Writing For Hollywood

First Draft - How Long Is Too Long?

2012-02-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

So, I'm about to turn in my first draft. Written in a mere five weeks (okay, I was working from the most detailed outline of my career, but still)... five weeks is pretty fast, not lightning, but speedy. Especially when you consider I worked over two legal holidays and through a toddler illness.

So, here's the deal. It's 132 pages long. In the genre that I'm working in - maybe 120 is acceptable - maybe. So, I've got a problem.

But, in this case, I am working with a very hands on (and brilliant) producer who has gone over the outline with me with a very fine-toothed comb. Extremely fine, like the kind you use to remove lice from school age children. And I hesitate to cut anything that we have gone over together without giving him a chance to look at it.

This is what's called the "pre-first draft" or "producer's pass." I'm handing it in, but I'm not counting it as a draft. I just want to get his opinion on this "rough" assemblage.

But still, come on. You can't hand in 132 pages!

Okay, so what to do? A writing professor friend of mine suggested "change the spacing to tight." Another veteren suggested removing the extra space before the slugline.

What does this tell me?

That I'm not the first scribe to leave in the kitchen sink. It's so common, we already have tricks to deal with it.

Is being too long really a big deal on a first draft? Some would say better to have more than less. Then you can cut what you don't need.

We'll have to see. My experience tells me two things.

1) If it's too long - you have a structural problem, you don't know your chararcters well enough and you are therefore overwriting. You aren't trusting your writing or your audience. You are a control freak. Fix it.

And:

2) Producers are way more likely to suggest additions and changes, but rarely cuts. The BHP I'm working with will probably be the exception to this rule, as he has been an exception to the rule on all other things so far. But in general, they will add to your page count.

"We've got to cut this down." Will be their first note, followed by a three page list of what they want added for marketing, the actor they cast and their own story points. All valid - but not helping the page count.

So, what to do?

I'm going to listen to my friends' advice and tweak the formatting, of course! Heck, I might even fudge the margins...

And I'm going to celebrate my draft. There are moments in it that I have never come close to rivaling.

This is a first draft. I'm going to give it its due and hope that my BHP and some distance from the story will guide me to the next official first draft.

To be continued....

Happy Writing

The Ledge

2012-01-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

So I'm about to finish the first rough draft of my script. My goal is Friday, so I can have people read over the weekend and get it shored up to turn in to the B.H.P. next week.

I started writing on December 28. My goal is to type Fade Out by January 27.

For the most part I've been sailing thanks to the extensive outline I'm working from - but there have been moments when I was seriously grateful I didn't live in a high-rise.

Let me tell you a little bit about what that feels like - those moments on The Ledge.

First, it comes out of nowhere. In this instance a little nothing scene. An exchange between my main character and the romantic counterpart, the b-plot of the story.

There are clues already to how I got on the ledge - can you find them? A nothing little scene between my main character... Okay that doesn't exist... especially not in the b-plot.

I'm zinging along, going to hit my daily page count no problem.

(Daily page count is my tool I use to break out a rough draft, write fast and hot, fix it later.)

Whammo!

I couldn't get past the scene. I started tweaking. I hated that. No that didn't work. I started cutting huge sections. I added things that had no relevance. I cut those. Wait a second? What was going on here?

What was going on was I didn't know what this scene was about or why it was important. Unbelievable that can happen after the many months of detailed outline work - but yet - alas..

I tried to skip it - go back later. But I couldn't every time I sat down I found myself back on this scene.

I started to hate this scene. I started to hate myself. I started to doubt the validity of the entire project. Of my talent and skill as a writer.

At this point I'm a real joy to be around. My husband avoids me. My toddler calls me The Grinch and my dog hides under the bed.

Everything grinds to a halt. I cannot go forward until I solve this. I can't sleep. I am miserable.

I'm on the ledge. Everything looks hopeless. I'll never solve it. I don't know what I'm doing. Who was I kidding? They are going to ask for their money back. I'm going to be sued.

My husband reminds me that I always get this way. That at some point I always hit a roadblock and I will solve it. I remember why I love him.

I decide to hang in there. I look at the scene from a longer view. The problem couldn't be fixed in this scene because it was a symptom of a bigger issue. The entire subplot was sending the wrong message.

This sounds like a lot of work - which is probably why I didn't first jump to this solution - but it was the only way off the ledge that didn't end with a long shriek and a splat.

And it made me curious. I had a lot of new things to explore. New discoveries to make. I had to get off that ledge and start writing. This was the fun part, back again. The next thing I knew I was whizzing along.

Happy Writing.

Ten Scenes A Day

2012-01-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

I need to turn in the draft sooner than later. We are pushing against a shoot deadline. If I turn it in soon AND if its good - then we are making a movie. Hundreds of people will be employed.

If I don't pull it off - then we'll have to wait another year. A year in Hollywood - I shudder to think - anything could happen.

Okay, so I can't focus on the outcome. I can't think of how much is riding on this draft. I can't think about the fact that in 15 years my son will be heading off to college.

I've simply got to take that next step. From A to B.

A to B. The step right in front of me is all that matters. Getting that step right is all I can do.

So here's my plan:

Write ten scenes a day. (I'm half way done right now - and at this pace I should be able to get a draft by the weekend.)

Then, I'll get some key reads.

And turn it in to the B.H.P.

Then I'll start praying.

As well as blow the dust off my spec, take a look at some possible future writing gigs, break-down my indie film and create a budget.

Wow. Writing ten scenes a day is really going to be the easy part!*

I'll keep you posted!

PS. Ten scenes a day is a little misleading. I have a very detailed outline that I'm working on. Usually a beat in an outline would be one sentence. Here I have whole chunks of dialogue and most of the description already written out. I simply divided the work I still needed to do by the days I needed to do it in. Some days will be long and hard, other days will be easy and maybe I can get a jump on the long and hard days. But, I've just created a manageable next step. From A to B. Basically the same process of every step of writing.

Happy Writing!

Happy New Year - Starting Again

2012-01-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Writing Tip Of The Week: The easiest and the hardest thing to do: Start!

--WHEN IT'S EASY - IT GETS HARDER. Let me explain, you wake up with an inspiration. The next thing you know you are scribbling on whatever you can get your hands on to get these ideas down. You're riding a lightning bolt. That's an easy start. Often times, the next part gets hard. The organizing your brilliance and fixing the problems the lightning had blinded you to sucks in comparison. And you'll question whether what you thought was brilliant actually was.

--WHEN IT'S HARD - IT GETS EASIER. Right from the beginning you are pulling teeth. That's when the closets get organized, you answer emails to anyone, etc. You are starting cold and have to much through unti you grab an idea. But once you break through you are on a roll. Time is sailing, you are underway.

So those are the two ways it can go. To get through both you just have to stick with it. Break down your goals.

For example, today I have a three hour window of uninterrupted time (a rare thing for a working mom with a toddler) and so I am setting a goal that if I stay focused and suck down an adequate amount of caffeine, I should be able to conquer.

It's taking the first step and then following it with the next that will get you there. But just remember, even if it's easy, don't get discouraged when it gets hard. And if it's starting off with a challenge, keep going it will get easier.

Happy Writing and Happy Monday!

PS. The new site - although we have it up on our server - has been delayed. The movie needed more work over the holidays (see previous posts) and so, the new blog has had to be re-prioritized to its rightful place (below actually contractually bound writing jobs... ;) But it's still in the works.

Update: What holiday?

2011-12-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

Did we just have a holiday? What I had was two weeks of near all-nighters broken up by two days in bed with the stomach flu. Nice.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

As a recap - I've been working on the outline (treatment) for 13 months. From pitch, to short audition treatment, to finally getting the outline in shape to turn into a screenplay this process has taken 13 months. It has included a week long research trip with my producer and executive producers, probably 130 hours worth of deep script discussions, mainly taking place in the wee hours of the night because B.H.P. was on the other side of the globe shooting a Big Hollywood Movie. We probably burned through three trees of notes. At last count I wrote 45 plus drafts (I lost count). Which I was happy to do because each step made it better. Each version we got closer and I wanted to get closer. And finally, we got there...

Today, I am starting to write the first draft.

The good news is that I am so happy with the work, I am in fact purely happy. Somebody once said (it might have been Dorothy Parker, but I'm not sure), "I don't enjoy writing, I enjoy having written."

Well, YES.

The outline turned out to be a very detailed, single-spaced 37 pages. So my first step is to put in the slug lines where they need to go, keeping the description as to what is happening in the scene underneath. Then I will start at the top and crawl into each and every scene and breathe life.

Crawling in and breathing life. That's my job.

DIRECTING PROJECT:

The writers have finished draft one and we gave it out to get notes over the holiday. We will collect feedback at the top of the month. I'm also contacting the film commission where we want to shoot to see about getting help with a budget, locations and breakdowns.

OTHER WRITING BITS:

I have been noodling a new spec. (I have insomnia... you can get a lot done while everyone else you know is asleep)

I've also been contacted about a couple other writing assignments and possible sales of some of my old specs (which I've had long enough to be in the in flavor of the moment again.)

That's the update. Soon I hope to move this blog to my official website - but priorities, priorities...

Until further notice... I'm writing!

Writing Tip Of The Week: When It Has To Get Done

2011-12-07T14:16:00.001-08:00

Here's my brief writing tip of week: When you're on a deadline and it has to be done, don't waste anytime doing anything else (like this blog post).

I'm in crunch mode. After waiting for a week or so to get notes back from B.H.P. the notes arrived just before Thanksgiving on my outline. Which I still need the B.H.P. to sign off on so I can start writing the actual first draft. (Which is due in the beginning of January - as in RIGHT-AROUND-THE-I'M-HYPERVENTILATING- CORNER!)

And by the way if you were wondering - HOLIDAYS DON'T EXIST when you are on a deadline. So, even though I did take a day off to nibble turkey and two days off to take my 3 year old to Disneyland, my script is still due on the same day. Nobody cares about your life. This is the job. Suck it up and get it done.

So I got a little nudge from the B.H.P. - consisting of an email which said literally: Outline ?

I affirmed that I would be done with the revisions by Friday so he could read over the weekend.

(By the way, all reading takes place over the weekend in Hollywood. Execs, Producers, Agents and Managers lose the ability to read Monday through Friday. Fact! You can look it up. Sight is miraculously restored each and every Saturday in time for the weekend read. I can attest to this because way back in the day when I was working in development it happened to me.)

But, to my shock and horror I heard back that the B.H.P. is flying somewhere and needs the new draft by mid-day Thursday.... Boy did I haul my butt off the golf course!

I'm close and in this case if I hadn't heard from him I would have continued to tweak and probably over-write myself silly. So, he nudged. I'm nudged.

So, instead of waxing on here I'm going to be making my third act fabulous and I give you a recommendation to check out a screenwriting podcast that I listen to from time to time.

Script Notes: A podcast by Craig Mazin and John August. Two "A-Listers" who I imagine to be the Odd Couple meet Siskel and Ebert. (Well, I guess if they didn't like and agree with each other so much.)

Find them: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496

Writing Tip Of The Week: Writing When You're Tired

2011-11-28T15:40:00.001-08:00

Here's my brief writing tip of the week.

What to do when you are tired and you feel like you are writing nonsense? Not only nonsense, but total garbage that you hate. You know how that feels nothing about your work is keeping you interested. The fact that you are contractually obligated offers no motivation. Everything is horrible. You never had any talent anyway. Who are you kidding? My mother could write better dialogue. Before you start hacking away at the good work that you've done yesterday or lose faith in the project all together... do yourself a favor: Take A Nap.

This is one of the big perks of our job. We are free to nap at will. Not too many people can say that. Think about bank tellers, school teachers or waitresses. They can't just plop down for a power nap. "Ordering. I'll just pick it up in about a half an hour." No!

But, writers can and should. I think it helps. I'll go further - I believe it's part of the process and I will explain that to the IRS if they ever ask why there's a couch, a fluffy pillow and a blanket of weight to match the season in my office at all times.

And here's something that most people outside the business don't know... If you write out the thing that you're stuck on before you nap and put it on a 3 x 5 card - when you wake up little writing elves will have solved the problem and you can move on to the next scene. It's ab-so totes incred....

No, okay, not really. But, more often than not when I write down a problem and then have a 20 minute power nap, a new way of dealing with the issue presents itself when I get back to work. At the very least I'm more refreshed and I'm more present in my work.

So, happy writing and happy napping.

Next post: Update on The Movie and The B.H.P.

Screenwriting How To: Goals and Aspirations

2011-11-15T10:10:00.001-08:00

I want to thank everyone who gave me their feedback about what direction our little blog should go. The results are in and big things are around the corner.

By January (that's a deadline) we will put up the new and reworked site (that's a goal).

Taking your feedback into account, I thought long and hard about what I enjoy in other people's blogs and what I want to share.

Here's what I came up with: Three W's.

--Writing Tip of the Week - A section dedicated to the how-to's and tips I've learned over my writing career. (For those who love my advice on structure, pitching, taking notes, etc.)

--What's Important Now - A brief daily journal post on what I'm working on and what my goal of the day will be. (For those curious about the day-to-day and the journey of my many projects, including the independent feature I'm directing.)

--Warble (because I love the word) - Anecdotal Blog where I can share experiences like The Worst Pitch In The World and/or the current warble in my brain.

Until we make the shift and have tested all the bugs, I will continue to post here - but 2012 is going to be an awesome year. Stay tuned.

Now a little writing tip:

Goals and Aspirations

I get excited. I love what I do and maybe it's the Aries in me, but I always go out not to just win, but to conquer the world. Sometimes, I get ahead of myself. For the first five years of my career I was on an emotional roller coaster. And I hate roller coasters. The feeling of my stomach rising up to my tonsils as we plunge is horrifying to me. I would rather eat black licorice. And I hate licorice. But let me tell you, an emotional roller coaster is even worse. Because the end of that ride is called BURN OUT. And a good many of my writer friends have met with this end.

I was heading that way too because I defined my success and happiness on whether a script or pitch sold, not on the work I did to create it. I defined myself by the financial outcome of my projects. Talk about setting yourself up for heartbreak.

Here's the truth: I don't care who you are, more times than not your projects will not sell.

That's just the facts. And I have a pretty good track record. After 15 years, what I know now is sometimes your best work goes unnoticed, sometimes work you don't think has a wing and a prayer finds success beyond reason. None of it should have anything to do with how you define your personal success.

Know the difference between what you can control and what you have to let play out.

For example, my aspiration might be to sell a spec for seven figures. (Isn't that what everybody wants? Be honest.)

But, no matter how hard I work I have no real control over whether that will happen. Do I increase my odds by actually writing a great script? Sure. But, ultimately I have as much control over whether it will sell as I do over picking the lottery. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't.

What I do have control over are the steps I take to move toward my aspirations. That's where goals come in. Goals should be something that I can achieve without anybody else.

My goal would be: Write a spec. My aspiration is: Sell spec for 7 figures.

That's the difference. Aspirations are your dreams and desires. Goals are what you set to make them possible.

