spec script

Little changes = big results

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I’d been struggling with the rewrite of the fantasy-comedy spec. I identified a few things that could probably be cut and where some repositioning might come in handy, but there were still a few details that were proving difficult.

So I did what any sensible writer would do: I shifted my attention to another project. Naturally, I’d still return to this one every once in a while, trying to find a viable solution.

Since my usual approach wasn’t working, (helpful tip – don’t try to force ideas. Let ’em happen naturally) I decided to try the tried-and-true “go for the hard turn”. Same objective, much different route to get there.

“Rather than THIS, how about THAT, which still gets us to THERE?”

The spark had been lit. Definitely some potential here, but with some reservations. How much would this drastically impact the story? This was already a major rewrite/overhaul project, but I didn’t want to get away from what appealed to me about the story in the first place.

I mapped things out, looking for scenes and story details that could be changed just enough to make a difference but also not sending things too off-course. Found a few things that matched that criteria and made the appropriate changes in the outline.

I usually stick with the outline until the entire story is ready, but I wanted to give these new ideas a test run to see if they worked on the page. I cranked out a few pages – while also keeping in mind the guideline of “keep it tight!” (i.e. Don’t go for the flourish; just write what needs to be there).

End result – pretty good. It’ll need a little more polishing, but I’ll deal with that later.

There are a few more story details that need work, but I’d say this is a good start.

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Just 2 weeks left on the crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY. We were very fortunate to hit our initial goal and are now working towards a stretch goal. Every $ goes towards post-production, and whatever’s left over will help get the short into some film festivals.

There are several tier rewards, including a new one that includes a personalized video of me telling you a terrible joke (which is on theme for the short).

So if you’re a big supporter of indie filmmaking, the telling of terrible jokes, and the overall screenwriting community, I hope you chip in to help this project reach the finish line.

Not perfect. Just written.

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Some decent progress this week on two of my three big projects for this year.

The one that really resonates is the continuing work on the outline for the new action-comedy spec. Came up with a few more scenes and sequences, while the laborious task looms of fitting them all together in the most effective way.

But something became very obvious while working on one sequence:

Too much effort was going into the details of the scene, and not enough on “what’s the point of this scene?” I was creating more work for myself than necessary, trying to get everything right the first time out.

Silly writer. That’s what rewrites are for!

One of the most important parts of the first draft is just to get the damned thing written. There’ll be lots of work down the road, so why stress about something that’ll most likely be changed in one way or another?

This has really helped my frame of mind. There’s still a ways to go, but the road feels a little smoother.

On top of that, while taking a few breaks along the way by watching some personal favorite films, I noticed how so many scenes really adhere to the “get in late, make the point, move on to the next one.”

I’m going to try and apply that to how I put scenes in the outline together, and then refine it even more as I move on to actual pages.

There’s always something new to learn, and this is no exception.

-Crowdfunding for post-production of my short film SHECKY continues! We’re at 73%, with just under a month to go. Hope you can chip in – and take your pick from some sweet tier rewards!

…and looking ahead

Maximum Z action, Back to the Future, comedy, community, crowdfunding, determination, development, fantasy, feedback, perseverance, persistence, post-production, rewrite, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, spec, story, strategy, thriller, westerns, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last week was all about 2025.

This week, to paraphrase the words of Dr Emmett L Brown, we plan for… the future!

-First and foremost, nailing down the story of the new action-comedy spec, and churning out at least 1-2 drafts. I’d say it’s about 2/3 of the way there. Still some details to work out, but I like how it’s developing.

Also nice – several readers have already volunteered their services to give it a look and subsequently tear it apart. In a helpfully critical way, of course.

-The other big thing is doing a major polish/revision on my western and fantasy-comedy specs. They’re good, but there is definitely potential to elevate the quality of each.

I’m also very fortunate to have a manager who’s really psyched about helping me on all fronts, from feedback on pages to getting the scripts out there.

