spec

One week to go

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Submissions continue to come in for the upcoming Maximum Z Winter ’23 Script Showcase, which goes live on Friday 22 December. The cutoff for sending in is Thursday 21 December, so there’s still time to add your screenplay or TV script into the mix.

If you’ve been trying to think of a way to spread the word about your script, then look no further. Once the post is up, I’ll post a link to it on several of my social media platforms, and hope you’ll do the same.

All this free marketing and publicity, with an emphasis on the “free” part.

Here’s how it works:

Email the following info here with the subject line “Maximum Z Winter ’23 Script Showcase”

-Film or TV?

-Title

-Author(s)

-Genre(s)

-Logline

-Awards (if applicable) – limit of 5

-your email

And that’s it. No more, and definitely no less.

A few important things to remember before sending:

-DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT! If somebody is interested in reading it, that’s why your email is included.

-ONLY ONE SCRIPT PER PERSON

-MAKE SURE YOUR LOGLINE IS ACTUALLY A LOGLINE. A few writers have sent in synopses and taglines, which are most definitely NOT loglines.

-PROOFREAD YOUR INFO! Is everything spelled correctly? Is all the info there that needs to be there? I will post what you send as is – no editing on my part, so make sure it reads the way you want it to.

The inbox remains open for just a few more days. The cutoff date of Thursday 21 December will be here before you know it, so don’t delay and send today.

Our crack staff of editors is standing by.

The countdown continues…

Maximum Z community, contest, genre, logline, networking, proofreading, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, spec, television, writing , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The number of listings continues to grow for the upcoming Maximum Z Winter ’23 Script Showcase.

The Showcase will post on Friday 22 December, so submissions will be accepted until Thursday 21 December. Like the lady in the gif says – you’ve got two weeks and counting to send in the details about your script.

I’m thrilled that lots of writers are taking advantage of this absolutely free opportunity to put their screenplay or TV script in the spotlight.

Are you one of them? If so, great and thanks!

If not, why the heck not? It’s super-easy and all you need to do is send an email here with the following info:

Film or TV?

Title

Author(s)

Genre(s)

Logline

Awards, if applicable – limit of 5

Your email

And this cannot be stressed enough: PROOFREAD YOUR INFO BEFORE SENDING IT!!

Is everything on there accurate and spelled correctly? There have been a few listings that left out some important details. As one writer responded when asked if it was a TV or film script, their response was “Oh, God. I had ONE job: Fill out the form correctly!”

Exactly.

Also important: DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT

-and-

ONLY ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON

Once the post is up, I’ll put a link to it on my social media accounts. Hope you’ll share it around and proudly announce your inclusion.

For those that have submitted in years past, already-submitted scripts are welcome, but new material is encouraged.

A few writers have asked if short film scripts and specs for existing TV shows are allowed. The answer is YES.

Feel free to email me at the address above if you have any other questions.

Clock’s ticking.

Just a little escapist fun

Maximum Z adventure, burnout, characters, concept, deadline, frustration, midpoint, momentum, outlines, perseverance, persistence, plot, productivity, progress, reading, relatability, rewrite, scenes, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, sequence, situations, spec, story, storytelling, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Despite the recent frustration of figuring out how a sequence should play out, I’ve been having a good time with the rewrite of the sci-fi adventure spec outline.

I’ve been working on this off and on for a while – this is probably the sixth or seventh draft of it. While some of the details have changed, a lot of it remains the same. The core concept of it all was what appealed to me from the start.

I get a certain charge out of coming up with these crazy scenarios and high-octane action sequences, not to mention coordinating and laying out all the pieces of the puzzle that is the plot. I always tell writers to “write something you would want to watch”, and this one definitely falls into that category.

Although my stories tend to lean more towards the fantastical, I try to make sure the characters and situations feel real and relatable – or at least as much as they can within the world of the story. Despite the extraordinary goings-on, it’s still about how somebody reacts to what’s going on around them.

I’m currently at the midpoint, so there’s still a ways to go, but like I said, I’ve got a lot of previous drafts from which I can cherry-pick material. There’ll probably be a few more rounds of rewriting, revising, and reorganizing, but I’m still enjoying it.

