determination

Even with help, it’s all on me

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Another busy week here at Maximum Z HQ!

-Submissions continue to come in for the 2025 Script Showcase (which posts in exactly two weeks from today, so don’t keep putting off sending in!)

-Got some excellent notes back on both of the scripts that will be overhauled next year

-A few more scenes added to the new spec outline. Still hoping to have that completed by 31 December, but we’ll see

But what may be the biggest development is that I made some minor changes to the pitch deck I’d put together last year for my western, and then sent it to my manager to get his two cents.

He liked it – didn’t love it – and had some recommendations to make it much more effective for both appealing to producers and as a marketing tool.

My initial thought was “That seems like a lot that will also take away from my writing time.” But if this is how to move things forward, then so be it. I can split up how much time gets spent on each and still get results.

And most importantly, it’s not like there’s anybody else who’s going to do it. My script, my effort.

Yes, I know there are people I could hire to do it, but that’s not something I can do at the moment, and it would probably be a good thing to teach myself how to make these kinds of changes.

I was never one of those “I got repped, so now all I have to do is write and they can do all the heavy lifting” types.

My manager’s a busy guy. He’s got other clients. He still works in production. He’s got a family. If anything, I want to make it easier for him to be able to help me. In this case, that’s fine-tuning the pitch deck so he can take it out to potentially interested parties with confidence.

There’s no doubt he’ll have comments about the next version of the pitch deck, and there’ll probably be a lot of back and forth until it’s a solid piece of material. And that’ll be because of the work I put into it.

My career is making some slow and steady progress, and I’ve no intention of easing up on the throttle. I have always and will continue to do what I need to to make things happen. Fortunately, I have a little more help now, but for the most part it all still falls on my shoulders.

A burden I heartily embrace.

Planning ahead

Maximum Z action, Austin Film Festival, comedy, contests, determination, feedback, notes, perseverance, persistence, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, spec, strategy , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The aftermath of last week’s post about my more-than-questionable notes from Austin, along with a few sets of quality notes from actual humans, AKA trusted colleagues, on that script and another one, has made me realize that both scripts are pretty good, but have a lot of potential to be much, much better.

A lot of my focus these days is regarding the new action-comedy spec (which has seen some good progress over this past week), but after much consideration, I’ve concluded that it would be in my best interest in 2026 to not only get that one into fighting shape, but to also do some major work on the other two.

These rewrites will be especially challenging because this is when “kill your darlings” and “embrace the change” will be at the forefront of this strategy. I’m going to get in the mindset of being totally willing to make whatever changes are needed – but nothing too drastic. I don’t want to lose what was appealing about them in the first place.

There are still some notes to come in, but come January 1st, each day will see some kind of work on one of those scripts. Until then, it’s all about the new spec with the hope that I have a semi-decent outline by the end of this year.

Another aspect of this undertaking is totally skipping contests. I’d already drastically cut back, so this isn’t too much of a change. Better to have some really solid scripts ready for the following year, or at least as better samples for my manager to put out there.

I was initially hesitant to give this a try, but a very talented writer I know gave this a try and had some pretty amazing results. Not that I expect the same, but there’s no reason this will not only help my scripts improve, but also my overall writing skills. And it’s significantly better than not doing anything.

Fingers, as always, will be firmly crossed.

And not one moving box in sight

Maximum Z action, comedy, determination, development, encouragement, ideas, perseverance, persistence, screenplay, screenwriting, script, setting, spec, story, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

After much frustration with figuring out the outline of the action-comedy spec, a startling realization developed:

where the majority of the story takes place was wrong

I’d been so obsessed with trying to make the setting work within the context of the story that I ignored the question of whether it was the right setting in the first place.

As it turns out – nope.

There was also the detail that the original location idea was way too similar to one of its comps. I was more focused on how to make mine different, when it should have been “how can I make this similar, but VERY different?”

This is a specific kind of story, so I needed a location that was the most appropriate AND that offered the most opportunities for scenes and sequences in Acts 2 and 3. Several options were weighed. And since this is action AND comedy, I needed somewhere where both could be adequately accommodated.

I wasn’t concerned with logistics or how realistic it would be, and wanted somewhere that would feel like the perfect fit. The primary question was: what works best for this story?

More options explored. Which offered the most opportunity to not only tell this story, but the most fun way/ways to do so?

Cue the light bulb.

A location that’s very unique, holds what seems like a vast selection of potential scenes and sequences, and definitely checks off the action and comedy aspects.

A lot of my ideas for what could happen in the previous location were tailored to that location. This new one is very different, so many of those were scrapped (while keeping the concepts in reserve, just in case). A new list is still being assembled, with many feeling right for the story and having a strong “haven’t seen that before” kind of vibe.

This was also beneficial because I’d been having trouble figuring out the specifics of the ending, and the new location offered up a few ideas – many of which would also not have worked before.

It’s still a work in progress, but coming up with this new wrinkle has really made a difference. Confidence levels continue to climb.

Happy Halloween and have a great weekend.

Does it have to be a light bulb?

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The title of this post is the punchline to the classic joke “How many studio execs does it take to change a lightbulb?”

In other words, “How about this other option (that probably has nothing to do with the original concept)?”

I bring this up because the struggle with developing the action-comedy spec continues, now with the added concern that too many aspects of the story are too similar to other more well-known films. That is something I’m definitely trying to avoid, hence the struggle.

It goes without saying that the last thing I want is for somebody to read this and think “This is just a ripoff of _____”, so recent brainstorming sessions have all been about coming up with alternatives that still work within the concept of the story but are also unique enough so as to feel like a fresh take.

Another key part is that the details that need this attention are a key part of the story, so if they don’t work, the rest of it more or less falls apart – which is also something I’m hoping to avoid.

I’m not crazy about how challenging this one is or how long it’s taking to develop, but I’d much rather take the time to really fine-tune things and make sure everything works on all the appropriate levels than crank something out and not be happy with it.

I also wholeheartedly accept that no matter what the final choice is, it’ll involve a lot of rewriting to accommodate it. Then again, the overall story is still a work in progress, so either way there’s a lot of writing in my future.

Despite all of this, I’m still psyched about the story and really am having fun with putting it together. It’ll be quite interesting to see what the end result is.

No rush -OR- Pumpin’ the brakes!

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Between my attempts at brainstorming ideas for this new spec, I’ve been getting a real kick out of reading scripts from other writers. After completing one from a longtime associate, I asked about what inspired them to write it.

Paraphrasing their response to “This was something I’ve always to try. This is the script I mentioned a year or two ago, but took my time with the notes. Once I decided to write it, I had it written out in about two weeks.”

That may be part of my problem with mine. I’m too focused on trying to get it done that I’m ignoring the part about taking the time to make it right first.

It feels like it’s getting there, but also like a few important pieces are still missing. Once I can figure those out, I’m fairly certain more details will fall into place.

I’ve discussed this story with a few other writers, many of whom are familiar with my work. The responses have been more or less “You’ll figure it out. Just give yourself the time to do it.”

That’s the plan. Sometimes the best ideas come when I’m not thinking about them.

My self-imposed deadline of having a semi-respectable outline by the end of the month is still possible, but I’m not going to obsess about it. A majority of the story is in place; it’s the rest of it that needs figuring out. If it takes a little longer, that’s cool too.

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A few filmmaker friends have launched crowdfunding campaigns for their respective projects:

Alicia McClendon’s THE WOMAN WHO KNOWS

Kaia Alexander’s BLEED

Check ’em both out and donate if you can!