query letter

Counterattacking those 3 dreaded words

Maximum Z Godzilla, query letter, screenwriting, writing
Writing the script was easy compared to getting past this

“No unsolicited submissions.”

Just thinking about them fills me with dread. Yet another obstacle to conquer.

Granted, this phrase was practically everywhere in the HCD section on production companies (the library didn’t have the Representation book). Figure maybe 1 out of every 150-175 companies were open to receiving, so it’s a safe bet they’re constantly getting bombarded with submissions. It’s enough to make a lesser writer throw up their arms and say “This is never going to work!”  I’ll still follow through with that select few and see if anything happens, but this is no time to throw a pity party.

The underlying theme for this stage has become “There HAS to be a way,” and thanks to living in the digital age, the most powerful tool in my arsenal is literally at my fingertips. And yours too.

Chances are you can find what you seek online if you’re willing to work at it.  I’ve been scouring websites, forums, etc. for suggestions about where to post my script for potential interested parties. There’ve been a few that seem to have potential. Some charge a small fee, some are free. It’s up to you to decide which works best for your needs. You might be hesitant to spend a couple of bucks, but isn’t it worth it if it gets you that much closer to reaching that goal?

Sure, this whole process is a crapshoot, but I’ve got nothing to lose and would rather keep plugging away than give up.

But I’m also confident about the quality of my script and am equally confident there’s somebody out there who will like it enough to want to do something about it. In the meantime, I’ll keep on doing what I’ve been doing – writing, researching and hoping for the best.

Patience and meticulousness required

Maximum Z agent, Batman, Hollywood Creative Directory, Hollywood Representation Directory, manager, Movie of the Moment, production company, query letter, research, screenwriting, writing
Obviously, a lot of effort went into creating this. See how it paid off?

You think writing a screenplay is hard? Well, it is. But that’s just the first step of the process.  Getting it out there is an even harder hill to climb.

I’ve got a what I consider to be pretty good query letter put together, but will utilize a little more professional feedback to give it that extra ‘oomph’. While consulting various forums, websites and the like, the general consensus is as follows: show the strength of your writing ability with a finely-crafted logline, a minimal amount of words about you and a maximum amount of professionalism.  This thing has to make somebody stop in their tracks and immediately think, “I HAVE to read this script!”

That’s the first part of what I’ve been working on.  The second part is proving to be quite the challenge: who to send this letter to.

I’m taking the scientific approach to this and doing my homework to find out who would be the most receptive to reading my script. Since it falls into the fantasy-adventure genre, I don’t want to look like an amateur and approach a place that does something completely different, such as horror or indie drama. It makes me look bad and wastes their time. Again – maximum amount of professionalism.

Digging through thousands of listings of agents, managers and production companies is proving to be the biggest hurdle. The last time I did this, I had the benefit of using the Hollywood Creative and Representation Directories, but I’m not sure if the publisher is still around. It may be time for another trip to the always-helpful public library and see if the latest editions are available.

Part of my brain is saying “Quit stalling and get moving! There’s no time to lose!” Then the rational part kicks in and says, “Would you rather get it done fast or professionally?”

I’ll take option number two.

Movie of the Moment – THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. I’ll write about this next time, but for now – not as good as THE DARK KNIGHT, but still pretty enjoyable.

Two roads, one objective

Maximum Z adventure, outlines, query letter, screenwriting, story, westerns, writing
I have to go this way AND that way

What an odd sensation.

Part of me is focusing on beginning the post-script-is-done phase. Composing a kickass query letter. Researching which agents and/or managers would be most receptive to reading my script.  Looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish.

The other part is all about starting work on the next script. Even though most of the initial outline is finished, it still feels like the proverbial blank slate, bursting with potential. Weird as it may sound, I’m really excited about this. I mentally visualize how the story plays out via scenes and sequences, and if I can make it read as cool as it looks in my head, then this thing is going to be all kinds of awesome.

You always hear “write what you know”, but how often do you hear “write what you love”? I’m crazy for a good western and am equally gaga over a solid adventure, so why not take my favorite parts of both and put ’em together in an original, sprawling epic that clocks in at around 2 hours?

That’s the plan for this script. I haven’t been very good about meeting self-imposed deadlines, so I won’t set anything definite. But I’m a lot further along in terms of development now than I have been with previous scripts, and my writing skills feel stronger, so I’m pretty confident I’ll be able to have a solid draft relatively soon.

As is usually the case, there will be days where my mood/outlook is decidedly negative, so I’m just going to sit back for a moment, take a deep breath and enjoy this feeling of sheer euphoria while it lasts.

What, no majestic fanfare?

Maximum Z query letter, screenwriting, script, writing
The journey is just getting started

Countless rewrites and editing sessions later, I’m fairly certain my script is done.  You’d think the big celebration would begin, but far from it. One hard part is over, and the next, even harder part is underway.

I’ll do one more round of feedback from a handful of trusted colleagues, and maybe even one or two professional critiques.  I have a few in mind I’d like to try – any recommendations? While that’s going on, the great assembling of a query letter will commence.

As eager as I am to get the script into interested hands, it’s vital I really take my time with this. Simply put, this query letter must absolutely knock the socks off anybody who reads it.  My hope is that the query makes the script practically irresistible; that not reading it would really make you feel like you’re missing out on something of significance.

I’m not saying my script is the be-all, end-all, but I feel pretty positive about it. The task at hand now is to convey that  confidence in the body of the query.

Wish me luck.

Digging up the perfect word(s)

Maximum Z agent, creativity, ideas, loglines, manager, outlines, query letter, rewrite, Schmucks with Underwoods, screenwriting, story, structure, writing
All worth it in the end

It’s amazing how productive you can be while working at 30,000 feet. K and I flew across the country to spend some time with her family (as well as pick up a somewhat homesick V). Since the movie going each way didn’t interest me, I took the opportunity to  go through the latest rewrite and look for further necessary edits. Of which there were more than a few.

I’ve since made all the changes, save one: a handful of sentences describing a location. At first this may sound pretty unimportant, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Without going into too much detail, this description is for one of two key settings in the whole story. The other one – exactly what it should be, so now I need one just as good, if not better, for this. What I have now is just cliched and boring. Time to buckle down and come up with something exactly spot-on.

It’ll be an uphill battle, but I’ll find it. Trust me.

-During our stay, lots of downtime and limited internet access gave me the chance to start figuring Act Three of the western-adventure.

I’d completely forgotten some of the details in the first outline from a few months ago. Some of them still work (surprisingly so), which was an unexpected surprise, but others will have to go, which was completely expected. Further proof that after you write something, you really should ignore it for a while.

Reworking this may be a slightly bigger task than originally expected, which I don’t mind at all. It’s also a golden opportunity. First I come up with what I want to happen, then get to figure out how to make it bigger. Fun stuff indeed, and I do not mean that sarcastically.

-I took it upon myself to further my jump into making all of this happen by signing up for IMDBPro. Time to start researching who would be receptive to reading my stuff. Last time around, I went through a hard copy of the HCD, highlighting any agency and management company that was okay with unsolicited query emails. Not sure if that’s the way to go now. Any and all suggestions are welcome.