Not necessarily my internal struggle, but you get the idea…
(If you have absolutely no idea who either of these guys are, go here.)
The rewrite’s done, and all of a sudden, I’m nervous. Like, ridiculously so.
I’ve sent scripts out before, but this time something is making it a lot different.
A fear of failure. Of rejection.
What if nobody likes it?
What writer hasn’t gone through this?
But as I tell K every once in a while – the only way I could fail is if I stopped trying, and I don’t plan on doing that either.
It may be that after all this time, the idea of possibly being that much closer to actually achieving my goal is kind of overwhelming. This is where that internal voice kicks in.
Do I have what it takes? Is the script just about ready to be sent out?
Damn straight. I’ve got a lot of confidence in this script and my writing ability.
I can and will do what it takes to make this work.
It took a while, but the initial editing phase is complete. There aren’t a lot of significant changes to be made, but almost every page has something that requires some kind of fix. Fortunately, most of them are very minor, like changing a verb or rearranging the way a scene is described.
There are at least 3, maybe 4 scenes where something needs a little more attention, so I circle it and write my standard “Work on this”.
So all that’s left is one or two thorough typing sessions, one more read-through, a little feedback (professional and trusted colleague), and then diving headfirst into the fray and getting the script out there. (which reminds me I really need to get on the ball and get back to the research phase)
And honestly? I’m getting a little nervous. But in a good way.
This is what I’ve been working towards, and now it feels like it’s just about here.
Is it wrong for me to think there could possibly be a good chance of something happening?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting a million-dollar sale. Although selling a script would be fantastic, I’d much rather get representation and take some meetings that result in steady projects. That would be phenomenal.
For some reason, I’m flashing back to a meeting I had about 11 years ago with a professional writer. I’d written 2 scripts and he read both of them purely as a favor. When we met, the first thing he said was that I was a good writer. I had the talent, but really needed to keep writing in order to get better.
Which is exactly what I’ve been trying to do ever since.
Keep in mind that like everybody else, my first efforts were incredibly lousy (at least compared to my current stuff), so either he was being kind or he actually meant what he said. I really hope it was the latter.
For now, this remains an ongoing process. I’ve said many times it’s all been an absolute blast, and that still holds true.
And something deep inside tells me there’s bigger and better things ahead.
Although the starter’s pistol might be a bit much…
My worries may have been for naught.
Fixing those angst-inducing scenes? Not as tough as I expected. (Maybe I actually AM getting better at this. Wouldn’t that be cool?)
Final page count – 127, but the last page has 3 lines of text on it, including FADE OUT, so paring this down seems a lot more doable now.
So off I go to toil away with my trusty red pen.
In the meantime….what’s on YOUR writing agenda this weekend?
-MOVIE OF THE MOMENT – ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011) I don’t usually go in for modern-day Christmas movies, but this was an Aardman production, which meant the writing would at least be of good quality.
The plot – Santa’s nerdy younger son must deliver an overlooked present by Christmas morning.
Overall – fun, enjoyable, but not sure I would classify it under ‘the holiday season just isn’t complete without watching this’.
My biggest problem was how they handled the ‘all is lost’ moment at the start of Act Three. It felt like Arthur’s motivation was rejuvenated because the plot required it to be, not because of what was happening. If they had made it feel more organic, I would have probably liked it more.
Still, while some scenes fell neatly into expected/almost-cliched story points, there were others that pleasantly caught me off-guard. I also liked how there was a lot of the wonderfully dry British humor (which could partially explain why US audiences haven’t embraced Aardman films).
If you’re looking for grown-up-friendly kid films this winter break, this and THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS would make for a good double feature.
Being done with this rewrite is almost a reality; emphasis on the word ‘almost’.
There’s this one scene that’s really bothering me. Something about it feels very…off. It’s necessary in that it wraps up a subplot, but the way it’s written feels less ‘show’ and more ‘tell’.
I’m not exactly sure how to handle this. The scene still works, but part of me thinks it could be better and another part wonders if it should stay as is. This is definitely going to require some figuring out.
One unfortunate side effect of making changes is it will most likely drag things out and make the script longer, which really is the last thing I need right now.
Which brings me to another issue.
This is at least 7-10 pages too long, so the next step after all the writing is done is to hack, slash and rewrite this down to a more agreeable length. I don’t want a potentially interested party to be put off by the number of pages before even starting to read it. (Although in my defense, this is a real page-turner of a script)
I don’t like setting deadlines for myself, but with the end of the year looming, the rest of the month seems like a good opportunity to really wrap this script up once and for all. I’ve been in contact with a professional writer who gives notes, so that’s where it’ll go when all is said and done.
Which will most likely lead to more rewriting, but you and I knew that was going to happen anyway.
When you’re writing out a scene, you probably visualize what’s happening in your mind. But how do you handle the dialogue?
Can you “hear” the characters?
There’s a big difference between reading what somebody’s saying, and actually saying it, or at least hearing it.
Which is why what the characters say is just as important as what we see them doing.
Case in point – I’m currently working on a pivotal scene in Act Three. Something the hero says must effectively convince the villain to do something, and those words really need to make an impact.
These lines have been rewritten at least maybe a dozen times, and may have to go through a dozen more until it feels right to me. Whatever it takes.
Among the many things to consider: Does it sound right? Does it sound natural (and not like “movie dialogue”?) Does it get the point across? Could a reader ‘feel’ the emotion in the text? Is it too long? Too short? Too on-the-nose? Is this something that character would say?
Give your dialogue a test run. Say the lines the way they’re meant to be said. Become the character and say it like they would. Let your inner actor out.
But keep in mind your local Starbucks may not let you come back.
Maximum Z 