pie

Don’t mind me. I’m just regrouping.

Maximum Z goals, motivation, pie, podcasts, productivity, Rocky & Bullwinkle, screenwriting, writing
Cut a little slice out of each day for creativeness (and done literally, you get pie!)
Cut a little slice out of each day for creativeness (bonus – pie while you work!)

Remember that New Year’s resolution you made about being more diligent and really sticking to a writing schedule and how you were going to be super-productive in 2013?  How’s that working out for you so far?

Well, here it is almost the middle of February and what does yours truly have to show for it, script-wise?

Zilch. Zip. Nada. The proverbial big fat goose egg and other colorful metaphors.

An outline with barely any dents in it and podcasting equipment that’s been taken out of the box twice.  How am I supposed to move ahead when I feel like I’m standing still? Not acceptable!

I could claim that most of January was focused on the query letters, but that’s kind of a lame excuse.  There’s no reason I (or any writer, for that matter) shouldn’t be able to set aside at least 30 minutes a day to work on something. Anything.

Maybe you’re like me and you’ve got that constantly-burning fire inside you that makes you want to write, create or produce something, and when you aren’t able to do that, you feel like you’re taking a step backward.

So consider the reset button officially pushed.  Let’s call this my New Year’s Resolution, Take 2.

I will do my best to try and accomplish at least one important thing each day for both script and podcast.  To be fair, there will be days where circumstances are just beyond my control and nothing will happen. It’s inevitable, and I accept that.

But the rest of the time – no excuses.

-Movie of the Moment. Not necessarily a movie, but a rediscovered treasure.  All 5 seasons of ROCKY & BULLWINKLE on Hulu Plus. Want to see countless examples of smart and hilarious writing in action?

Bullwinkle and a general watch helplessly as a missile takes off with Rocky strapped to it.

GENERAL: That squirrel is headed straight for Washington!

BULLWINKLE: Do you think he can carry the farm vote?

Look no further, my friends.

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.

New place, new start

Maximum Z comic books, Marvel Comics, Movie of the Moment, pie, running, screenwriting, writing
Fall is here! Time for pie! (subcategory – pumpkin, subdivision – whipped cream)

Packing was stress-inducing, but the move went smoothly (including movers who were reliably fast and efficient), and the unpacking stage seems never-ending.

But it’s all in the past now. Time now to realign my focus back on the outline and get things done.

Despite not having a chance to actually write over the past week, my creativeness was definitely being put to work, including coming up with a potentially stronger beginning.  You don’t realize how much you miss working on a project until you’re forced to not work on it.

Suffice to say, I’m really hoping to be super-productive over the next few weeks.

-I’m fully recovered from last week’s half-marathon, and now have to resume training for the one next month in the City of Angels. I was hoping to get a run in tomorrow, but part of the move involved switching out TVs, so I’ve got to spend tomorrow afternoon waiting for the friendly neighborhood Cable Guy to show up and check stuff out. Unfortunately, the run will have to wait.

Always seeking the silver lining, I plan on utilizing my time waiting for him by either a) unpacking some more, or b) working on the all-important rewrite. Maybe a little of both.

-It’s been a while, but time now for the triumphant return of MOVIE OF THE MOMENT! – Up today: GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE (2012)!

I think “disorganized mess” sums it up nicely. It veered back and forth between fun comic book-style popcorn flick and predictable, cheesy thriller. Nic Cage was all over the map, but seemed to be enjoying himself.

Too hard to sum up the plot, but something about the Rider having to prevent Satan’s representative on Earth from taking over the body of a 13-year-old boy.  I think.

It wasn’t what you’d call easy to understand, which is especially surprising since David Goyer is one of the credited writers.

Possibly a minor complaint – not enough of the title character in action. Something like 3-4 sequences, including a humongous fiery mining vehicle, but I was hoping for more.

Overall, not a terrible way to spend 95 minutes.

Ouch.

Maximum Z criticism, feedback, pie, screenwriting, writing
Yeah, this would probably help ease the pain

Hey look! It’s me!

Ooh.

Gosh.

I didn’t fare very well in that, did I?  Not going to argue. But in the end – it’s okay.

Most of his comments are probably spot-on, but comedy’s never really been my strong suit.  I liked the idea, and wanted to give it a go. I still like it, enough to even list it on my Scripts page.

This was the 2nd script I ever wrote. As you probably guessed, it’s not exactly fresh, but I liked it enough to submit it. I’ve written 5 more since then, and like to think I’ve improved.

It also got me a manager (we have since parted ways), and I even got an email a few months ago from a guy saying he really liked it. Proving once again that comedy really is subjective.

It would be way too easy to bitch and moan, but there’s no point. It’s all part of the process, and pushes me even harder to improve and succeed.

Pie, anyone?

Where did all this work come from?

Maximum Z pie, screenwriting, writing gigs
So much to do, so little time to do it in

For some reason, I’ve been really busy the past couple of days. And some of that busy-ness has even been screenwriting-related.

I’m trying to allot time to each particular project when I can. Some time on the LUCY outline here, cranking out a few DREAMSHIP pages there, and now I’m supposed to talk to the director of my short project tomorrow night.

All of this added to an already busy schedule of work and parenting,and you get one tired guy.

I won’t even go into the Thanksgiving issue, which in this case means pie. My assignment for our sojourn to a friend’s house: one apple, one pumpkin. No problem.

But as exhausting as all of this is, what’s really great is I’m enjoying every single minute of it.  Even better is I’ve been making some good progress on just about every front.

-THIS CLOSE to finishing a key scene in DREAMSHIP, then it’s back to the attempted 3 pages a day routine

-Still hammering out details for the rest of Act Two of LUCY, but the previous draft is a great resource. Love the cherry picking of what works and what doesn’t.

-Ideas churning for the short. Should be an interesting talk with the director.

-Pie ingredients purchased. Only mixing and baking remain.

I’m trying to make sure I don’t spread myself too thin over all these projects, or burn out on any of them.  When you’re pursuing something as big as this, you find the time and energy to get it done.  If it seems too much like work, or time just drags when you’re doing something you love, chances are you probably don’t love it anymore.

Fortunately for me, I haven’t experienced that sensation, nor do I expect to.  I’ve got big plans for these and future projects, and although it may be a little rough along the way or take a little longer than I originally hoped to get them done, the main point is they will get done.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.