film

Script Showcase follow-up: Mercy buckets, chums

Maximum Z blog, community, encouragement, film, screenplay, screenwriting, television, writing , , , , , , ,

With The Maximum Z Winter ’24 Script Showcase in the books, I’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to all the amazing writers who sent in their screenplay/TV script.

104 fantastic pieces of material, all of which are still available to check out – and contact the writer about reading. I sincerely hope it leads to great things for everybody, or at least a few leads or read requests.

Bonus – around 500 views (and counting), and that’s saying something for a blog of this miniscule magnitude.

Just about every submission email included the writer thanking me for doing this, or at least presenting the opportunity, and I really appreciate that. I like helping out the writing community in whatever way I can, and this seemed like a good idea.

As has been the case before, a few submissions came in after the Showcase posted, so unfortunately those writers missed out. I’m hoping to do it again next year, probably with a little more time between announcing it and posting it. Fingers crossed all the submissions come in before the deadline.

Thanks again to everybody who took part, and now would probably be a good time to start getting your scripts ready for the ’25 edition.

T-minus 2 weeks and counting

Maximum Z community, film, genre, logline, opportunity, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, television, title, writing , , , , , , , , , , ,

The sending-in of info about screenplays and TV scripts continues as more writers want to be included in the upcoming Maximum Z Winter ’24 Script Showcase.

Lots of interest being generated and excitement levels continue to grow, and there’s still 2 weeks to go until the Showcase goes live on December 6.

Here’s how it all works:

The Showcase is a big list of information about spec screenplays and TV scripts. Each listing features the basic details about each script (see info below), including the writer’s email. That’s there in case you’d like to ask them about reading it.

More than a few writers who’ve already sent in appreciate the opportunity to put their work on full display. I’m all about helping out others, and this seems like a fun and effective way to do that.

Bonus – it’s free.

Once the Showcase is up, I’ll do what I can to help spread the word about it, and hope you do the same – especially to shamelessly draw attention to your script being included.

If you want to have your script included, here’s what you need to do:

Send the following info here:

Film or TV?

Title

Writer

Genre(s)

Logline

Awards(s) – if applicable; 5 at the most

Your email

TWO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DETAILS:

–Only one script per person

–DO NOT SEND THE SCRIPT!

I’d also like to stress the importance of proofreading your info before sending. Typos are sneaky little devils that show up when you least expect them – especially after the fact, so double- or triple-checking is highly recommended.

Previously-listed scripts are okay, but new ones are encouraged.

A few writers have asked about short scripts. Those are okay as well.

The deadline for sending in is Thursday, December 5, so don’t put off sending in until the last minute.

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve got.

There’s gold in them thar dumpster fires!

Maximum Z characters, craft, editing, education, film, movies, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, story, structure, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saw a great quote the other day that was along the lines of “Being a writer is like having homework for the rest of your life.”

From a certain perspective, that definitely has a negative connotation. Emphasizing the ‘work’ part of the word indicates drudgery and toil. Like, strictly dullsville, man.

The obvious solution is to make it a positive experience.

I know. Easier said than done, but bear with me.

(Writing should never seem like work anyway, but that’s another post.)

To be a better screenwriter, you need to read scripts and watch movies. You can see how the pros did it and figure out how that could potentially influence your work.

While watching your favorites and the classics can definitely help, I also suggest watching really shitty movies as well.

Hard as this might be to accept, there’s something be gained from it.

What was it that made them bad?

The possibilities are numerous, but a good percentage of the time – it’s the script.

As a writer, you can use that to your advantage.

Painful an experience as it might be, watch that bad movie from a writer’s perspective. Is it the writing that sucks? The story? The characters (and not the actors)? Is there a coherent sense of structure? Is there any structure at all? Does the story flow naturally, or do things happen because it seems like the story needs them to?

Maybe it feels like the writer didn’t take any chances, or worse, went for the very easy and cliched (i.e. expected) solution. Does anything in your script feel that way? If so, think about what changes you could make that would produce the same results, but get you there in a totally different way.

It may be 90-110 minutes of your life you’ll never get back, but at the very least you’ll get a better idea of what NOT to do when it comes to developing your script.

And that is a worthwhile lesson for any screenwriter.

No words

Maximum Z acting, film, SAG-AFTRA, screenwriting, television, Writers Guild of America, writing , , , , , ,

’nuff said.

#paythewriters

#wgastrong

#sagaftrastrong

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1

Maximum Z adventure, characters, dialogue, education, film, movies, rewriting, science fiction, screenplay, screenwriting, script, Star Wars, story, storytelling, subplot, writing, writing process , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

During a recent break from the writing, I saw a few posts on social media celebrating the 43rd(!) anniversary of the release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

I was around for that. Proudly so.

I decided to give it another watch, mostly for nostalgia’s sake.

Even though I’ve seen it numerous times, this time felt a little different. I found myself watching it from a writer’s point of view.*

It made for a very different experience, involving continuously making mental notes and asking questions.

“How did this look on the page?”

“Wow, that dialogue gets right to the point without being on-the-nose”

“What an incredibly tight scene”

“Pay attention to how the characters are shown changing over the course of the story”

Just seeing how smooth the story flows, how tight the whole thing is, and how all the subplots are laid out really struck a chord for me.

THIS is how I want my scripts to come across.

I’ve already said that this current draft of my sci-fi adventure is all about getting pages written and holding off on editing/revising until it’s complete. That still applies.

But when I do get to that point, I’m already anticipating looking at each scene and trying to figure out what changes could be made to achieve that same level of tightness, structure, and efficiency.

And it’s just a coincidence about my script being a similar genre; this approach would help no matter what I was working on.

This is all just further proof that a writer’s education never truly stops, watching well-written films can benefit your own writing process, and that there’s always an opportunity to learn how to improve your writing.

*Full acknowledgment to credited writers Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas*