screenwriting

My Austin experience

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The 30th Austin Film Festival is in the books, and I had the pleasure of attending for the first time. There was also the bonus of my script being a Second Rounder. Twice. More on that in a minute.

Before I went, a friend who’d been there several times offered up some very sage advice:

“Don’t go expecting it to be a career-launcher. While that might be a remote possibility, go with the intent of meeting people, maybe learning a few things about the craft, and most importantly – to have a good time.”

I took all of those to heart, and it most definitely paid off.

For me the absolute best part was getting to meet an extraordinary amount of people I’d only known through social media; a lot of writers I’ve interacted with for years. It was fabulous to be able to talk with them face-to-face. Whether it was over coffee or drinks, a meal or just waiting in line for one of the many panels, just being able to chat (or shout, depending on the location) with each other was extremely pleasant.

Like a lot of writers, I can be quiet at first before I feel comfortable enough to open up and be more social. In the days leading up to the festival, I was terrified it would be another one of those “Everybody’s talking to somebody while I’m just sitting/standing here by myself”-type of situations.

And I hate those.

More than a few people told me it’s very easy to start a conversation in Austin. You see somebody wearing a badge and just start talking. I figured I’d give it a try.

The easiest place to do this was in line, of which there are MANY. A bit awkward at first, but this ended up happening a lot. One of my favorite parts was asking somebody about their script or scripts, which were listed on their badge if it had placed. I love seeing and hearing a writer talk about their work – you really can see their excitement about it on display. I even got a few “I’d love to read that” in response to them hearing about mine – always nice.

Another great thing was the wide variety of panels being offered. I think this will be the last time I’ll feel the need to go to any of the “how to break in”-type panels. While the information was good, none of it was anything I hadn’t already heard many times before. I didn’t mind attending them, but next time I’ll be able to focus more on the ones that feel a little more tailored to my kind of writing (e.g. Deconstructing the Action Movie, Tentpole Storytelling, etc.).

With my script being a Second Rounder, I had the opportunity to attend some roundtable panels, which involved industry pros chatting with some of us at a table for about 12-15 minutes, then moving on to another table. The ones I got to hear ranged from TV writers to a screenwriter who’s had several films produced over the past few years.

Regarding my earlier comment about my script being a Second Rounder twice. I’d entered the animated fantasy-comedy before the early bird deadline, but then did a few rewrites on it and thought it was a lot better, so I rolled the dice and entered it again before the final deadline. I felt it was worth paying another entry fee. I was thrilled when I got the phone call saying the script was a Second Rounder, but then remembered I’d entered it twice. Was this for the first or second entry? The first, I was told. This gave me hope that the second entry might have a shot at making the semifinals. A few weeks later, another phone call came in to congratulate me for my script being a Second Rounder. Not what I was hoping for, but still really nice to hear. It was the first time a script of mine ever made Second Round, so to also be attending the Festival for the first time was a double-win.

One of the things that wasn’t as great a match for me was the late night activities. Much as I wanted to take part, a combination of decades of my body being used to getting up in the middle of the night for work and non-stop activity from dawn to dusk resulted in me being totally spent at the end of the day. Hitting a party or visiting a bar at 11pm or midnight might work for some, but not this guy

I could talk about other peripheral things like where to stay, good places to eat & drink, and that sort of thing, but that’s more of an individual choice. Part of the fun was the exploring of the downtown Austin area. Although I will add that dinner at Gus’ World Famous Fried Chicken was phenomenal.

If you’re a screenwriter who hasn’t had the chance to attend the Austin Film Festival, it’s something I highly recommend. It’s truly an experience you won’t forget and hopefully be one you’ll be eager to repeat. I don’t plan on doing any contests for 2024, so I’ll probably skip going to Austin next year; more likely ’25 or ’26. Or as one of my friends put it: “You should come back when they’re talking about the movie that you wrote.”

I like that option the most. Working on it.

**One more thing: I tested positive for Covid upon my return home. Another first-time experience, and another reason this trip will be truly memorable. This has also happened for several other friends, so if you haven’t tested yet, DO SO IMMEDIATELY and take the appropriate action.

See you in Texas

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This time next week, I’ll be in Austin for the screenwriting aspect of the Austin Film Festival.

First time attending, and thrilled to be doing so as a Second Rounder.

Fun fact: I’ve only been to the Lone Star State once before, and that was a few years ago for a screenwriting thing in Houston.

Looking forward to meeting a lot of writers I’ve only had contact with through social media.

If you’re there, look for me and don’t hesitate to come up and say hi. We’ll talk, maybe share a drink or a meal. Rely on the fact that I will want to know about you and your script(s).

A very nice time is expected.

Mind the gap(s)

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Feeling really good about how the latest rewrite of the sci-fi adventure outline is going.

A lot of the story is in place, but there are still a few blanks or gaps that need filling in – questions that need to be answered or an issue that needs to be addressed. Something relevant has to happen at those points, but I don’t know what yet, so I’ll put in a generic placeholder like “HOW??” or “WORK ON THIS!”

I’ll do this as I work my way through the rest of the story, and when I move on to the next draft, I’ll be able to focus on filling in those gaps. Sometimes that’s enough, but there have also been instance where a new detail can inspire a new direction or a spur-of-the-moment minor changes.

