe it’s a little of everything. Truth be told, I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything.
How powerful is this positive sensation? Not only am I not even acknowledging that internal voice of self-doubt and naysaying, but if it were possible, I’d send everybody a piece of my homemade pecan pie just to make their day a little brighter. Trust me. That’s saying something.
Of course, I’m not completely oblivious to reality. This thing is going to need some major work when the first draft is finished. There will most likely be all sorts of details that need to be fixed, ranging from story to characters to historical accuracy.
But I don’t care about any of that right now. I’m really enjoying this and want to keep that feeling going as long as possible.
It’s also my hope that my enthusiasm comes across on the page, which would make it that much more fun a read for somebody else. Who wouldn’t appreciate becoming engrossed in a rousing tale of adventure?
-The Oscars. Since we have Apple TV, the show wasn’t streamed live (unless we wanted to subscribe to a service we’ll never need or buy a useless product) so we couldn’t watch it, but were able to hear the audio. Hopefully the Academy and the networks will accept that live streaming is an inevitable part of the future and make the appropriate changes. Probably not, but one can hope.
Regarding the awards the awards themselves, nothing too surprising except for how well LIFE OF PI did. Guess I’ll actually have to see it now, along with most of the other BP nominees.
-Movie of the Moment – DREDD (2012). I’m familiar with the comic, and this was a much stronger adaptation of it than the Stallone version. Karl Urban was a great fit for the lead.
In terms of plot, if you enjoyed THE RAID: REDEMPTION, you’ll like this. The same concept, more or less, but with less martial arts and more whiz-bang special effects. Overall, not a bad way to spend 92 minutes.
This land is mine to manipulate as I see fit. So there.
Making some good progress on the western outline. This “working at least 30 minutes a day” thing has really moved things along; actually much faster than originally anticipated. Give it a try if you haven’t already.
Sure, there are still some small details here and there that need to be hammered out, but for the most part the majority of the story is pretty close to being done.
When I started this, I wanted to make it as realistic as possible (or at least as much as a story about a female train engineer in the Old West can be), and that included using real geographic settings. I wanted the fort here, the showdown here, etc.
But that just raised more questions. If the fort’s here, how far is it to this other point, and how fast would the train have to go in order to get there, and could trains go that fast during that time, and was there even a rail line between those two points?
This was becoming way more complicated than it had to be. I want to tell a story, not set up a math word problem.
So as I was going back and forth between the new and previous drafts, it dawned on me: I can just make stuff up, including where things happen.
I’m the writer. I’m allowed to do that.
So out went locations that actually exist, and in came totally fabricated ones (yet another benefit to all those years of listening to old-time radio westerns).
The feeling’s quite liberating. No longer do I have to worry about making sure every single detail is spot-on accurate, and can now focus on developing a rousing tale of adventure populated with colorful characters.
Which is how it should be.
-Major crisis narrowly averted! I’d lost a flash drive with a lot of script stuff on it. Only during the DREAMSHIP rewrite did I start making additional copies onto my hard drive, so a lot of projects I’d started before that were apparently gone forever.
I did a fairly good job of masking my pain, but was internally kicking myself for not having more backups (20/20 hindsight and all that).
Happy ending – K found the flash drive. Lesson learned – I’m in the process of saving everything on Google Docs so I never have to panic like that again.
You’re probably thinking “that’ll never happen to me. I’m always careful.” I used to think that too. Now it’s all about taking extra precautions.
-Movie of the Moment – FRANKENWEENIE (2012). A lot of fun that cleverly pays homage to classic monster movies. Parental advisory – V cried when the dog was killed (done very tastefully offscreen)
Maximum Z 