As last year wound down, several columnists and podcasts talked about planning a strategy for achieving writing goals over the course of the year. A few really hit home for me, and I’ll be putting my own spin on that approach.

Looking forward to seeing how it all goes.

-Another significant project for this year is seeing the completion of post-production on my thrill-omedy short film SHECKY. The crowdfunding is just about halfway there and as of this posting, hovering around 71% funded.

Several readers of the blog have chipped in, and I once again put out a sincere request to anybody else who can contribute and is willing to do so. This is a long-in-development project for me, so any help I can get to reach that finish line is highly appreciated.

There are also some fantastic tier rewards, including invaluable feedback on scripts, directing reels, and acting reels. Click on the link above to take a look around and see if anything strikes your fancy.

-Lastly, my hosting of The Creative Writing Life Podcast continues. Guests are already lined up into February, and I’ll see what I can do about finally adding some theme music.

Those are the big ones for the next 12 months, and no doubt other things will show up.

Exciting times are ahead, chums. Make your 2026 as amazing as you want it to be.

And not one moving box in sight

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After much frustration with figuring out the outline of the action-comedy spec, a startling realization developed:

where the majority of the story takes place was wrong

I’d been so obsessed with trying to make the setting work within the context of the story that I ignored the question of whether it was the right setting in the first place.

As it turns out – nope.

There was also the detail that the original location idea was way too similar to one of its comps. I was more focused on how to make mine different, when it should have been “how can I make this similar, but VERY different?”

This is a specific kind of story, so I needed a location that was the most appropriate AND that offered the most opportunities for scenes and sequences in Acts 2 and 3. Several options were weighed. And since this is action AND comedy, I needed somewhere where both could be adequately accommodated.

I wasn’t concerned with logistics or how realistic it would be, and wanted somewhere that would feel like the perfect fit. The primary question was: what works best for this story?

More options explored. Which offered the most opportunity to not only tell this story, but the most fun way/ways to do so?

Cue the light bulb.

A location that’s very unique, holds what seems like a vast selection of potential scenes and sequences, and definitely checks off the action and comedy aspects.

A lot of my ideas for what could happen in the previous location were tailored to that location. This new one is very different, so many of those were scrapped (while keeping the concepts in reserve, just in case). A new list is still being assembled, with many feeling right for the story and having a strong “haven’t seen that before” kind of vibe.

This was also beneficial because I’d been having trouble figuring out the specifics of the ending, and the new location offered up a few ideas – many of which would also not have worked before.

It’s still a work in progress, but coming up with this new wrinkle has really made a difference. Confidence levels continue to climb.

Happy Halloween and have a great weekend.

Does it have to be a light bulb?

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The title of this post is the punchline to the classic joke “How many studio execs does it take to change a lightbulb?”

In other words, “How about this other option (that probably has nothing to do with the original concept)?”

I bring this up because the struggle with developing the action-comedy spec continues, now with the added concern that too many aspects of the story are too similar to other more well-known films. That is something I’m definitely trying to avoid, hence the struggle.

It goes without saying that the last thing I want is for somebody to read this and think “This is just a ripoff of _____”, so recent brainstorming sessions have all been about coming up with alternatives that still work within the concept of the story but are also unique enough so as to feel like a fresh take.

Another key part is that the details that need this attention are a key part of the story, so if they don’t work, the rest of it more or less falls apart – which is also something I’m hoping to avoid.

I’m not crazy about how challenging this one is or how long it’s taking to develop, but I’d much rather take the time to really fine-tune things and make sure everything works on all the appropriate levels than crank something out and not be happy with it.

I also wholeheartedly accept that no matter what the final choice is, it’ll involve a lot of rewriting to accommodate it. Then again, the overall story is still a work in progress, so either way there’s a lot of writing in my future.

Despite all of this, I’m still psyched about the story and really am having fun with putting it together. It’ll be quite interesting to see what the end result is.