draft

Input much appreciated

Maximum Z action, animation, comedy, community, determination, draft, encouragement, fantasy, feedback, networking, notes, perseverance, persistence, rewriting, screenplay, screenwriting, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the past week and a half, I’ve had a pair of Zoom calls with writing colleagues – the first to discuss ideas for my action-comedy spec, and the second to review their potential fixes for the animated fantasy-comedy. Additionally, one friend did some pro coverage on the animated script, and another friend sent a video of their page-by-page analysis for it.

I can’t begin to describe how beneficial all of these were in making me feel more confident about each project.

I’d been feeling stuck regarding the story of the action-comedy, so talking through it with somebody helped fit a few more puzzle pieces into place. Also great – they love the concept of the story and think it has a lot of potential.

Still quite a ways to go on it, but every little bit helps.

As for the animated script, the general consensus was that a lot of it is solid, but a few areas could use a little adjusting that would all go a long way in improving it. Even better – these are not major changes, so although they’re still challenging, they’re not insurmountable. Just requires a little more effort on my part.

Another bonus was that all three had very positive and encouraging things to say about the script itself, and felt these changes would help take it to the next level. I’ve set a deadline to have a completed draft by the end of the year, but hoping it’s closer to the end of October. Either way, seems doable.

Like I said – feeling really good about both projects. And I definitely would not have gotten to this point if I hadn’t reached out and asked for this kind of feedback.

Your network of writers is one of the most underrated but also most valuable resources you have. Notes, encouragement, connections, just to name a few. I love helping out when I can, and I know that many times the feeling is mutual.

Even though I’ve gone through A LOT of drafts for the animated script, it wouldn’t be what it is today without the feedback from many of the writers I know. Any future success it could potentially yield will be due in no small part to what other writers had to say about it.

For which I am very, very grateful.

A little re-educating never hurts

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I’d already been working on the new spec for a bit when a friend offered up the chance to be a beta tester for his new screenwriting course.

It offers a lesson a day to help you get your first draft done. He admits the course is geared more towards newer writers still learning the ropes, but thought I might enjoy it – as well as provide feedback about my experience with it as needed.

I figured “Why not?” and signed up.

Just a few days in and I like how it’s going.

I’m following the lesson plan, which so far has involved the very basics – What’s your idea? Which genre is it? Tell us about your protagonist. Do you have a few ideas for the title? What’s the logline?

It would be really easy to blow all this off and just jump ahead, but I said I’d adhere to the guidelines, so that’s what I’m doing.

In some ways it’s helping take some of the pressure off and avoiding the trap of the whole “just write it!” mindset. Taking it nice and slow, and being slightly more reflective than usual is reaping some benefits. Getting the more manageable tasks out of the way has also resulted in a few more bursts of creativity – which is especially helpful as I continue to work on coming up with story ideas.

It’s almost zen-like in the approach.

I also like the accountability factor. It’s great for me to work on this, but I want to help my friend make the course as effective as I can, which is why I’m being diligent about completing each day’s lesson. I’d call that a win-win.

This is a 60-day course, and I’m still in the single digits and about to get into the outlining phase. Like I said, I’d already been working on this, so I have a lot of the first act in place – it’s the second act that’s proving to be the challenge.

But I’m not stressing about it. One lesson/task a day equals slow but continuously steady progress.

If things work out the way the course intends, then I should have a pretty solid first draft in just under two months, which is fine by me.

Then the rewrites begin, which will probably a totally different course.

One chapter ends, another begins

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Seeing as how 2024 just passed the halfway mark, and taking into account how many drafts I’ve done on the animated fantasy-comedy, it’s safe to say that for now, this script is as solid as it’s going to be.

Naturally, that could change, but I’m quite thrilled with how it’s turned out and don’t want to mess with it any further. It’s a strong writing sample/calling card script and I’m already prepping to enter it in a few contests next year.

So what now?

My initial intent was to go back and revise the sci-fi adventure, but earlier this year I came up with an idea I am absolutely crazy about, and since they say you should work on that which excites you, this one definitely fits that bill.

Far as I can tell, there hasn’t been a story like this before.

I’ve mapped out the plot points and started jotting down the ever-increasing number of ideas for scenes and sequences. The more I work on it, the more ramped up I get about working on it. I’m sure things will change as things develop, but as has often been the case, the core of the story should remain the same.

Ideally, I’ll have a first draft done by December 31st, but also want to take my time in plotting it out. Once that’s set, it’s diving headfirst into pages.

Excitement levels are pretty strong, and doing what I can to keep that going.

Wish me luck.

Al…most…there!

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A few weeks ago I completed a hearty rewrite of the animated fantasy-comedy. Notes from readers continue to trickle in.

Responses have been generous with their excitement and enthusiasm about it, along with some extremely insightful notes.

I’ll admit to hoping the script was strong enough as is, but there’s no denying the effectiveness of those notes, which means at least one more draft in my future.

Not crazy about that, but if it needs some more work, then so be it.

I’m not as prolific – and definitely not as fast – as other writers, but this approach works for me. I’d rather take the time to really fine-tune something than rush through it and have it not be as solid as can be.

The silver lining here is that each draft is better than its predecessor, as you would expect. Each round of notes helps contribute to making the script and my overall writing better.

It might seem just out of reach now, but I’m confident that both I and this script will eventually get there.

There it is!

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The past few days have been all about doing some major rewriting on the animated fantasy-comedy.

A lot of it has remained the same, but I can also say that a lot has changed about it, and coming up with new stuff – or at least new approaches to what was already there – seemed more effective this time around.

I started with the mindset of “do what needs to be done, no matter what”. Apart from the core of the story, nothing was safe; not even material that had been there since the very first draft. I knew what was needed and would do what I had to to get there.

It wasn’t as tumultuous as I expected. In fact, it was a bit surprising how much ended up being changed, and even more surprising was how easy it was to come up with new stuff; almost as if some kind of door had been kicked open and the ideas wouldn’t stop coming in. If only it could be like that all the time, right?

This is the part of the writing process I truly enjoy. Just being creative and putting it on the page. It felt like I’d lost touch with that, and got a real kick out of experiencing it again.

Next up – sending the script to some beta readers. Fingers, as always, firmly crossed.

The timing of this burst of creativity was also fortuitous because I’ve been feeling very non-productive lately, so this was a nice remedy for that. Being able to recharge one’s batteries is an underrated skill.

With this rewrite now in the past, I can now focus on a few projects that got put on hold because of it.

Looking forward to taking on all of them.