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This blog can now legally drive in several states

Maximum Z blog, pie, screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing , , , , ,

My oh my, where has the time gone?

Hard as it is to believe, it really has been 16 years since I started this blog. (July 9th, to be specific)

Initially once a day, which was a foolhardy attempt on my part, so it switched to twice a week for a while, and then to once a week, which seems to work just fine.

My original intent was to chronicle my journey towards being a working screenwriter. At the time, that translated to “write and get paid for it”.

That still applies – sort of.

Don’t get me wrong. I’d love for that to still happen, but my interpretation of what it means to be a “working screenwriter” has drastically changed.

First and foremost, I can say with absolute certainty that my writing is significantly better. Looking at a script from back then and at one from earlier this year, the difference is more than noticeable. Took a while to get there, but well worth it.

On a side note, I think my analytical skills when it comes to giving notes have also improved. Of all the scripts I’ve read, there’s only been one writer who didn’t like what I had to say.

The number of writers I’ve met, both virtually and in person, has also skyrocketed. I’m quite proud to have established and maintained a professional relationship with many of them.

Some of those connections have led to other things, like becoming involved with the San Francisco Writers Conference to invitations to speak to writing groups and appear on podcasts.

And speaking of podcasts, my connection with another writer led to my co-hosting, and eventually solo hosting a podcast about writing.

I’ve done what I can to help the community, from forwarding or posting “scripts wanted” listings to inviting submissions to the Maximum Z Script Showcase to offering my two cents on screenwriting craft, methods and practices.

And for those who’ve been following along the past few weeks, production finally commenced on my short film, with things now moving into post-production.

It’s been a fantastic journey with lots of ups and downs, and I am exceptionally grateful to all of you fantastic readers who’ve been incredibly supportive over the years. I really appreciate all the likes and comments – don’t be stingy and keep ’em coming!

Hope you’ll join me in a celebratory piece of pie to commemorate this momentous occasion. In the meantime, keep writing and keep pushing forward.

Go get ’em, chums. I’m rootin’ for ya.

Script Showcase follow-up: Mercy buckets, chums

Maximum Z blog, community, encouragement, film, screenplay, screenwriting, television, writing , , , , , , ,

With The Maximum Z Winter ’24 Script Showcase in the books, I’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to all the amazing writers who sent in their screenplay/TV script.

104 fantastic pieces of material, all of which are still available to check out – and contact the writer about reading. I sincerely hope it leads to great things for everybody, or at least a few leads or read requests.

Bonus – around 500 views (and counting), and that’s saying something for a blog of this miniscule magnitude.

Just about every submission email included the writer thanking me for doing this, or at least presenting the opportunity, and I really appreciate that. I like helping out the writing community in whatever way I can, and this seemed like a good idea.

As has been the case before, a few submissions came in after the Showcase posted, so unfortunately those writers missed out. I’m hoping to do it again next year, probably with a little more time between announcing it and posting it. Fingers crossed all the submissions come in before the deadline.

Thanks again to everybody who took part, and now would probably be a good time to start getting your scripts ready for the ’25 edition.

As determined as ever

Maximum Z ambition, blog, books, career, determination, disappointment, discipline, encouragement, frustration, goals, motivation, perseverance, persistence, podcasts, San Francisco, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the 1200th post of this blog, so a little reflection is in order.

I started this endeavor in 2009 with the intention of chronicling my journey towards becoming a professional screenwriter. As you can probably tell from the lack of industry announcements that include my name or a script of mine, it hasn’t happened.

Yet.

Has it been frustrating? Most definitely. I’ve come close a few times, including having two managers and some of my scripts being considered at a few production companies. Daydreams of signed contracts and checks clearing were inevitable, but as often the case, things fell apart along the way.

I allowed myself a moment or two of “woe is me”, then got back to working on my scripts.

Like I recently wrote about, they’re significantly better than my earlier ones, and I’ll do what I can to make the next ones even better.

