excitement

A most influential guideline

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Development of the latest story has been moving along smoothly. The jotting-down of ideas and my excitement about putting this together both continue to hold steady.

Part of this is simply because I think it’s a fun story worth telling.

It’s also something I advise writers just starting out:

Write something you would want to watch

Pretty simple, isn’t it?

It’s always worked for me. I like a particular kind of story, so I feel best suited to write that kind of story. And it shows.

I’ve always found that a writer’s enjoyment and appreciation of the material can be seen on the page. In how the story is told. What mental imagery it creates. The overall vibe.

Really embracing the elements and components of the story goes beyond just telling the reader or audience a story. It should get them invested just as much as you are. Make them feel all the emotions you would if you were reading it, and then some.

How do you feel about your current project? Would a reader get the sense that you love this kind of story? That you had a great time writing it?

It can also be a challenge to not overdo it. You don’t want to let how you feel about the story get in the way of solid storytelling and good writing. The last thing you want to do is alienate a reader or belittle them because they don’t share your enthusiasm. Look at your script as an opportunity to showcase the things you like about this kind of story.

You also want to be careful not to fall victim to relying on whatever tropes and clichés this kind of story may involve. What’s a unique and original spin you can put on it to really make it feel “familiar but different”? It’s always great when somebody starts a story with pre-established expectations, and then you surprise them by taking them in a new and different direction that still works within the context of the story.

Although the whole process of putting it all together takes time, I’m excited to be doing it. Figuring it all out and playing around in this particular sandbox adds to the enjoyment. I totally accept there will be some stumbles along the way, but I have a great time putting myself through it, and hope the reader does too.

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.

Spark: re-ignited

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Despite how busy I’ve been the past few weeks, one of my ongoing projects has been the animated fantasy-comedy. It’s been rewritten and polished many times, but I knew it still needed at least one more draft.

A slow but steady influx of exceptionally helpful notes will make a significant contribution to this effort.

More than a few of the notes had the same thing to say, and after some intense analysis and evaluation, incorporating the intent of those notes into this new draft could have a major impact on really elevating the quality of this script.

I don’t say this from a place of ego or hyperbole; just about all the notes said the script was really good, but with a few tweaks and adjustments, it could be really, REALLY good.

How could I refuse?

Although extensive rewrites are sometimes necessary, going into this draft having a much more established idea of what I need to do – along with a few ideas of how to do it – fills me with a renewed sense of excitement and enthusiasm.

Suffice to say I am really looking forward to taking this one on.

This is the part of the writing process I’ve always enjoyed – having fun with putting it all together. It probably also helps that I love the story and the characters, and want to present it all in the best possible way.

I’m also glad I decided to skip this year’s contests because now I have more time until the next round of deadlines to get this thing into shape (along with saving a decent chunk of change).

The initial round of planning and outlining is already underway, with confidence levels running strong. Definitely looking forward to see how this all plays out.

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.