story

A lot of moving parts

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Progress on the new spec has been slow but steady-ish.

Biggest development was finally figuring out the reason why my antagonist is doing what they’re doing, and that in turn will have an impact on the rest of the story. Still working out some of the details about the subplots connected to that; some directly and some not so much.

As I work my way through all of it, more subplots for the overall story are popping up. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve put together a pair of lists – one for the protagonist and one for the antagonist, each listing their respective subplots (along with some important details about their storylines).

Both have grown exponentially, and I have to be careful not to overdo it. I don’t want things to get too confusing. The last thing I want is a reader to stop and ask questions, or have something left unexplained. Things need to be easy enough to understand, but not too simple. I try to make sure everything plays a part.

Honestly, this is one of those parts of the process I enjoy – just figuring stuff out. It’s a challenge, to say the least, but it’s oh so worth it to take the time to make sure all the pieces fit together the way they should. This probably explains why the development and outlining take me so long – trying to get everything organized and set up in the right places.

As I work my way through all of these potential ideas, there’s a good chance a lot of them will be dropped – wouldn’t be the first time – but it’s easier to cut and revise than to try and jam something in that feels forced. Sometimes I get lucky and discover a viable connection set up earlier in the story, which is more likely serendipity than me being exceptionally cunning.

A reader on my fantasy-comedy had commented there was a lot going on over the course of the story and they were wondering if I’d be able to pull off keeping things organized. But when they were done, they admitted to being impressed with how all the subplots played out both individually and how they all came together in Act Three. They could tell I’d put in a lot of effort to ensure that happened.

That’s what I’m going for with this one. There really is a lot going on for this story, which is why I’m really taking my time to figure everything out so it all works the way it’s supposed to.

From the archives: FBD is a BFD

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This post from July 2024 is about when I was first starting on this new story idea. I’d put that one on hold to spend a lot of time polishing and rewriting another script, so work on this one has resumed. There has been some progress on figuring out the story, but a lot of what’s mentioned in here still rings true – especially the subject.

Enjoy.

Working on this new script idea is proving to be quite a challenge. It’s still in the very early development stages, so any and every idea is being written down for potential use. No doubt some will stay, some will be trashed, and some will be altered/revised/modified to varying degrees.

Adding to all of this is that a big part of the story is similar to parts of a very beloved and well-known film – so similar that it’s one of my comps – so I also need to come up with ideas so my story safely falls into the category of “Familiar, But Different” – FBD.

It’s my goal to have this story be reminiscent of that other one, but not so much that it feels like I’m totally ripping it off. I’ve read a lot of scripts that fall short of that, so doing what I can to avoid falling into that trap.

This film also has a lot of iconic scenes, so it’s even more important I put my own spin on the concept to really hammer home its FBD-ness. The absolute last thing I want is for somebody to read this and think “There’s nothing new here”.

A key part of this is breaking down the components of the original film – not just the story, plot and characters, but seeing what worked, how the various storylines and subplots were laid out AND how they were connected. I can then use all of that as a springboard to putting my story together, and then fine tune as necessary.

Challenging, but not impossible.

Great as it would be to have the final result ready now, finding a new way to tell this familiar story is part of what I enjoy about doing this. I like to call it “go for the hard turn”; Just when you think things are going to go a certain way, there’s a yank on the steering wheel and all of a sudden things are heading in a whole new direction that makes you want to keep going.

One thing I’m fairly certain will play a factor in putting this together is that I’m just enjoying working on it. I don’t think there’s anything like it out there, so there’s a certain thrill to exploring the unknown, so to speak. It’s a priority for me that when it’s totally done – no matter how long that takes – it makes a strong impression for both the story it’s telling and how it’s written.

Even though it’ll take a while for me to figure it out, I’m confident I can make it happen.

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.

Time unintentionally taken

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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).

Giving the brakes a little tap

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My list of “Stuff that needs to get done” seems to have grown exponentially – especially over the past few weeks.

A rewrite, developing a new story, reading the books of upcoming guests on the podcast, then recording & posting said podcast, lining up guests for the podcast, working on the crowdfunding for the short film project, and not to mention all the regular duties around the house.

It keeps a guy pretty busy.

There’s always that ongoing thought of “I need to work on this”, which eventually leads to “Oh, and I also need to work on this other thing, but I don’t want to forget about this other other thing.” Repeat ad infinitum.

Great as it is to check off stuff for that day’s list, there’s always a few other something elses (somethings else?) requiring my attention.

It can get a little overwhelming, so it’s important to be careful about pushing myself too hard so as to avoid some major crashing and burning.

But if slowing things down a little helps me feel a little more in control, then that’s what I’ve got to do. I’d rather it took a little longer than feel totally spent, and therefore non-productive.

I’m allowing myself the luxury of *GASP* not writing and doing something else, like reading or watching something. Cooking/baking also does wonders for me.

I might even go so far as to get out of the house and indulge in some kind of non-writing-related activity. An outrageous notion to entertain, I know.

But a mind at ease tends to yield better results than one under constant stress and self-imposed pressure.

Besides, it’s not like the writing and all the other stuff’s never going to get done. It just won’t happen as fast.