Screenplay

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.

The joy of a crowded reading queue

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In addition to all the work on my scripts, the short film and the recent writing conference, I’ve been making more of an effort to read more scripts. Fortunately, members of my network of trusted colleagues continue to come through and provide me with a constant supply of quality material.

It may be part of a swap, or they ask me to read their latest draft and give notes, and sometimes it’s just for hell of it.

I try to read one per week, preferably in one sitting, but that’s a time management thing. Not having to do notes really speeds things up.

The latest lineup includes two pilots, two features, and the manuscript for a book about screenwriting – all from writers I know, and another writer sent me three scripts from an established pro; one in production, the second just announced, and the third in development.

Sometimes I’ll track down the script for a film I really enjoyed and want to see how the writers had it on the page, and then see how it compares to what’s onscreen. I’ve also started compiling a list of scripts I’d love to read.

Reading scripts can be incredibly helpful. Seeing how somebody else put their story together along with how it reads on the page can influence your own methods. Not that you should try to copy them, but it helps you hone your skills and craft to make your writing more effective, as well as establishing your writer’s voice.

Speaking of voice – check out scripts by Shane Black, Quentin Tarantino and Brian Duffield as shining examples. Great writing, each with a distinctive voice that really engages and involves the reader.

Reading scripts can also help motivate ideas. If I’m feeling stuck, I’ll watch a scene that’s similar to what I have in mind, then find the script to see how it reads on the page, then figure out a different way for mine to go.

I’d forgotten how satisfying it is to take the time to read a script. Doesn’t matter whose it is. Good writing is good writing, great writing is better, and a solid, well-written script is the best.

Slow and steady and all that

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Quick update – no post last week because I was getting ready to run the Writing For Hollywood track as part of the San Francisco Writers Conference. Time got away from me what with all the planning and coordinating. Even though I was miffed about not posting, having a phenomenal day of panels with some savvy screenwriting & filmmaking pros was a nice consolation prize.

FYI – I’ll be doing this again for next year’s conference, so if you’re interested in attending, there’s a link on the homepage to find out more.

So with the conference out of the way, it’s back to work on a few projects.

-had a great meeting with the director of my short film. The crowdfunding should be launching in early/mid-March, with a projected shoot in early/mid-June. Doing what I can to make that happen. Watch this space for more details.

-had a pair of great Zoom calls with some writer chums to discuss my new spec idea. Both had some excellent suggestions. I’d been feeling stuck on the story – especially for Act Two – and it was quite helpful talking things out.

Once again I find myself writing ideas down and constantly thinking “How about THIS?” Right now it’s mostly a big jumble of ideas and concepts, but something is definitely starting to take shape. I’m not as stressed about it as I was. This is that part of the process that’s equal parts thrilling and frustrating, but the important thing is that it’s getting done.

And the more I work on it, the more hopeful and confident I get about it.

From the archives: FBD is a BFD

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This post from July 2024 is about when I was first starting on this new story idea. I’d put that one on hold to spend a lot of time polishing and rewriting another script, so work on this one has resumed. There has been some progress on figuring out the story, but a lot of what’s mentioned in here still rings true – especially the subject.

Enjoy.

Working on this new script idea is proving to be quite a challenge. It’s still in the very early development stages, so any and every idea is being written down for potential use. No doubt some will stay, some will be trashed, and some will be altered/revised/modified to varying degrees.

Adding to all of this is that a big part of the story is similar to parts of a very beloved and well-known film – so similar that it’s one of my comps – so I also need to come up with ideas so my story safely falls into the category of “Familiar, But Different” – FBD.

It’s my goal to have this story be reminiscent of that other one, but not so much that it feels like I’m totally ripping it off. I’ve read a lot of scripts that fall short of that, so doing what I can to avoid falling into that trap.

This film also has a lot of iconic scenes, so it’s even more important I put my own spin on the concept to really hammer home its FBD-ness. The absolute last thing I want is for somebody to read this and think “There’s nothing new here”.

A key part of this is breaking down the components of the original film – not just the story, plot and characters, but seeing what worked, how the various storylines and subplots were laid out AND how they were connected. I can then use all of that as a springboard to putting my story together, and then fine tune as necessary.

Challenging, but not impossible.

Great as it would be to have the final result ready now, finding a new way to tell this familiar story is part of what I enjoy about doing this. I like to call it “go for the hard turn”; Just when you think things are going to go a certain way, there’s a yank on the steering wheel and all of a sudden things are heading in a whole new direction that makes you want to keep going.

One thing I’m fairly certain will play a factor in putting this together is that I’m just enjoying working on it. I don’t think there’s anything like it out there, so there’s a certain thrill to exploring the unknown, so to speak. It’s a priority for me that when it’s totally done – no matter how long that takes – it makes a strong impression for both the story it’s telling and how it’s written.

Even though it’ll take a while for me to figure it out, I’m confident I can make it happen.

Narrowing things down

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Sometime in the fall of 2024, I started working on this new script. As is my standard practice, I came up with the main plot points and then started filling in the blanks.

Made some good progress – to a point. Act One came together pretty quickly, so now it’s all about Acts Two and Three. Those are proving to be a bit more challenging, so work has slowed a bit. But not stalled, which is important.

Part of this stems from not wanting to have things come across as too similar to the films that inspired the idea (so much that they’re the comps). Obsessing about finding the perfect solution won’t help, so I’ve opted to write down any and all ideas, see which ones are the best fit, and then figure out a way to put that “familiar but different” spin on them.

As is usually the case, there will probably be a ton of ideas that end up unused, but better to have a lot of those rather than fall short.

I already had a list of possible scenes/ideas, and have started expanding on each one while also considering how it could involve or affect the protagonist, the antagonist, or possibly both.

It’s also very important to not get frustrated about how long this is taking. It’s better to spend time figuring things out now while still in the early stages rather than have them cause problems later. Also good – not having everything locked in. Flexibility is a good element to work with.

And by coming up with a lot of ideas, if something doesn’t work in one spot, maybe there’s somewhere else in the story that might be a better fit. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

I’m making a deliberate effort to really take my time with this one, and am confident it’ll all pay off.