query letter

Happy to make your acquaintance?

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A quick reminder – just over a week left on the crowdfunding for my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY, so there’s still time for you to kick in a few bucks if you haven’t already. And a major thanks to those who have.

I’ve been pretty diligent in posting about the crowdfunding all over my social media platforms, so I’m checking them all several times a day. After initially checking my own stuff, I’ll do a quick skim of what else is going on out there.

One thing that seems to be popping up more often is a slight uptick in interest in spec scripts from reps and producers. Many are from already-established writers, but there’s also a slight increase in writers connecting with said reps and producers via social media.

Goodness knows I’ve tried doing that, but with very limited results – if you can even call it that.

On a similar note, Facebook has been posting more “Connection recommendations” that include a lot of writers and reps, plus a handful of producers. I’d considered trying some of those, but figured they probably prefer to keep their personal and professional lives separate (or even totally apart), so opted to not take that path.

I’d posted about this and got several responses back, including “You’d be better off using LinkedIn, X/Twitter or Instagram.”

Yeah, tried those too. Most of those connection requests go unanswered, with a handful accepting.

One odd exception is a few lit agencies following me on Instagram. Those responses tend to range between zero and none.

No matter what the platform is, I make a point of just being friendly (“Hi. Hope your projects are going well”) and not immediately starting with “Hi! Nice to connect! Read my script!” I hate when people do that to me, and suspect industry folks hate it even more.

I interact when I can and try to keep it respectful. Bad impressions have incredible staying power.

I haven’t tried using any of these for queries due to past experience of zero response, but you never know. Just need to do some research to see who might be the most receptive. It might be a longshot approach, but trying is better than doing nothing.

With so many other projects in the works, I’m not querying as much as I used to. One of these could even potentially attract some attention, thereby nullifying the need to query at all.

In the meantime, it’s all about the short film and having fun developing my scripts.

That worked out nicely

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Bit of a shorty today.

It took several days of almost-constant work, including a good deal of editing, tweaking, and overall wordsmithing, including a marathon 6-hour stretch at the very end, but the rewrite of the animated fantasy-comedy is complete.

Total page count now stands at 106, which is still good.

Got a squad of beta readers currently working their way through it, and the initial responses have been very, very positive – which is always encouraging – as well as a handful of suggestions for minor fixes scattered throughout.

I’m quite happy with the end result.

Up next – concept art, character designs, a pitch deck, and researching potential targets for querying.

Writing is just one piece of the puzzle.

Allowing myself a brief respite before jumping back into the rewrite of the sci-fi collaboration, which also seems reinvigorated in terms of ideas and execution. The jotting-down of new material is well underway.

Overall, a mighty fine writing week. Hope it was for you too.

-really, really enjoying BLUE EYE SAMURAI on Netflix. Incredible stuff, and definitely NOT family-friendly.

Victories, defeats, and everything in between

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This post is being released a few days after the usual time due to my involvement with this year’s San Francisco Writers Conference. I got to be a panelist, moderated a few other panels and did my “Screenwriting 101” presentation. A very nice time all around.

And for those interested, I’ll be taking over the reins of the screenwriting track for next year, so the gears are turning regarding what topics to cover. Hope you’ll consider attending.

It was really nice to talk about screenwriting with some experienced pros, along with giving advice and guidance to a lot of writers just starting out.

Call it a positive end to a semi-negative week.

The quest for representation continues. I’d queried a literary management firm in early January and they were quick to respond a few hours later with “Yes, please send it!”. Two weeks later, got an email saying “Sorry, we haven’t read it yet, but should get back to you by the end of the week.”

That was a month ago. Radio silence since then, including my obligatory follow-up of “Had a chance to read it yet?” I’m assuming it’s a pass, which is disappointing, but c’est la vie.

Moving on.

I also found out my horror-comedy short script didn’t even make the quarterfinals of a horror contest. Also disappointing, but this script is a lot more comedy than horror, so might not have been to the judges’ tastes or criteria. Who knows?

Still moving on.

But there were also a few bright spots amidst the gloominess.

A trusted colleague had some very encouraging comments about the animated fantasy-comedy spec. Feeling pretty confident about its prospects.

Several emails came in with requests for appearances on the podcast I cohost, including one mentioning how much they enjoyed the show. We also started posting the video versions, available here.

The takeaway from all of this is that you never know what’s going to happen and to just roll with the punches. There’ll be days where everything falls into place and days where absolutely nothing goes right. The best you can do is deal with it to the best of your abilities and hope it all works out in the end. And if things don’t go your way, you accept the results, learn from it if possible, and move on to the next thing.

