T-minus one week to shooting my short film SHECKY, which means constant checking and re-checking of the seemingly infinite list of “stuff that needs to get done”.
And just about every item on there involves me asking a ton of questions to those with much more experience and doing my best to not feel foolish while doing so.
Fortunately, everybody has been extremely understanding and patient while explaining, coupled with “You’re actually doing a really good job.”
Certainly doesn’t feel that way.
One of the things I severely dislike is not knowing how to do something I’ve set out to do. It’s very frustrating and can easily throw you off-kilter. But nobody’s good at something they’ve never tried before. (Hello, screenwriting!) Mistakes will be – and have been – made, and the best thing to do is learn from them.
Which is what I’m trying to do with this.
I’ve also been told on multiple occasions of how excited everybody is about the project and being part of it, and how great it’ll feel during the shoot and once it’s all over.
That’s what I’m hoping (post-production notwithstanding). In the meantime, back to the list.
Got a hard lesson in humility and a hearty dose of reality these past few weeks.
I’d thought my animated fantasy-comedy spec was ready to set loose on the world, so had submitted it to contests of note, plus a few other genre-centric ones.
Initial results have been trickling in, and those results have been drastically less than desired.
Naturally, it raises doubts about ability and lots of second-guessing on several fronts.
I’d sent it out to some trusted colleagues for feedback, and almost all of them were very enthusiastic and encouraging about it. There were even words of praise from writers of exceptional quality, which added to my growing feelings of confidence.
Note I’d said “almost all”. There were a few that didn’t care for it. They weren’t fans of animation, fantasy, or comedy, or the script was too light-hearted for them. No matter what, it just wasn’t for them.
I get that. Not everybody’s going to like everything.
But it was the comments about why it wasn’t working that really struck a nerve – at first in a negative way, but like with many notes, the hidden positives and takeaways soon came to light.
Questions were asked and about story details, characters, the world it’s set in, and so forth.
When several people ask the same question or have the same concern, then that’s something that needs to be addressed.
So after a brief period of “sheesh, I must be a really shitty writer”, I took those notes and started figuring out how to make the appropriate fixes.
As you’d expect with a rewrite/revision, darlings had to be killed. Painful, but necessary. On the upside, the replacement material seems to be working; some beyond expectations.
I’ve already written off this year’s contest season. If anything positive happens, that’ll be great, but just seems highly unlikely at this point.
It’s frustrating that this is how things worked out, but it’s just the way it is. Putting in this new round of work is helping restore confidence levels for myself and the material.
Everything from this point forward is all about getting the script into better shape – and to be ready for next year.
2022 is starting to wind down, and the general consensus around Maximum Z HQ is:
It’s been a pretty good year.
-First and foremost, I finally managed to publish my books. Took a while to put it all together, but thanks to a heaven-sent editor/advisor, they became a reality.
Also nice is that they’ve been very positively received. And they make a great gift for any screenwriter (plug, plug).
-A lot of the year was also spent writing. I completed a few drafts of the animated fantasy-comedy spec – huge shoutout to the readers who provided some excellent notes that helped improve each draft. Hoping the end result achieves what I set out to do.
I’m also wrapping up the script for the microbudget feature. The producer who brought me onto the project really likes what I’ve come up with so far, which is always nice to hear. They’re hoping to start production in the spring, so fingers remain firmly crossed that becomes a reality.
Bonus – the producer also asked me to write a short, which I did. It’s a completed project and is already being submitted to festivals. Keeping any other details under wraps for the time being.
-Wasn’t able to make my horror-comedy short film, but I did connect with a local director who’s open to helping out. This whole “make it yourself” thing is quite a learning experience.
-Speaking of connecting, I got to meet a whole new bunch of local writers. I always enjoy that.
-I once again took part in the screenwriting track for the San Francisco Writers Conference, which included being on panels and offering advice to writers one-on-one. Had a great time with that, and I’ll get to do it again in February.
-Being part of the conference also led to doing a lecture about screenwriting for the California Writers Club, which it looks like I might get to do again sometime soon.
-Didn’t do so well on the contest front, but as evidenced in everything else I just talked about, I think I’ve done okay.