It’s quite easy to get burned out from working on a story by working longer than you expected to, but I’m fortunate not to have hit that point yet. If anything, I’m more jazzed about it probably because it really feels like it’s finally all coming together.

Not setting up a definitive deadline for having a completed draft, but if I can maintain this pace and output, there’s a strong possibility it could be by the end of the calendar year. Hoping so.

In the meantime, still having a grand old time with it.

Hope your writing this weekend is chock-full of the same sensation.

Only we can answer

Maximum Z adventure, Austin Screenwriting Competition, conflict, dialogue, ideas, inspiration, notes, outlines, pages, problem-solving, productivity, progress, rewrite, scenes, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, spec, story, strategy, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After an unexpected break, work has recommenced on fine-tuning the outline of the sci-fi adventure spec.

I don’t know how other writers organize their outlines, but mine tend to be a scene-by-scene breakdown on a Google doc. (Hats off to the users of index cards). Each scene is planned out in terms of what happens, sometimes what dialogue might be involved, and an underlying mindset of “what’s the conflict here?”

Even though I know what I need the scene to accomplish, I may not have all the information I need, so I’ll jot down a note or question in ALL CAPS as part of it (to help me not overlook it). The note or question is something that needs to be addressed, but can’t be answered just yet.

Things like:

-DOES HE KNOW ABOUT THIS? IF NOT, HOW TO DO THAT?

-WHAT CAN SHE DO HERE TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT KIND OF PERSON SHE IS?

-NEED 3 VARIATIONS ON THIS (SEE PREVIOUS DRAFT FOR LIST)

-POSSIBLE CLUE OR HINT HERE TO BUILD UP TO BIG REVEAL

You get the idea.

I find it better to write these down in the outline instead of something separate. I don’t trust myself to be that organized, and my desk/working area is quite a mess. It’s just easier to keep it all in one document.

It’s more helpful to take the extra time to deal with all of these now, rather than jump into pages and have to hit the brakes each time one of these needs to be addressed.

Dealing with these sorts of issues can also prove beneficial because while you’re handling the initial thing, it may also offer a new or at possibly an unexpected solution that can cover a few other things, or add a new detail that adds to or helps the story. It’s happened before.

For the most part, the outline is pretty solid, story-wise, so once all of these notes and questions are covered, it’ll be off to the races. I don’t think it’ll take too long, and shooting for another end-of-the-year finish in terms of completed drafts. One would be nice, two would be better.

It’ll get there, slowly but surely.

-Contest news! My animated fantasy-comedy made Second Round for comedy features with Austin. Another long-time goal achieved, so…yay.

Congrats to all the other amazing writers whose work also made it. I’ll be there to celebrate. How about you?

-As the writers strike continues, it’s taking a toll on the people involved. One of those people is friend-of-the-blog Jenny Frankfurt, who runs the Finish Line Script Competition. She could use whatever help you can provide, so please donate here if you can.

A small ramification of the writers strike

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I was afraid of this.

The intent was to post the Maximum Z Summer ’23 Script Showcase in 2 weeks, with an abundance of film and TV scripts for the enjoyment of all.

More than a few scripts have been sent in, but there has also been a significant number of writers contacting me saying “Normally, I’d do this in a second, but because of the writers’ strike…”

And you can probably fill in the rest.

Much as I would love to proceed with the Showcase, the last thing I want to do is make anybody feel uncomfortable about it or feel like they’re putting their potential future involvement with the WGA at risk. Myself included.

So even though it breaks my heart to do so, the Summer Showcase is on hold until further notice.

I won’t cancel it outright since there’s no idea when the strike could end.

If it does end in the near future, then I’ll weigh the options of opening it up again. If it runs longer than anticipated, the Showcase will most likely return later this year with the Autumn/Winter edition; looking at December 1st.

If you’ve already sent in your script, let me know if you want it kept on file for next time, or plan to resubmit it (or another script) at the appropriate time.

Like many other pre-WGA writers, I’m hoping to eventually be part of the organization, so I stand in solidarity with what they’re trying to accomplish. If that means not being able to do the Showcase, it’s a small price to pay.

(Illustration by James Yang)