success

Waving the red flag

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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.

You won’t regret it.

The other three little words

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My, what a rough week this was.

PAGE semifinalists and Nicholl quarterfinalists were announced. My script was not on either list.

Disappointing, especially since I think it’s a pretty solid script.

At least that’s what my readers say.

But like you always hear: it’s all subjective.

Your first thought when you get that notification that includes “Unfortunately,…” is probably “I must be a really shitty writer”.

Not so. I’ve read a lot of scripts of exceptional quality that also didn’t advance, including one by a previous Nicholl top 10 finalist.

There is absolutely no way to tell how a script is going to do in a contest. You send it, hope for the best, then move on to whatever the next thing is.

After I’d posted about not advancing, more than a few writers responded in kind.

“Me too.”

“Another swing and a miss.”

“Whoo! My eighth consecutive year of not advancing.”

It’s taken me a lot of time to accept that while it’s great to see your script do well in a contest, when it doesn’t do well is no absolute reflection on you as a writer.

Again: it’s all subjective.

One writer I know was frustrated after years and years of their script never doing well in a contest. That script then went on to place in the top 50 for the Nicholl.

This isn’t to say that your script couldn’t do with a little more work. That’s really up to you.

If you’re among the horde of writers whose contest journey has come to an end, give yourself a minute to vent and air those grievances, then decide what you’re going to do about it.

Is your script as solid as it can be, or would it be worth your while to give it another read to see if anything could use some tweaking?

Something to also keep in mind: winning a contest can be a stepping stone to a career as a writer, but it’s not the only way. A script can not do well in a contest but still attract the attention of somebody interested in making it.

As another writer put it: “I’d rather write a script that would be a good movie, than one that wins contests.”

At this point I don’t know what my plan is for next year’s contests. I’m too busy working on scripts to worry about it.

Which reminds me of another three important little words:

Don’t. Stop. Trying.

Create your own doorway

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Had a great Zoom chat the other day with a newer writer. They’d found me on social media and liked what I’ve had to say about screenwriting and working on establishing a career at it. Would I be open to imparting some of what I’ve learned and any other advice I might have that could potentially help point them in the right direction?

Even though I admitted to still being one of those trying to “break in”, so my two cents of guidance was probably worth about that much anyway, how could I say no?

We talked about wide variety of topics, mostly involving screenwriting, including our respective backgrounds, experience, short- and long-term goals. They also asked for potential suggestions as to how they could go about achieving those goals.

I told them what I’ve said to many writers before, and it still rings true.

Everybody’s path to success (however you gauge it) is going to be unique to them and them alone. What works for me will probably be totally different than what works for you. If you know what your goals are, then it’s up to you to figure out what it will take for you to get there.

You need to create your own doorway, because nobody’s going to do it for you.

Use everything at your disposal. You might think you don’t have anything to work with at first, but you’d be surprised how effective even the littlest thing can be. It’s all about perspective and determination.

For example, the writer had worked on some short films in various capacities. They could use those to showcase their skills, as well as adding the other filmmakers and crew into their network. You never know who knows of another gig or has heard of a project that needs someone who can do the things you do.

If that’s what it takes for you to find that way in, that’s what you do.

The writer said nobody had put it that way before, which really helped them as they start to figure out their approach and possible strategies. They appreciated the advice, and the honesty.

This sort of stuff might seem pretty basic to those of us who’ve been at it for a long time (such as yours truly), but there will always be those just starting to dip their toes into these turbulent waters. I didn’t really have anybody like that when I was starting out, so why not offer up a helping hand in some capacity?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a doorway to finish creating, followed by kicking it wide open.

A verbal solution for a writing problem

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Even despite a temporary lapse, output on the sci-fi adventure rewrite was progressing at a decent pace.

I already knew there’d be more work to do once it was done, but something still felt off. A piece of the puzzle was missing, and it felt weird to keep pushing forward. Like building a house with incomplete blueprints.

Although my original intent was to finish the rewrite, I wanted to take care of the missing puzzle piece. This in itself was quite challenging.

Once again, my network of savvy writing colleagues comes to the rescue.

I’ve been doing more one-on-one Zoom calls with writers I’ve only known through social media. It’s a great opportunity to get to know them as people, as well as talk a lot of shop about screenwriting.

Such was the case earlier this week. Another writer and myself were discussing some of our current projects, and the sci-fi adventure came up. Despite my stumbling through the “pitch”, my friend got really into the concept, prompting them to ask a lot of thought-provoking questions about the story and the characters. Some I had an answer for, some I didn’t.

(side note – I used to be embarassed about not having all the answers when it came to my stories, but have since embraced it and am now willing to say “I don’t know” or “no idea” because this usually leads to a discussion where everybody involved helps me come up with an answer.)

This led me to realize that some aspects of the story weren’t as defined as I thought. That, in turn, had a ripple effect on the rest of the story. The same story of which I had just passed the halfway mark with rewriting.

It was like taking a piece out near the bottom of the tower in a game of Jenga. Not that everything came crashing down; more like things got a whole lot more wobbly.

We talked things through some more, and did some impromptu brainstorming, all of which which helped point me in the right direction.

Long story short: the rewrite’s on hold and the reset button’s been pushed. But like I mentioned during the discussion, once those fixes are worked out and implemented, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get back on track.

While I originally hoped to be done with the rewrite around now, or at least mighty close to it, I don’t mind making another trip to the drawing board to take care of this. I’m already looking forward to taking this on and seeing how it goes.

Bonus – the chance to make any other fixes in the 50+ pages I’ve already written.

Yet another reason to be active and interactive within your personal writing community.

–The final chapter in the Indiana Jones series opens today. The characters and storytelling have been a huge influence for me and my writing, and I can only hope that my scripts can someday be compared to them.

I also hope the movie’s good.

Chances of winning – slim

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A few contests have been releasing the latest results. Sadly, my fantasy-comedy didn’t advance in some of them.

Disappointing, but just the way it is. Subjectivity and all that.

I know more than a few writers who are still in the running, and I wish them all the best. It’s important to be supportive and encouraging for others’ success. They earned it, and it’s how I’d want to be treated if the situation were reversed.

As I indulge in some introspection (and another round of script analysis), this is a great reminder that success on one front does not guarantee it in another.

Lots of writers do well in contests, but only a small fraction see it lead to bigger and better things.

I know writers who’ve won or placed highly in some major contests, gotten representation and meetings with producers as a result, but even years later are still struggling to move things forward. It happens.

There are also those who have had nothing happen, which also happens.

It’s natural to feel jealous and frustrated when you see other writers making progress, and you’re not – for contests or otherwise. So you hunker down and try to get better.

And even though that other writer made it a little farther than you did, there’s a chance the next stage could be where things stop for them.

If they keep advancing, good for them.

The odds are already against us from the get-go; even just finishing a script is more than some writers accomplish.

When this sort of thing happens, I gripe/stew/lament about it for a short period of time, accept it, and move on with the mindset of “how can I make this better so as to increase my chances the next time around?”

It helps. Both myself and the script.

With more and more contests announcing the latest results in the coming months, no matter what happens, do your best to be ready.