Here’s hoping for more good news and positive vibes for all of us in 2023.
For the most part, my involvement with this year’s big contests is more or less over. Top 15 percent for Nicholl – not too bad. Total whiff for PAGE again, which makes me 0 for 4. Not expecting much out of Austin.
Results from some of the smaller contests are about the same. Semifinalist in one, quarterfinalist in another, and a few not-at-alls.
A bit on the disappointing side, but all is not lost. On the contrary. It’s actually helped force me into making a pretty important decision.
After much self-evaluating, I’ve opted to drastically cut back on contests for next year and ongoing. Most likely, I’ll keep it limited to just the big three mentioned above. And even entering those isn’t a certainty. They’re the ones that hold the most potential for getting the ball rolling on a career – not guaranteed, of course – but the most potential.
No delusions of grandeur. I’ll continue to take my chances and see how things go. If I do well, great. If not, no big deal.
And just for the hell of it, maybe one or two smaller ones every once in a while. Might as well have a little fun.
Moving forward, the focus now shifts to improving my writing skills and making my material better. Reading a lot of professional scripts, especially those in the same genres as the ones I’m writing, shows me my level of expertise isn’t where I need it to be.
If I want to make this work, I need to get better. No other way to put it.
It’ll be tough, but I’ve come this far and the final objective continues to feel a little bit closer with each new draft.
I’m fortunate enough to know a lot of savvy writers, along with more than a few quality consultants, so getting constructive feedback and guidance can only work to my advantage.
As a colleague once told me, “It’s not about contests. It’s about Hollywood.” Sure, contests are fun and all (especially when you win, or at least place highly), but I’d rather focus on writing quality material and getting them in the hands of people who can actually make something happen with them. Representation. Assignments. Rewrites. A sale. I’m not picky.
My long-term goal has always been to become a working writer, and I think I can still do it. It may not happen as soon as I’d like, but hopefully by really buckling down and pushing myself to keep at it, I’ll have a better shot at turning that goal from a dream into a reality.
An early inspiration for my efforts (image by Hirschfeld)
Apologies for the lack of a post last week. We had to travel to a different time zone for a family function, and the jet lag really took its toll on me. It’s tough to compose something when you can barely stay awake.
But I’m back, rested, and ready to get back to work.
Among the items on the “list of stuff that needs attention”:
-continue working on the horror-comedy outline
-work with latest batch of notes on the comedy spec. Hoping to have that latest draft done sooner than expected.
-research potential representation firms to query
-look into setting up at least one networking event for SF/Bay Area writers. Previous ones were pretty successful, and are great for establishing connections.
-Among the comments that came in for the comedy spec was how it might benefit from a table read. Never did one before, so investigating setting one up. Anybody out there who’s done it?
There are a few other items going on, but those are the dominant ones for now. At first glance, it might seem like a lot, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. They’re all just parts of the machine that is me working on making a career out of this.
I think the biggest factor here is time management. I do what I can to allot a certain amount of time per task. Work on my own stuff for an hour or two. Spend some downtime at work researching reps and prodcos, then send out some queries. If an idea hits when I’m not actually writing, I jot it down immediately – mostly because I don’t trust myself to remember it a few hours later.
One caveat – If I have to do notes on a friend’s script, all attention is diverted to that. If they were reading mine, I’d want them to be just as focused on my script, so the least I can do is return the favor.
Now, I totally get that no two writers have the same schedule, so everybody will tackle things their own way and at their own pace. Maybe you can only spare an hour a day for anything writing-related, or you get up earlier than you need to because that’s your designated writing time. Any and all of it’s fine. You do what works for you.
The important thing is to be doing something. Anything that helps you along.
Also remember, and I can’t stress this enough – everybody’s path is different. What works for that other person might not work for you, and vice versa. Don’t stress out over feeling like you’re running behind. The only person you’re competing against is you.
Not sure where to start? Easy. Be a writer and write down what you’d like to accomplish. I suggest starting small – list three things you could do today to help yourself out. Write three scenes (or three pages). Send out five query emails. Contact the writer of that logline you liked in that online forum.
Get into the habit of giving yourself stuff to do, and there’s a good chance you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much stuff is actually getting done.
Maximum Z 