short films

…and looking ahead

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Last week was all about 2025.

This week, to paraphrase the words of Dr Emmett L Brown, we plan for… the future!

-First and foremost, nailing down the story of the new action-comedy spec, and churning out at least 1-2 drafts. I’d say it’s about 2/3 of the way there. Still some details to work out, but I like how it’s developing.

Also nice – several readers have already volunteered their services to give it a look and subsequently tear it apart. In a helpfully critical way, of course.

-The other big thing is doing a major polish/revision on my western and fantasy-comedy specs. They’re good, but there is definitely potential to elevate the quality of each.

I’m also very fortunate to have a manager who’s really psyched about helping me on all fronts, from feedback on pages to getting the scripts out there.

As last year wound down, several columnists and podcasts talked about planning a strategy for achieving writing goals over the course of the year. A few really hit home for me, and I’ll be putting my own spin on that approach.

Looking forward to seeing how it all goes.

-Another significant project for this year is seeing the completion of post-production on my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY. The crowdfunding is just about halfway there and as of this posting, hovering around 71% funded.

Several readers of the blog have chipped in, and I once again put out a sincere request to anybody else who can contribute and is willing to do so. This is a long-in-development project for me, so any help I can get to reach that finish line is highly appreciated.

There are also some fantastic tier rewards, including invaluable feedback on scripts, directing reels, and acting reels. Click on the link above to take a look around and see if anything strikes your fancy.

-Lastly, my hosting of The Creative Writing Life Podcast continues. Guests are already lined up into February, and I’ll see what I can do about finally adding some theme music.

Those are the big ones for the next 12 months, and no doubt other things will show up.

Exciting times are ahead, chums. Make your 2026 as amazing as you want it to be.

Looking back…

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It’s my final post of 2025, so here’s a short breakdown of how it went in terms of screenwriting and the screenwriting-adjacent.

For the most part, there were two highlights:

-I got a manager. I’m especially proud of this because it was because of my writing, and not because of an arbitrary (and ridiculously costly) scoring system or contest results. He likes my stuff and is very enthusiastic about it and my potential for the coming year.

He’s also very supportive regarding the developing of new material, in that he’ll give feedback but not in a “I think you should do it my way” way. I’m looking forward to how he responds to the new spec.

-The other one is that after years of holding off and delays, my short film is that much closer to becoming a finished project.

There was crowdfunding to raise $ for production – 52%, which wasn’t bad.

A whirlwind 2-day shoot in my house (and a special thanks to my wife K for being incredibly patient and helpful during that time).

Lots and lots of back and forth with my extremely talented, capable, and also very patient director.

The editor worked her magic on it, and now it’s in the hands of the sound department. FYI – crowdfunding to cover post-production continues, so it would be very cool and highly appreciated if you’re able to chip in to help get it across the finish line.

-On the contest front, results were less than desired – a few whiffs and a handful of QFs and SFs. I’ll write more about this next week, but I think I’ll be skipping the 2026 season.

-I had the pleasure of reading a lot of phenomenal scripts from many of the fantastic writers in my network of associates. Exchanging scripts and the subsequent feedback among peers is invaluable.

-Speaking of which, The Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase posted last week. 89 great works by 89 great writers. Feel free to give it the once-over and reach out to any writers whose work you’d like to read.

Overall, it was a good year. Hope it was for you too.

And here’s to the next one being even better.

The countdown continues!

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**Disclaimer – this post is for the most part promoting stuff I’m doing, especially the second one, so it won’t be shared to some of the usual social media platforms because they frown on that sort of thing and I do my best to not be a rabble-rouser**

And with that out of the way…

Here’s a pair of brief but very, very important announcements:

-One week from today is the great unveiling of The Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase! A thrilling assortment of screenplays, TV scripts and short scripts* from an exceptionally diverse cadre of skilled and savvy writers.

If you’re among those who has NOT sent in the info for your script, you have until Thursday 18 December to do so. All the details can be found here. Please make sure to read them carefully and be diligent about following the instructions.

