writing

Caught in the ripple effect

Aside Maximum Z continuity, creativeness, creativity, ideas, opportunity, outlines, plot, problem-solving, protagonist, scenes, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, theme, writing ,
It starts a chain reaction you just can't stop
A chain reaction you just can’t stop

When I work on pages, I make a point of adhering to the story as it’s written in the outline. There may be some slight alterations here and there, but that’s not an uncommon thing.

At the moment I’m in the middle of a sequence, that, according to the outline, was all planned out. No problems.

Little did I realize that over the course of the pages before this, all of those slight alterations would drastically change the circumstances surrounding my protagonist’s situation in that sequence.

Without knowing it, I had made things much harder not only for him, which is how it should be, but also for myself, which isn’t exactly the greatest of news.  Most of the details now had to be thrown away.

And because I’m such a glutton for punishment, this sequence was slowly becoming way too similar to one from about 20 pages before it. How I didn’t see this while outlining I’ll never know.

So it’s not necessarily back to square one, but I’ve got some work to do. Looking at this from the silver lining perspective, this is actually some pretty good stuff:

-My protagonist now faces bigger challenges, which still advance the story, theme and character development.
-I’m forced to come up with better, more creative ways of depicting how things play out.
-Recognizing and handling the domino effect those earlier changes have made and will make on the rest of the story.

Fortunately, we writers are a hearty lot and not easily deterred.  Time, experience and constant rewrites provide us with the determination and intestinal fortitude to work our way through this sort of thing.

The re-battening-down of hatches

Maximum Z anxiety, confidence, determination, motivation, perseverance, screenwriting, script, self-confidence, story, stress, writing
Hang on. Rough seas ahead!
Rough seas ahead, ride out the storm and other nautical phrases

While I work on cranking out pages, a steady bombardment of updates about other writers continues to flow in.

This person won a contest. That person had x number of downloads on the Black List. Somebody sold a script. Somebody else optioned one.

There are times it can get a little discouraging, but then I remind myself every one of these success stories did not involve the recipients just being handed something.

They had to work, slave and toil away, and that success was earned.

So, as has happened many times before, I sigh, think “Someday it’ll be me,” and get back to work.

We all know this is an extremely tough business to break into, accompanied by an overabundance of heartbreak and disappointment.

But we endure, continuously striving to improve and write something that will not only impress, but go so far as to really knock off anybody’s proverbial pair of socks.

And as we spend the seemingly countless hours making that script as bulletproof as possible, we all need to remember one extremely important thing:  Everybody who has succeeded has been in exactly the same position you and I are in right now.

Success is out there. It all depends on how much effort we’re willing to put in to find it.

Ten days in, and…?

Maximum Z Disney, inspiration, motivation, networking, Nicholl Fellowship, opportunity, productivity, reading, screenwriting, script, social media, writing
I'm more of an unofficial conscience
I’m more of an unofficial conscience

So how’s 2014 been going for you so far, writing-wise?

Even if you’re not the type who makes New Year’s resolutions, you probably promised yourself this would be the year you were going to definitely…

-Write every day!
-Read more scripts!
-Connect with more writers!
-Have the script ready for the Nicholl days, even weeks before the deadline!
-Not surf the internets when you’re supposed to be writing! (tough, but not impossible)

Have you done any of this? If so, good for you! It doesn’t matter how much you accomplished; the important thing is you still did it.

Feels awesome, doesn’t it? Keep at it!

If not, why not?

Sure, it’s easier to procrastinate than to do the actual work, but if you want to call yourself a writer, then you kind of have to, you know, write. Even if it’s just a page a day.

So consider this the digital equivalent of a motivational, well-intentioned kick in the pants to get yourself going.

There’s still time to start the year right, so as soon as you’re done reading this (which should include hitting the ‘like’ button and leaving a comment of praise/gratitude), go and do any or all of those things listed above.

Like the saying goes, this thing ain’t gonna write itself.

Saving now for future use

Maximum Z creativeness, creativity, encouragement, ideas, inspiration, outlines, pitching, screenwriting, script, story, writing ,
Behold! Filing cabinets of the 21st century
Behold! Filing cabinets of the 21st century

When was the last time you looked through your idea file?

You know the one. That desktop folder or flashdrive where you keep all those random thoughts and story ideas you’ve jotted down over the years.

You do have one, right? If not, you really should start one.  It’s easy. Just write stuff down, hold on to it and never get rid of it. Never.

Chances are a majority of these ideas probably won’t make it past the logline/story concept stage, and it’s even more likely you’ll have forgotten about them after a relatively short time. But don’t let that stop you from constantly adding to the file.

Each idea is a good reminder of the potential you saw within that story. Why else would you have written it down?

It’s also a nice little ego boost/confidence-builder to be reminded of your own creativeness. “I don’t remember coming up with that.”

I’ve mentioned many times about being ready when someone asks you “What else have you got?”. This guarantees you’ll have something ready to go, even if it’s just a couple of sentences that take all of ten to fifteen seconds to pitch.

You never know what’s going to work. That throwaway concept you came up with years ago could end up being your next project.

So the next time you take a break from whatever it is you’re working on right now, open up that file and see what’s in there. You might be surprised, intrigued, pleased or even thrilled.

The possibilities really are limitless.

The twiddling of thumbs is strictly prohibited

Maximum Z action, characters, conflict, dialogue, plot, scenes, screenwriting, script, story, The Simpsons, writing

How often have you read a scene with several characters in it, but the focus is only on two of them? Makes you wonder why exactly those others are there, doesn’t it?

The last thing you want is to have characters just standing around. Give them something to do!

Each scene has to move the plot forward, and every character, no matter how big or small their role, plays an important part in making that happen.  If there’s no purpose for them to be there, then they don’t need to be there.

Countless opportunities abound for what characters can be doing in addition to exchanging dialogue, thereby avoid the dreaded “talking heads” scenario. The important thing is to keep it relevant to the scene, and not just something random.

Maybe it’s providing (or at least contributing to) the conflict for that scene, or showing the latest development of the main character’s arc.

If you’re not sure what the characters should be doing, try to come up with several alternative versions that reach the same conclusion.

You know what the point of the scene is and what kind characters they are, so take the time to figure out the best way all of you can work together to get the best possible result.