persisitence

Easiest screenwriting contest ever! No, really. And it’s free

Maximum Z community, contests, determination, encouragement, perseverance, persistence, screenplay, screenwriting, script , , , , , , , ,

After seeing several recent big screenwriting contest announcements, I couldn’t help but notice that the number of entries they get usually average in the thousands. Those numbers are then drastically reduced to the respective finalist tiers, continuously being whittled down to single digits and the final GRAND PRIZE WINNER.

(Said winner most likely goes on to fame, fortune, glory, and sudden anonymity.)

But I digress.

All the scripts entered means there are a shit-ton of writers who got the email that began with phrasing along the lines of “Thanks for entering (CONTEST)! We got X entries, and unfortunately, (YOUR SCRIPT) was not selected to advance.”

It’s heartbreaking. And I’ve gotten my fair share of them.

So in a valiant but most likely ultimately futile effort, I humbly present

The Maximum Z Screenwriting Contest.

It’s the only contest of which I’m aware that requires the barest, leastest, most minimal effort one can possibly make to claim victory in a contest.

What makes it so easy? Here’s how it works:

-You wrote a script? Fantastic! You get a set of laurels to shamelessly promote yourself as A GENUINE WINNER.

That’s it.

And as you may have noticed in the title of this post – IT’S FREE

Why am I doing this? Because the fact that anybody who wrote a script should be properly acknowledged for such an important accomplishment. You know it ain’t easy, so why should only a select few get all the glory?

Hence: laurels.

And who’d say no to being offered what amounts to a totally worthless but still-validating award?

So if you’d like to claim this meaningless yet quite meaningful symbol of recognition for yourself and all your hard work, then just click/right-click on the image below and save it to the appropriate page on your computer or wherever you keep that sort of thing. You can even print it out to proudly display above your designated writing area or hold up in the coffee shop where you’ve spent so much time working on said script.

A very hearty congratulations on your well-earned and well-deserved victory!

And it would be awesome if you could so a shoutout on social media – @maximum_z on X/Twitter, @pezscreenwriting on Instagram and Blue Sky, along with photos of you and/or your laurels.

A few bangs for your bucks

Maximum Z comedy, community, crowdfunding, determination, filmmaking, perseverance, persistence, producer, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, thriller, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY continues. We’re closing in on 30%, and doing what I can to keep those numbers climbing.

Every dollar raised goes into the costs involved with making this film, and there are different amounts you can donate. Each tier has its own reward as a thank you for donating.

(and if the names seem a bit odd, just think “showbiz”. It’s part of the story)

$10 – Stage Door Johnny

Social media shoutout of your total awesomeness & onscreen thanks expressing my eternal gratitude

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$25 – What, And Give Up Show Biz?

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, and your name as “Member of the Chorus” on a Paradise Theater poster

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$50 – Road Company

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name & your vaudeville act on a Paradise poster

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$75 – Rising Star

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name & your act as headliner on a Paradise poster

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$100 – Presenting…

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name on the Paradise marquee, a pdf of the film’s poster, a copy of the script

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$250 – In The Spotlight

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, a video of Shecky telling you a joke, poster, script

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$500 – Stage Manager

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, joke video, poster, script, digital copy of the film

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$1000 – Publicity Agent

everything above & onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Silver Circle” + 1 ticket to screening (if possible), full-service script notes

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$2500 – Mr./Ms. First Nighter

everything above, onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Gold Circle”, 2 tickets to screening, script notes, interviewed on The Creative Writing Life podcast

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$5000 – Box Office Smash

Everything & above, onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Diamond Circle”, 1 ticket to a screening at a film festival, script notes, podcast interview, short film consultation

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This is a project that’s been a long time coming, so I sincerely hope you’ll be willing to chip in to help make it happen.

That’s one out of the way…

Maximum Z animation, comedy, determination, draft, fantasy, ideas, networking, perseverance, persistence, podcasts, reading, rewrite, San Francisco, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, spec, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hard as it is to believe, I can honestly say that my work on the animated fantasy-comedy has come to an end. I got some great notes from a new batch of readers (and one previous one), did a few passes on it, and there you have it.

I think it’s a very strong piece of work and at the very least makes for a fantastic sample/calling card.

