story

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1

Maximum Z adventure, characters, dialogue, education, film, movies, rewriting, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, Star Wars, story, storytelling, subplot, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

During a recent break from the writing, I saw a few posts on social media celebrating the 43rd(!) anniversary of the release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I was around for that. Proudly so.

I decided to give it another watch, mostly for nostalgia’s sake.

Even though I’ve seen it numerous times, this time felt a little different. I found myself watching it from a writer’s point of view.*

It made for a very different experience, involving continuously making mental notes and asking questions.

“How did this look on the page?”

“Wow, that dialogue gets right to the point without being on-the-nose”

“What an incredibly tight scene”

“Pay attention to how the characters are shown changing over the course of the story”

Just seeing how smooth the story flows, how tight the whole thing is, and how all the subplots are laid out really struck a chord for me.

THIS is how I want my scripts to come across.

I’ve already said that this current draft of my sci-fi adventure is all about getting pages written and holding off on editing/revising until it’s complete. That still applies.

But when I do get to that point, I’m already anticipating looking at each scene and trying to figure out what changes could be made to achieve that same level of tightness, structure, and efficiency.

And it’s just a coincidence about my script being a similar genre; this approach would help no matter what I was working on.

This is all just further proof that a writer’s education never truly stops, watching well-written films can benefit your own writing process, and that there’s always an opportunity to learn how to improve your writing.

*Full acknowledgment to credited writers Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas*

Full speed ahead!

Maximum Z adventure, animation, comedy, contest, determination, editing, entertainment, fantasy, perseverance, persistence, rewriting, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Apart from a few tweaks on the animated fantasy-comedy, the past few weeks have been all about cranking out the new draft of the sci-fi adventure.

And “cranking out” seems to be the appropriate term.

My usual process is to write a few pages, go back and do some work on them, then move on to the next set.

Not this time.

I write ’em and move on. No looking back.

No editing. No tweaking. Nothing.

There is absolutely no doubt there’ll be a ton of editing and rewriting when it’s done, but for now it’s “just get the damned thing written”.

Current output is about 2-3 pages a day, so if I can maintain that pace, there’s no reason to believe it couldn’t be wrapped up by the end of June or thereabouts.

Also nice – I’m having a great time telling this story, and I hope that enjoyment comes across to future readers.

I don’t know if I’ll continue to use this method for future scripts, or even for future drafts, but for now it seems to be working. It’s definitely different and takes some getting used to, but I don’t mind.

-last-minute addition! as of this writing, the aforementioned fantasy-comedy was announced as a quarterfinalist in the animation category for StoryPros. Not too shabby, especially since it’s been rewritten/polished a few times since then to what I believe is a more put-together version.

While it would be great for it to continue moving forward, I’m quite happy with this.

-The writers strike continues, with no end in sight. Here’s hoping that that changes soon. #WGAStrong

For all the writers of screen & TV out there

Maximum Z community, contest, film, genre, logline, screenplay, screenwriting, script, spec, story, television, writing , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hard to believe it’s that time of year already, but if you’ve got a screenplay or TV script you want to share with the rest of the screenwriting community, and the online world in general, your chance to put it front and center is once again at hand.

The Maximum Z Summer ’23 Script Showcase will post on Friday, June 2nd, so you have between now and Thursday, June 1st to send it in. Details listed below.

This bi-annual event has been going on for a few years now. It’s just my little way of giving a helping hand to any writer via a little publicity boost for their script, absolutely free of charge.

Once the post is up, I’ll post a link to it on my various social media platforms, and highly encourage you to do the same if you want to get more eyes on your listing.

And if you see a script you’d like to read, the contact info is right there for you to get in touch with the writer to ask. I’m fairly certain they’d be more than happy to send it your way.

Here’s how it all works:

Email the following info here with the subject line “Maximum Z Summer ’23 Script Showcase’:

-Film or TV?

-Title

-Author(s)

-Genre(s)

-Logline

-Awards (if applicable) – 5 at the most

-your email

And that’s it.

Two VERY important details to keep in mind:

-DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT!!

Just the info above. Nothing else.

-and-

-Only one script per person.

New scripts are highly encouraged, but past submissions are also welcome.

Again – send it in between now and Thursday, June 1st.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – proofread the email before sending!. There’ve been more than a few typos over the years, so make sure everything reads the way it’s supposed to.

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve got, so don’t delay and send it today!

Implementing course correction

Maximum Z animation, characters, comedy, contests, craft, determination, disappointment, encouragement, fantasy, feedback, frustration, perseverance, persistence, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Got a hard lesson in humility and a hearty dose of reality these past few weeks.

I’d thought my animated fantasy-comedy spec was ready to set loose on the world, so had submitted it to contests of note, plus a few other genre-centric ones.

Initial results have been trickling in, and those results have been drastically less than desired.

Naturally, it raises doubts about ability and lots of second-guessing on several fronts.

I’d sent it out to some trusted colleagues for feedback, and almost all of them were very enthusiastic and encouraging about it. There were even words of praise from writers of exceptional quality, which added to my growing feelings of confidence.

Note I’d said “almost all”. There were a few that didn’t care for it. They weren’t fans of animation, fantasy, or comedy, or the script was too light-hearted for them. No matter what, it just wasn’t for them.

I get that. Not everybody’s going to like everything.

But it was the comments about why it wasn’t working that really struck a nerve – at first in a negative way, but like with many notes, the hidden positives and takeaways soon came to light.

Questions were asked and about story details, characters, the world it’s set in, and so forth.

When several people ask the same question or have the same concern, then that’s something that needs to be addressed.

So after a brief period of “sheesh, I must be a really shitty writer”, I took those notes and started figuring out how to make the appropriate fixes.

As you’d expect with a rewrite/revision, darlings had to be killed. Painful, but necessary. On the upside, the replacement material seems to be working; some beyond expectations.

I’ve already written off this year’s contest season. If anything positive happens, that’ll be great, but just seems highly unlikely at this point.

It’s frustrating that this is how things worked out, but it’s just the way it is. Putting in this new round of work is helping restore confidence levels for myself and the material.

Everything from this point forward is all about getting the script into better shape – and to be ready for next year.

A book (or three) for you

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Some exciting news today out of the literary department at Maximum Z HQ:

My new book GO AHEAD AND ASK! INTERVIEWS ABOUT SCREENWRITING (AND PIE) VOLUME 3 is officially released – in both paperback and e-book.

Putting all three volumes together has been quite an effort, and definitely a long time in coming, but they’re all set and ready for purchase here or here.

It was always my intent to have these books be about more than just writing a script; it’s about providing the writer with the tools to help them improve. This is why each volume is chock-full of helpful information, tips, and guidance from a wide variety of writing professionals to not only guide you in developing your craft, but how to potentially make your script better. Definitely a win-win scenario.

Not only that, but if you like what somebody has to say and are interested in asking them about helping you with your material, their contact information (email and/or website, and the occasional social media handle) is right there on the page for you.

Plus, numerous types of pie, along with a few other assorted desserts, being mentioned, which is always a good thing.

For those who’ve already purchased volumes 1 and 2, I offer a heartfelt thank you, while also hoping you feel the need to complete the set and get volume 3. Or if there’s a special screenwriter in your life who you think might benefit from, or at least enjoy these books, I’ll just casually mention that the holidays will be here before you know it, and that books always make for an excellent gift.

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy them.