In order to achieve my goals I set smaller goals within them. Daily or weekly objectives. Create an outline. Write to a certain turning point by a date on a calendar. Take it step-by-step until I'm there.

Each goal you meet will make you feel great because you are accomplishing something. And it's essential to create this kind of reward system for yourself. Because you have to remember something about this business -- it's not like any other work place in the world. There is no "Holiday Bonus" for working overtime. There isn't a promotion waiting because you managed to juggle two assignments and a spec. You will not get a fantastic performance review by your producer for addressing the gut-wrenching notes he piled on you. You'll be on the curb a long time if you are waiting for that parade.

Creating your own reward system goes a long way in helping you stay in the game. Set realistic goals and acknowledge yourself for achieving them.

Take pride in your work and then let it go. As your project meets the market place, make sure you're already working hard to meet your next goal on your next project.

This tactic helps me not get too excited about the good breaks and not get too depressed over the wash-outs. Everybody has both.

What will sustain you and help you avoid the rollar coaster is focusing on doing the best work you can do. It's setting goals and meeting them. It's the day in and day out sense of accomplishment, in pining away at something you love until it's whole. The feeling of pride in ones work when you've given it your all stays with you longer than that fat pay check. But, it also helps you stay in the game. And staying in the game is what actually leads to the fat paycheck. Because I know... I know... Everybody shares that Aspiration.

Happy writing!

Screenwriting Tip of the Week

2011-11-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

This week I was STUCK. Elmer's should call me up to get a new formula...

Backstory: My third act was running out of steam. In this project the third act has always been the issue.

Here's what I discovered: If your problem is in your third act - you've got to look at the first two acts to solve it.

If, like me, your third act lacks drama, simply put you have not set things up correctly.   The third act is the exciting unfurling of the cord you've twisted tighter and tighter in the first two acts. If yours is uncoiling like a wet noodle, well... go back, go back, go back.

I went back and traced the spot where I felt things started to go off the rails. It was my midpoint.

So I started to think about what the dramatic function of this beat was? Since it was at the midpoint of the script I knew that this was when things were going to start changing, attitudes, tactics. The main character was going to have to try something new.   Right?

But, I thought - what if the writer tried something new?

I experimented in switching who rises and who fails in the scene.

Previously, I had the main character fall on his face, and the antagonist triumph. But I decided to see what would happen if the roles were reversed?

Eureka! Letting my hero succeed at the midpoint gave him the freedom to make choices in the remainder of Act Two B.

Making choices... Doesn't that sound like an active character? Doesn't that sound like how every character should be as they charge toward their downfall at the end of the second act and their climatic struggle to overcome in act three?

Yes!

So in this instance, it helped the dramatic push of the second half of the story for the main character to succeed at the midpoint. What Blake Snyder (Save The Cat!) would have called a "false victory."

Okay, back to it.   Soon we'll be making the switch to www.writinginhollywood.com

Lots of cool things planned, but as you know, when your writing on a deadline... as fun as fixing your new writing blog sounds - it's really just procrastination. So hang in there with me. We'll be up and running soon.

Until then - Happy Writing!

Writing Script

2011-10-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Newsflash, Blog Followers.

Signed Contracts! The writing can begin and...

I can finally break my silence on the new project with the Big Hollywood Producer (BHP) because I signed my contract today.

What will follow in the upcoming weeks is another journey, hopefully from script to screen but on a 25-30 million dollar feature. It has been quite a ride already, so hold on to your belly boys...

And in other news...

Writing For Hollywood is moving. I have finally decided to move my little blog to a space all its own. New website address will be forthcoming and I hope you will follow me and spread the word.

Until we meet again - here's a little secret I want to share (under the protection of anonymity, of course) because it's a little strange:

What do writer's do after they sign their writing contracts?

Drink bubbly, pay off credit cards, buy a new car, a house, take a vacation?

Probably.

Not this writer. This writer does a "signing contracts dance." Wow, seeing that in type makes it seem even goofier, but something behind it that I want to share.

It's something I referenced in Tips for Writers a long while ago. But especially today it bears repeating.

A while ago a writer friend of mine (http://thewomanformerlyknownasbeautiful.com/) told me, "You've got to celebrate even the smallest of good things in this business."

This advice has stuck with me for years, because it is so true and so helpful. Rejection is the norm in a writer's life. Even when a studio buys a script there are ten others who didn't buy it. For every writing assignment you land imagine the six (or more) other writers who worked just as hard and were turned down. Most specs don't sell. Most scripts never get made. Success is the exception, not the rule.

So, this is why I do my little dance.

Be it in the privacy of my own house (joined by my toddler who has no clue why Mommy is dancing or witnessed by my husband who is kind enough to not count this lunacy against my sex appeal) or in my attorney's office - I sign and then I shimmy. There's no smugness, no ego in my little boogie. It's just an acknowledgement that something good has happened. A marking of a moment before the clock officially starts counting down to that first deadline.

I hope you'll all find reasons to celebrate your work in your own distinct way. Dwell on the good and it might help you skim over the oceans of not so great.

Happy Shimmying!

Golf As A Writing Tool

2011-10-18T17:18:00.001-07:00

Golf As A Writing Tool

Golf has helped me in my career. I don't have the kind of career that is helped by trapping people on the course for four hours in a bonding session that will end with a hand-shake deal. Golf has helped me in what it has taught me about myself. In the staying focused department, for example, I'm a gnat that landed in a vat of speed.

But, playing golf and concentrating for four and a half hours has helped. It taught me that it is impossible to concentrate for four an a half hours in a row. To attempt it is setting yourself up for failure. In order to do a "power stretch" in writing or anything else, you need to give your brain little breaks. So with golf it's focus, then relax, next shot focus, partner hitting the ball, relax, etc. In writing it's the same. Make a plan for what you want to write next, or read a section, then relax. Write for an hour, then stretch, get a cup of tea, check in on FB. Then, focus again. **

Golf has also told me that I'm a pretty decent person. I'm easy going. I like to have a good time. I play my best golf when I'm relaxed and having fun. I do my best writing when I'm focusing on what interests me. When I care about what's happening to the people on the page.

But one of the most vital lesson's golf has taught me in regards to my career is: "What's important now?" This simple question is my tool to get through each and every hour of each and every day. In golf it means, think about what you are doing and what needs to be done right now. For example, today, my partner was in trouble and I assessed that what was important now was not being a hero and going for the green and a possible birdie, but to take the safe shot and keep us in play. Staying in play was what was important in that moment.

Being a writer means being a juggler. You have to focus on what you are contracted to do, but you also have to keep spinning the plates that will lead to your next sale or assignment. You also have the "business of the business", the networking, the calls and emails to return, the taxes to stay on top of, etc. etc. (And then aside from that you have your family, friends, home to maintain and of course your golf game to keep in shape...)

I used to spin out of control. I've got pages to write, scripts to read, pitches to prepare, yada, yada, yada...

But now, I do this: I make a 3x5 card of everything that I'm working on. I also have a set schedule of when I write every day. (Having a baby shoots the 'when the muse visits' in the head. Trust me.) When I sit down I go through my list of project cards and I pin the one I need to focus on in a big frame that I've labelled: "What's Important Now Is:" I set a realistic stopping point for that project and a plan for switching my attention - if I'm juggling multiple deadlines. I'm happy when I've reached my goal. I move that project out of the "Important Frame" and pin up the next.

This all may sound painfully obvious - but it's these simple steps that allow me to take on many projects, without any of them suffering. And juggling is the way I've been able to keep doing this for fifteen years. Playing golf and drinking is what's kept me sane. You think I'm kidding.

Happy Writing.

PS: **Some friends swear by The Pomodoro Technique to help them focus and relax. Check it out here: www.pomodorotechnique.com

I admit that it's great when you absolutely don't want to face something, but setting a 25 or 35 minute timer just isn't enough time for Moi. I like to work in hour stretches, but Pomodoro is a great way to build up to that. Nobody jumps on the treadmill and runs ten miles their first time out.

"The more you do, the more you can do." Lucille Ball

2011-08-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank the people who have been patiently waiting or not so patiently sending me email requests to update and or continue this little blog.

I had to take a hiatus for two reasons:

A) There are times in a writer's life when life goes on fast-forward and everything that isn't work must be shoved violently aside. So you'd better have a life-partner who understands and supports this because he/she will be doing baby-duty and cooking and cleaning. Sometimes it gets so bad you forget to bathe until said life-partner puts his/her foot down, points to the shower and says, "You're becoming air-pollution."

There's a truism: "Work begets more work." But in Hollywood it's more like, "People only want to work with you when you are working." So when you have one delicious deadline, suddenly you'll have three. Currently I have five separate projects, all with meaty little, night-sweat inspiring deadlines.

So I'll give you my favorite quote that always gets me through: "The more you do, the more you can do." Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball is one of my all-time idols; not only a genius comedian but an astute businesswoman and a pioneer in television.

Digression for idol worship over.

The second reason I have not updated the blog is this:

B) I was waiting til I inked (signing the contract, code for getting paid, money in the bank) on the job I've been trying to land with the B.H.P. (Big Hollywood Producer) to blog extensively about that project.

The entire process of working with this particular producer has been very illuminating. He's brilliant and a true original. He has stretched me in ways I couldn't imagine. (Not unlike that time I wandered into that yoga class that was way above my pay-grade.) It's been hard. It's been painful. But, it's exactly what I needed and it feels really great when I'm done.

That said, I'm not about to tell you the real blow-by-blow skinny until I have my contract. I may be a screenwriter, but I'm not an idiot. (Okay, that made me laugh.)

Until then...

Happy Writing.

Juggling Projects - The Treatment, The Spec and The Pitch

2011-07-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today I am turning in the treatment to the Big Hollywood Producer (from now on being referred to as B.H.P.) and I sincerely hope that he will be as happy with it as I am.

Actually, that's an understatement - I'll be crushed if he doesn't think I'm a genius.

(Okay - be honest, isn't that what we ALL want to hear? Just once. Right?)

But seriously - I'm really proud of the work. And at the end of the day - that's all a writer can do. Give it your all and then MOVE ON...

So, while I await his response (and visualize him sending me a bottle of champagne to celebrate*) I need to get cranking on my spec. I also need to write a pitch on an old project I have a new take for that I now have a real opportunity to sell to a production company I've worked with many times in the past.

So, a juggling I will go.

People have asked me what the difference is between a treatment and a pitch. So, here goes:

A treatment is a synopsis of a film, written in prose. In Hollywood the shorter the better, but in general movie treatments usually come in around ten pages. That said the one I just finished is 20 pages.

A pitch is a synopsis of a film that you "pitch" orally. You may write out a pitch, so that you know what you will be saying and have something to practice from, but the end result of this process is to tell the story.

I'm going to divide my time between writing out the pitch (in five pages or less) and writing out my new direction for my spec in two pages or less (the nuts and bolts of plot.)

Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted on The Treatment - when I get word. The B.H.P. is on vacay - so it might be a couple weeks.

Happy Writing!

*Okay - that's not going to happen, even if he loves it. But, my personal fantasies can be unrealistic as long as my writing isn't.

How Many Working Writers Are There?

2011-07-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

I was just reading through the Writer's Guild of America's financial statement and something grabbed me. (Okay, I was procrastinating - you caught me.)

In 2010 there were only 1,615 feature film screenwriters working in Hollywood. That number kind of sounds big doesn't it?

There are about 700 movies made a year in the US (about half of those are released theatrically).

Still sounds kind of ample, doesn't it?

Now compare that to the roughly 6 million school teachers, 1 million plumbers and 1.2 million lawyers working in the country and a writer can start to feel pretty special or pretty freaked out.

More numbers: Half of Half of Half...

Last time I checked, the union had about 12,000 in its ranks.

Roughly half of those are in the West. And of that number, roughly half of those are television writers.

That means that there are about 3,000 "active" (meaning recently employed) feature film screenwriters in Hollywood.

Slightly more than half of those are employed in 2010. 1,615 of us to be exact.

What I'm trying to impress on you is this: There are a lot easier ways of making money.

Yes, a lucky and talented few earn amounts rivaling small State Lotteries, but your odds of doing that are about the same as buying a lottery ticket.

I'm proud to be counted in the 1,615. But, let me assure you, like in most other businesses the top 5% of that number are making about 75% of the money. The rest of us writers are dividing up the dregs.

Sure, there have been years where I raked it in (and I'm hoping this year is another one of those). But, when you start down this road, make sure you're not doing it to become rich and famous. Famous? Quick name 10 famous actors in 30 seconds. Easy right? Quick name 10 famous screenwriters? Uh-uh. And writer-directors don't count. Try again.

There are only two reasons to become a screenwriter. The first is you need a script to launch your directing career. (But this website isn't geared for "means to an end" writers.) The second (and only valid) reason to become a screenwriter is because you cannot imagine doing anything else.

That is the only way you'll stick with it. It's just too hard of a game to play if you have any other more sane option. Those school teachers and lawyers are bringing home a paycheck every week. Those plumbers know they can make the house payment.

Working as a writer means working as hard as you can and having little to no control of the outcome. It's not for the weak of heart, mind or stomach.

And if you don't have any other sane option? If you must write movies? If it is not possible for you to define yourself without Final Draft? Then I say, "Welcome aboard the crazy train, it's quite a ride."

Happy Writing.

Editing Your Movie Treatment

2011-06-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's what you don't say that says it all.

This is one of those lessons I am still trying to get the hang of myself, both in writing and in life and in my writing life.

I'm open-hearted and a blabber. These two qualities rarely, if ever, pay off.

But, I will save you the "open mouth insert foot" story that I just experienced today and move right on to writing tips.

So, here's what I have to say about saying too much. Don't. Especially when writing a movie treatment let the action speak for itself.

What I found in my own treatment writing is that often I write the response to a line of necessary dialogue with a completely unnecessary answer. Or I sometimes follow a description of action with a line of explanation about that action.

For example, if I just described the scene where the wife leaves her husband including really spicy dialogue that shows that she's given more than she ever thought she had to give, I do NOT need to add a line saying anything remotely about her physically leaving or her mental state. It's in the scene. They are done. She's out. Move on to the next beat.

We tend to do these extra and unnecessary bits because after writing two pages scenes, we just don't trust the short paragraphs of a treatment.

But adding explanations just slows your story down to a boring (I'm not going to buy you) crawl.

Instead, make sure the action and dialogue speak for themselves and leave the reader to fill in the blanks on their own. Trust that they will draw the conclusion that you intended them to and don't explain. That's the trick to getting someone really hooked. You let them use their own imagination in the carefully constructed open spaces you leave by not over-writing.

If something is unclear - then work harder to make the action and dialogue clear. Again, explaining poor writing just makes the poor writing longer.

Try this trick. After you've finished your first draft of a treatment read the last line of each paragraph. I bet you find some cuts that you won't even miss once they are gone.

Happy writing!

Writing Tools: Beat Sheets, Tone Guides and Alcoholic Beverages

2011-06-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've got to be straight with you - I am working on the most challenging project of my whole career. But this is the week I'm going to bring it over the finish line.

