screenplay

That’s one out of the way…

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Hard as it is to believe, I can honestly say that my work on the animated fantasy-comedy has come to an end. I got some great notes from a new batch of readers (and one previous one), did a few passes on it, and there you have it.

I think it’s a very strong piece of work and at the very least makes for a fantastic sample/calling card.

Bonus – one reader really enjoyed it and offered to put out feelers for potential interest within their network of industry connections. There was no hesitation to say yes (and thanks).

When the year started, I had plans of what I wanted to accomplish in terms of writing and the writing-adjacent. With this rewrite officially in the books, I feel totally unencumbered to do that.

Things feel different this time around, like the air is rife with possibilities. It’s up to me to take advantage of that and be productive while also enjoying the ride.

A few more ideas jotted down for the new spec, work continues on getting things ready for the short film, lining up guests (and reading their work) for the podcast, and putting the finishing touches on the panels for the Writing For Hollywood track at the upcoming San Francisco Writers Conference.

And when I can find the time, reading scripts – both produced and specs.

There’s a lot going on. So far, so good.

Narrowing things down

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Sometime in the fall of 2024, I started working on this new script. As is my standard practice, I came up with the main plot points and then started filling in the blanks.

Made some good progress – to a point. Act One came together pretty quickly, so now it’s all about Acts Two and Three. Those are proving to be a bit more challenging, so work has slowed a bit. But not stalled, which is important.

Part of this stems from not wanting to have things come across as too similar to the films that inspired the idea (so much that they’re the comps). Obsessing about finding the perfect solution won’t help, so I’ve opted to write down any and all ideas, see which ones are the best fit, and then figure out a way to put that “familiar but different” spin on them.

As is usually the case, there will probably be a ton of ideas that end up unused, but better to have a lot of those rather than fall short.

I already had a list of possible scenes/ideas, and have started expanding on each one while also considering how it could involve or affect the protagonist, the antagonist, or possibly both.

It’s also very important to not get frustrated about how long this is taking. It’s better to spend time figuring things out now while still in the early stages rather than have them cause problems later. Also good – not having everything locked in. Flexibility is a good element to work with.

And by coming up with a lot of ideas, if something doesn’t work in one spot, maybe there’s somewhere else in the story that might be a better fit. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

I’m making a deliberate effort to really take my time with this one, and am confident it’ll all pay off.

Striving to thrive in ’25

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I can honestly say that this year did not play out as originally planned.

-A script rewrite was shelved to do a few more rewrites on another script.

-Developing the crowdfunding campaign for my short film, and subsequent production of said film, kept getting delayed – mostly due to working on other stuff.

-The podcast I co-hosted became solely hosted – by me – which meant doing a lot more reading of the books of upcoming guests.

-I entered my script in a handful of contests. Got a few semi placements, a few QFs, and a few whiffs.

Overall, not the results of what I was hoping 2024 would yield.

But despite it all, it’s all okay.

After all those rewrites, the script feels much, much stronger now. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m drastically cutting back on contests, so this script will only be submitted to a low single-digit number.

I really want to see this short film through to completion, so I’m setting up a daily checklist of what I need to do to get it there. Hopefully I’ll have an actual short film to show off this time next year.

On the writing front, I’m still working out the details of a new spec. Right now it’s all about breaking the story. Once the outlining is done, at least two drafts done by year’s end would be great.

There’s also a new type of project I’m developing that, if it comes to be, would be something I can’t wait to show. More on that as it develops.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the return of The Maximum Z Script Showcase proved to be a ringing success, with over 550 views and a handful of read requests. Already looking at when to do it for next year.

2024 has been a real rollercoaster ride, and I hope you were able to accomplish many, if not all of the things you set out to do.

Here’s to all of us doing even better in 2025.

-A little relevant and shameless self-promotion – the latest episode of the podcast features myself and screenwriter/author/brand strategist/past guest Brian Fitzpatrick talking about what a writer can do to prepare for the coming year. It was a lot of fun to record, and offers up some great advice.

Get the forks ready

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After I-don’t-know-how-many drafts, this most recent version of my animated fantasy-comedy is pretty much it for me. Granted, I’m waiting to hear back from some readers – some new sets of eyes and one who’d read a previous draft, so there’s a chance of more notes, meaning most likely one more revision, but for the most part – j’en ai fini avec ca.

This has been a long time coming – a few years, in fact. I often hear how you should learn to move on from projects, but there was always something about this one that always seemed to whisper “not yet”.

The work this time around definitely felt a little different. Scenes were moved around, trimmed, or flat-out cut entirely. Action lines and dialogue were tweaked accordingly, some more than expected. Sometimes I’d get a jolt of sudden inspiration and change something that hadn’t been touched since very early on. There were even a few new opportunities to add in a joke, including one that still makes me chuckle when I think about it.

Since I’d already planned to drastically cut back on contests, this one will probably be sent to just Austin and PAGE. I’m not really sure if this is this sort of script that Nicholl readers go for, although an animated script has been a finalist before, so you never know.

It’s a little frustrating it took so long to get here, but I’m extremely proud and happy with how it turned out – especially after this latest draft.

What a good run this was, and it definitely helped raise the quality of my writing.

Taking a little time off to catch my breath, with the gears already turning for the next one.

Script Showcase follow-up: Mercy buckets, chums

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With The Maximum Z Winter ’24 Script Showcase in the books, I’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to all the amazing writers who sent in their screenplay/TV script.

104 fantastic pieces of material, all of which are still available to check out – and contact the writer about reading. I sincerely hope it leads to great things for everybody, or at least a few leads or read requests.

Bonus – around 500 views (and counting), and that’s saying something for a blog of this miniscule magnitude.

Just about every submission email included the writer thanking me for doing this, or at least presenting the opportunity, and I really appreciate that. I like helping out the writing community in whatever way I can, and this seemed like a good idea.

As has been the case before, a few submissions came in after the Showcase posted, so unfortunately those writers missed out. I’m hoping to do it again next year, probably with a little more time between announcing it and posting it. Fingers crossed all the submissions come in before the deadline.

Thanks again to everybody who took part, and now would probably be a good time to start getting your scripts ready for the ’25 edition.