Current script status: up to page 7, and getting ready to introduce my bad guy. Oh, this is going to be fun.
My page-a-day method seems to be working out nicely. Some days it’s perfect, while some days it’s just enough.
-Got to read a fantastic script similar to mine in a handful of details, while the rest is totally different. Nothing to worry about. If anything, it’s a great example of what works to tell this kind of story.
-Been woefully lax in getting this podcast up and running. Have to set more time aside for it. Just need another 1-2 hours in the day. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
-Movie of the Moment – CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010) Man, did this suck. Almost feel compelled to see how the sequel compares. Almost.
I’m guessing this was a result of studio interference, since Travis Beacham, the writer of A KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW and this summer’s highly-anticipated PACIFIC RIM, was one of the writers. I’ll stick with the 1981 version with Harryhausen effects, thanks.
-Since you’re in the know about my stuff, how is YOUR latest project coming along? Good, bad, need help? Let’s work together, gang.
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?
With most of the querying out of the way, I’m now focusing on two things: getting the podcast up and running, and fine-tuning the western outline.
There’s not much to say about the podcast, except it just hasn’t been a priority. I could have spent more time on it, but opted to get the queries out, which was very time-consuming. It’s looking more likely now to be a February launch. Stay tuned for more details.
Regarding the outline rewrite, although I had a pretty solid outline already done, it still needs a lot of work. Up first: tightening things up. There are just too many scenes.
Using the existing outline, I’m now figuring out ways to move story details and plot points around so everything moves along faster.
For example: the earlier draft didn’t really introduce the villain until around page 17 (he’d been lurking around in the shadows up until then). I’ve since moved things around and now he shows up around page 4, which also includes a follow-up scene to show just what kind of a bad guy he is.
There was also the decision whether or not two scenes could be combined into one. I’ve gone back and forth on this. Scene 1 advances the story/continues to set things in motion, while Scene 2 provides some backstory about the connection between the hero and the villain. Although each has merit on their own, I’ll probably remain undecided up until the end.
Happy to say I’m still enjoying the whole thing.
-Movie of the Moment Two-fer!: THE OTHER GUYS (2010) I don’t really care for a lot of Will Ferrell’s films, but this caught me totally off-guard. It was actually funny and had a good story. Surprisingly entertaining.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011) Another clever film from Woody Allen. Probably doesn’t hurt that I love Paris too. Kind of wish he’d write characters other than those from the upper classes.
I had to work New Year’s Day, starting at 5am. It wasn’t as bad as you might think.
It meant holiday overtime (always nice), the roads were extremely quiet, so there was a lot of downtime, which provided me with the opportunity I was hoping for: to hack and slash my way through the script, cutting out anything unnecessary. Turns out there was about ten pages’ worth, including an excessive amount of adverbs.
But it’s all gone now, and the script is that much better for it. Tighter, smoother, a faster read. 114 pages of potential cinematic goodness.
The professional feedback will have to wait for now, but notes from trusted colleagues are proving to be just as helpful.
Apart from a few tweaks, this script could officially be considered READY TO GO. A minor celebration will be held in the form of a trip to the comic book store.
The next few weeks will be split between researching and contacting potential reps and continuing the fine-tuning of the western outline (gotta keep the creativeness going).
-Awaiting delivery of my equipment to get the podcast up and running, so add contacting potential guests to the aforementioned list. More details as they develop.
-Movie of the Moment – THE HOBBIT (2012). Enjoyable, but way to0 long. Why exactly did they feel this had to be a trilogy? Two movies would have been fine. This is not the epic tale that LOTR is, and suffers for it.
Saw it with V. She liked it, and was genuinely surprised at the end because she thought it would be a single, self-contained story. She’s already stated her interest in seeing the next one. I can’t help but wonder how much Smaug will be featured in Part 2, and Benedict Cumberbatch doing the voice is an added bonus.
-V was also off for winter break, so there’s been a lot of crashing/vegging out in front of the TV. I’m happy to say she’s outgrown some of the inane kids programming she used to watch, and has discovered I LOVE LUCY. It’s easy to see why this still holds up today. She’s already watched the Vitameatavegamin episode three times, laughing hysterically each time. HuluPlus only provides parts of each season, so we’ll have to try Netflix to track down the candy factory episode.
When your 21st century child develops an appreciation for Buster Keaton and Lucille Ball, you must be doing something right.
My bike ride to work is an enjoyable 6-mile pre-dawn journey across most of San Francisco. The temperature when I left the house just after 4 this morning was 43 degrees, so by the time I got to work 40 minutes later, some of my outer extremities were a bit chilled and are taking longer than I’d like to thoroughly thaw. Especially my feet. They’re still cold.
But looking back today at how this year developed for me combined with what I’m hoping to make happen in 2013 make for that warm glow of satisfaction.
-My writing has definitely improved. Several drafts later, DREAMSHIP is much stronger now, and I’m feeling really confident about it. While a sale would be fantastic, I’ll focus on getting representation for now.
-Because of the feedback I’d received on DREAMSHIP, the outlining process for LUCY is working out much, much smoother. Once the outline is ready, and it almost is, I’m really looking forward to getting started on pages.
-I didn’t get to read as many scripts as I’d wanted to, so setting a weekly goal of at least 2 seems pretty doable.
-I had a blast doing The Script Adventurer!, and am that much closer to bringing it back as a podcast. Still planning on a January launch. This is becoming a real learning process, and is actually kind of exciting.
-I did three half-marathons, finally breaking 2:00. I plan on doing at least three more this year, hopefully adding 1-2 more into the mix. Once again, the objective is to break 1:55.
-Since the running took care of my lower body, 2013 will also see more attention to upper body. Hoping for bigger arms and flatter abs. First up – the 100 Pushups program.
-I made a lot of pies this year. So many that they’re now strongly requested when friends invite us over for dinner. Pie-making will continue, but baklava remains at the top of the “I really want to make this” list. (This is not necessarily counter-productive to the previous item – it’s all about moderation)
-I’ll try to keep posting on a semi-regular basis. As always, my appreciation and gratitude for those of you willing to endure my ramblings continues to be limitless. I hope 2012 saw good things happen for you, and that 2013 is even better.
Maximum Z 