writing

Digging up the perfect word(s)

Maximum Z agent, creativity, ideas, loglines, manager, outlines, query letter, rewrite, Schmucks with Underwoods, screenwriting, story, structure, writing
All worth it in the end

It’s amazing how productive you can be while working at 30,000 feet. K and I flew across the country to spend some time with her family (as well as pick up a somewhat homesick V). Since the movie going each way didn’t interest me, I took the opportunity to  go through the latest rewrite and look for further necessary edits. Of which there were more than a few.

I’ve since made all the changes, save one: a handful of sentences describing a location. At first this may sound pretty unimportant, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Without going into too much detail, this description is for one of two key settings in the whole story. The other one – exactly what it should be, so now I need one just as good, if not better, for this. What I have now is just cliched and boring. Time to buckle down and come up with something exactly spot-on.

It’ll be an uphill battle, but I’ll find it. Trust me.

-During our stay, lots of downtime and limited internet access gave me the chance to start figuring Act Three of the western-adventure.

I’d completely forgotten some of the details in the first outline from a few months ago. Some of them still work (surprisingly so), which was an unexpected surprise, but others will have to go, which was completely expected. Further proof that after you write something, you really should ignore it for a while.

Reworking this may be a slightly bigger task than originally expected, which I don’t mind at all. It’s also a golden opportunity. First I come up with what I want to happen, then get to figure out how to make it bigger. Fun stuff indeed, and I do not mean that sarcastically.

-I took it upon myself to further my jump into making all of this happen by signing up for IMDBPro. Time to start researching who would be receptive to reading my stuff. Last time around, I went through a hard copy of the HCD, highlighting any agency and management company that was okay with unsolicited query emails. Not sure if that’s the way to go now. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Making the most of reverse engineering

Maximum Z creativity, plot, screenwriting, Star Trek, story, structure, writing
They started with “How can we make a phone look like this?”

The past few days have been spent figuring my way through a handful of scenes, maybe 3 to 4 at the most. But these all lead up to the end of Act Two, which is supposed to be when “all seems lost” for our hero. He/she is so far away from achieving their goal, it’s scary. You can’t help but wonder “how in the world are they gonna get out of this?”

Way back when I was setting up the important plot points, I knew what the end of Act Two was going to be. As always, getting there is the biggest obstacle.  I tried different scenarios, but none of them seemed to fit.

Then it hit me. Go backwards. Since I know the end result, what would make the most sense to happen right before it?  And what happens before that? Repeat as necessary. All the while keeping in mind that each scene should also be advancing not only the story, but the theme and character’s development as well.  This can be more productive than you realize. It’s a good exercise in writing, but also helps develop your creativity.

End result – that much closer to finishing, and hoping to have a pretty solid outline by the end of the month.

Teach me, o wise feline

Maximum Z Movie of the Moment, reading, Save The Cat!, screenwriting, Sherlock Holmes, writing
I swear I’m not trying to copy Emily Blake

With a sigh of relief, I’m managing to work my way through the end of Act Two. As has been the case before, it wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be. This seems to happen a lot. I stress out over how hard I think something’s going to be, then it isn’t. Why do I keep torturing myself like this?  Must be part of the writer’s genetic imprint.

Fortunately, not as much stress about Act Three. I scribbled out a rough version a few months ago and should be able to use that as a foundation. Further proof why you should never throw anything away.

Speaking of holding on to things…

I have about a dozen books on screenwriting. Some were worth the purchase, some not (looking at you, Mr McKee). Then there’s Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT! This may actually be the last one I bought, probably a year or so after it originally came out. Honestly, I don’t remember much about it. Something about ‘fun & games’, but that’s about it.

But I’ve heard it mentioned more than a few times lately, and thought maybe it was worth a second read.  So I dug it off the shelf, blew off the dust and dove right in.

Chapter One was interesting. If I’m reading it correctly, it asks the question “Is your story irresistible?” This includes the title, the logline and whether or not it’s high concept. Anything that makes somebody not just want, but NEED to read it. While I figure out my answers as they apply to this story, it’s inspired me to try a kind of experiment:  while I work on this script, I’m going to take the rules/guidelines as interpreted by this book and apply them to my writing process.

What will be the end result?  Hell if I know. I’m not expecting any kind of major breakthrough or eye-opening revelation. Maybe it’ll make it easier to figure things out, or give me a better idea of how to guide things along.

Details as they evolve.

-Movie of the Moment. SHERLOCK (2012). The one from the BBC. Not necessarily a movie, but fantastic examples of incredible and smart writing. These DO NOT treat the viewer as an idiot, and force you to pay attention, making for an even more satisfying viewing experience as the stories unfold.

Even better, you don’t have to be a fan of the original material to enjoy them. If you are, it’s a thrill to watch how the stories have been adapted for the present. People will claim Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett make for definitive Holmes, but Benedict Cumberbatch is certainly worthy to be added to that list.

Stumped!

Maximum Z creativity, dialogue, ideas, rewrite, screenwriting, writer's block, writing
At least it gives me a place to sit and think…

There’s this one line of dialogue that’s giving me a lot of trouble. Actually, I hate it. The way it’s written now is too much tell, and not enough show, rather than the other way around.

I know what I want the line to say, but coming up with exactly the right words is proving to be quite the challenge. This line is pretty important on several levels, so it really has to pack a punch.

Time once again to step back, take a breath and not think about it. That usually helps the solution present itself. Not time for panic mode yet.

Despite this minor setback, this summer is still off to a pretty good start.

Putting an even more positive spin on this, while part of my creativeness figures this one out, the other part can get back on track and resume the fine-tuning of the western-adventure outline.

Thank you, gods of creativity – surefire hit #2!

Maximum Z action, adventure, animation, creativity, Disney, screenwriting, writing
Do you know how hard it is to find a picture of these guys looking badass?

After the debacle that was the recent THREE STOOGES feature, I’m not holding my breath for the studios to come a-runnin’ and embrace my much, much better idea.

But my muse has once more slapped me upside the head, resulting in…

A Disney cartoon version of DIE HARD set in the Magic Kingdom.  I know!  Brilliant, right?

Initial thoughts: The traditional Disney villains, tired of always losing, have taken over the park, and it’s up to Mickey, Donald and Goofy to save the day. Mickey as the John McClane-ish hero, Donald as his Justin Long-type sidekick (but without the whole computer angle), and Goofy as the Reginald VelJohnson cop.

Tell me the public wouldn’t flock to this. The possibilities are endless!

Why hasn’t anybody thought of this before?  It practically screams “MONEY-MAKING MACHINE!”

Disney execs, you know how to reach me.