feedback

Boundaries, people! Know them

Maximum Z community, experience, feedback, logline, manners, networking, professionalism, relationships, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, writing , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s happened again. A writer I connected with on a networking platform sent the initial “Nice to meet you” note, followed very soon after with a pitch deck for one of their scripts.

I skimmed the first page with the intention of not going to the second page, and couldn’t get past the logline.

It needed work, so in an effort to be helpful I offered some suggestions of how it could be improved. This led to several back and forth messages, first my reactions and comments, then their latest attempt. I want to make a point of recognizing that each message ended with a variation on “Thanks so much for this. I really appreciate it!”

In the end, I like to think they finally got what I was trying to explain and figured that was that.

Nope.

Two more messages came in regarding two other projects, asking for my thoughts/feedback.

I wrote “I  helped with the logline. Anything beyond that is getting a little excessive. I suggest becoming part of a writing group and gradually getting your work involved that way. Good luck!”

The response: “Thank you”. Since then – nada.

I get it. You’re an eager just-starting-out screenwriter and you’ve connected with another writer with more experience. Why wouldn’t you want to start seeing if they think your stuff is any good? I was the same way when I started, and learned how to do it and definitely how NOT to do it.

The writer in this most recent scenario started out strong, then let their overzealousness trip themselves up.

I posted about this on social media earlier this week, and one response was along the lines of “When that happens to me, I tell them my rates for any additional work. That usually shuts them down.”

Don’t think I didn’t consider it.

One of the things the screenwriting books and lessons don’t emphasize enough is that relationships in this business are just as important as knowing the craft.

Get to know somebody. Become a peer. Present yourself as somebody worth knowing. Ask to read something of theirs. Offer to help in some capacity (if possible).

Wait until you’ve established a professional connection before asking them to read something, and definitely include “if you have time” – because sometimes they don’t.

BE NICE. AND CONSIDERATE. AND PATIENT.

There is no doubt that this will continue to happen to me and many other writers. I will continue to be as helpful as I can – to a point.

-And for your further reading enjoyment, here are some relevant posts from the archives. Enjoy.

You don’t know me, but can you help me?

At least buy me a drink first

Nicely done, me from the past

Maximum Z character arc, determination, draft, editing, feedback, notes, outlines, perseverance, persistence, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, strategy, subplots, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Having (for the most part) completed the outline for the action-comedy, attention has shifted to revising/rewriting another script.

I’m not sure the last time I’d worked on it – maybe March?, but I opened the pages and was pleasantly surprised how many changes had already been made. There are still some rough spots, including figuring out the best moment to have a key part of the story take place. Weighing my options on that one.

But it was very reassuring to see how much work had already been put into this before switching to another project, and not at all surprising. This has happened before.

I’d also forgotten how much work overall had been done for the new draft, including questions about potential subplots and character arcs. This helps lighten the load – albeit just slightly. Looking over some of the notes I got on the previous draft, a few sticking points remain that need addressing.

There were also some suggestions from readers that didn’t mesh with what I was going for, or felt like they wanted things to go in a different direction than what I was intending. I weigh the merit of what’s being said, and then decide if there’s something in there worth salvaging.

Whenever I start a rewrite, I try not to put a limit how much time I’m allowing to get it finished. Many times it’s longer than I’d like or expect, but this time feels a little different. I suspect once things get started and more pieces fall into place, the shorter the time to get to the finish line.

Figuring out all these solutions won’t be easy, but I’m confident it will happen. Hopefully sooner than later.

Just your typical rewriting rigamarole

Maximum Z action, characters, comedy, confidence, determination, draft, editing, fantasy, feedback, ideas, notes, overthinking, perseverance, persistence, reading, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Figuring out the rest of the story for the action-comedy spec continues, but there was a slight change of focus this week to the rewrite of the fantasy-comedy.

A lot of the story remains in place, but there are still some tweaks and minor adjustments that need to be made.

First was seeing what still worked. This involved the very-helpful writing out the entire story scene by scene, with a quick sentence stating the point of each. Or at least “here’s what’s happens here that moves things forward”.

