running

Circling back to the first go-round

Maximum Z comedy, contests, determination, draft, fantasy, notes, perseverance, persistence, rewrite, running, screenplay, screenwriting, script, subplots, Wallace & Gromit , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My current project is rewriting/revising my fantasy-comedy (animation-optional). It has undergone numerous drafts, along with multiple revisions and variations on both the primary storyline and several subplots.

There have been a handful of the latter which have been particular tricky to figure out the best approach. Something just wasn’t clicking, so I took my usual approach to finding a solution and stepped away from my laptop, put on my running shoes, and hit the road.

While my feet pounded the pavement, the next hour and seven minutes heavily involved coming up with possible alternatives to how the story reads now. A few possibilities presented themselves, but nothing to make me stop short and proclaim “That’s it!”

So I took another usual approach, that of taking a step back for a more of a “big picture”.

Silly as it sounds, I’d forgotten that one of those earlier drafts had some decent contest success (not that that’s my goal), so I dug up that one to give it a read.

A large percentage of that script remains in the most recent one, but especially close attention was paid to “what drives your protagonist”. More than a few readers had similar things to say about that. My hope is that fleshing that out a bit more will have the desired effect and reinforce the whole story.

There are a few other subplots that also need work, but this was one of the big ones.

This kind of approach will be the strategy for this latest draft. The last thing I want to do is over-complicate things, and I’m fairly confident that doing this will help keep things simple.

Some appropriately metaphorical posts

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While I continue to chip away at progress for my assorted projects, I’ve been seeing more than a few posts from other writers on social media about their significantly faster results.

“I finished this draft in two weeks!”

“Just wrapped up my third script of the year!”

Jeez, I’m hoping to get three scripts done by the end of the year. If I’m lucky.

All of this reminded me that everybody writes at their own pace. Some people are more productive, some not as much. It all comes down to “just get it written”.

It also reminded me that I’ve written about this before, so thought this was a good opportunity to revisit a few of those posts, along with some that are kinda-sorta related.

Enjoy.

Run at your own pace

My race, my pace

It is most definitely NOT a sprint

Second half is all uphill

Comfortable shoes will also help

Time unintentionally taken

Maximum Z community, confidence, determination, development, frustration, ideas, originality, perseverance, persistence, rewriting, running, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When I started working on the new spec a few months ago, I was hoping to have a solid outline done by the end of the year.

But the story is proving to be more complicated than I originally thought, and I’ve come up with some ideas that would help not only the story but to also showcase the “different” in the Familiar But Different aspect when it comes to the films that inspired it.

And on top of that, I’ve been busy with other stuff, so development on this project has really slowed down. I’m still working on it, but slightly annoyed that this is happening in the first place.

Part of it is my strong desire to get this thing written. I’m really psyched about it, but I also want to do as much outlining and figuring stuff out before moving onto pages.

There’s also the previously-alluded-to going for “familiar but different”. There are scenes and sequences in this story that require a strong sense of originality so as to avoid being interpreted as me being a lazy writer and just ripping off stuff from those other films. That is something I definitely want to avoid.

Thus, my continuing struggle to put this one together.

I initially felt embarrassed and a little ashamed about being so far behind schedule, but this is what putting this story together requires. When I expressed this to other writers, I was reminded that everybody makes progress at their own pace (“As a runner, you know how true that is.”), and it was also pointed out that several other writers in our community spend a lot of time writing and even more time rewriting their stuff.

I was told I shouldn’t feel bad about not being as productive or prolific. I’m doing the work at the pace that works best for me, and that’s the important part.

I also have to keep in mind that my animated script began several years ago as just jotting down ideas, and then gradually evolved into what it is today – including countless rewrites and polishes. Even today I’m still waiting on notes that will be applied to the next draft.

I know I’ll get this one done, and of course wish it wasn’t taking so long, but that’s just the way it is. I’m still enjoying putting it together, and confident I’ll be happy with the end result (and all the subsequent drafts that follow it).

That last burst of adrenaline

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A few weeks ago, I ran my first in-person half-marathon in just over two years. Despite the fact that it was raining for a good part of it, it was fun and I had a good time.

Added bonus: I always tend to get caught up in the energy and excitement of an in-person race, and this time was no exception. I even ran at a pace a smidge faster than I’m used to; faster than I ever expected to.

So when I got to the home stretch and saw the finish line up ahead, I kicked it into high gear and pushed myself to cross it as soon as possible.

Which I did, I’m happy to say. I’d beaten my expected finish time by about 12-15 minutes.

Suffice to say, I spent the rest of the day feeling pretty good about it.

(I also have a strong suspicion I won’t be able to duplicate that feat anytime soon, but you never know…)

This brings me to my current writing project: a rewrite of my animated fantasy-comedy.

Although progress has been a little slower than I would have liked, I’m currently working my way through Act 3, and making what I consider to be some solid strides. If I can keep my output steady, there’s a good chance I could be typing FADE OUT by early next week.

Even now as I develop, plot, outline, and then actually write each scene, the excitement of “Almost there!” continues to build.

There’s definitely something be said for how a writer feels as they wrap up a draft. I’m already aware of changes/edits/tweaks that will have to be made, so when I’m done, I’ll stash it away for a few weeks and shift to another project (of which there is always a few). Then come back to it with fresh eyes and a red pen, read it through, marking it up as I go.

All part of the process.

-Shameless self-promotion: my book GO AHEAD AND ASK! VOLUME ONE is available in both print and ebook. Want a signed copy? Let me know.

AIC mode – re-activated

Maximum Z books, determination, half-marathons, perseverance, persistence, progress, rewriting, running, screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The past few weeks have been quite the whirlwind of activity on several fronts.

First and foremost, after much work and effort, I released my book GO AHEAD AND ASK!, VOLUME ONE. Responses have been enthusiastically supportive. Plans already in place for Volume 2, which is tentatively set for a late June/early July release.

In case you were wondering, there wasn’t any post last week due to traveling to help the inimitable Ms V wrap up her freshman year at college and transport her home. This also included my running my first in-person half-marathon since February 2020. Finish time of 1:59:06, which was much better than expected – especially considering how much it rained during the race.

But all this activity also meant I didn’t get much writing done, so now it’s time to get back into a somewhat normal routine.

As in – setting aside time to write, or using a phrase I’ve heard bandied about more than a few times:

AIC – Ass In Chair

I’ve got several projects that I’d like to work on, and the only way to make any progress on any of them is to just sit down and do the work.

However much time I can spare each day will be fine, and you can be certain I’ll do my darnedest to get the most out of that time as possible.

The results have already proven beneficial, including a drastic reworking of the latter half of Act Two for one script. This had been nagging me for a few days prior, and it felt great to work my way through to a solution that seems much stronger and more effective than what it was before.

I know all future writing sessions might not be as productive, but I’ll take whatever progress I can get.

Here’s hoping your upcoming AIC times are just as good.