rewriting

I did the math so you don’t have to

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It’s September 1st! New month, new season (kinda-sorta), school’s back in session, all that rot.

It also means there are 4 months, or 122 days if you want to be super-specific about it, left in 2023 for you to GET SOMETHING WRITTEN.

Totally not impossible.

Even if you average a page a day, that’s a completed draft of a feature (or a pilot), plus some extra time for notes, editing, and polishing.

Dive back into that script you finished earlier this year, last year, or whenever, and attack it with your red pen to edit the bejeezus out of it.

It doesn’t matter what you write, just as long as you plant that ass in a chair and DO. THE. WORK.

That script ain’t gonna write itself, y’know.

Why all the encouragement?

I find a certain appeal to closing out the calendar year having accomplished something writing-wise. You can simultaneously proclaim “Look at what I did!” while also be ready to work on it from the get-go on January 1st.

You’ve got 122 days and counting, so quit your procrastinating, hemming and hawing, and get to it.

And…begin.

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1

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During a recent break from the writing, I saw a few posts on social media celebrating the 43rd(!) anniversary of the release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I was around for that. Proudly so.

I decided to give it another watch, mostly for nostalgia’s sake.

Even though I’ve seen it numerous times, this time felt a little different. I found myself watching it from a writer’s point of view.*

It made for a very different experience, involving continuously making mental notes and asking questions.

“How did this look on the page?”

“Wow, that dialogue gets right to the point without being on-the-nose”

“What an incredibly tight scene”

“Pay attention to how the characters are shown changing over the course of the story”

Just seeing how smooth the story flows, how tight the whole thing is, and how all the subplots are laid out really struck a chord for me.

THIS is how I want my scripts to come across.

I’ve already said that this current draft of my sci-fi adventure is all about getting pages written and holding off on editing/revising until it’s complete. That still applies.

But when I do get to that point, I’m already anticipating looking at each scene and trying to figure out what changes could be made to achieve that same level of tightness, structure, and efficiency.

And it’s just a coincidence about my script being a similar genre; this approach would help no matter what I was working on.

This is all just further proof that a writer’s education never truly stops, watching well-written films can benefit your own writing process, and that there’s always an opportunity to learn how to improve your writing.

*Full acknowledgment to credited writers Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas*

Full speed ahead!

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Apart from a few tweaks on the animated fantasy-comedy, the past few weeks have been all about cranking out the new draft of the sci-fi adventure.

And “cranking out” seems to be the appropriate term.

My usual process is to write a few pages, go back and do some work on them, then move on to the next set.

Not this time.

I write ’em and move on. No looking back.

No editing. No tweaking. Nothing.

There is absolutely no doubt there’ll be a ton of editing and rewriting when it’s done, but for now it’s “just get the damned thing written”.

Current output is about 2-3 pages a day, so if I can maintain that pace, there’s no reason to believe it couldn’t be wrapped up by the end of June or thereabouts.

Also nice – I’m having a great time telling this story, and I hope that enjoyment comes across to future readers.

I don’t know if I’ll continue to use this method for future scripts, or even for future drafts, but for now it seems to be working. It’s definitely different and takes some getting used to, but I don’t mind.

-last-minute addition! as of this writing, the aforementioned fantasy-comedy was announced as a quarterfinalist in the animation category for StoryPros. Not too shabby, especially since it’s been rewritten/polished a few times since then to what I believe is a more put-together version.

While it would be great for it to continue moving forward, I’m quite happy with this.

-The writers strike continues, with no end in sight. Here’s hoping that that changes soon. #WGAStrong

It is what it is

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They say failure is the best teacher, and boy did I learn my lesson these past few weeks.

As you might be aware, a lot of the past few months were all about the animated fantasy-comedy spec. Many drafts, revisions, and polishes have taken place. My primary objective was to have what I hoped was a quality script that might have a chance with some of the big contests.

I felt it was ready, so I sent it in, along with to a few smaller contests – just to see how it might fare.

Its track record now stands at 0-2 for those smaller ones, one of which focused on fantasy (and sci-fi). If the script couldn’t even make the quarterfinals in that, it definitely doesn’t bode well for the more high-profile contests that get thousands upon thousands of entries.

Also adding to this sad-but-likely conclusion was getting some notes back after the script had been entered in said contests. The notes were brutally honest about what worked and what didn’t.

Simply put – there were problems that I hadn’t addressed, and it just wasn’t ready.

Thus another rewrite took place, with this year’s contests already being written off. It’ll be quite surprising if anything positive happens with any of those.

I don’t think I was jumping the gun in entering it in the contests. Was I more confident than I should have been? Maybe, but I still think it’s a solid piece of work – especially after this latest rewrite.

There’s still one more set of notes on the way, so there will most likely be another draft, and I’m seriously considering getting some professional feedback for that one a few months down the road.

It bothers me that this year’s contests already seem to be wasted, but I accept that this is how it worked out and I’m pretty good about getting back up on the proverbial horse. The positive spin/silver lining is that this gives me more time to prepare for next year.

Once all the work on this script is finished – which hopefully won’t take too long, I’ll return to the rewrite of the sci-fi adventure – and based on this experience, will dedicate more time to making sure it’s REALLY ready to send out.

Heeding my own advice and encouragement to other writers, I will keep pushing forward.

-As of this writing, the WGA strike is still going on.

To quote Harlan Ellison: pay the writer

#WGAStrong

Chances of winning – slim

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A few contests have been releasing the latest results. Sadly, my fantasy-comedy didn’t advance in some of them.

Disappointing, but just the way it is. Subjectivity and all that.

I know more than a few writers who are still in the running, and I wish them all the best. It’s important to be supportive and encouraging for others’ success. They earned it, and it’s how I’d want to be treated if the situation were reversed.

As I indulge in some introspection (and another round of script analysis), this is a great reminder that success on one front does not guarantee it in another.

Lots of writers do well in contests, but only a small fraction see it lead to bigger and better things.

I know writers who’ve won or placed highly in some major contests, gotten representation and meetings with producers as a result, but even years later are still struggling to move things forward. It happens.

There are also those who have had nothing happen, which also happens.

It’s natural to feel jealous and frustrated when you see other writers making progress, and you’re not – for contests or otherwise. So you hunker down and try to get better.

And even though that other writer made it a little farther than you did, there’s a chance the next stage could be where things stop for them.

If they keep advancing, good for them.

The odds are already against us from the get-go; even just finishing a script is more than some writers accomplish.

When this sort of thing happens, I gripe/stew/lament about it for a short period of time, accept it, and move on with the mindset of “how can I make this better so as to increase my chances the next time around?”

It helps. Both myself and the script.

With more and more contests announcing the latest results in the coming months, no matter what happens, do your best to be ready.