Bonus – one reader really enjoyed it and offered to put out feelers for potential interest within their network of industry connections. There was no hesitation to say yes (and thanks).

When the year started, I had plans of what I wanted to accomplish in terms of writing and the writing-adjacent. With this rewrite officially in the books, I feel totally unencumbered to do that.

Things feel different this time around, like the air is rife with possibilities. It’s up to me to take advantage of that and be productive while also enjoying the ride.

A few more ideas jotted down for the new spec, work continues on getting things ready for the short film, lining up guests (and reading their work) for the podcast, and putting the finishing touches on the panels for the Writing For Hollywood track at the upcoming San Francisco Writers Conference.

And when I can find the time, reading scripts – both produced and specs.

There’s a lot going on. So far, so good.

Striving to thrive in ’25

Maximum Z ambition, community, contests, crowdfunding, determination, perseverance, persistence, podcasts, rewriting, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, spec, story, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I can honestly say that this year did not play out as originally planned.

-A script rewrite was shelved to do a few more rewrites on another script.

-Developing the crowdfunding campaign for my short film, and subsequent production of said film, kept getting delayed – mostly due to working on other stuff.

-The podcast I co-hosted became solely hosted – by me – which meant doing a lot more reading of the books of upcoming guests.

-I entered my script in a handful of contests. Got a few semi placements, a few QFs, and a few whiffs.

Overall, not the results of what I was hoping 2024 would yield.

But despite it all, it’s all okay.

After all those rewrites, the script feels much, much stronger now. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m drastically cutting back on contests, so this script will only be submitted to a low single-digit number.

I really want to see this short film through to completion, so I’m setting up a daily checklist of what I need to do to get it there. Hopefully I’ll have an actual short film to show off this time next year.

On the writing front, I’m still working out the details of a new spec. Right now it’s all about breaking the story. Once the outlining is done, at least two drafts done by year’s end would be great.

There’s also a new type of project I’m developing that, if it comes to be, would be something I can’t wait to show. More on that as it develops.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the return of The Maximum Z Script Showcase proved to be a ringing success, with over 550 views and a handful of read requests. Already looking at when to do it for next year.

2024 has been a real rollercoaster ride, and I hope you were able to accomplish many, if not all of the things you set out to do.

Here’s to all of us doing even better in 2025.

-A little relevant and shameless self-promotion – the latest episode of the podcast features myself and screenwriter/author/brand strategist/past guest Brian Fitzpatrick talking about what a writer can do to prepare for the coming year. It was a lot of fun to record, and offers up some great advice.

From the archives: Because ‘Journal of the Whills’ just doesn’t cut it*

Maximum Z animation, Back to the Future, Chinatown, comedy, determination, Die Hard, encouragement, fantasy, Harry Potter, ideas, perseverance, persistence, rewriting, screenplay, screenwriting, script, Star Wars, swashbuckler, title, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
How DOES it look on a marquee?

As part of the ongoing rewrite of the animated fantasy-comedy, there have been more than a few suggestions to come up with a title of stronger significance and impact. While I struggle with that latest wrinkle, here’s a post from waaaay back in February of 2013 about the same situation with an earlier script. I eventually did come up with one, and am confident I can do the same this time around.

In the meantime, enjoy this blast from the past.

*the original title George Lucas had for STAR WARS. Not as good, right?

After reading countless spec titles in places such as The Black List and Done Deal Pro, I’ve come to the conclusion that my script really needs to undergo a name change.

DREAMSHIP

It sort of just…sits there, when instead it should be grabbing your attention and making you think, “Cool! I’ve gotta see this!”

Examples: BACK TO THE FUTURE. CHINATOWN. DIE HARD. See what I mean? Solid. Succinct. To the point.

I may go back to the original title – THE AMAZING DREAMSHIP ADVENTURE. It feels like it does a better job of conveying what the story’s about and what kind of ride you’re in for, but I wouldn’t put it past me to try and tweak it a little more.

It was also suggested that since this is more of a family-oriented kind of story, I should go the HARRY POTTER route and include the main character’s name. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Having a good, strong title is key because it and the logline create the first impression. Do an effective job with that and you’ve got their attention. Just make sure the script/story can hold onto it.