A lot of things are out of our control, so we do what we can to influence or at least steer them to working out the way we want/need/would like them to. Celebrate any and all positive results, (briefly) lament the negative, then redirect your attention to “what’s next?”

Last week is in the past, so now it’s time to focus on this one.

It’s also worth noting that I got to talk with some other writers – both in person and online – who were just frustrated about the lack of progress they’ve encountered. There was a lot of talk about “I don’t know how much longer I want to put myself through this”, which I can totally relate to. Who hasn’t felt more than ready to throw in the towel?

And these are all talented people. Any of their scripts would make for a great film or TV show.

This ain’t an easy industry to break into. The chances of success are small, and seeing others advance (especially those who haven’t been doing it as long as you have) while you feel stuck isn’t helpful either.

Despite all the shitty days and setbacks, I’m one of those writers who intends to keep at it. I like the writing too much to want to give up, and give as much encouragement as I can in the hopes that they eventually feel the same about themselves.

Fasten those seat belts, chums. This bumpy ride keeps on going with no end in sight.

*gif by Frederatic on DeviantArt

Ups, downs, and everything in between

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What a hectic bunch of weeks.

Been splitting time among several projects, including developing a few new ideas, including sketching out an idea for a new short, and the ongoing rewrite/overhaul of the horror-comedy.

Also been working through a lengthy list of specs from fellow writers in need of notes. Latest tally: halfway there! At this rate, hope to be totally done with it by the end of March.

Just wrapped up the latest batch of query letters. No read requests yet, which is admittedly kind of disappointing, but no big deal. Did get a few “not for me”s and “not taking on any new clients right now”, plus one “we’re a bit swamped at the moment, but you can try again in a few months”.

There was also one “we don’t rep writers”, which raises the questions ‘then why is Literary Management part of your firm’s name’ and a ‘writers submit here’ link on your website? Am I missing something?

Yet with everything I’ve been doing, there are still times where good things and positive news seem unattainable. I still have no intention to stop trying, but as any screenwriter will tell you, somedays it’s just really tough.

As I’ve said in numerous conversations, I enjoy the writing part of this too much to want to even consider giving up. Many of you have been more than generous with your encouragement and positive vibes, and I really appreciate it. Never underestimate the effectiveness of telling somebody you believe in them.

So as this week wraps up and we head into the next one, I’ll keep at it, doing what I can to make the dream come a little bit closer to becoming a reality. Sure, it might not happen right away, but like with the writing itself, any progress is good progress.

My, what a pleasant scent

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jimmy stewart flower

It’s a been good week around Maximum Z HQ. A very good week, you might even say.

Got a couple of read requests, including one several months after the initial pitch, and my western advanced in the first round of a reputable contest.

On the actual writing front, made some good progress in the latest overhaul of the sci-fi adventure outline, plus got a last-minute invite to come up with a story idea for a friend meeting with a filmmaker looking for potential projects.

All in all, not too shabby.

Do I wish every week could be this fulfilling and rewarding? Most definitely.

Will they? Heavens no. But that’s expected. It’s the just way it is, and I accept that.

Everything that happened was the result of me putting in the time and effort. Writing, rewriting, researching who’d be most receptive to queries, figuring out which contest was most worth entering, and so forth.

I just happened to be fortunate that a lot of them are paying off very close to one another.

I also realize that each read request could results in “thanks, but no thanks”, my script doesn’t advance any further in the contest, and the filmmaker doesn’t like my idea.

Disappointing, sure, but it won’t slow me down, let alone stop me. I’ve got too much else going on to worry about it.

While the road to screenwriting success may be dotted with potholes, sharp objects and people who shouldn’t be allowed behind the wheel to begin with, every once in a while you get a long empty stretch of green lights and smooth pavement. It may not last long, but it’ll might make you appreciate it even more.

So when you have a brief window of time where it seems like everything is actually going your way, savor it knowing that YOU EARNED IT. And definitely spread the word to your support network – they’ll be thrilled (just like you’d be if it were them).

Use the emotions and sensations you’re experiencing during this happiest of times to keep you going when every response you get is “NO” and the dark clouds return.

But also keep in mind that it won’t always be like that. This path is full of highs and lows, mountains and valleys. The important thing is to enjoy the journey and keep pushing forward.

As we head into the weekend, I’ll take a moment to review the past few days and think “This was nice.”

And then get right back to the grind, once again hoping for the best.