A few weeks ago I completed a hearty rewrite of the animated fantasy-comedy. Notes from readers continue to trickle in.
Responses have been generous with their excitement and enthusiasm about it, along with some extremely insightful notes.
I’ll admit to hoping the script was strong enough as is, but there’s no denying the effectiveness of those notes, which means at least one more draft in my future.
Not crazy about that, but if it needs some more work, then so be it.
I’m not as prolific – and definitely not as fast – as other writers, but this approach works for me. I’d rather take the time to really fine-tune something than rush through it and have it not be as solid as can be.
The silver lining here is that each draft is better than its predecessor, as you would expect. Each round of notes helps contribute to making the script and my overall writing better.
It might seem just out of reach now, but I’m confident that both I and this script will eventually get there.
The past few days have been all about doing some major rewriting on the animated fantasy-comedy.
A lot of it has remained the same, but I can also say that a lot has changed about it, and coming up with new stuff – or at least new approaches to what was already there – seemed more effective this time around.
I started with the mindset of “do what needs to be done, no matter what”. Apart from the core of the story, nothing was safe; not even material that had been there since the very first draft. I knew what was needed and would do what I had to to get there.
It wasn’t as tumultuous as I expected. In fact, it was a bit surprising how much ended up being changed, and even more surprising was how easy it was to come up with new stuff; almost as if some kind of door had been kicked open and the ideas wouldn’t stop coming in. If only it could be like that all the time, right?
This is the part of the writing process I truly enjoy. Just being creative and putting it on the page. It felt like I’d lost touch with that, and got a real kick out of experiencing it again.
Next up – sending the script to some beta readers. Fingers, as always, firmly crossed.
The timing of this burst of creativity was also fortuitous because I’ve been feeling very non-productive lately, so this was a nice remedy for that. Being able to recharge one’s batteries is an underrated skill.
With this rewrite now in the past, I can now focus on a few projects that got put on hold because of it.
One of my biggest challenges when it comes to rewrites has always been letting go of what’s on the page now and making whatever changes are needed.
It’s taken time to learn to get better at this.
Such was the case with the current rewrite.
I was going through the previous draft, marking up what needed to be done.
I got to a scene that I loved, but ultimately realized that it simply didn’t need to be there. Broke my heart to take it out, but I had to do what was best for the script, not me.
There were a few scenes that had to be adjusted a bit as a result of that, which in retrospect was a pretty good thing. Those scenes are now tighter and help keep things moving along.
And it’s not like I can’t use the content of the cut scenes again. They’ll just be stored away for potential use in the future – for this script or possibly another.
Cutting that one scene has also resulted in being more open to doing more with other scenes. I’ve enjoyed working with the mindset of “Is there a different way to do this?” and then exploring the possibilities. It’s not uncommon to go through several versions before finding the one that works.
Don’t know how long it’ll take to get through the rest of the script, but I’m quite happy with how it’s going. This in turn makes me want to work on it more, so there’s a chance it could even be done sooner than expected.
I honestly think the end result will be a much better script. All because I was willing to get rid of/change material I thought was already good.
The biggest note I’ve received on the animated fantasy-comedy is that my protagonist needs to be more involved; be the thing that drives things forward, and how what she does affects those around her.
The challenging part is figuring out how to do that while keeping a lot of important story details.
Challenging, but not impossible.
Just as I imagine this task becoming more insurmountable the more I think about it, I’m reminded that I did a major overhaul on my western that involved the same thing. The protagonist needed to be more proactive in driving the story forward.
The end result had A LOT of changes that required a new approach. It took some time, but I was able to accomplish that, and the script ended up being better for it.
No reason to think I can’t repeat it this time around.
At least you’re a shoo-in for Employee of the Month
Been busier than expected the past few weeks with a lot of things related to my scripts: learning how to put a pitch deck together, commissioning concept art, and getting the ball rolling on the crowdfunding campaign for the short film.
Although exhausting (and admittedly eating into my time to actually write), it’s all necessary to help move things along. It also reminded me of the sentiment expressed in this post from May 2016.
Enjoy.
When it all comes down to it, you know who’s going to do the most to help you and your career?
That’s right. You. Nobody else.
Sure, there will be others who might be able to give you a helping hand now and then, but the responsibility of getting stuff done falls squarely on your shoulders.
This goes beyond just writing and honing your craft. You need to build up your network. Establish connections. Get to know people. Chances are a majority of these will be online and via social media.
Seeking representation or someone who might be receptive to your script? Do your research. Find out who’s looking for what. (And for crying out loud, DO NOT take the “Does somebody have a list I could use?” route.)
“But I’ve got no time to do all that!” you might protest.
Of course you do.
The key element here is time management. You already set aside time to write, don’t you? Well, you have to do the same for everything else. If you can devote part of your day to work on your script, then there’s no reason you can’t dedicate a few minutes to focus on your career.
A surefire way to give yourself more time – stay away from casual websurfing, or at least ration it. So much online material is nothing but a big time-sucking rabbit hole. “Just five more minutes” can easily turn into “Where’d that hour go?” Funny videos are all well and good, but probably won’t do much to help you get your career going.
On Twitter? Connect with 5 people a day. Interact with them. Ask about their projects. Make it about them, not you. If they ask about you and yours, keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm them with details.
Part of some online community forums? Take part. Ask questions. Start discussions. Get to know the other members. A lot of these folks will probably have more experience than you, so learn as much as you can. Very important – don’t be a troll.
Is there a professional writer out there whose work you admire? Send them a note saying just that. DO NOT ask for any favors right out of the gate. Establish a relationship. You’ll eventually know if they’re open to helping you. Sometimes they might even offer it without you asking. It happens.
All of these are going to take time to not only accomplish, but also to develop. Be patient. It will take time. You wouldn’t rush through getting your script done, so apply that same logic to developing and advancing your career.
Maximum Z 