determination

As determined as ever

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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.

Fingers + brain + keyboard

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Another shorty this week. I’ve been busy on several fronts, including the latest round of work on the animated fantasy-comedy.

Several sets of extremely helpful notes have been received. I’m quite happy with how it’s coming along. Definitely feels like a stronger script.

When it’s ready, off it goes to another batch of readers, which will most likely result in another draft after that.

I’d initially decided to skip contests this year, but am still on the fence about the Nicholl. One deciding factor is their new limit of total number of entries at 5500 (currently standing at a smidge above 650 as of this writing).

If in a few weeks I’m happy with the end result and they haven’t hit the 5500 mark, I’ll consider it. Early bird deadline is March 1st, with a still-reasonable entry fee of $50 USD, then regular deadline on April 1st for $70, and finally late deadline on May 1st for $120.

And if in the end I still decide to skip it, it’ll definitely be ready for next year.

I’d rather take the time to fine-tune it as much as possible than send in a draft considered “good enough”.

Hope you have a productive writing weekend, and for my fellow Californians – stay dry.

That worked out nicely

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Bit of a shorty today.

It took several days of almost-constant work, including a good deal of editing, tweaking, and overall wordsmithing, including a marathon 6-hour stretch at the very end, but the rewrite of the animated fantasy-comedy is complete.

Total page count now stands at 106, which is still good.

Got a squad of beta readers currently working their way through it, and the initial responses have been very, very positive – which is always encouraging – as well as a handful of suggestions for minor fixes scattered throughout.

I’m quite happy with the end result.

Up next – concept art, character designs, a pitch deck, and researching potential targets for querying.

Writing is just one piece of the puzzle.

Allowing myself a brief respite before jumping back into the rewrite of the sci-fi collaboration, which also seems reinvigorated in terms of ideas and execution. The jotting-down of new material is well underway.

Overall, a mighty fine writing week. Hope it was for you too.

-really, really enjoying BLUE EYE SAMURAI on Netflix. Incredible stuff, and definitely NOT family-friendly.

Just some minor reshuffling

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Almost two weeks into the year and my priorities have already changed. Hopefully for the better.

The original intent was to finish the rewrite of the sci-fi adventure, then start on a new project.

But then I got some phenomenal notes back on the animated fantasy-comedy AND a revived connection from a former collaborator about a project that’s lain dormant for a few years.

So now I’m splitting my time between those two, while the first two have been temporarily relocated to the proverbial back burner. As is my usual fashion, I’ll most likely jot down the occasional thought for the latter two between writing sessions for the former two.

I was initially resistant to the idea of rewriting the fantasy-comedy. It’s done well in some contests and garnered some potential interest, but given the opportunity to make it better, how could I resist? The aforementioned notes really opened my eyes as to what needed work – thankfully not a lot – and it feels like implementing those changes could have quite a positive impact on the script as a whole. Work has already begun and even though I’m still in Act One, I’m thrilled with how it’s going.

Regarding the script that’s been resurrected from the graveyard of abandoned scripts, my former partner had some ideas about it and got in touch with me to discuss it. His suggested changes seem to be more in sync with the type of story we want to tell, and my suggestion was to streamline and simplify the story to make it more relatable.

Both projects seem to hold a lot of potential, and I’m enjoying splitting my time between them. Both are established in terms of their stories, so these new drafts aren’t as challenging as if we were starting with an entirely new blank slate.

How do I feel about all these sudden changes of plans? Honestly, thrilled. I’m enthusiastic about all of them, and while I’d like to work on what I originally set out to, I’ve got no problem taking care of these other two first. If things go smoothly, there might even be the possibility of returning to the initial two sooner than expected.

We’ll see, but fingers crossed.

Catch ya later. Got some writin’ to do.

Looking back, looking forward

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Since this is the last post of 2023, it’s only fitting – and probably expected – to review the events of the past 12 months, as well as lay out the plans and hopes for the next 12.

This was a pretty good year for me on a few fronts.

After a significant amount of rewrites, my animated fantasy-comedy did okay with contests. It placed 3rd in Family/Teen/Animation for StoryPros, made quarterfinals in PAGE (first time breaking that barrier) and was a 2-time Second Rounder at Austin (first time for that one as well, and 2 times because I entered 2 drafts and each made it).

Because of the strike, and then being hit with consecutive bouts of Covid, I wasn’t able to do much with putting the script out there – something I’m hoping to fix come January.

I also finally made it to Austin and had a phenomenal time. I got to meet a lot of the amazing people I’m connected with on various social media platforms, as well as a few established pros.

As for 2024…

Currently working on the rewrite of the sci-fi adventure, and have been laying the groundwork for a new one – an action-comedy. Hoping to have both done by this time next year.

Since there’ll be more focus on the writing, I’m taking the year off from contests. Just seems like the right thing to do – and will save a decent chunk of change. No plans to go to Austin either. Maybe in ’25.

Also hoping to get things moving on the representation front. Since I’ll be skipping contests, I’m looking into some of the programs offered by Roadmap Writers. Heard lots of good things.

And I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m really hoping to get the ball rolling on filming the short script I wrote a few years ago. I’ve been really fortunate to have lots of offers of help and guidance to assist me in reaching that finish line.

There were a good deal of moments this past year involving self-doubt, uncertainty and just feeling not good enough. It’s been a long arduous journey just to get to this point, and there’s still a long distance to go. It can be frustrating, but I know I can keep finding the strength and determination to keep going. It helps to have so many people in my corner, metaphorically cheering me on.

At the end of each year, I usually say something like “Here’s hoping the new year brings bigger and better things on the screenwriting career front.” This is year is no different. There will no doubt be more heartbreak and feelings of inadequacy, but I like doing this too much to even consider the idea of giving up. Yes, I hope things work out or at least advance to some next levels, but if they don’t, I’ll still be plugging away and enjoying the journey.

Can’t close things out without saying thanks for coming along with me on this ongoing rollercoaster ride, and I wish you nothing but the best for all your projects in the coming year, and hope it’s truly phenomenal for you.

-Also wanted to thank everybody who sent in for last week’s Script Showcase. Hope you got some read requests!