Super-shorty post today.
Not happy with the development and what feels like a lack of progress on the new spec, so taking some time to see what I can do to rectify that. I’ve got ideas.
Wish me luck, and have a good weekend.
-quick contest update – my fantasy-comedy didn’t make Second Round for Austin. Was hoping it would, but that’s the way it goes. Back to the spec.
Even though a lot of the past week was family-oriented, thoughts about the current spec were omnipresent. There’s still a lot to figure out, but things are progressing, albeit slowly.
One positive result is that as these ideas develop, each causes a ripple effect in terms of how it impacts the rest of the story.
Just as an example, I needed to come up with a very important story detail, so started listing all the possible reasons how it could happen. I came up with one I felt worked best and started implementing it into the still-under-construction outline. That in turn triggered thoughts of “that could be because of ____” or “what if ____ is why?”.
A little more rejiggering of possibilities and how they’d fit into the story and voila! Some really helpful ideas and additional details that strengthen its designated storyline AND how it affects a few others.
When I started this project, I reminded myself that the end result would most likely be very different while the core story remained the same. Staying on top of all those little details is really keeping me on my toes, while also forcing me to constantly ramp up my creativity to make this script as original and entertaining as possible.
It’s a safe bet I’ll come up with more story-changing/impacting ideas over the next few weeks, but I welcome them and will deal with those as they happen.
The main focus remains just putting it all together.
It’s the onset of a holiday weekend here in the US, so file this post under “short, but relevant”.
The good news is I hit the midpoint for the outline of my current spec. The not-so-good news is that I’m still figuring out the rest of Act Two and most of Act Three. Plot points (such as they are) are in place, and the filling in between them continues.
Daunting as that may be, I’m just happy to have gotten this far. Current mindset is “just get it written and fine-tune it later.”
I know I’ll figure things out, but count on lots of ruminating in my near future.
Speaking of which…
As if by divine intervention by the writing gods, a friend posted online that the upcoming month is being labeled “Spectember” in that a writer could complete a spec script by month’s end. Pretty certain I couldn’t complete an actual spec, but the outline? That’s a definite possibility – or as mighty close as I can get.
Enjoyment levels and overall excitement for this project remain strong and steady, which always help.
After seeing several recent big screenwriting contest announcements, I couldn’t help but notice that the number of entries they get usually average in the thousands. Those numbers are then drastically reduced to the respective finalist tiers, continuously being whittled down to single digits and the final GRAND PRIZE WINNER.
(Said winner most likely goes on to fame, fortune, glory, and sudden anonymity.)
But I digress.
All the scripts entered means there are a shit-ton of writers who got the email that began with phrasing along the lines of “Thanks for entering (CONTEST)! We got X entries, and unfortunately, (YOUR SCRIPT) was not selected to advance.”
It’s heartbreaking. And I’ve gotten my fair share of them.
So in a valiant but most likely ultimately futile effort, I humbly present
The Maximum Z Screenwriting Contest.
It’s the only contest of which I’m aware that requires the barest, leastest, most minimal effort one can possibly make to claim victory in a contest.
What makes it so easy? Here’s how it works:
-You wrote a script? Fantastic! You get a set of laurels to shamelessly promote yourself as A GENUINE WINNER.
That’s it.
And as you may have noticed in the title of this post – IT’S FREE
Why am I doing this? Because the fact that anybody who wrote a script should be properly acknowledged for such an important accomplishment. You know it ain’t easy, so why should only a select few get all the glory?
Hence: laurels.
And who’d say no to being offered what amounts to a totally worthless but still-validating award?
So if you’d like to claim this meaningless yet quite meaningful symbol of recognition for yourself and all your hard work, then just click/right-click on the image below and save it to the appropriate page on your computer or wherever you keep that sort of thing. You can even print it out to proudly display above your designated writing area or hold up in the coffee shop where you’ve spent so much time working on said script.
A very hearty congratulations on your well-earned and well-deserved victory!
And it would be awesome if you could so a shoutout on social media – @maximum_z on X/Twitter, @pezscreenwriting on Instagram and Blue Sky, along with photos of you and/or your laurels.
It might not be too far-fetched to say there were more than a few times I thought this day would never come, but it did.
It took a while, but yours truly can now honestly and proudly proclaim to be
A WRITER WITH REPRESENTATION
(insert triumphant fanfare here)
I recently signed with a manager who really likes my writing and is incredibly eager to help me establish a career as a working screenwriter.
I’d connected with him on LinkedIn after responding to a listing asking for scripts to review and potentially promote. I sent the fantasy-comedy. He and his team really liked it. Their notes and comments are buried somewhere in my laptop’s digital folder for the script.
This led to several back and forth emails and lengthy Zoom calls. He wanted to know more about me, my writing, my goals, career plans, etc. I also got to know more about him and his background (started as a producer, sold the company and switched to managing).
He liked my work and what I had to say, both in my writing and as a writer. A little more back and forth, a revised contract, and voila.
I am officially a repped writer.
Fantastic as it is to say that, I’ve no plans to kick back and take it easy. On the contrary. Bigger and more challenging goals of getting my scripts out there await, along with continuing work on new projects.
And I am ready like you wouldn’t believe to take on all of it.
I would also like to add that I am truly overwhelmed and incredibly humbled by all the positive and supportive comments and notes of congratulations I received from across social media. That kind of support and encouragement means a lot, and I am very grateful for it.
Maximum Z 