spec script

Heed the words of Mamet

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A few more pages added to the first draft of the action-comedy spec. So far, so good.

With a little something new added to the mix.

Each scene has been an exercise in “write it, go back and tighten it up.” One scene that was originally 1 1/2 pages was trimmed down to around 3/4ths of a page without sacrificing anything.

What really helped was really adhering to writer David Mamet’s guideline of “Get in late, get out early”.

I’ve written before about my tendency to overwrite, and the scene in question was no exception. I initially put it together how I thought it should be, but it didn’t start as late it should, and took too long to get out. So anything that didn’t absolutely need to be there got cut.

The result – a tighter, faster scene that makes the same point.

As an experiment, I attempted to write the next scene with that mindset from the get-go. Start late, get out asap. Even with a little editing and tweaking as it was being written, this one also turned out nicely.

I’m sure every scene after this won’t be written as smoothly, but it’ll definitely help, possibly even speed up the process. Possibly.

Another detail that’s been incredibly helpful is to just write what I have in the outline for each scene. Nothing extra. It’s getting easier to resist padding it for the sake of padding.

A variation on the Mamet quote could be “Get in late, get to the point, move on to the next scene”.

It’ll definitely take some time to adjust since this is the way I’ve written for so long, but I like the results so far. Will do my best to stick with it from here on out.

First step taken

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After some delays, I returned to the outline for the new action-comedy spec. Still a ways to go, but I’d forgotten how much stuff I’d come up with. There’s a lot to work with.

Despite the overall incompleteness, I decided to try something a little different. Something I’d never consider doing at this stage.

I started on pages. Just to see how it read, what could potentially stay, what could be cut, etc.

Since this would be considered the vomit draft, this is all about getting stuff down on the page and focusing forward, rather than writing, going back and rewriting, and so on and so on.

Full disclosure – one day after the first two pages, I thought of ways to improve them and did a little tweaking. I like how it turned out, but am sticking with a “head down, keep writing” approach.

I may even go so far by writing what I already have in the outline, stop at a certain point and finish the outline, or possibly (gasp!) taking a total pantser approach and just write and see what happens.

But that’s not something to worry about right now. I’m just enjoying the writing, as it should be.

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.

–

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

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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.