The past few days have been the standard rollercoaster. Some good stuff, some not-so-good stuff, with a small percentage of the latter being very not-so-good.
But there were a few glimmers of hope within the darkness. More on those as/if they develop. Any positive vibes and crossed fingers are always appreciated.
During this time I was reminded of the phrase “Don’t worry about things over which you have no control.” I took that to heart, and it’s really helped.
There are SO MANY things about screenwriting that are out of our hands. Stressing out about them doesn’t do us any good, and I’d much rather work on the things over which I DO have control.
Things like figuring out the story of my new spec, coordinating with guests for my podcast, getting the crowdfunding ready for my short film, reading friends’ scripts and giving notes.
(Two little things that have really paid off – a few minutes here and there to interact with other writers on social media or email, and maintaining a “What needs to get done today” checklist.)
Taking care of any of these helps me feel productive and less stressed because I AM GETTING STUFF DONE. Some of it may take longer than hoped or expected, but each one constitutes a step in the right direction. Even just writing about it helps.
If you feel this way, just remember that you’re not alone and there are always things that you can do to help make your screenwriting journey a little easier.
Still trying to figure out the story for my new spec, but it’s slowly coming together. Will probably take longer than I’d like, but making a point to not rush through this.
Got the concept, a few scenes and plot points in place, and I know the ending.
Bonus – placeholder title replaced with something better/stronger. For the time being, anyway.
Now I just need to focus on everything else and I’m all set.
Easy peasy.
Taking a few days off from the daily grind, so next week’s post will most likely be out of the archives, but the creativeness never stops.
Later, gators.
-Also wanted to express a huge thanks to all my writing chums who helped me navigate my way through a rough week. Consider me thoroughly grateful for all the ongoing support & encouragement.
Someday my belief that most people are inherently good and really want to help others will win out over my cynicism. But not today.
A new connection on social media was interested in some of my scripts and asked to take a look.
Did my homework. They were listed as a producer, with credits.
I’ve worked with credited producers before. Some have proven to be fantastic connections, whereas others…
After some back-and-forth emails, I found out that after reading my scripts, if they deemed any of them worthy of receiving a “CONSIDER” rating, I could then pay a “collaboration fee” as a confirmed commitment from me to get the ball rolling towards production. The “fee” would also give me an Executive Producer credit in addition to a writing credit.
And if that weren’t enticing enough, they ended with “Be rest assured. Production is guaranteed.”
Of course it is.
I really, really hate when this happens, and it seems to be happening more and more – especially with things getting tougher in the industry. Somebody offers to help out a writer, but IT’S GONNA COST YA.
A new or less-experienced writer is easy prey. They’re desperate to break in, no matter how, and figure “This is it!” Maybe they figure a 3- or 4-digit price tag is worth paying now in exchange for “guaranteed” results later.
Time goes by, with constant reassurances that “it’s coming along”, and then “we’ve hit some snags, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
Communication becomes less frequent, and then they can’t understand why their emails remain unanswered and their “partner” has seemingly vanished from the face of the earth, along with the money they shelled out to make their dream come true.
A tough way to learn a lesson, but it happens more often than we think.
As soon as a more experienced writer sees this, they quickly realize the whole thing is a scam and remove themselves from the situation as fast as possible.
A PROFESSIONAL PAYS YOU. YOU DO NOT PAY THEM.
If you find yourself in this kind of situation, just say “thanks, but no thanks” and walk away.
The past few weeks have had their share of ups and downs.
Made a little progress on developing the new spec, but still a long ways to go. Have to keep reminding myself it’s an ongoing work in progress, and these things never come together immediately, so feeling frustrated about less-than-productive times is perfectly okay. Each day yields a small result, which is great.
The animated script didn’t make the top 10 in an animation contest, which was disappointing, but I did get some eye-opening notes about it, with more on the way, so looks like there’s at least one more rewrite in my future.
Still having a ball doing The Creative Writing Life podcast (on Spotify and YouTube), with more great guests lined up for August. Also mulling a couple of ideas for topic-based shows.
Been a bit lax on getting things moving for the short film, so hoping to correct course on that one.
It would be easy to let the negatives overpower the positives, but I’m in this for the long haul. It might take longer to reach that finish line, but I know I can get there.
The most important takeaway from all of this is that I like doing it. Even on the not-great days. Brainstorming, writing, interacting with other creatives. It’s all good stuff.
Otherwise, it would seem too much like work. And that’s no fun.
Nice to see you again. Mind if I ask you something?
In June, there was an event on Twitter (I’m not calling it the other thing) called ScreenPit, where writers listed the loglines for their scripts in the hopes of garnering interest. Trust me when I say there were A LOT of scripts listed. Some I’d read before, some I’d heard of, and most that were new to me.
If something caught my eye – the title, the logline, the concept, I’d reach out and ask the writer if I could read it.
Nobody said no, and they were all thrilled to be asked.Some even asked to read my stuff.
This whole experience reminded me of a post from Dec 2016. Enjoy.
Sometime last week, I received a very nice compliment via on online forum regarding the quality of the script notes I give. A mutual associate of ours chimed in with the grumbly “Well, he never does it for me.”
To which I responded “Because you never ask.”
I don’t know what this writer’s standard M.O. is for getting notes, but from what I can gather, usually involves them posting “Anybody want to read my stuff?”
There’s nothing wrong with that, but the drawback is you run the risk of getting feedback from somebody with less experience than you, or worse, has no idea what they’re talking about.
This is why networking and establishing relationships with other writers is so important. If someone posted a generic request for a read, I’d be less inclined to respond. Even if I knew the person. I figure they’ll probably get a few other responses, so why bother?
But if someone came to me specifically and said “If you have the time, would you be able to read this?”, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes. This shows me that they value my experience and opinions, along with respecting that I can’t simply drop everything to accommodate them. They’ll also include an offer to read something of mine, if I’m interested.
Sometimes I’ll get an email asking me for a read, and it might be because of any number of reasons. They’ve read my stuff before and think this new script is similar. They know I have an eye for fill-in-the-blank. All of this could only have come from myself and this other writer having already established a good professional relationship.
While I always encourage writers to get out there and network, it’s also important to build on those connections once you’ve got them. You don’t have to become somebody’s best friend, but being supportive or offering the occasional words of encouragement really go a long way. Plus, people are much more likely to remember that sort of thing, adding to the likelihood they’d be willing to help you out.
More than often I’ve read about another writer’s projects and introduce myself, tell them how I found them (usually via the forums) and of my interest in the script in question, then ask if they’re cool with me taking a look at it. It’s a rare occurrence when someone says no.
Both of you are writers constantly striving to improve, and some good, solid feedback can play a big part in that. And that can be best achieved by getting to know other writers and treating with the same respect you’d expect to be treated with yourself.
-Like I wrote about a few weeks ago, the 9-week summer session of Kaia Alexander’s Entertainment Business School begins on August 5th. This weekend is your last opportunity to sign up and have access to the wealth of info, advice, and guidance about the business of show that Kaia has to offer. And if you use the code PZ50S24, you’ll get $50 off the enrollment fee. Kaia really knows her stuff, so if you’re serious about wanting to learn more about having a career in screenwriting or TV, her course is a great place to start.
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