outlines

No restraints! (up to a point)

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While my short film is now in the hands of the editor, that allows me more time to get back to working on the outline for the new action-comedy spec.

It’s coming along, but choices have had to be made in terms of how far to take things regarding the story and how things play out.

Do I play it safe and hold back, or do I throw caution to the wind and go all out?

Believe it or not, this was a tougher decision than expected. I don’t want to overdo it, but I also don’t want things to be boring. There’s pushing the envelope, and then there’s way over the top.

But then again, this is an ACTION-COMEDY, with an emphasis on both parts, so maybe there’s some kind of middle ground that would work.

It also helped to get the opinions of a few other writers, who all said for this kind of story, you pretty much have to ramp things up, but to also not let things get out of control, which makes it feel like you’re throwing everything at the wall, which reeks of desperation – which I do not like, or want.

What I do want is for the reader/audience to really get the impact of everything that happens because it all works within the context of the story while also reinforcing/supporting the action and comedy. Not an easy path to navigate, but I feel up to the challenge.

So that’s the plan. Most likely it’ll be initially putting it all together in a simple and straightforward way, then go back and figure out the best/most effective way to have each scene and/or sequence showcase the action and comedy when applicable. Sort of “How can this be more exciting and/or funnier while still accomplishing what it needs to?”

I also suspect that once everything is in place, that’s when the real fun begins. Even with all of this figuring things out, I’m really enjoying putting this one together and look forward to unleashing it on the world when it’s ready.

A lot of moving parts

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Progress on the new spec has been slow but steady-ish.

Biggest development was finally figuring out the reason why my antagonist is doing what they’re doing, and that in turn will have an impact on the rest of the story. Still working out some of the details about the subplots connected to that; some directly and some not so much.

As I work my way through all of it, more subplots for the overall story are popping up. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve put together a pair of lists – one for the protagonist and one for the antagonist, each listing their respective subplots (along with some important details about their storylines).

Both have grown exponentially, and I have to be careful not to overdo it. I don’t want things to get too confusing. The last thing I want is a reader to stop and ask questions, or have something left unexplained. Things need to be easy enough to understand, but not too simple. I try to make sure everything plays a part.

Honestly, this is one of those parts of the process I enjoy – just figuring stuff out. It’s a challenge, to say the least, but it’s oh so worth it to take the time to make sure all the pieces fit together the way they should. This probably explains why the development and outlining take me so long – trying to get everything organized and set up in the right places.

As I work my way through all of these potential ideas, there’s a good chance a lot of them will be dropped – wouldn’t be the first time – but it’s easier to cut and revise than to try and jam something in that feels forced. Sometimes I get lucky and discover a viable connection set up earlier in the story, which is more likely serendipity than me being exceptionally cunning.

A reader on my fantasy-comedy had commented there was a lot going on over the course of the story and they were wondering if I’d be able to pull off keeping things organized. But when they were done, they admitted to being impressed with how all the subplots played out both individually and how they all came together in Act Three. They could tell I’d put in a lot of effort to ensure that happened.

That’s what I’m going for with this one. There really is a lot going on for this story, which is why I’m really taking my time to figure everything out so it all works the way it’s supposed to.