It isn't fun. It will be, as soon as I start noting any kind of progress, but at the moment, I'm just dog-paddling in the quicksand.

I have what feels like 45,000 notes on something that is "very close." I'm in that writer's quandary of "fix everything" but "don't change what's working."

And low and behold, after 21 screenplays and countless treatments and pitches... I am turning back to my arsenal of tools to get me through.

I assembled all the notes into one document. I used scissors and tape to cut and paste them onto my treatment. I rearranged the order, I cut huge passages and then transferred it all back to a master copy on the computer.

Before I can continue onwards and upwards, I need to go back to the tools I started with at the beginning. I need to create some character bios. Really after 15 or so drafts? Yes. Because I didn't take my time with this step at the beginning. I thought I could just do "good enough" and move on, but eventually short cuts slip you up and here I am, being tripped when it hurts the most, over the pit of glass shards. Now or never time.

I actually like to draw my characters. I am not a good artist. My drawings - to be blunt aren't up to a three year old's standards, but for some reason drawing my character brings that person into the part of the brain I need them to be in if I am to know who they are.

It's one of the "I don't know why this works" tools, but trial and error have taught me it does. And right now I need to go deeper with my characters.

Secondly, I need to restructure.

I am as surprised as you are. My ducks are in the right order - but their spacing isn't right.

Let me explain. The third act was not won, deserved or in fact dramatic- and this turns out, is because I was stretching 2nd act action throughout the entire story.

So yes, b was before c. And M was two spaces before O - but I was ending the story on O instead of going the distance, taking the characters all the way down to the bottom and then building them back up. I am third-act-less at this moment. Which feels like going to the supermarket in nothing but sandals and a t-shirt. (Not that I've done that, but you can imagine.) I want to hurry up and get some pants on.

So, it's time to bring out the: Story Grid. I'm going to plug in my beats and see what's missing.

I'm also going to compare my script to my two tonal guides (other films that remind me of the project) and see if I can glean any inspiration there....

And if all that fails, I've got a nice Chardonnay chilling in the fridge.

Happy Writing!

Day Two of a Painful Rewrite

2011-06-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am standing so close to the finish line I can practically snort the chalk.

There's got to be a saying about the last yard being the longest, but I'm too fried to think of it. I'm too fried to think of anything - and summer has arrived.

If you've followed this blog since I started it last July -And So It Begins (Day One of the Blog) you know how I feel about summer.

To encapsulate: Summer sucks for writers. There are no beach chairs, no golf, no frozen margaritas at noon for a Writer For Hire. No, there's just the taunt of unending sunshine making my computer screen hard to see and sweat pooling under my boobs.

I apologize for newbies to my blog. Please go back and read the "how to write a screenplay" posts of the Fall. I'm usually quite perky. Really. But some projects, simply put, could make a bitter creep out of Snow White. I'd like to see you whistle while you work on this one, lady.

I'm going to have to start listening to my "rain meditation" podcast while I work and it's not even June 21. Because I must FINISH THIS REWRITE.

Okay, so here's my plan, as always with writing - I must take the first step first.

1) I made a duplicate copy of my treatment and placed today's date on the top.

2) I then made all the cuts suggested by the producer.

3) I'm now printing out all of the notes I typed up from our multi-nation conference calls made while I was supposedly on vacation.

4) Next I'm going to sit down with scissors and tape and literally piece together the notes where they belong in the treatment.

5) Hopefully, during this process ideas will start spilling forth. If not, I'll walk, I'll take bathes and most importantly I'll keep coming back to my notes document until the answers do come.

It just takes one little crack, one small gap through which I can wiggle my little finger and then pry open a space big enough to crawl through to the other side.

Sometimes you've simply got to go forth with faith - it will come. It will.

I'll keep you posted.... In the meantime, happy writing. (And by that, I mean - just write, you'll feel happy when you're finished.)

Back To Work

2011-06-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Weight gained while chained to computer frantically trying to finish assignment before starting vacation: 6 lbs.

Weight gained while enjoying said vacation: 4 lb

So here I am back at my desk, sitting on my more squishy than normal ass, facing a bigger mountain of work than ever before.

And I've hit a challenge. A big one.

A week before my big family vacation (the first one I've taken since my honeymoon ten years ago), I was happy. I was very close to meeting my producer's expectations. I only needed to put a few finishing touches on the treatment before we closed the deal and I had nearly a week to get ready for my vacation. No problem.

However, four days before the vacation I receive the worst possible news.

The producer HATES it.

I have somehow managed to go from "in the ballpark" to nearly losing the game. And, because we both thought we were so close, he's already pitched it to the money people who are financing this little beauty, and so now he needs me to fix it fast.

CRAP!

My empty suitcases and my to-do list for the trip are unattended while I try to fix what I actually believed to be perfect. My manager and I get on the phone and go through beat-by-beat of this story, reigning in where I might have gone wrong.

Again, this is a situation where I'm trying to write to an idea in a producer's head. Easier said than done.

I turn it in, leaving myself about two hours to pack for three weeks of traveling with a toddler. Yeah, that's not stressful. If you were wondering.

Somehow, I manage to throw everything in the case just as the car arrives to pick us up. I am on my fifth day without sleep and looking forward to the red-eye where I hope to get some shut-eye.

But did I get any shut-eye? No. Because the flight to Boston has an air-conditioning problem and instead of getting some much needed rest, I felt like I spent the next five hours in a European public bathhouse (that's where the locals who don't believe in deodorant go to sweat it out for cheap.)

So the vacation was great. Restful? No. Restorative? No! But, fun and fabulous you bet! I even met an old friend who runs a very large international production company at a party and pitched a project to do together later in the year. Hurrah!

Two days into Munich beergardens, I get an email from the producer saying "We're back in the game."

Yeah!

The bad part was that he still needed more changes and needed them done quickly. From that point on, dodging his ever changing shooting schedule, we tried to connect on the phone nearly every morning.

That looked like this: Me getting up at 5 AM after a late night in Munich, or Paris or London waiting for said call, only to be told a few minutes before the rest of my family woke up ready to hit another day of drinking and eating our way across Western Europe that the call would have to be made the next day.

Swill wine or lift a stein and repeat. Family well rested and relaxed. Writer For Hire - has officially replaced blood in veins with a combination of Espresso, Latte Machiatto and English Breakfast Tea.

The producer and I finally reconnected the day before I returned to the States.

The notes were so enormous and I was so exhausted that it has taken me a week to work up the nerve to brave facing the computer.

Seriously, like ten pages of very detailed notes. Some of which I have to admit I don't even understand. I'm in uncharted waters.

The little shit that lives inside my front temporal lobe keeps taunting me, "You're just not ready for the A-list. You're not ready for the big leagues. This is an Academy Award nominated producer, who are you kidding?"

But, then thankfully, I remember the four movies I watched on my return flight from Europe. Any one of which I honestly feel I could have written and potentially even improved.

More over, this man, this big-time producer believes I can do it. Those were his last words to me, "I believe you can do this." He's excited.

So, after a week of unpacking and organizing, of answering e-mails and catching up on bills, I am finally ready to jump back into the frying pan.

All I can do is the best I can do. It will either be enough or it won't. Either way I'll be a more experienced writer as a result.

Sounds awfully well adjusted doesn't it?

I'm attempting to meditate, exercise and not drink as much. This attempt is corresponding with the biggest challenge of my career. So naturally what I really want to do is consume my weight of Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips and pints of well-crafted Pale Ales.

I'll keep you posted....

Quick Update - Travelling

2011-05-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello faithful followers (otherwise known as: writers who are simply coming here to procrastinate from their own writing)...

Thank you for all your emails.

But, please, rest assured, I did not have a nervous breakdown and/or quit writing... It's far, far less creative than anything you have imagined. I've actually been too busy to blog.

I'd love to say I was busy writing, but sometimes life just wallops you. I've been busy with Croup (my two year old), with planning an extensive business trip to Europe, with the club championship (hey you gotta have a life), with developing the directing project (which is really coming together and I'm getting very excited) and with The Treatment.

Oh, and I've been sick with flu and now cold for an unseemly amount of time. But, downtime is a great time for watching movies and collecting a belly full of inspiration!   Also it's a great time for Nyquil induced comas - which is like going to a spa for a working writer with a toddler.

So here's what's going on - so that when I get back to writing pithy prose on the belly of the beast, we'll all know what projects I'm working on, or in other words, to recap:

1) The Assignment is complete until production polish comes in sometime around June.    They are shooting in September. Still TBD as to where they are shooting - maybe they know, but you know like the recent NAVY SEAL mission, that information is on a need to know basis and writers aren't normally cleared for that kind of intel.

2) Spec. You remember the spec, don't you? The script I started this blog about way back nearly a year ago? In July 2010 - yes, that makes me crazy.... but...

"As God is my witness..." just imagine me clutching a dirty carrot in tattered Dior.    This will become my top objective when I return from a European trip in June.    I feel like there will be a gap between production polish of The Assignment and the Contract for The Treatment which will be just long enough for me to get this newly structured beast back on the desktop.

I have completely gone back to page one on this concept. I've been doing lots of heavy thinking - but my upcoming business trip to Europe will also be a "research" and "inspiration" journey for the spec.   That way I can feel guilt free about chugging down wine and cheese in Paris - because it's "work" damn it!

Ideally, I wanted to have my first act done before I get on the plane - but my head cold is slowing me down to an escargot's pace and I have to prioritize. The priority is to finish off...

3) The Treatment. Again. Yes. Again. I think I'm on draft 10 or something. I met my previous self-imposed deadline and had several more long discussions with the producer and now here I am again about to turn in what I think must be, the very, very, very, final draft of the treatment. It is now 22 pages long. When and if we sell this puppy, I will simply have to put in the dialogue formatting and turn it back in. (Okay, maybe not quite - but this thing is detailed beyond detail.) I definitely think this what I will be writing as soon as I publish this post, is the end of the hard part.

But the hard part has not been as hard as it has been "stretching." Which is good. I am working with someone who is very good.   And when you work with someone who is very good, who is in tune with what works and what rings false, someone who can be patient and prodding at the same time - well, voila, writer heaven.

I have learned so much. Yes, old dog, new tricks. Learned stuff.

I promise to blog about this once the contract is inked. It's already been a wild journey - but it will definitely get wilder - just a little teaser - we're talking private planes and research trips involving coolers filled with something unexpected.    I don't want to spoil it. Just trust me - material for days - once it's inked - I'll let you in on it. Wild.

So, I'm going to be traveling for about three weeks (and not Blogging - so, no need to email me with questions of my mental status) but, when I return you're in for a treat!

Happy Writing! (And if you haven't guessed by now - there's no such thing - like the Holy Grail, we keep looking for it...)

The Independant Contractor on Vacation

2011-04-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the phrase, "You'll never have a tougher boss than when you work for yourself."

Well, here's a newsflash - I just took my second vacation in my entire career.

Other than my honeymoon, I haven't ever had time off unless I was too delirious from fever to sit up. But this week, I turned in my pages to the producer, we had a great meeting and are ever closer to making a deal and instead of diving back in and finishing it off, I went the other way.

I took the week off. Wow. I just needed it. After the craziness of the very short assignment deadline, followed by the flu, followed by my son getting the flu, followed by another deadline (the self-imposed) I was just done. The stick-a-fork-in-me kind.

But after a week of playing golf and planting flowers in the garden - my mind runneth over with inspiration. I'm fired up, I feel ten years younger (albeit not as hungover as I was ten years ago.) So I feel good about it. My unscheduled week off was just what I needed.

And here's what makes all of this so improvable. I'm actually schedule to take a vacation (although some work is mixed in to this one) in a mere four weeks.

So, goals between now and then. Goals are important.

1) Finish the new (and hopefully) final draft of this detailed movie treatment for the great movie producer I've been developing it with.

2) Bang out at least the new first draft of my spec. (Researching the second act is part of my next trip.)

Happy Writing!

The Self Impossed Deadline

2011-04-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

If you are a writer then chances are you are in your head. Chances are you are pretty clever. Chances are you combine these two traits to really screw yourself up.

But I'm here to tell you that you can also mind*uck yourself in a positive, proactive way.

Here's my latest example: I wrote myself a contract to finish the treatment.

Backstory: I was one simple draft away from where I think I have a chance to get a real contract (as in paid) for this project. I've been working with a produce to develop a treatment over the phone for months while he is off shooting a huge movie half way around the world. It's been a fun and rewarding process, I've learned a lot.

BUT minutes after our last conversation, where I was filled up and ready to bang this out. I got slammed with a rewrite on The Assignment and the worst flu imaginable. Bedridden with a deadline, lovely.

So here I am over a month later and am I filled up? Am I brimming with confidence and the vision I once had of the finish line? Nope. I'm filled up with doubt and fear.

Why? I was so close. Everyone was really excited including big-time producer, managers and myself.

But here I am, filled with anxiety and fear, self-loathing and two pots of coffee. The last thing I want to do is go back to this project. What I really want to do is go back to my spec.

I bet that sounds familiar, no? If only I could work on this other idea I wouldn't feel this way. The other one is where the heat is, the other one is the one I'm meant to write.

Sorry, that's Bullshit! (Capital letter intended.)

What's really going on here is mind*uck. (*Normally I'd just say mindfuck but my Auntie is now following my blog and you know, I'm sensitive to that.) (I've instructed Auntie not to read anything inside parenthesises.)

So here's what's really going on: I'm trying to remember the finish line. I'm trying to remember the finished product, but that is impossible. It's a sure fire way to bring on procrastination or even abandonment of a project. Trying to see the finish line will only make you lose the race.

What I need to do is just focus on the next step. The first step. Then the next. And soon that feeling of being full and near will return.

But how do I get to the first step? How do I will myself back to something that I've nearly convinced myself I can't do?

I wrote myself a contract. I'm great with deadlines, somehow I manage to get it done. I ask for help with chores around the house, I arrange sleepovers for my kid with the grandparents, I hang up my golf clubs, I focus, I do whatever it takes. And that's the exact type of thinking and action I need to apply to a) The Treatment and b) The Spec.

So in my best legalese, I drafted a document.

I, writer, hereby enter into an agreement with, myself, to complete the first draft of The Treatment, on or before April 8th...

You get the idea. And right now, after I hit post, I am taking that first step to reach my deadline.

Stay tuned... and Happy Writing.

Rewriting Your Screenplay & The Five Stages of Grief

2011-03-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today I finished the first rewrite on The Assignment.    And I'm very happy with it. After I worked my way through the five stages of rewriting grief (see below) and got down to business, it was actually fun.

As is normal with assignments the schedule spelled out in my contract has no baring on reality. In my contract I have six weeks to work on a rewrite. I got these notes on March 3rd and because the studio needed to start budgeting the movie I was asked if I could turn it around before the end of the month.

"Sure no, problem," should be the answer for any writer wanting to continue their relationship with their current employer. But this time it really wasn't a problem.   The notes were pretty straight forward and didn't require much heavy lifting.

