running

I refuse to be complacent

Maximum Z choices, contests, crowdfunding, determination, encouragement, feedback, goals, motivation, Nicholl Fellowship, organization, PAGE International, patience, perseverance, persistence, problem-solving, rejection, running, screenplay, screenwriting, script, self-confidence, strategy, success, westerns, writing , , , , , , ,
runner
The road gets tougher, you run harder

First-round results for two of the biggest, high-profile screenwriting contests have been released within the past week, and the pattern for my western’s performance in both has once again repeated itself.

Total whiff for PAGE, and top 20 percent for the Nicholl. (I’m not doing Austin this year)

I didn’t get notes from the former, and based on the ones I got last year for the latter, am not that curious as to why it placed where it did.

My initial reaction was, naturally, disappointment, but this year is markedly different in what came immediately after.

There’ve been days where the agony, frustration and just plain shittiness of things not working out was so strong I’d seriously contemplate just walking away. After all, that would be one less member of the competition, right?

But that’s simply not an option – for any of us. Our desire to succeed as writers burns too bright.

I may not have done as well as I’d hoped with these contests, so instead of shrugging my shoulders and saying “Oh well. Better luck next year,” I plan on doing whatever I can to increase my chances. With a vengeance.

Gone is the wallowing in a blessedly brief mindset of “poor, poor pitiful me”.

In its place – a reinvigorated drive to buckle down, work even harder and write scripts so fucking amazing those readers won’t know what hit them.

I don’t think I can. I KNOW I CAN.

Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead, chums.

-A new addition and a return appearance on the bulletin board this week:

-Filmmakers Caitlin Stedman and Kayla Ditlefsen have launched a crowdfunding project for their short film Unattainable. They’re around the 60 percent mark, so donate if you can!

-The crowdfunding for filmmaker Steve Davis’s No Glory continues, with about a month to go. Steve’s a talented guy, and this sounds like a fantastic project. Donate if you can!

An amiable assortment o’ items

Maximum Z comedy, contest, crowdfunding, development, encouragement, film festival, half-marathons, momentum, output, perseverance, persistence, productivity, project, pulp fiction, rewrite, running, screenplay, screenwriting, script, spec, success, writing , , , , , , , , , ,
study group
Everybody’s keeping busy, so there’s lots to talk about!

First three months of the year wrapping up today, which makes it the perfect opportunity to offer up your Project Status Update! Feel free to step up to that virtual microphone (aka the comments section) and announce the latest developments for whatever is currently occupying your attention.

My list is pretty short:

-Work on the pulp spec continues. Currently around page 83, with a projected final count of 120ish. Strongly suspect FADE OUT will be typed sometime in mid-April, give or take a couple of days.

-Dipped my toe into the waters of rewriting the low-budget comedy courtesy of some helpful notes. Not a total page-one rewrite, but definitely taking my time with this one.

-My western was named a finalist at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival screenwriting contest. (Editor’s note – yay) Further details (i.e. how it placed) won’t be announced until the awards ceremony at the end of April, but still quite proud to have made it this far.

And a couple of items tacked on to the bulletin board, which spotlights creative-type folks and their even more creative projects well worth your time and attention:

-Filmmaker/screenwriter Eric Claremont Player has launched a crowdfunding campaign for his courtroom drama film project. Make sure to check out the colorfully captivating and absolutely true backstory that led up to it.

-Writer-director Dianna Ippolito is running a crowdfunding campaign for her new project Robb’s Problem: A Horror Short. As Dianna puts it, “Our goal is to bring you a really smart, beautiful and thought-provoking horror film, produced, written and directed by women.”

As with all crowdfunding projects listed here, donate if you can!

If you’d like to get the word out about a project of your own, feel free to drop me a line. Operators are always standing by.

-Ran the San Francisco Rock & Roll Half-marathon this past weekend. Made it just under the 2-hour mark with 1:59:11. Next race is in July, so hoping to shave a few minutes off of that.

A writer does what again?

Maximum Z ambition, books, career, consultant, determination, goals, half-marathons, manager, pages, patience, perseverance, persistence, plot points, pulp fiction, running, screenplay, screenwriting, script, social media, writing , , , , , , , , , ,
typewriter
Just another schmuck with an Underwood

In case you haven’t been following me on social media (which is easily rectified), I’ll post semi-daily updates regarding my progress in writing the latest draft of my current spec.

(Incidentally, just passed the page-75 plot point on the pulp spec)

After I post an update, my network of fellow creatives will offer up their very supportive and encouraging comments.

“Great job!”

“Keep going!”

“I don’t know how you do it!”

I do, and it’s actually a pretty simple formula: I try to write every day. Even if it ends up being just a short amount of time, or all it yields is a single page. Sure, sometimes life gets in the way and I’m not able to write, but there are definitely more days of writing than not-writing.

Writing scripts (preferably my own, but I’m not picky) is what I want to do. More than anything. So I continuously work at it, trying to improve my skills and produce quality material. It’s the only way I know how to get there.

Some might say I currently have the luxury of just writing specs. No pressure. No deadlines. No conflicting sets of notes. But I don’t really see it that way. I treat this like a job because I’m working on making it my job.

To reinforce the whole “marathon, not a sprint” concept, maintaining a daily regiment of writing helps me prepare and get in shape for when it’s time to take on the real thing.

And when that actually happens, I’ll be able to keep up.

(Speaking of which, I’ll be running my first half-marathon of the year this weekend. Once again hoping to hit the 1:55 mark, but breaking 2 hours will be just fine and dandy.)

Mini Bulletin Board time!

-Writer/friend-of-the-blog Mark Sanderson is proud to announce the release of his new book A Screenwriter’s Journey to Success. Mark is also an accomplished screenwriter and script consultant.

-Script consultant/literary manager Whitney Davis will be teaching an 8-week Introduction to Screenwriting course through the Writing Workshops Dallas program beginning on April 4th. Even though the course will be conducted in Dallas, attending via Skype is also an option. Bonus for attending in person – Whitney’s homemade cookies.