*no webseries submissions as of yet, but it could still happen

-The crowdfunding campaign to raise post-production costs for my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY is up and running. The editing and sound departments are working their magic, and the latest cut is looking mighty good.

There are tier rewards, including invaluable feedback on scripts, directors reels, and acting reels. Great stuff all around.

If you’re a fan of indie filmmaking, terrible jokes, and supporting the screenwriting community, then I sincerely hope you can help out by chipping in a couple of bucks.

Thanks.

Is it that time already?? (Yes. Yes, it is.)

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When I read a compelling logline or hear a “It’s THIS + THAT” that piques my interest, I will not hesitate to contact the writer and ask if the script is available to read.

But where could I, or any other writer, get information like this without having to scroll through endless pages of social media?

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a vast assortment of scripts available in one convenient list that doesn’t cost you a single cent (RIP – the penny) AND has the email for every single writer?

Behold The Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase!

This is your chance to put the basic info about your script on full display for the rest of the screenwriting community to peruse and have somebody go “Hey, I’d like to read that.”

Here’s how it works:

The Showcase will post here on Friday, December 19th. It will be a collection of screenplays and TV scripts, plus the added categories of scripts for short films and webseries. A link to the Showcase will be posted on various social media platforms.

If your script is included and you want your connections to know about it, it is highly recommended to copy-and-paste the link and post it on your platforms, inviting everybody to take a look.

To have your script included, send the following information here with the subject line “Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase”:

Format (Film, TV, short, webseries)

Title

Writer

Genre(s)

Logline

Comps

Awards (if any, limit of 5) Please list how you placed, category (if applicable), the year, and the name of the competition – e.g. “Second Rounder – 2025 Austin Film Festival” or “Finalist – Horror, 2024 StoryPros International”

Your email

Feel free to check out the 2024 edition to get an idea of what it’ll look like.

Two conditions:

ONLY ONE SCRIPT PER PERSON

and

DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT!!

Previously-listed scripts are okay, but new scripts are highly encouraged.

And can’t stress this one enough – PROOFREAD ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION BEFORE SENDING!! How it’s written in the email is how it’ll be listed in the post. This blog is not responsible for any wrong details, misspellings, or shitty punctuation.

The window to send in is between now and Thursday, December 18. Any submissions after that will not be accepted. Reminders will be posted weekly during that time, so don’t delay and send it straightaway.

Here’s the email again, and the subject line is “Maximum Z 2025 Script Showcase”.

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve got.

No restraints! (up to a point)

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While my short film is now in the hands of the editor, that allows me more time to get back to working on the outline for the new action-comedy spec.

It’s coming along, but choices have had to be made in terms of how far to take things regarding the story and how things play out.

Do I play it safe and hold back, or do I throw caution to the wind and go all out?

Believe it or not, this was a tougher decision than expected. I don’t want to overdo it, but I also don’t want things to be boring. There’s pushing the envelope, and then there’s way over the top.

But then again, this is an ACTION-COMEDY, with an emphasis on both parts, so maybe there’s some kind of middle ground that would work.

It also helped to get the opinions of a few other writers, who all said for this kind of story, you pretty much have to ramp things up, but to also not let things get out of control, which makes it feel like you’re throwing everything at the wall, which reeks of desperation – which I do not like, or want.

What I do want is for the reader/audience to really get the impact of everything that happens because it all works within the context of the story while also reinforcing/supporting the action and comedy. Not an easy path to navigate, but I feel up to the challenge.

So that’s the plan. Most likely it’ll be initially putting it all together in a simple and straightforward way, then go back and figure out the best/most effective way to have each scene and/or sequence showcase the action and comedy when applicable. Sort of “How can this be more exciting and/or funnier while still accomplishing what it needs to?”

I also suspect that once everything is in place, that’s when the real fun begins. Even with all of this figuring things out, I’m really enjoying putting this one together and look forward to unleashing it on the world when it’s ready.