Over the weekend, (yes, over the weekend) I had another request to see if I could possibly turn it in even sooner.

I'm not complaining, I'm just warning you. This is how it really is. Just because my spec (which has now been in a holding pattern on a shelf, lingering in the first draft for many a moon) is taking forever to complete, you don't have that luxury on assignment.    I don't want to give any of you the wrong idea.

Luckily, despite the entire family having the flu and having been bed-ridden for a week, I was able to deliver way ahead of schedule. I simply put in a few brutal near-round-the-clock writing sessions and passed up St. Paddy day celebrations all together. (And let me tell you passing up socially acceptable excuses to drink is pretty tough to do.)

So today it goes back to the studio 19 days after getting the notes. In otherwords, less than half the time my contract gives me to pull it off.   Seven of those days were chalked up to illness (but I did brain storm and research) and three were dedicated to waiting in doctor's offices with my flu-ridden son (where I did nothing but worry and panic and didn't think about the script for one second.)

My rewriting writing process went like this: The five stages of grief.

For those of you following this blog like hawks, (ha, ha, ha) you may have noticed I previously alluded to rewriting and the seven stages of grief. Well, I discovered you could do it in five.

Ain't that what rewriting is all about?

Stage One: Denial

This stage actually starts before you get your notes. It happens the moment you've typed Fade Out. You think, "It's perfect. They are going to love it. They aren't going to have any notes. It's going straight to A-list actors who will also love it and have no changes, the director will send me a gift just for bringing this brilliance into the world and it will be thrown into production before I can catch my breath."

Stage Two: Anger

This stage starts when you get your notes and realize that all the dumb ass delusions you've been harboring have just self-destructed leaving egg dripping on your face.

Stage Three: Bargaining

This stage is when you first start getting into the notes and your immediate gut reaction is to try to talk the note giver into seeing it the way you originally wrote it. As though, even though they didn't get it when the read it - if you only explained it a little better that would make all the difference. This is also followed by trying to convince them of compromises that land somewhere between what you want and what they want.   This is the most dangerous stage - because you can't really listen to your gut and be open to beneficial new ideas inspired by their feedback and your knowledge of material if you simply have your dukes up.

Stage Four: Depression

This is the stage where I usually take a night off to drink one or two more than usual, curse whomever gave the notes, curse myself for being so limited and wallow in the lazy, fat, gross feeling of "but I don't wanna....." Imagine an obese toddler, smeared in peanut butter and lying exhausted on the ground after a spazmotic tantrum.

Stage Five: Acceptance

This is usually when the commencement check has hit the bank. You remember the contract you have in your file draw and that the clock is ticking on delivery. You realize, "Hey this is my job, I've got to do this." And then you simply find that one little tiny way back into the script. That one line, one scene, one idea that opens up a path to the next and the next and the next. That's acceptance.

In stages one through four you are looking at the whole beast at once and that will kill you. In stage five, you're back to taking it step-by-step. That's always the key.

Happy Writing.

Rewriting: How Do You Know You're Doing It Right?

2011-03-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

I am rewriting three projects right now: An assignment (which gets priority because I have a contract), a treatment (which I will soon land a contract for) and my spec.

Which do you think is the most fun to work on?

Is it the assignment because you have a clear directive? They are paying you to write and so you simply have to do what they say?

NO. WRONG.

Because the first draft was my opportunity to tell the story I wanted to tell. Now because of shooting requirements, cast requirements, marketing requirements and various other elements that are necessary, but not exactly dramatically driven, I'm being asked to implement things that defy my internal logic.

So, that's hard. Because I have to do what I think is not quite as strong, but make it even stronger than it was to begin with in the first draft.

I also have to incorporate some dramatic ideas that I don't agree with, but that the producers feel strongly about. That's what I'm paid to do.   Somehow, I have to make their ideas flow seamlessly into my own vision or guess what? The man with the hook comes out and the next writer is given a chance to do what they asked me to do. Not going to happen. It's hard. But that's the job.

So, is the most enjoyable rewriting process on the treatment where I'm trying to land a gig? I mean that's got to be more fun because I'm more partnering with the producer and we're wrestling through it together?

NO. WRONG.

Because in this instance, I'm trying to create a story to match the inspiration in the producer's head. It's like a mystery and I'm trying to solve the case. But each time I write a version, I fall in love with the story and the characters, only to have another level of the mystery revealed. We're getting closer, in fact, I think we're one draft away from finding our common ground. But each pass becomes more difficult because there are more parts of the story that we both want to keep, while adding or changing other key elements. It's a big puzzle. I love a challenge, but it's only fun once the puzzle has been cracked. So you find yourself elated that you've solved it and bounced back down to the floor with the realization that you have to jump in and try again.

Okay - so the easiest, most fun, most rewarding rewrite has to be on my own spec. Right? I mean I'm in control, I don't have to write to other people's ideas, I don't have to make choices I disagree with - I'm my own boss. That's it, right? Oh the joy of freedom.

NOPE.

Yes, on the spec I'm the one who said, "Gee, those notes do make sense." And I was the one that eventually saw that the script could get better. I'm the one leading myself back to the grind stone. But, it's also a land of infinite possibilities and your stranded there, alone with your own wildly crazed brain. (No wonder why I loved Lost.) It's enough to make you wish you were writing this spec on assignment - then at least you could have someone to complain about.

The bottom line is that regardless of whether the changes are being ordered by a studio, suggested by a producer or come from my own need to make it better, the one thing they all have in common is that I don't want to do any of them. All rewriting starts with a big pout. It's how quickly you let that go and get down to business that makes you a professional.

So... How do you know if you're doing your rewrite right?    It hurts.

Next Post: Rewriting otherwise known as The Seven Stages of Grief.

Rewriting: Growing From Writing and Writing From Growing

2011-02-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

A Tale Of Writing Draft Two After You Really Liked Draft One

Here I am at the beginning of version two of my spec. And already I look back at the first draft and think "How could I have ever thought that was the one?"

And I was convinced. Believe me. Just look back a few posts on this blog. I had given it my all and it was the best I could ever do. If they wanted more from me than that - well, there was nothing more to give.

This is how you should feel at the end of a draft. You've left it all on the page. You couldn't possibly make it any better.

Then time passes. You get notes. Hopefully they speak to you. Through the denial, through the pain, through the anger, disappointment, insecurity and fear, hopefully there's something about these notes that make the smallest little voice inside say, "I recognize that..."

You go far away and hopefully work on other things for a while until it's time to start again.

And then you do. And it's painful at first. It's slow and you think, "I'm not smart enough. I don't know how. This is impossible. It cannot be done."

Until one little idea worms its way through all those roadblocks and embeds itself in your brain. And you think, "Ooooooh. What's that? Interesting." You follow this lead. Maybe it's a scene or a fragment of a scene. Sometimes it can be as small as seeing how a character turns her head. Perhaps it's a line of dialogue that sticks with you because you know the subtext and why it was said and what came just before. These kernels span themselves out and gather other thoughts like an infectious web.

And the next thing you know you are asking yourself, "How could I have ever thought that first draft was the best draft of this story?"

Were you delusional? (I often am - but that's beside the point.) Were you wrong when you felt certain that you could do no better than the last draft?

The answer is no. You did give it your all but now you have more to give. You can't get to the end journey without first walking down the path. You've learned something in the process of the first draft and now you've grown as a writer and your writing has grown. So get to it.

In the spec I started in July (yes July people - I've written two other projects in the meantime), I am delving much deeper than I ever have before. I'm exposing more of my own fears and shadows. It's exhilarating and terrifying. My screenwriting craft is pretty darn sound at this point - but what needed to catch up to tell this particular story was my personal emotional growth and my ability to write about it.

Go deeper is what the universe (well, my agent and managers - almost the same thing) were telling me.

I'm in so deep now I feel like I'm sucking quicksand through my nose. But, one step at a time. I'm excited to see where I come out. But I can pretty much bet I'll be saying, "This is the one. I couldn't possibly give it anymore. I've left it all on the page this time."

Happy Writing.

How To Get Unstuck In Your Writing And Clean At the Same Time

2011-02-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

For those of you smirking or grimacing after yesterday's post: Throwing Out The Kitchen Sink.   Yes - there are infinite possibilities and it would be impossible to plow through them all. I'm not just blowing Polly-Annic smoke in your direction.

I promise you won't need to test out every wrong possiblility before you can find a path to charge down. You have a trick up your sleeve - actually you have a trick in your gut.   We all know what it feels like to be writing hot, filled with inspiration - and we know when something isn't right and we're forcing it. We know. So gravitate to what your gut tells you is interesting.

Since this part of the blog is about the "emotional journey" here's an example of how I got in tune with my gut just yesterday and how it led me to inspired writing today.

I'm loving my new set up, my new version of my main character (same character only more fleshed out, issues and conflicts closer to my own and therefore infinitely easier to crawl inside of), but I get half way through my new outline and I am utterly lost.

Being utterly lost in your script, especially one that you love so much in the first act, is a tortuous event. I try very very very hard to force what I think should happen to happen - but it's all wrong. First it doesn't feel right, next the structure is off, finally I check my guide-post movies and nope - my character is zigging when every other film is zagging at this spot. Seriously?! Will this ever get any easier?

And the internal monologue goes: I have no idea how to fix this.   I can't do this. Think. Think. Maybe? No. What if? Lame! But- Cliche, bad cliche, false, wrong. Think harder. Maybe it can't be done. Maybe this story hasn't been told because it can't be told. I'm too stupid. I'm limited. I'm fat.

Okay - so we've been there right?   When I get really frustrated or insecure or frinsecure (which is usually the case) I take a hot bath. It's hard to get distracted from thinking in the bathtub. I'm too paranoid of dropping my iPhone in the water to bring Words With Friends with me - so I'm trapped in a warm, soothing environment with my thoughts. (Also a baby-free, husband free, dog free zone - bonus.)

Worse case scenario I emerge clean and refreshed, drain the tub and go to bed. Most times however - I get inspired, leap from the tub, bubbles sliding down my leg, carpet be damned, I slosh into my office chair with an inspiration that gets me over the current, miserable hump of stuckness.

Most times it can be something really small. Last night, it was a scene that brought tears to my eyes. I had to get out of that tub and write it down. Fast. And that little scene made me realize that the problem wasn't that I didn't know how to fill up the second half of my script - it was that I was trying to skip steps again.

And I'm sorry - you just can't do that. Not even after twenty-one scripts. I needed to go back and put my 40 cards on the wall. Once I did that, I realized that the reason why I was feeling like every idea I had for her to fill up the second half of the script was irrelevant, boring and cliched, the reason why I felt that my main character was doing the right thing way too early in the story (and therefore boring the shit out of me) was....wait for it....

What I thought was my mid-point was actually closer to the end of my second act. She isn't making the right choice too early. No, she's doing it right on time; near the end of the script where it should be. It was the stupid writer who was in the wrong place.

So what happened here? A) I thought since I was performing a rewrite (even though it was a page one rewrite) I could just jump into the writing part. WRONG B) I was telling the story - but not beating it out, so I didn't realize that I was already 30 beats in. MISTAKE C) My gut didn't let me down. I knew something was jenky - which helped me find the fix. GREAT!

Okay - now I will enjoy a day, an hour, ten minutes of happy writing before hitting the next bump. But that's just the way this shit works. Get used to it and don't try to cut corners....

Throwing Out the Kitchen Sink

2011-02-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm one of those writers who consults psychics. I do. And Astrologers and anyone else who will share a glimmer of hope that the choices I'm making will pay off.

Because it's a crap shoot. There are no guarantees.

Writing comes down to choices and one false turn at the beginning can lead you down the entire wrong story. That's where I'm at with my spec.

But wait there's hope (the psychic said so)... But even if my psychic didn't predict tremendous success, there still would be hope. There's always hope.

Because even if you really, really, really screw everything up - guess what? You're that much closer to getting it right. You've learned a lot by taking that wrong path. You've learned what doesn't work. So, obviously you are narrowing down what will work.

So personally, I can say with certainty - it's time to throw out the kitchen sink, the baby and the bath water, everything must go.

I went through my draft, highlighter and Post-Its in hand, to mark all things that I could transition into the next draft. Three pages in I realized I could put my fun little tools away. I was back at the drawing board. There might be one or two moments I can save - but these are moments - moments don't need Post-Its or even highlighters.

But, it's okay. It is. Because I already know what I'm writing so well that I know what will not work. So what if that happens to be nearly everything. I'm not afraid. I've got a psychic, and an astrologer, a friend who gives super tarot readings, a Magic 8 Ball in my left hand desk drawer and last week, I got a very positive fortune cookie from Panda Express.

No worries. Happy Writing.

Don't Forget to Have Fun

2011-02-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the subtle mix of coffee and Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink I've been living on for a week - but today I'm inspired to write about how fun the process can be.

You are writing a movie. You are either being paid to do so or hope to be paid to do so or even better you're just doing it because you have an idea that you love, full stop. Regardless - you've dreamed up an idea that got you excited. And now you're starting to figure out how to tell it.

Writing comes down to choices - there are infinite ways to tell the story you are telling. You are now in the very fun process of dreaming out one way of telling it. Why not start with the way that is the most fun?

A very successful producer I am working with (and when I say successful I mean with a capital "S" from box office to Oscar nods) told me that he starts a project by asking himself: "What would I be interested in seeing?"

It is just as simple as that. It really is. Because what interests you is what plugs in to the common human thread - it's what people can relate to, it's what we all want to see.

I think it's a great way to brain storm the storyline of your script. First you come up with "what interests you" in a macro way - the idea. Then you have to do some nuts and bolts and figure out your character arc and major structural beats. But then to connect those beats - asking yourself "what would be fun to see" or "what interests me" is a great way to get there.

On Version Two of my spec - I'm at that point in the process now. I have my characters (for the most part), I know where they start and what they learn and where they end. I know my big structural moments - and now there's this huge path that could go in any direction in order to connect those anchors together.

And so today I've got my index cards and my fat marker and I'm writing down experiences that would interest me.

A good exercise is to think of a film that reminds you of the film you're writing - either in tone or setting or style - and think of one of two memorable moments. Those are the moments that pulled you in - and those are the kinds of moments we are hunting for now.

Sometimes, you'll think of great scenes that end up not fitting. But don't let that concern you know. Just brainstorm. Have fun! There is nothing more exciting than coming up with a great idea for a scene. The kind you can't wait to write.

Not all ideas are going to be right or even good - but just churn them out. We'll prune later. Today is for having fun.

Next step is cobbling together - and our tether for that? Yes - you guessed it - the character's arc.... It's really so simple, isn't?

A Fresh Start... Again

2011-02-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

The reality of writing is that you are constantly going back to the drawing board. And the drawing board can suck. It can drive you to eat, drink and be mean to your significant other. But one thing it won't do is go away.

So I've snarled at my "drawing board" for months now (while writing three other projects including one entire draft of a new writing assignment) and it's time to jump back in. No matter how beautifully I want to perform this dive, it's going to end up like a belly flop, complete with belly burn. But here I go.