But for as many negative things that have happened, there’ve also been a decent number of positive developments along the way.

-publishing three books collecting a lot of the interviews I did on this blog

-being a guest on a friend’s podcast about writing, which led to co-hosting the next iteration of said podcast, and now being the sole host

-being invited to be a panelist talking about screenwriting at the San Francisco Writers Conference, then a panel moderator, to coordinating the whole Writing For Hollywood track

-writing a short script with the intention of actually filming it, with the wheels now in motion to see that come to fruition. Watch this site for the forthcoming announcement of the crowdfunding campaign.

It really has been a rollercoaster ride navigating my way through trying to make things happen. There’s been a lot of disappointment and frustration along the way, but I’m fully committed to seeing this through. It might not happen as fast or as soon as I want, but I’ve no intention of giving up.

Support from the screenwriting community has made quite a difference in helping sustain that. From giving and receiving notes to words of support and encouragement, they’ve all played a role in helping keep me going.

And while I’ll admit to feeling those tinges of jealousy when somebody else publicizes their writing-related wins and successes, I’m also extremely happy for them because I know they’ve worked hard to get there, and hope they’ll do the same for me when it’s my turn.

And I do plan on my turn happening.

Someday. Hopefully soon.

Hurry! The clock’s ticking!

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

Just a friendly reminder that the Maximum Z Winter ’22 Script Showcase goes up a week from today – December 2, which means you’ve only got a few days to send in the info for your screenplay or TV script if you want it to be included.

And a great bonus of doing this is that you can post the link on all of your social media platforms and say “Hey, check it out! My script’s in here!”

It should also be noted that all of this is ABSOLUTELY FREE, which is always great.

Here’s how it works.

Send the following here by Thursday, December 1 with the subject line ‘Maximum Z Winter ’22 Script Showcase’

-Film or TV?

-Title

-Author

-Genre(s)

-Logline

-Awards (if applicable, and no more than 5)

-Your email

And that’s all.

(Just to give you an idea of the finished product, here’s the Summer ’22 edition)

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 submissions from past Showcases are also welcome.

Again – send it in between now and Thursday, December 1st. Shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes between starting and hitting ‘send’.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – proofread the email before sending it. 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!

–

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION!!!

My GO AHEAD AND ASK! books make for some excellent gifts this holiday season. Whether for yourself or for another screenwriter, they’re an entertaining and informative read, and would be a great addition to any screenwriter’s home library.

Available in both paperback and e-book formats.

Plus, many types of pies are discussed.

The next mountain awaits

Maximum Z animation, blog, comedy, creativity, determination, dialogue, draft, encouragement, fantasy, jokes, notes, originality, perseverance, persistence, podcasts, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wrapped up the latest draft of the animated fantasy-comedy earlier this week and sent it to a few readers.

Notes have begun trickling in.

Overall responses: very positive, but could still use some tweaking. Points were awarded for creativity, originality, dialogue, and the jokes.

I appreciate all of those very much.

But…it can still be better.

I’d estimate it’s maybe one to two drafts away from being where it needs to. Waiting for a few more notes to come in before diving into that.

What’s also helped is that a lot of the changes don’t seem to be of a major overhaul type, but I suspect it won’t be a few minor changes here and there either. Somewhere in that nebulous middle.

It’s been quite encouraging how fast and effectively things are playing out for this one. It’s taken a while to get to this point, but all the time spent writing, rewriting and constantly trying to make previous scripts better are yielding the desired results for this one in a more timely manner.

Another thing that’s different about this time around is that confidence levels were already pretty high about the script, and getting comments about what still needs work hasn’t diminished them. Many times in the past I would get notes and think what a terrible writer I must have been, which was not the case.

I’m quite psyched about this one, and can’t wait to get back to work on it.

**SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION!!**

I was the featured guest on some recent podcasts:

–What Are You Watching? with Chris Mancini (who has a q&a on this blog)

–The Successful Screenwriter with Geoffrey Calhoun (a 2-time q&a on this blog – here & here)