It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, but putting in that missing piece creates a new, slightly different version of what the puzzle was originally supposed to look like, but you don’t mind because it still works – maybe even more than you thought it would.

This approach also proves helpful because more than a few times I realized something was happening with no setup whatsoever, so I’d go back and see where that could happen. I try to make it organic, rather than feel forced because the story requires it. Sometimes the answer comes quickly, or it might take a few tries. It’s also not uncommon to suddenly come up with something that’s the total opposite of what I originally intended, but it works even better, so in it goes.

I’m making a real point of taking my time with this. That seems to be helping in terms of determining where the fixes (and follow-up fixes, if necessary) need to be made, so the proper adjustments can be made as I go along. Bulldozing my way through seems more of a short-term solution, resulting in more potential rewrites down the line. Better to take it slow and deal with all the problems now than to spread it out and spend more time on them later.

I just wrapped up Act One, and am fairly hopeful Act Two won’t take too long. A lot of Act Three had already been set up in One and Two, so probably won’t need as much work.

I’m eager to get started on pages, but have no problem taking the time to fill in those gaps to make sure everything flows nice and smoothly.

-Coming to Austin? I’ll be there. Feel free to say hi.

From the archives: Writing in your own voice

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“Hmm. Billy’s new script. Something about men dressing up as women to hide from gangsters? Hope it’s funny.”

I’ve seen a good number of articles and online comments recently about how a script should convey the writer’s “voice”. That prompted this blast from the past from June 8, 2018.

Enjoy.

“When I’ve done script notes for writing colleagues, no matter what the genre is, I can usually tell who wrote it – because of the way it reads. Each writer has their own particular style, so each of their scripts has its own corresponding “sound”. Or I’ll get notes back on my material which often includes a comment along the lines of “this sounds like something you’d write”.

This isn’t just about dialogue. It’s about a writer’s overall style, or how they tell the story of their script. You don’t just want the reader to read your story; you want them to experience it. Which can be accomplished by adding that extra layer.

Everybody develops their own individual style, and it takes time to find it. The more you write, the more you’ll be able to hone your writing to reflect your own individuality.

Just a few things to think about:

-How does your script read? Is the writing crisp and efficient, or are you wasting valuable page real estate with too many lines of  your loquacious verbosity? Taking it one step further, do you use the same words over and over, or do you relish any opportunity to give your thesaurus a solid workout?

-How is your story set up and how does it play out? Is it simple and straightforward, or complex and full of deliciously tantalizing twists and turns? Are you working that creativeness to show us things we haven’t seen before, or is just page after page of the same ol’, same ol’?

-Is it a story somebody besides you would want to see? Just because you find the subject matter interesting doesn’t mean it has universal appeal. However, there is the counter-argument to that in which you could attempt to have your story include elements that would satisfy fans of the genre while also appealing to newcomers.

-Can’t ignore the population within the pages. Are your characters well-developed and complex, or do they come up lacking? Do we care about them, or what happens to them? Can we relate to them?

-What are your characters saying, or not saying (subtext!)? How are they saying it? Do they sound interesting or dull as dishwater? Very important – do they sound like actual people, or like “characters in a movie”?

Remember – the script is a reflection of you. A solid piece of writing shows you know what you’re doing. Offering up something sloppy is simply just sabotaging yourself.

Who hasn’t heard a variation on the line about a script being a cheap knockoff of a more established writer? While I can understand admiring a pro writer’s style, why would you attempt to copy it? It probably took them a long time to find their own voice, and by trying to write like they do, you’re denying yourself the opportunity to do the same thing for yourself.

Or to put it another way: they didn’t take any shortcuts to become the writer they are today, so why should you?”

It worked before, so why not again?

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This year’s contest season is pretty much over for me, with some not-too-bad and better-than-expected results.

My animated fantasy-comedy took 3rd Place in Family/Animation at StoryPros, was a quarterfinalist in PAGE and Emerging Screenwriters Animation, and made Second Round at Austin and the ISA Fast Track Fellowship.

Still waiting to hear from a few smaller contests, but none worth mentioning.

Quick note: I’ll be attending Austin this year. Hope to see you there.

I’m quite proud of how this script turned out, and even though I’m rewriting another script, as well as developing a new one after that, there’s still a chance I’ll go back and do another draft.

But I’m not in any rush. Taking my time seems to work well for me.

A few years ago, I opted to skip the contests and just focus on making the scripts better. It was a good decision.

So I think I’ll do it again.

For the time being, no contests for me for the 2024 season. I’d much rather focus on getting these scripts into decent fighting shape.

This is where I’d also add a mention of how much money I’d be saving by not doing any contests. Those fees really add up, don’t they? That’s still the case, to a certain extent. I’m giving serious consideration to redirecting the money spent on contests to one or two sets of professional feedback.

I’m also very fortunate that I have an amazing network of writers who will happily provide feedback on these scripts. A lot of them will be entering contests, and I’ll be the first to cheer their victories and console their defeats.

I won’t say it’s like a heavy load’s been removed from my shoulders, but it definitely feels like the right choice. The contests will always be there, and I’d rather take the time to really hone these scripts so they’re as good as they can be.