My agent wants me to pretty much take my script in a different direction after the act break. And scenes are starting to bubble. As they do I write them on cards and stick them on my giant corkboard. Let's check - there's two. There's only two?! UGH!

Here's what's blocking me - trying to envision the entire thing instead of just taking it one step at a time.

Here's what I'm going to do to get over myself (again). I'm going to daydream about my character - I'm going to think about what kind of person he/she is and what he/she can possibly learn. I'm going to doodle and make lists and explore. If a scene hits me that's a keeper - it goes up on the board.

I'm also going to give myself a deadline. I want to come up with a new short treatment of the story by this time next week. That should be ample time to reel in my wandering mind and make some choices. Not set in stone choices - but choices that I can then ask people about - pitch the story to and see if people are like - oh - yeah - I want to see that...

I hope that if you are stuck - you'll remember not to think about the finished movie - you're a hundred steps away from that (at least)... Just put one foot in front of the other and we'll both be there before we know it.

How Bad Movies Can Be So Motivating

2011-01-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Okay - last night I just watched one of the worst movies I've seen in a long while. And it was just the tonic I needed to get my butt rocking on my rewrites.

Seeing big movie stars up on screen in a real stinker is a great way to relocate your confidence. I've been dealing with faltering confidence because I was given some abstract notes.

Here's a list of notes you will get in your career that are totally worthless. (Unless you want to breed panic, depression, and writer's blockage.)

1) Needs to be funnier.
2) Go Deeper
3) The characters need to be more original

I could go on - but these are vague notions that all convey the same thing: We not invested in your main character.

The movie I saw last night had an unlikable main character. Maybe it's the fact that we're in the Great Recession and she was a rich celebrity that created her own dilemmas. Maybe it was the fact that she had done something so grievous that the audience could never forgive her and therefore who are you rooting for?

Regardless, it inspired me. Because I recognized where the story had gone wrong, I immediately thought of what I would have done to make it work for me. (Hey, nobody tries to make a bad movie, and I respect anyone who accomplishes getting a film made.) But seeing something miss, reminds this writer that nobody gets it right all of the time.

Sometimes you have to go down the wrong path a few times before you find the right one.

And how to attack those darn abstract notes? Make a concrete plan and take it one step at a time.

Think about "what interests you" "what would you enjoy seeing" "what is a dilemma that engages your creative mind" and then write. Have fun with it.

Go see a bad movie and think about how you would fix it. Then see what lessons you can apply to your own work.

That's what I'm doing this week. Wish me luck and happy writing.

Happy New Year - I love 2011 Already

2011-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for my last post -Deadlines Don't Wait For Santa it was uncharacteristically negative. I blame the fact that my deadline corresponded with the holidays. But it's all behind us now and we are well into a new year.

Time for resolutions. I love the new year because it is the most optimistic holiday of the year. And you get to drink champagne for 24 hours, morning, noon or night and nobody gives you that worried look.

I am setting an intention that 2011 will be a great writing year. I will stretch myself. I will complete many projects. I will meet and work with new and interesting people. I will not beat myself up so much. I will strive to keep smiling. I'm going to pray more, because it helps me get into the flow. The Flow - that good place where all ideas and inspirations come from.

I'm going to try to do more for others. I'm going to think bigger.

What's happening with all the writing projects?

Right now, I'm waiting on a conference call with a very big, A-list-y-type producer who happens to be shooting a movie in the Indian Ocean. I am also waiting on feedback from the studio on the first draft of the "assignment." I am waiting to discuss the film treatment for my indie-directing project with the fabulous cast/writer-creators. I am contemplating diving into a new draft of "the spec."

I say contemplating - but what I'm really doing is watching movies and just trying to let go a little more before I speed write a new version.

Oh - I'm also trying to write more loose and free in my first drafts and challenge myself more to go to deeper places. I might have to re-read and

Next post - seen anything great lately?

Deadlines Don't Wait For Santa

2010-12-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

Note to Hollywood: When did you become Europe?

My friends in Germany, France and Spain hardly ever put in a solid month of work. There is always some bank holiday, some religious thing that no one understands or can define that precludes them from going to work. On top of that they all get about two months vacation...

Well, in recent years, so does Hollywood. It used to be that things shut down for Thanksgiving and didn't really get going again until after Sundance in mid-January. But, lately, it feels like people start checking out day before Halloween and maybe arrive again after Valentine's day. And the summer? Nothing moves forward but the sun.

Well, the sun moves and the writer. We write our buns off year-round. And Christmas or no, I wrote my buns off to make my deadline!

(Okay - you know what? No, I did not in fact write my buns off. I, in fact, think I grew an extra bun during this project. And what I really wanted for Christmas was a Wii Fit. I imagined becoming Gillian Michaels after my son was asleep and I had that precious 45 minutes of downtime before collapsing into insomnia. But, did Santa hear my plea? Still waiting.)

Why is it that stress and being chained to your desk 22 hours of every day makes everything turn to inflatable mush buckets? My son pointed to my belly yesterday and said with a big grin: "Fat." Yeah, thanks son. I'm only sitting down and not getting my workout in order to put you through college. So, we're just going to have to deal with a little extra jiggle.

My script was due at the end of the year and for various reasons I wanted to make sure it was recorded in the 4th quarter (taxes, pension and health, etc.). But, in order for it to be checked in, it needed to be received on Thursday December 16 (before everyone in accounting went on va-cay) not December 31 when it was due. Anyone counting that's over two weeks early. Two weeks of an 8 week deadline is a big chunk of early.

But The studio is doing me a solid and gives me a choice of turning it in early or holding off and turning it in when they return from vacation. Giving me until January 7th - because nobody reads anything until the weekend.

But, because of personal medical issues with my son, I really need to get it in 4th quarter. Which now ends two weeks and two days earlier than expected.

I find this out on Monday December 13th, post-lunch. Up to this point, I had been jamming on the script, keeping up the schedule I had pieced together. Working late to catch up here and there, but not really killing myself. Yeah, well that went out the window. I wrote 60 pages in 4 days. I spent all but about six hours in those four days in front of my computer.

And are you ready for a Christmas miracle? It came out really good. I got notes and everything and took a week away before re-reading myself - and I'm really excited. So now, I'm just waiting for notes - which will for sure come my way by the end of Sundance.

But, once you've lived with something and worked out the story using all your tools. And once all that's left to do is write the scenes - this can go much faster than you could possibly imagine. Kind of like those people on The Biggest Loser who can run farther than they thought they could. (Are you sensing that I'm obsessed with dropping the holiday ten I packed on?)

I'm going to have to remember this "fast writing" technique when I relaunch into reworking The Spec. I have a feeling my agent thinks will be ready when he returns to the office next week. Luckily, nobody really gets down to business until February - so I might be able to buy some time.

Fingers crossed and happy writing.

My Hollywood Agent: A love-hate relationship

2010-12-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

I love my agent because he's always right.

I hate my agent because he's always right.

I finally talked with my agent about the spec. And here are the results:

While he still believes in the concept (and he should because it was mainly his idea) and thinks I can bring this baby home, he told me I need to throw about 2/3 of it out and start again.

You heard me 2/3.

Gulp. (And, yes, if you're wondering, that goes down about as easy as chugging lighter fluid spiked with hot sauce.)

But, I'm a pro. And I took it like a pro. I listened.

Because I had distance from the script. I'm really grateful my wise managers made me sit on it and that it took a couple weeks to connect with my agent about his response.

Emotionally disconnecting from your work before you get feedback is always key. Get away from it for as long as you can and it will hurt less. Kind of like a band-aid that's gotten really gooey from the shower before you rip it off.

I listened to what my big agent was saying, but just as importantly I listened to what my gut was saying. And my gut actually agreed with the big agent. (Traitor! I have a love-hate relationship with my gut, too.) What my gut was saying was, "He's right again, damn him, I'd rather see that movie, too."

So how do I feel about going back to the nearly blank chalkboard? Actually, I feel inspired.

My agent gets paid the big bucks because he's very good at his job. He also is one of the rare agents out there that give really brilliant feedback, not only zeroing in on the market, but actually breaking the story as good as any writer I know.

It kinda makes me want to bash him in the teeth.

But, I can't because... well, I love him.

I needed to write this version of the script in order to get to the best version of the script. Often times, us writers just troll around having no idea we are headed in the wrong direction until the odious evidence wafts up from our falsely landed foot. (Sometimes it's just fun to write really bad stuff like that.)

Luckily, I'm not alone. And I'm very grateful.

So, now that meeting is behind me and I delivered the pitch (news still pending on that one, but it's off my desk for the moment) - here's the plan:

1) Finish the assignment.

2) During Reading Period (this is when the studio and producers and director read and give you feedback) I will dive back into the Spec.

I love a challenge and I'm determined to make the spec the greatest work of my career (so far...)

Keep those emails and posts coming. They really brighten my day, well... they stop me from eating chips for a few minutes at least.

Happy Writing.

Writing Truth: You can never really see the end before you get there (and looking for it can really mess you up)...

2010-12-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Trust me on this, I've been stuck and staring into the abyss (while inhaling a bag of chips) all day.

Situation: Two deadlines approaching. (Imagine me tied to the train tracks like in those old fashioned cartoons with two locomotives barreling towards me from both directions.)

Problem: Stress. Fear. Overload. The Holidays. The baby. Stress. Fear. Overload.

Solutions Tried: Alternating between eating Salt & Vinegar Chips and Sour Patch Skittles. Alternating between drinking Pale Ale and Red Wine. Cried. Yelled at my husband. Retail therapy. More binging.

Result: Guilt. Regret. Embarrassment. And saddest of all - the same deadlines approaching, only now I they are so close I can feel the rails rattle.

So what's a writer to do? Back in the day (pre-baby) I would have chained myself at my desk, ordered up a box of jelly-filled and banged it out with about 45 gallons of Starbucks. Working night after night until three or four in the morning sometimes puts you in such an unhinged state of mind that you're will to just go for it, try anything. That's often when you make a fantastic discovery.

But those days are gone. Let's face it, if I accidentally stay awake past 11PM I go into meltdown mode. If there's one thing I can count on, it's that the baby will be up at least two hours before I want to even think about opening my eyes.

This is the new normal. I'm certainly not the first one to land here. I've got to find a way to make this work. And, let's be honest these are good problems to have. Too much work? I ain't complaining. I just want to do a good job. And the more I want to do a good job the more stressed I get, the farther I feel away from my goal.

And then it hit me.

I decided after a "working nap" that resulted nothing but a stiff neck - to go for a "working walk" and try to shake the cobwebs out of my head and some of the "salt & vinegar chip" off my flabby backside. And as I was pushing the stroller up the hill, telling my babbling baby boy what I needed to do to make both of the projects I'm working on work - I realized what I was doing wrong...

I recognized it immediately - because I've done it before. More like again, again and again.

I was trying to see the finished product!

The stress of having to complete two projects simultaneously with my new life pressures kept me worrying about how I was going to pull it off. How was I going to get to the end? How was I going to finish in time? How was I going to solve all the problems and come up with what the producers want?

All of these questions were focusing on the end result. Of course I couldn't move forward. Because you can NEVER see the end when you're in the middle.

The only way to really see the end of a piece (the piece that has subtle and powerful dialogue, subplots that interweave theme and plot effortlessly, the perfect rise and fall, surprises) is to arrive there one step and one discovery at a time.

Yes, you make a plan. An outline, a beat sheet, you cast your path out ahead of you - but you walk down that path one step at a time. Carefully checking in and making sure you didn't inadvertently go in the wrong directly.

That's also why you have drafts. You write one and then add to it, change it, vary it. How could you possibly see the end result if you haven't even written draft two? What are you psychic? No! You're a writer. And we're in this together.

Trying to see the end freezes your brain. So here's what I'm doing next. I'm looking at the next scene in my script and I'm going to write draft two on my pitch. Wow - that feels better already. It's not the final draft - it's just the next one. No biggie.

So on to the next step....

How To Start Your Writing Project

2010-11-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Okay the closets are organized, the drawers in your refrigerator are sparkling, the car has been detailed and the tires have been rotated, you know what I mean. I know you do. The only thing left to do is start.

But what if, like me, you're kind of fuzzy on the whole first act. It's all there, but I'm just not sure if point c or point d is my inciting incident. Is point x or y the first act turning point?

I've rearranged my cards on the board. I've done a one-line beat sheet run down. The story is in the order it should be, I have a clear vision of my character, her arc and what needs to be set up. But, still I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I've done this 21 times and I'm not sure.

And I'm not going to be sure. Sometimes I am. This time I'm not. Every project comes out a little differently and this time. Here I am - writing it anyway.

Sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith. Write it. Write it fast and then read it. That will lead to ideas, which will lead to a revision, which will lead to figuring out the puzzle.

This is exactly how I broke through writing the first ten pages of my current writing assignment.

But I couldn't have done it without my writing buddy. Yes, the most important tool in any writer's arsenal - the person who knows exactly what you're going through because they have/are going through it themselves.

In my case, my writing buddy said - "Just write anything and send it to me." Those little words, knowing that my writing buddy was there for me, freed me up to start.

I didn't even end up needing to send my writing buddy my pages, but just knowing that she's out there. If need be. Golden.

So, go out and make a writing buddy connection. More on the perfect writing buddy can be read about in my post Getting The Most Out Of Your Notes.

Writing groups also can serve a fabulous purpose in the beginning of a writing career. They help you make connections, long standing connections that will buoy you over the long haul. One word of warning: Most great writing groups are filled with highly motivated and productive writers - you may find yourself spending your valuable writing time reading.

Reading others work is the best way to learn about writing, but once you start juggling multiple projects and working on crazy deadlines, this luxury won't be feasible. That's why at this stage, I depend on my Writing Buddies.

On the other hand, a good friend of mine has a writing group where everyone meets to do a short timed writing. They discuss what was written in the room and they go home. That sounds so stimulating and dynamic. I mention this to say that a writing group can take many forms. The point is get together with the other odd birds on this crazy trip and lean on each other in whichever way best supports you getting to your goal.

Happy Writing - even if you are just slogging through it to discover what's on the other side!

Why Writers Drink

2010-11-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

To stay sane.

Short post.

See you tomorrow.

Kidding.

It's a cliche to be sure, but behind all cliches are ugly truths. I can't speak for all writers - but the reason why I do a lot of things is fear. Writing is scary.

I'll share a story that has haunted me for probably 15 years, maybe longer. As an undergraduate theater major, an acting professor once advised our class, "Never buy property." To be an artist you had to ride the highs and lows. Having a house payment would force an artist to make bad choices, desperate choices.

These words have been ringing in my ears ever since. In part, because it's true.

Not only do I have a mortgage, but I've got a diaper-dirtying machine who needs everything from food to doctor's visits to a new pair of shoes (on a monthly basis).

Does all this responsibility effect my choices?

Not really.

