development

Good or fast? Pick one.

Maximum Z ambition, development, draft, goals, midpoint, motivation, output, pace, pages, persistence, productivity, project, quality, rewriting, screenplay, screenwriting, script, storytelling, time, writing , , , , , , , , , ,
hurdles
Careful! All too easy to end up flat on your face.

As some of you may recall, earlier this year I had to get a script done in order to send it to somebody who’d requested to read it. Seeing as how I had all of eight pages written, I wanted to finish it and sent it out as soon as possible.

It took a grueling 10-day writing marathon, but somehow I managed to do it. I got a draft written, polished it up and sent it out.

It was quite an experience, and the end result could best be described as…adequate. I’ll be the first to admit the script still needs a ton of work.

My sole objective was simply to get it done to the best of my ability in as short a time as possible. Would I have benefited from more time? Of course, but at the time, it wasn’t an option.

Fast forward to the beginning of November. My goal: have a completed draft of the latest project by the end of the month. Sadly, I wasn’t able to get as much writing done as I’d hoped, so I’m heading into December with a script that’s right at the halfway point and the intention to have the whole thing done by the end of the year.

Sure, I could push myself through that exhausting process of cranking it out just to get it done, but by working with a slightly longer timeframe, I can take it slow and spend more time fine-tuning the script. In theory, this increases the likelihood the end result will be more acceptable and not require as much extensive follow-up (i.e. rewrites).

Would I love to be done with this draft sooner rather than later? Again, of course. But I’m also willing to be patient and focus on a few pages at a time. If that means it takes me until the end of the month/year to have a quality script ready to go, so be it.

Everybody writes at their own pace. Some are extremely prolific, some aren’t. It doesn’t matter how many pages you write. The important thing is that you’re actually writing.

This whole process can seem excruciatingly long at times, and we all want to produce lots and lots of quality work. But it already takes time to learn how to do it properly, let alone effectively. Patience is one of those things that gets easier the more you work on it.

There’s nothing wrong with churning out a draft in record time, but be aware that focusing on quantity rather than quality will definitely be reflected in those pages. I went through this firsthand, and definitely see it as a positive learning experience. I know I can write something quickly, but also know it’ll require a lot of cleanup work.

But given my druthers, I prefer to take my time. It’s less exhausting.

First, you build a solid foundation…

Maximum Z characters, development, dialogue, editing, outlines, output, plot points, scenes, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, writing , , , , , , , , , , ,
foundation
And this is what could happen if it isn’t

As the daily churning-out of pages continues for my November writing project, I’ve found it extremely helpful that so much time was spent working on the outline.

Only through trial-and-error did I eventually discover that making sure the outline is rock-solid before starting on pages makes a huge difference.

Keep in mind that this is what works for me. You may have an entirely different approach, and that’s totally cool. Actually, I’m curious to hear about some of them. Feel free to discuss in the comments section.

And now, back to the subject at hand…

I see putting together the outline as a gradual building-up process. I start with establishing the main plot points. What are the pivotal moments in this story? Does each one properly fulfill its purpose in the overall context of the story?

Then I fill in the blanks between those plot points. Does it make sense how we get from, say, the inciting incident to the end of the first act? Does each scene do its job in moving the story and characters forward? Are you presenting information we need to know, or setting things up so as to adequately pay them off later? Does each scene appropriately follow the one before and lead into the one after it?

Something important to keep in mind during this part: eliminating unnecessary scenes. You may have a scene you really, really like, but may not be absolutely vital to the story. My recommendation is to either make it vital or get rid of it entirely. The last thing you want is to interrupt the flow of your story for a scene that really doesn’t have to be in there.

Once you’ve got all those blanks filled in, then you move on to expanding each scene – mostly just putting in the necessary elements that reinforce the purpose of the scene. Sometimes I’ll add in a snippet or two of dialogue.

Another very important detail about each scene: get to the point, then get out and into the next one. Once the scene fulfills its purpose, anything after that just slams on the brakes.

Hang in there. You’re almost done. The outline is pretty sturdy, but it could probably use a little more editing, fine-tuning and polishing. When you think it’s honest-and-truly ready, that’s when you make the big jump to pages.

This isn’t to say there won’t be more changes in store once you’re into pages mode, but by putting so much time and effort into your outline, you’ve eliminated a lot of the heavy lifting for when you get there.

Percolating. Always percolating.

Maximum Z coffee, creativeness, creativity, development, ideas, plot points, scenes, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, situations, story, storytelling, writing , , , , ,

Image result for coffee POT GIF

As writers, we fully realize that inspiration can hit at any time, and in any situation. And it’s what you do when it does that really matters.

Late last year, I was taking the dog for her last walk of the day. Something about that particular moment triggered a story idea. I won’t say the floodgates of creativeness opened wide; more like the squirt from a water pistol. It was just a sentence, maybe two, but I immediately saw so much potential in it.

We got home, I created a file for it on my computer, and I wrote down the tidbits of story I’d managed to come up with.

And in the hard drive it sat, practically untouched for months on end.

In a manner of speaking.

As is usually the case, even thought I may not actually be writing, I’m always thinking about the writing.

Although I’ve worked on several other scripts this year, every once in a while, a new detail about this story would pop up and I’d add it in. It’s definitely an ongoing work in progress, moving at a glacial pace, and there’s no rush to get it done.

It’s actually very beneficial to not put any pressure on yourself and just let the ideas show up at their convenience. And sometimes it pays off when you least expect it.

About a week ago, I came up with an idea for a short, but then realized the location would be a perfect setting for the climax of this script. Determined to hang onto that idea, I reopened the file and figured it was as good a time as any to to move things forward a little, so I started organizing the plot points. There are still a few blanks to be filled in, but it’s slowly coming together.

When the’s next time I’ll work on it? No idea. It’s still very, very early in the development process. A few other scripts currently have priority over this one, but I highly suspect the trend of occasionally adding a few details will continue.

As it should. And then when I finally get around to focusing all of my attention on this one, chances are I might be further along than I expect.

So keep on working on whatever it is you’re currently working on. But feel free to let your imagination wander about once in a while into something else, particularly something you plan to eventually work on. See what you come up with, and if you like it, stash it away for later. Hold onto it even if you’re not that crazy about it; you might find a totally unexpected use for it later.

No matter what you do, Future You will really appreciate everything Present You is doing.