I also dug up notes from the most recent round of readers – first-timers all. I’m still working my way through them due to the sheer volume of comments and suggestions. Some pretty good stuff, with lots about the characters and potential ideas of how to make them better.

One reader’s comments really resonated, mostly due to the fact that they pointed out something regarding the story I wasn’t aware I’d done. It was as if my subconscious was a contributing writer. Good when I do it intentionally, even better when it’s unintentional AND still works within the context of the story.

As I often do during the figuring-stuff-out phase – no matter what draft it is, I tend to overthink and cram too much stuff into the story. That’s something I want to try and avoid this time around. Like I said, most of this should only require some minor touch-up work, and I think I can limit the bigger changes to a relatively small number.

Once all of the changes are made, I’ll go through and trim the excess fat while fine-tuning it as much as possible.

Like with all of my projects for this year, progress may be slow, but it’s still coming along.

Still happy to help

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A few years ago, I wrote about some then-recent interactions I had within the screenwriting community. A lot of the sentiment still resonates, and this week saw a few more examples on display.

Last Friday was the San Francisco Writers Conference, and I was the coordinator/moderator for all of the panels for the Writing For Hollywood track. A good time was had by all, including panelists and attendees. It’s also why there was no post last week. (Want to go next year? Just click on the link in that first sentence.)

I didn’t get much of my own writing done because two writing colleagues asked for notes on their scripts, each saying “Don’t hold back. Be as brutal as necessary!” And I was. Well, maybe not brutal; let’s call it “critical, but in a positive way”.

I read each script twice, jotting down notes when needed. Both ended up jam-packed with sticky notes on almost every page with a comment, question, or suggestion.

Both writers were very enthusiastic about their notes. Maybe they didn’t agree with everything; at least a large percentage. Best of all – they were both eager to use those notes and start on the next draft.

And in the middle of all this, a friend referred me to a writing group interested in a screenwriting presentation. A few emails with the coordinator later, I’ll be running an all-day workshop later this year.

I’ve always said this is one of my favorite parts of the screenwriting community – lots of people helping others in one way or another, and that sentiment still rings true.

Writing is already a solitary experience, so when you get the chance to help somebody or somebody asks you for help, you should take it because not only is it good for both of you, but it’s a great reminder that you’re not alone in this.

…and looking ahead

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Last week was all about 2025.

This week, to paraphrase the words of Dr Emmett L Brown, we plan for… the future!

-First and foremost, nailing down the story of the new action-comedy spec, and churning out at least 1-2 drafts. I’d say it’s about 2/3 of the way there. Still some details to work out, but I like how it’s developing.

Also nice – several readers have already volunteered their services to give it a look and subsequently tear it apart. In a helpfully critical way, of course.

-The other big thing is doing a major polish/revision on my western and fantasy-comedy specs. They’re good, but there is definitely potential to elevate the quality of each.

I’m also very fortunate to have a manager who’s really psyched about helping me on all fronts, from feedback on pages to getting the scripts out there.

As last year wound down, several columnists and podcasts talked about planning a strategy for achieving writing goals over the course of the year. A few really hit home for me, and I’ll be putting my own spin on that approach.

Looking forward to seeing how it all goes.

-Another significant project for this year is seeing the completion of post-production on my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY. The crowdfunding is just about halfway there and as of this posting, hovering around 71% funded.

Several readers of the blog have chipped in, and I once again put out a sincere request to anybody else who can contribute and is willing to do so. This is a long-in-development project for me, so any help I can get to reach that finish line is highly appreciated.

There are also some fantastic tier rewards, including invaluable feedback on scripts, directing reels, and acting reels. Click on the link above to take a look around and see if anything strikes your fancy.

-Lastly, my hosting of The Creative Writing Life Podcast continues. Guests are already lined up into February, and I’ll see what I can do about finally adding some theme music.

Those are the big ones for the next 12 months, and no doubt other things will show up.

Exciting times are ahead, chums. Make your 2026 as amazing as you want it to be.