Does it stoke the fires of fear into an inferno? Does it add to my insomnia? Do I digest properly - no way! But, if regular bowel movements and sleeping without pills were all that important to me I would have gone into banking. (Ha!) You see? there are no guarantees in this day and age anyway. What was once the most stable of professions has been turned on its ear. So, if you have a choice between uncertainty and uncertainty - I say go with the one that fulfills your dreams.

In reality having a mortgage hanging over my head still doesn't effect my choices - because when a writing job comes, I try to get it. Because nobody ever knows when the next one will be. Unless it was a topic that I morally objected to, I try to make it work. I try to crack that nut. Which is what I'm currently doing, while also moving forward with The Assignment.

If I was living in an apartment or in a house or in a van on Fourth street, I'd still try to crack that nut. (Especially if I was living in a van on Fourth Street.)

Only now, owning a house, having a family makes going after that job less about my own ego and winning, as it does about providing for my family. Which really makes the entire process more satisfying, not more scary.

So, then, if everything is so peachy, why do writer's drink and over-eat particularly when it comes to nachos and pizza?

Because writing is scary. You ask yourself to go to a place where you're not sure anything exists and pull out something that will inspire. No guarantees. Freaking terrifying.

But here's the bottom line, my life would be a lot scarier if I wasn't doing what I love.

So, after a long day of having plots and scenes and dialogue running through my skittish brain, I like to unwind with a glass of red or a bottle of Pale and reflect on just how great it feels to be doing exactly what I was meant to do. Come what may.

I will leave you with a movie recommendation, a semi-old but serious goodie. I saw Adaptation in Century City on opening night many moons ago. The entire audience was filled with writers. There was a collective gasp of recognition after the opening monologue. Charlie Kaufman is a genius and if you really want to know what it's like - the first half of this film nails it.

What if that Pale Ale I drank last night killed the brain cells that formerly retained my screenwriting know-how?

2010-11-18T11:50:00.001-08:00

I realized on day two of blogging about The Assignment - that I am going down the same steps I did with my first 20 scripts. I'm writing about the same process I've blogged about in detail since July. I'm en route to writing the most boring and repetitive blog in the the blogasphere. And I'm not about boring people. So, change of plan. If you want to read about the specific steps I'm going to describe it starts with the post: "And So It Begins." I'll add relevant links back to previous posts as I complete this script.

I've decided to focus my blogging about my 21st screenplay - The Assignment - on the emotional process. I haven't found anyone out there in screenwritingland who's talked about the nearly insurmountable mountain of fear and self-loathing that goes into the writer's journey. And it's not because I'm the only one. If there's one common thread that links screenwriters (outside of our appreciation of sweatpants) it's insecurity.

Screenwriters who don't have the insecurity thing plaguing them quickly evolve into writer/directors. Trust me on this.

So, here it is - psyche exposed.

I am under contract to write the sequel to my previously successful movie. And as usual, I'm wondering how to start, how I ever did this in the first place?

General worries include very rational things like, "What if that Pale Ale I drank last night killed the brain cells that formerly retained my screenwriting know-how?"

I've got to be honest. The pressure is a little bigger on me because I feel like I need to write something even better than the last one. And I know better. That kind of thinking will prevent me from even getting out of the starting gate.

What I've got to do is just write, stay in the moment. It's like in golf. If you think, "I've got to birdie this hole to break 80", you have pretty much guaranteed yourself a double bogey.

So, how do I get started. Always the hardest part. Once you get that first scene under your belt - well, it's like turning on the lights and making the monsters disappear.

But right now - I'm just trying to get my plot cards up on the wall. Here's what I've accomplished so far:

1) I hung a picture that had been waiting around my office in need of a hook for months.
2) I cleared off my "outline" cork board to my "random crap" cork board on the other side of the office.
3) I cleared my desk, filed paperwork, organized project files with notes I'd been stuffing in my "inbox" since my last assignment. I even cleaned my computer keyboard and monitor.

Funny how working on the spec didn't motivate me to organize anything. Having a contract kind of puts up a force field, limiting your mobility to a six foot radius around your computer. Now my entire office is so well organized it looks like nobody has ever done a day of work in here.

There is literally nothing left to do but write.

So, now what? On-line card games, facebook, e-mailing distant relatives are all calling my name. But, NO! I must resist. It is time to get to work.

When it's really time, you feel it. You just know. It's time.

I am taking out my collection of cards. I'm opening my treatment that I've broken down into Acts and major beats. I'm transferring the big turning points first onto cards and then onto the board... I'm feeling better already.

Hope you are, too.

Day Two - The Assignment

2010-11-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

First a note on the spec. Agent sent apologies, has not read yet. Maybe next weekend or over the holiday? I'm not sweating it. With the holidays there's not much action that is going to take place right now anyway.

So I will focus on my assignment. Which is in a rush.

Day Two: Cards

So, I took my pitch and tried to break it down into an outline. And that didn't get me very far - because the pitch was so condensed. To expand it to a nice outline with approximately 40 beats - I get to pull out some of my favorite play things: Index Cards.

Hanging on the wall behind my desk is an enormous cork board just for this purpose.

Putting scenes on cards is a freeing exercise. It must use a different part of your brain.

Start with the scenes you know you have to write. Jot down notes on anything and everything from dialogue to ideas about what actually happens in the scene. As ideas come up that don't fit into the scenes you already have in your treatment jot them down on their own cards. Put the randoms over to one side and start lining up the "mandatory" cards in their acts, in order. It's loads of fun.

This should take me another day to complete. If I wasn't under contract, I'd probably stretch this process out all week - but there's that nasty little deadline making me uber efficient.

When I arrive at 40 cards - then I'm on to the next step.

Until then... Happy Writing.

Day One - The Assignment

2010-11-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

It's Monday November 15th and I'm officially moving from "research" to writing on my new writing assignment job. And by that I mean, I searched through all my old journals to gleam some clue on how the hell I ever pulled this off before.

Kidding, studio if you are reading this. I got this. No worries.

Seriously, I'm not kidding. This is unfortunately part of my process. I've been given eight weeks to write a very solid draft of a script.

At least the first full writing day is spent agonizing over how to get started while organizing my office well enough to pass an inspection from an anal-retentive-clutter-phobe.

Here is an actual snippet from a journal entry from probably three assignments ago:

"But here I am turning to my journal - all of which, each fragmented segment has lent absolutely zero insight. Each time I start a new project I’m overwhelmed with the notion that I have absolutely no clue how to do this. So I go back to my journal writing, reading through and hoping to find some clue. The only clue being that I have felt this way before."

File that under - the more things stay the same. Journal regurgitation finished. Desk organizing. Done. (How happy am I that I finally located that picture from Oktoberfest?) Okay, okay! I'm starting.

First, I'm going to take the short treatment that I pitched and I am breaking it down. Here's how that goes. I duplicate the treatment and make a new document called "outline." I then break out all the story beats into any recognizable scenes and give them a slug line. I identify where they will take place.

Then I step back and see what I have. Hopefully, I'll have a nice 10-10-10-8 division of scenes. But, I won't. There will be holes. There will be too much on one side of the mid-point and not enough on the other.

I will pull out my two favorite tricks of the trade to help me even it out. You can read about those - here. Also, I might stick my "tonal guide-post" breakdowns up on my cork board for when in doubt moments, you can read about those in my post "Stumbles Are Necessary".

Happy Writing!

Script Number 21 & A Story About Pitching

2010-11-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

This blog began as a way to commemorate the writing of my 20th script - referred to herein as The Spec. (I just signed pages of contracts and lawyer-speak is contagious, sorry!)

The Spec has just hit the first-draft-worthy-of-showing-people stage and therefore, is by no means close to the end of its journey. That said, I am preparing to start writing my 21st screenplay, an original story I have come up with to fulfill a writing assignment. This will hereto be referred to as The Assignment. (Oops, did it again.)

So, this might be a great time to deliver that long time promised post about pitching. But first a story; a cautionary tale:

The first time I took out a pitch it was with my former writing partner and it was disastrous. During our second meeting, the executive fell asleep half way through. I will never forget her gum falling out of her mouth, rolling across the floor and stopping right in front of my brand new shoes I hoped would impress people, but I could in no way afford. So much for that.

On the way to our next pitch (back then it was a mad frenzy to pitch all the buyers the same day) we got a call that all our meetings had been canceled and we were to report to our agent's office. Do not pass go, do not collect a million dollar preemptive bid.

Our agent sat us down and said, "Pitch me." We started. First my partner started with the set-up and then about five minutes later I jumped in to do "We open with...".

I noticed that while I was pitching my partner was mouthing silently all of my lines. To her defense, we had practiced this for weeks and I was probably doing the same thing when it was her turn, only I probably added hand-gestures.

Ten minutes in, our agent held up his hand and said, "What are you doing? Are you pitching this movie in real time? How long is this running?"

Barely audible I answered: "Once we did it in 58 minutes."

Our agent's head dropped on his desk.

Looking back now - it is just one of a hundred mistakes I have made in my career. Now, it's funny. Then, it was embarrassing and potentially a career ending level of bad. We were lucky to get a second chance. That said, the industry is more fickle now. Hopefully other writers will be able to learn from my mistakes.

That said, a good pitch has you hooked 30 seconds in and lasts no longer than 10 minutes.

You see how far off the mark we were? But, we loved our story. It was a great story. The characters were amazing. It would have been the best thing we ever wrote. But we weren't skilled enough pitchers to give that idea its chance in the spotlight.

Honestly, I have yet to master the short pitch. I still struggle. I'm a 15-20 minute pitcher - but I'm also funny in a room and I make a lot of comedic asides. I am not recommending this tactic. It's a crutch - each and every time I try to be a 10 minute pitcher, I will always try until my last time "in the room."

That said, my batting average isn't that bad. Of the last four assignments I've been up for I've landed three. I'm not saying this to brag, I just want you to trust me. Cut it down. Cut it down. Cut it down.

Now for the nitty-gritty:

There are two primary types of pitches. Pitches of your original ideas (either tv or feature) that you hope a buyer (studio or network) will purchase and give you the money to write in advance. There are also the pitches for "open writing assignments" and "rewrites."

The difference is that on the latter you have a set of criteria you must incorporate. Usually, you are considered for the gig because the producer/studio/network has read your writing sample and they feel your talents would lend themselves to their project.

Since pitching your original idea will dovetail into the pitching for an assignment, I'll continue with the assignment track.

Your agent or your manager calls you up and says that there's a potential assignment at studio "x". They read "y" of yours as a sample. Your agent/manager will give you the one-liner and whatever else they know of the direction the studio wants to take.

For example, "It is a movie about the Kentucky Derby. They read your story about the Off-Track betting and think you'd work. The original draft is a thriller where there's a plot to kill the favorite before the race. The studio wants to turn this into a fish out of water comedy starring (insert SNL comedian turned blockbuster star) with a strong love-interest subplot. She may or not be the horse's jockey."

For those of you in the business, even though this does sound nearly plausible, I made this example up.

So, now you get to work. And here's the part that is just like pitching your own original idea. You come up with a way to set up your main character, meaning make us care about what he's after, make us want him to get it and then throw a big obstacle in his path. You hit all the major turning points, making sure to illuminate the scope and tone of your piece. Don't forget about the set-pieces. (I define SP's as the fun moments that will probably end up in the trailer, but are usually the same fun ideas you can't wait to write.)

I've had tremendous success following the late and great Blake Snyder's SAVE THE CAT formula, which I tweaked to create my own Story Grid.

Once I find all my major points, giving a lot of attention to my main characters arc, I write the beats from my Story Grid out how I would say it. (It is always, one hundred percent too long.) I then edit it down as much as I can and start practicing telling the story in the mirror.

In the mirror is key. You have to say it so many times that you can say it like you were telling a story to your friend. Know it well enough that you can answer questions and then jump right back in after being interrupted.

Practicing it this much also tells you where it lags. When you get to a part you want to skip - see if you can cut that. Then practice on everyone who will listen. I practiced once at a cafe with a stranger who was also a single eating alone. She turned out to know a lot about the arena of my film. We are still friends.

The meeting is set and you pitch it. Going into a room is a heroic feat for us writers. We live most of our work lives in sweat-pants and bedhead. Our best conversations are with imaginary characters that we create and rewrite and kill if need be. So, to step into a room filled with execs (all of whom are smart, attractive, articulate and very, very learned on your craft) and become "the showman." Well, it's like asking a trained seal to drop the ball and clapping act and instead paint a still-life watercolor.

Also, often, not always, but often good "pitchers" aren't the best writers. As good writers often aren't the best pitchers. We are all unique. We all have places where we can and should work on our game. I'm too long-winded. My long irons tend to fade. Doesn't mean I'm not great out of the sand.

You do what you can. You give it your all. Sometimes you get the gig. Often times you don't. But each time you try you are better. Each time you try you are that much closer to success.

Happy Writing!

The First Finish Line

2010-11-09T10:56:00.001-08:00

This is the moment we've all been waiting for! I am turning my spec into my agent for him to read. Hopefully, he'll get to it this weekend, or the next depending on how many projects came in.

If he likes it, then he'll either have notes (because he's one of the few agents who give really great notes) or he'll think it's ready to show people.

At that point, we'll come up with a plan to sell it. This plan will probably include packaging*. But, we'll blog about that bridge when we slowly slog over it. Specs usually don't go out to studios without "attachments" any more. But, as I said, the "plan" is a future blog subject.

If the agent doesn't like it. Well, (insert explicative here). Hopefully, I won't have to blog about that. But, you never know. Just because something is well written does not guarantee a sale. There could be a glut of material in the same genre competing for a small group of actors' attention. Or you could just run up against bad luck. There's no need to worry about that. That's your rep's job mainly. Your job is to write something that has a chance to sell and do your best on it. And I can honestly say I've done that. Let the chips fall where they may.

So, how many drafts has this "first draft" taken? Here's a review:

1) I came up with a short treatment. Got notes.
2) I expanded that to an outline. Got notes.
3) I wrote a very quick "vomit draft." Got notes. Mainly that one of the characters was so unlikeable it threw off the viability of the hero's actions. Fixed that.
4) I wrote a solid rough draft. Got notes. The notes discovered that the tone was too "rom-com" and I rewrote the next draft to reflect a more "dramatic/romantic/inspirational" tone.
5) The first draft was born. I got notes. These notes suggested areas where I could enhance character, add more flavor to my locations, hit certain beats a slightly different way. Did that.
6) I went through a final pass (and so did my managers) for trims - to get it as tight as possible. And now we are here. First Draft dated November 9, 2010.

This has actually been a very slow process for me, but nowadays specs really one have one shot at success. My agent will read it once and decide if it is something he can get behind. That's it. One read. So, I took my time. I wanted to take my best shot.

Between July 1 and November 9 (the time it took to get to this stage) I also wrote a bunch of other things as well, including the writing assignment I recently landed. As I said, if you are a writer, you are also a juggler. And I'm very happy to get this script "off my plate" for a while so I can focus on my writing assignment.

The contracts on THE ASSIGNMENT should be ready by the end of the week - which means the clock starts on when I have to have the draft in to the studio. That first draft will have to be ready in either eight or six weeks, depending on what my representation works out in the deal.

I will blog about that process concurrently while tracking how THE SPEC continues - updates on each will be identified as SPEC or ASSIGNMENT.

So, isn't it exciting? What do you think the agent will say? Am I on the verge of success or about to fall off a cliff? Who knows. All you can do is the best you can do. Then you've got to let it go.

Happy Writing!

*There are only a few actors in each age group who can "green-light" a movie. And nowadays you need one of them to commit to your project to get a sale.

Best Words A Writer Can Ever Hear?

2010-10-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I heard the best words a writer can hear today. Can you guess what they are?

You might think it would be praise for your writing. You might think it would be how a story you wrote brought them to tears, mad them laugh. Yes, it is phenomenal when I renowned producer like Donald Deline quotes a line you've written back to you... Or when a major movie star tells you that they love the character you wrote for them. These are moments you won't forget.

But, in the reality of a writer's life, all of those great things fall short to this simple phrase: "Let's get you paid, so you can start writing."

So, while the spec is going to make its way over to my agents this week - still doing a small bit of character tweaking. I am once again an employed writer.

So, to recap: I have a project in New York being Exec Produced by Garry Marshall. I have a big spec hopefully soon to be packaged by my big agency. I have a novel half way finished and a mocumentary directing project set for next year - but it is super, duper great to be writing on assignment. It is the bread and butter that lets all the other things have their chance.

So, rejoice with me and be grateful for every job - no matter how big or small. The key to writing in this day and age is to keep as many plates spinning in the air as possible.

Happy writing!

PS. The next post will be on pitching. An art form in and of itself and must have skill when it comes to getting work in Hollywood.

Eureka!

2010-10-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that once again going back to basics has saved the day.

I have solved the problem with the last 10%. A new opening - which actually allows my character to show her warts - so that over the course of the film we can get them removed. Okay- that analogy may not be in my top 3.2 million, but I'm rushing. I have a conference call in 12 minutes.

Good news just can't wait. I am now working this refined character through the story and expect to have a new (and hopefully - ready to show people) draft by Friday!

Hurrah for Hollywood... Da da da da da da da Hollywood.....

If you are stuck on a spot. Go to your trusted readers. Listen, even if you don't want to. Step back. Clear your head. Then give yourself permission to try something wild. (The duplicate draft command is key to this. You can always go back to what you had. It's a win-win. Go for it.)

After a couple tries you might just hit on the solution. And then you'll get to experience the "breakthrough bliss." The bigger the road-block, the bigger the bliss. This one feels like I should pop a magnum.

Happy Re-Writing!

The Wall Seems to Be Winning

2010-10-08T11:08:00.001-07:00

We expected a few bumps in the road, didn't we?

So the first draft sailed to completion - but now that we are 90% there - the last 10% of work is getting the better of me. It's only the opening. The first 5-10 pages of the script. The part that sets up the story, introduces our character and her pre-movie situation, the problems in her world that need to be resolved. The part that makes us like her and invests us in following her journey. It's also the only part you are guaranteed everyone in the biz will read. So, just that.

It is the most important 10% of the whole script. It has to be just right. And although the majority of people who have read the script like the opening - there are an important few who just don't like it as much of the rest of the story. And even though I am in the latter - and I love the opening I have - I've been around the block enough to know - your first pages have to work for everybody. Well, that one crazy aunt who wears house-slippers to the supermarket, we can let her go. But everyone else must have the same reaction. Do you know what that reaction is?

I want to read more.

So, today, tomorrow, the next day and the day after that I will be working and reworking my opening.

And how am I going to do that? I'm going to go back to character and character arc. I'm going to invite my character into the squishy recesses of my brain cavity and let her hang out. I'm going to imagine what she learns and where she ends up. I'm going to then use that information to create a scene that best sets this up.

Wish me luck and happy banging your head against the wall. (It just makes if feel that much more satisfying when you happen upon the solution.)

Nearly There - And Diverted

2010-10-01T13:36:00.001-07:00

Here's the reality of spec writing - paying gigs always take precedence. So this week - I've assembled all the feedback (nearly) and I'm preparing to launch into the last minor pass. (Which should only take a day or two.) But, an assignment has come up and I need to place the majority of my focus on that.

I love writing on assignment. I get lots of questions on how that works - and in a nutshell here goes:

A studio has a property (either a script, a novel, a magazine article or just a concept) that they want to turn into a movie. They look for a writer to turn the property into a script or to take the script they already have into a new direction.

The producer or studio reads samples from a list of writer's they have generated. They select a few and invite those people in to discuss the idea. Usually you have to pitch your "take" or your version of the story. If they like your take the best you are offered the job. Then your peeps get to negotiate your terms while you hold your breath hoping the deal doesn't fall through.

Assignments are great because they make you think in creative ways you wouldn't normally happen upon in your spec work. It's an outside in process - instead of an inside out. Meaning, a spec is usually something that you are interested and you create it to share your idea with the world. An assignment is an idea that is given to you and you make it your own. I love it. It also pays the bills and keeps your family under good health coverage.

That said, it's time to come up with a pitch for the assignment. There's a wrinkle with this assignment because there are already elements attached and the story has to fit a number of preordained criteria. Tricky. Well, that's why they need a professional. If it wasn't hard, anybody could do it. So, no belly-aching here. Just make it happen.

Hopefully, I'll land the job quickly and while my contracts are being drawn up and I can top-off the spec script. Or while they agonize over whether to hire me or not, I can finish my spec. But first things first. This is part of the juggling act I alluded to in my "Life as a Writer" post.

I've got a plan. Deep breathes. One step at a time... I'll keep you posted.

The Reality of Life as a Professional Writer

2010-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Brown Out in Los Angeles prevented my notes from coming in yesterday. I got a brief text which indicated that things were good - I believe it started with "loved it" but I won't post about the next step until I've met with all parties concerned.

In the meantime, I thought I might say a word about the life of a writer. Which since the last strike has been evolving at a rate that would make Darwin flip in the ground.

For a rare handful life as a screenwriter involves foreign sports cars and warm nuts being served on airline flights. For the majority of us it's feast or famine. Your life vacillates between having no money and plenty of time to tons of money and no time at all to enjoy it. Finding a balance and a way to make your fiances stretch through the lean times is as important as knowing how to write. I'm not joking.

Because understanding how to save for a rainy day and invest your money wisely (I was never tempted to buy a sports car) keeps you free to write. Keeps you in the game. And nowadays allows you to diversify.

My current reality is that not only am I taking writing assignments (when they come)and finishing this feature spec I've been blogging about. I'm also writing a novel - in hopes of expanding into a new revenue stream. I've also recently found a directing project - because the reality of the business in good times and in the Great Recession is you must keep as many plates spinning as possible. You have no control over what will take off and what will die - you just have to work on perfecting the juggle.

Here are some tips:

1) You have to do everybody's job. My agent told me this during my last meeting. He actually said, "You know, Jen, you have to do everybody's job." Meaning think through the marketing, the cast appeal factor, etc. You can't ever just write what you have in your heart - unless your heart lines up with something people in the biz will recognize how to sell.

I would add something to "You have to do everybody's job." I would say - You have to do every body's job BUT never forget WHAT YOUR JOB actually is. Yes, it is important to think like a studio, director, marketing VP, producer - but you also have to know how and when to listen to the people that actually have those jobs. You are the writer. Know the game, but then let them teach you the rules.

2) Make everything you put your name on the best it can possibly be. There are no little jobs. Every project should be a passion project. Find a way to fall in love with your work. When you make it fun, it's fun for everyone and things move forward.

3) Read everything people give you right away. Waiting on notes is painful. As a writer you will spend too much of your life waiting by the phone like a teenager with a lust-crush. Don't do this to your fellow writers.

4) Take the time to celebrate the victories. Be them small (a good meeting) or large (a movie premiere). Good things happen few and far between - if you can appreciate them, they will sustain you through the awkward calls and the rejection.

5) Don't let the disappointments define you. Never look back. If a project is meant to happen, it will find its way. When people don't respond to a piece of material - move on. Let "your people" circulate it when they find an opening. Never look back - it will eat up time you could be using to write new stuff.

The script will soon be making its way to the market. And that is simultaneously a fast-paced and stagnate process - I may expand this blog to include the making of the movie I will be directing next year...

Happy writing!

Draft Three

2010-09-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Okay - so I'm on the verge of turning in draft three. This is more of a polish with a new tonal emphasis than a full-fledged draft - but to keep things less confusing for my international readership... let's call it draft three. (Personally it was vomit draft, draft one and now polish, but you see, confusing.)

So, after biting the bullet and stepping well out of my comfort zone, I was reminded by my golden winged manager that my most popular work has been the dramas I've written. So taking the "com" out of my rom-com and making it more of just a woman's journey (hello that was my assignment to begin with) isn't really like stepping out of my comfort zone as it is backing back into it. (Even the people whose English is their first language will have to re-read that sentence a few times.)

So, I'm now nearly the conclusion of that pass. I had a golf tournament (second place in the first flight) and the high holidays to attend (in no order of importance of course) - so it seems like this pass has taken forever. But actually butt-in-the-chair time, it's only been a week and a half.

So, fingers crossed. I hope to get some feedback soon to share. Happy writing!

Notes on Draft Two

2010-09-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Okay - so today I heard back from my beloved managers on Draft Two. I also woke up with a scorcher of sore throat. I usually get sick after I finish a project, but this time it arrived a little early. So, despite my throat closing up and my head feeling like it was on the receiving end of a mallet, the notes session went brilliantly.

I have written romantic comedies for some time. So what we discovered was that I was still leaning on those legs. The script has moved forward and we feel like we're a hefty character polish and some light remodeling away from being finished.

Well, finished enough to hand it to my agent and come up with a plan of attack.

What I need to do is embrace my goal and step out of my comfort zone and embrace the new genre I've attempted. I'm reading some scripts from the genre. I'm watching successful movies from the genre and I'm taking a step back.

When I feel justifiably distanced I will jump back in and knock it out of the park.

Happy writing and for those to whom it applies Shana Tova!

Turned In Draft Two

2010-09-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

This last week was a fun and informative week. I had collected all my notes from all my readers and was going through them simultaneously. How I do this is probably just like you all do it. But, just in case you are in a "fixated on the process" place - I'll break it down into Frankenstein Steps. (Frankenstein Steps = Slow and cumbersome.)

First I retrieve my script from my reader and give them a hearty thanks. Then I try to listen very carefully to what their feedback is - if I'm meeting them in person. Most times I just get the script back. So I go through it page by page and read their comments. I always ask my readers to mark what they liked, thought was funny as well as anything that took them out of the story, they didn't buy or they didn't like.

Next I highlight the notes I find helpful whether I like them or not. (It takes years to like notes that you really didn't want to hear. Even after 20 scripts it still smarts, but suck it up - these people are trying to help you!)

When I've collected all my reads I try to find commonality among the notes. Are people getting hung up on the same beats? Maybe they react differently or suggest different ways to deal with it - but if there are consistent areas where people are stumbling it truly behooves you to pay attention.

So then I come up with a list of things to fix. Then I spread out all the scripts around my desk and on the desktop of my computer and I go through page by page.

Happily - once again - the feedback was very consistent. And there were very few issues. I rewrote some key scenes, changed the ending entirely and turned it back in to the managers. It is a long holiday weekend. For everyone else Labor day starts at 3PM on Friday and concludes Monday evening. In Hollywood it starts mentally on Wednesday and physically on Thursday evening.

So until Tuesday - Happy Labor Day. I will be laboring on my novel. Did I tell you that the managers really loved the first four chapters of The Novel? Now they want me to finish it - quickly.

So, I'm today I'm breaking out a plan of action - to finish the rough draft in 6-8 weeks. There are a couple of big Jewish Holidays and two major golf tournaments, a cousin's wedding, so I'm going to be kind to myself and shoot for Halloween. My first draft will be done by Halloween. (Or sooner!)

My son and I planted pumpkin seeds a while ago. So as the pumpkin grows so will my Novel. It's always good to set anchors. Happy Writing and I'll check in when I get the feedback from the managers next week!

Draft Two - Getting Notes Again

2010-08-23T10:58:00.001-07:00

Okay, I've had a couple great days of good writing and I got some nice feedback on my novel. People seem to be as excited about it as I am. Nothing could be better.

But, in the screenwriting world here's what I've been through the last couple of days. My characters are running amok and spilling their guts. Which is great for me getting to know my characters, etc. but it's boring in a movie.

So what to do? How did I turn my scrambled egg surprise back into a lovely omelet?

As I went through what I had written, I referred back to my character arc and checked where my character was on her journey. Sometimes I found she was arcing too early - she's talking about stuff she shouldn't even realize yet. I either had to move the dialogue to later in the story or do something tricky.* Sometimes I found that I didn't need that dialogue at all and cut it. Other times, the dialogue fit.

Wow - thankfully - some of the new stuff actually was good dialogue that brought my two characters together. Well, that's what I hope. I'll know more after I get some notes this weekend. Until then, happy writing. I'll be charging ahead on my novel.

PS. I've had some emails from writers who are following the blog. Instead of answering each of them, let me remind everyone here. I started writing my 20th screenplay on July 1, 2010. I finished the first draft on August 2 and I'm now finishing the second draft at the end of August. I had a couple weeks of waiting for notes - which explains the gap in posting. If you want to read the entire journey you can start on July 1, 2010 the post is And So It Begins. Thanks for sharing. Hope this clears it up.

*It's a nice trick in a script to let your character get most of the puzzle worked out - only to miss that one big key piece that will bring it all together. Often, it's a helper character who "helps" her find that last piece. (They aren't called helper for nothing.)

Draft Two - Scrambled Eggs & Mercury Retrograde

2010-08-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

I'm about half way through my rewrite and this is crucial week. Last week, my family was in town which seriously cut into my writing time, so this week it's time to redouble my focus. I'm not playing catch up, I'm just getting serious.

Now it's time for an analogy: If my script were a breakfast food.

My simple little first draft omelet has now turned into scrambled eggs. The omelet needed some more ingredients to make it perfect, but in the process of adding a little of this and a little of that everything lost its place. What I'm left with scrambled egg surprise.

It's not so bad. It's kind of a necessary step. What I'm doing is expanding character and what I've done is a common mistake. I front loaded all the information I have about my characters into the first opportunity they had to open their mouths. These characters are on a roll and they won't shut up. I have scenes of four page dialogues sequences. Yickes! That is really not going to fly.

I have to remind myself that just because I've made these great discoveries about my characters, I have to be patient and let it unfold. Just like you can't rush an omelet, you have to be gentle and give your story its own time to solidify.

But, for today, I'm allowing my characters to talk it out until I get through the whole script. This is letting them get it out of their system and letting me know more about them.

What I'll start tomorrow is shaping and editing. This is how I'll turn the scrambled eggs, with gobs of cheese and onions and tomatoes, mushrooms back into a fabulous omelet. More about that tomorrow.

PS. Mercury Retrograde is back for another three weeks. It's a great time to rewrite and go deeper with projects, to finish things up... So happy rewriting!

Draft Two - Eat Pray Love - Spoiler Alert

2010-08-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did some research for my project. Since I am writing a women's inspirational film, I went to see the biggest one to come out in a decade - EAT PRAY LOVE.

I had read the book and frankly, I wondered what Oprah was smoking. I thought the first two sections were mildly interesting. The author's self-effacing commentary about her journey was entertaining. But, the third section tipped me right out of the boat. Her quest for love seemed so precious and self-impressed I wanted to puke. Eat, Pray, Puke is what I called it.

Now, the film. Here's the interesting part. The third section, the one I hated in the book - was by far the best part of the movie. Maybe it was Mr. Sexiness Javier Bardem, well he certainly didn't hurt, but this part of the movie actually held my interest. Why?

Well, I think it's because it was the only part of the film that held any external conflict. The rest of the film was about someone's internal struggle - which of course is easier to play out on the pages of a book where the person can tell you directly about their struggle. But, on film, even if you give in to numerous monologues, not so much.

Once we got into the love affair - there was a question hanging - will she realize that this man is the one. Despite her internal conflict, we also had a weak ticking clock of her departure. We had another human being who might at any time say "Listen lady, I'm so sick of your self-absorbed nonsense, go mantra yourself."

What I really wanted to see was a movie about Phillip's journey. How much more interesting of a story. A man, despite his macho background, falls in love and plays Mr. Mom. And he's great at it, but once the kids are gone, the wife loses interest and breaks his heart. He finds himself lost on an island, trying to heal and finds love with possibly the only person more wrecked than he is. She's gorgeous, but she's a hot mess in the life department. What do you do with that? Fall into the Mommy role again? Or find a balance where you both can exist, feeding each other as equals until you create a life together that is better than it's two parts? NOW - THAT I want to see.

Good thing my own project has both external and internal conflicts. The lesson here is that seeing other similar projects can teach you things. They can teach you what you want to emulate and what you want to avoid. So, thank you, Eat Pray Love.

Draft Two - Okay, Now I'm really getting started

2010-08-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Okay - so last week I had big plans. I compiled notes. I made a new copy of my script on my computer and labeled it Draft Two. And then I worked on my novel.

Because, in a perfect world you would put your draft on a shelf long enough to forget about all your darlings. Long enough to look at it with fresh eyes before diving in and redoing it. But, this isn't a perfect world. You never have enough time for that.

That said, I took a week and worked on something else. But here it is Monday and I've got to get cranking.

My managers also wanted me to go further with the romance of the idea. The part that is cool about what the main character experiences, expand that - that's why we're at this movie. So, I've got to look for the moments to open them up.

What's problematic about this request is that it's a challenge to bring conflict into a section that you're simply adding for wish fulfillment's sake. And I never add something to my script merely to fulfill one purpose. Also, without conflict you have nothing. So, this is a challenge. How to start?

Once again I'm going to look back at my tonal guideposts for clues. As explained in my post Stumbles Are Necessary - tonal guideposts are break downs of similar films. You can always look back at them to see what they did in a section where you are lost. Often this provides an insight, which in turn jogs and idea, which gets you writing again.

I'll let you know how I did with that tomorrow. Happy writing.

Draft Two - Rewrite Day Two

2010-08-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

Let me speak about one of the issues I'm addressing in the rewrite.

The antagonist in the story is unlikeable.

Yes, this is a valid note. Because to get us on board with the main character in this story we have to fall for the antagonist like she did. If we don't see why she would fall for him, then we will question if we know her, if we trust her logic for the rest of the story and that would be bad.

You don't question a character when you recognize their motivations as reasonable. That's the goal: To write a character that people will identify with or recognize. Not that the audience will have necessarily shared the same experiences with the character, but that they can understand and "go with" the character's choices based on the character you have drawn. The parts of the story you've woven in to show who these people are and what informs their decisions.

For example, your audience member might not pull a gun on a creep in a parking lot who is trying to rape her friend. But, if you've built a believable character who has suffered abuse in the past and who would do anything to protect her friend from the same, your audience will believe that the character would do just that. The audience will be invested. They may cringe in their seats and say "no, no" - and you hope they do - because then you've done your job. Your audience will be on board for the ride, even if that ride ends with your main characters driving off a cliff.

(If you don't know what I'm talking about then do yourself a favor and rent Thelma and Louis.)

My personal goals today (if you are invested in my actions are to finish off the chapters of my novel so I can turn them in tomorrow) and then start addressing my antagonist in the screenplay. I do this from an organic place, once I know what needs fixing, I read the script and make notes as to what bubbles up. Wish me luck.

Draft Two - Day One

2010-08-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

After finishing the first draft in less than four weeks, I took a few days off to gather notes from readers and let their thoughts merge with my own ideas for the next draft.

Now, in my mind, the next draft is really the REAL first draft. (I call the first draft the vomit draft, because you just want to get through it quickly.) But, the "vomit draft" turned out to be pretty solid. So my next step is to get the script in good enough shape to send to my agent and come up with a plan to sell it.

The feedback I got was uniform. This is great news. When you have notes where one person wants you to go North and the other wants you to go West and still three more are debating between Northeast and East - that's when you know you need to make some significant changes.

When the notes come back echoing what you already were thinking, well happy day. Rewriting is still hard. Don't get me wrong.

In screenwriting, every time you change something it should naturally effect many more scenes and moments in the script. Since you aren't putting anything in your script that is simply serving one purpose - this is natural. You don't have jokes that are simply there for comic relief, they also reflect character. You don't have scenes that are there just to show how likable a character is - these scenes also have to move the plot forward. So when you change them you are also touching things that are connecting both forward and backward in your project. So, yes, it's like a puzzle and yes, it's darn tricky.

So when things get tricky - what do we do? We reach into our trusty bag of tricks. If the notes had come back indicating some sort of structural flaw then I would have broken out the 3x5 cards and my cork-board. The notes for this project concern deepening character, expanding moments and motivations and going further with the romance of the concept.

Getting started is always the hardest part. So how do I dive in?

First, I compile all my page notes and the notes from my readers onto a print out the script. My master copy of notes. I will re-read the script from the beginning keeping the notes in mind and jotting down any ideas that come to me to fix them.

Second, I duplicate the first draft, label it draft two and the date. At the end of that draft I type in bold all the "big" notes into a list. As I address these big issues in the rewrite, I delete them from my list. When there's nothing dangling after my "Fade Out," I know I've addressed the major issues.

If I was writing this on assignment I type up "what I heard" and how I plan on addressing it and email it back to the producers. Often, you will discover at this point whether you are on the same page or if you've heard two different things before you actually do the work. Thus saving yourself from writing in the wrong direction.

First Set of Notes

2010-08-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Poolside I received my first set of notes on The Project. Poolside always makes a notes session better. Just another little tip.

Actually, the notes were fantastic. I gave it to a friend who was in my target audience. Someone who I thought might identify with the character (and therefore be able to tell me when she ran afoul.) Someone who knew about the world where my script is set - so she qualified as a technical reader too.

The feedback was great. She found several areas where I could delve deeper. She even had suggestions as to what she wanted to know about the characters. She told me where she thought the characters might pause, open up as well as what was working.

Overall, she really enjoyed the script. As notes go, the fixes she suggested were needed are minimal in the grand scheme of things. There were some technical/logical problems that we found solutions for (again by the pool drinking wine - the best!).

But what was most exciting was that all of her notes wanted more of what I had started. A bad notes session is one where the person doesn't like your main character, was bored half way through, wasn't rooting for what your main character was trying to achieve. What I got was more along the lines of deepening subplots and drawing the finer points on motivation. Fantastic.

I am resisting the urge to call my managers with the ten ways my reader inspired me to make the draft better. I'm resisting the urge to qualify the draft they are reading with a "but I already know how to make it better." If they read my blog they'll know. (I seriously doubt they are reading my blog.) I'm going to instead trust that they know I wrote this extremely fast. I'm going to trust that the excitement I feel will still be with me when I hear their notes.

Then, I can get started on the rewrite. Until Monday peeps. I'm taking the weekend off. Happy Writing.

Day 28 - Active* Waiting For Notes

2010-08-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

Update on The Project: I have in fact heard back from my fabulous managers and they are in fact reading over the weekend. They also want to read my novel pages - but I'm not sure if I'm ready to let them go, we'll see how I do today and tomorrow.

When all are ready then we'll shoot them off to my agent and then the ball will really get rolling. But, that's after notes, after revisions. We can all hope that those magic words come back, "It's great. We're ready." But, that's only happened to me once on a first draft. 1 out of 19. Not holding my breath. Even though... I enjoyed the read myself. I have no distance.

So what's great to do while you are waiting for notes. Besides, catching up on all the things that went out the window while you were writing (house, bills, friends, hair-cut)... it's a great time to read some writing books.

Here's a list of some my favorites:

Save The Cat by Blake Snyder
The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri
On Writing by Stephen King
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Of course, as in previous posts, I also can recommend the books from the UCLA Screenwriting department including Lew Hunter, Hal Ackerman and Richard Walters.

Active* (To writers reading is activity)

Day 27 - A Word About "Write What You Know"

2010-08-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sat down and read the first draft without interruption. And I really enjoyed the script. There were several typos, there were a couple of spots that I thought I could go deeper, but all in all I'm really happy with it.

I still haven't heard what my managers think - but as I said, they probably won't read it until this weekend. Which gives me time to work on the novel and the side-project I'm producing.

I am also going to give this rough draft to my technical readers. As you know, if you've been following me from Day One that I am NOT writing about "what I know."

"Write what you know" has been screenwriting advice since the dawn of time. But I believe this is totally misunderstood. In a nutshell, I would advise to "write what you can feel."

I have to know my character's emotional reality. I don't have to know her world - at first. The script I've been blogging about is set in a world that I know absolutely zilch about. For the rough draft I simply worked on getting the characters through the story. When I hit a spot where they had to do something I don't have a clue how to describe accurately I just tried to make it sound as good as possible. I faked it.

Now that I think the story and the characters and the structure are on-line, it's time to start locking down the technical stuff. Let the research begin. I've found several people who are absolutely passionate about the world my script is set in. I'm asking them to give me notes with their red pens.

If they give me some story notes as well, then great. I'm just going to ask them to flag anything that they didn't believe and if they could explain to me how to get it right for people who know about this like they do.

Day 26 - Finished. Fade Out. Now the Work Begins.

2010-08-03T06:02:00.001-07:00

Something surprising happened yesterday. I got a late start, but managed to fend off the stress and just start. I had read through my first two acts over the weekend and made some small tweak-notes. I started with addressing those to get me warmed up and that lead me to rework the last scene I had written. Then I just kept going and before I knew what was happening - I was typing Fade Out.

And then I did something really insane - I turned it in.

All my trusted readers who aren't on my team are traveling and so I gave it to my great managers. They know it's a rough draft (best not to call it vomit when asking for notes). I felt like it was a good place to get a sweeping temperature read. So, we'll see.

Usually people in Hollywood don't read anything (unless it's something really pressing) until the weekend. They don't have the time. Maybe a slight draft of 93 pages (okay, I told you that was okay for the rough draft) might get a sneak peak. We'll see.

When they do get back to me, that's when the true work begins. I will stay open and listen without attachment. I will then step back and absorb. Then I'll plunge in and make the script rock.

In the meantime, I am charging ahead on my novel. My goal is to get the chunk I promised to show my agents finished by Friday. Now, if I can accomplish that - then I will most definitely take the weekend off. Or maybe I'll work on the project I'm producing and mentoring with a young and talented writer/director friend. Yeah, probably that.

Heck I have a 20 month old mouth to feed. Nothing like a little motivation! Happy Writing.

Day 25 - A New Attitude

2010-08-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

Okay - I am BEHIND schedule today. I'm two hours into my work day and have not written a word. Sometimes Monday's roll like this. The only thing to do is just jump in and not think about how you promised to have the rough draft to your managers this week. Or the fact that you are nearly to the point where you are going to have to show your novel to your agency.

But here I am nearing completion on two goals and I'm faced with a completely new experience: Fear.

Normally, by the time I have finished my draft I have fallen so in love with my script that I rush to turn it in.

This time, something different is cooking in my head. I'm not exactly sure why, but, this time as I approach the finish line (well, the first of many finish lines) where I will show my work to my managers, I'm excited, but NERVOUS.

Strange. For me. An Aries. Invisible. Always looking forward. This is strange.

Normally, here's how this goes down. I get notes. Love the ones I agree with, hate the ones I don't. Internally I resist the notes I don't agree with, especially if I know deep down they are right. I hem and haw and grumble. I complain to my husband, who must think Hollywood is the worst place on the planet (when honestly I believe it abundantly populated by extremely intelligent and driven people). Then, I sit down and address the notes.

Ultimately, I come up with a new draft that I am so in love with that again I rush to turn it in because I believe in it even more. Rinse. Repeat.

This time it's different.

I'm curious as to what people will say. I love my script and the characters just as much as in projects in the past, but in some way I'm just staying open. Maybe, it's drivel? Maybe it's brilliant? Probably somewhere in between. But, this time I'm honestly looking forward to letting people in. And that honesty fills me with nervous excitement. To be honest. A little fear. But, nothing I can't handle. I'm still an Aries with Leo Rising. So bring it on.

Perhaps because I've been writing both my script and my first novel simultaneously my ego doesn't know which house to live in and went on vacation. All I know is that this is very interesting and new. And it feels right. I'll keep you posted.

Day 24 - How Long Should My Script Be?

2010-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

So, I have finished my second act, one day ahead of schedule and now it's full-steam ahead until I type those two magic words... FADE OUT.

(Fade Out is a bit old-fashioned, but I also like eating soft-boiled eggs in antique egg cups. Humor me.)

My goal is to turn in my vomit draft to my trusted readers next week. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, in order to get ready for our readers, let's discuss length and format.

A first draft can come in a little wonky in the length department - that's perfectly okay. Sometimes when you get to the end your script comes in a lean and mean 95 pages. Sometimes, you're at a heavy 125. I've had both. Neither is what you want to end up with after your next draft - but for the vomit draft - well done!

The goal in this rough, first draft is to finish. I highly recommend celebrating this moment. In this business the good times are very good, but they are also few and far between. To stay sane and out of rehab, I recommend commending yourself at every worthy occasion. Finishing your first draft is one of these moments. I try to drink a glass of champagne, or go out for a nice meal. I will also take the weekend off.

Why? Because even though you've come a long way, the hard work has just begun. Writing is rewriting. There's a very small window of time between when you finish a draft and when the notes come pouring in. This is your time to relax and bask in the delusion that the script's perfect and you are a genius. That window will slam closed on your fingers soon enough. But, for now... Enjoy.

Eventually you'll want your finished product to come in around 110 pages. Before the e-reader became the reading device of choice, there was a thickness by which screenplays were judged. As a former development executive, I'll admit "thick scripts" often went to the bottom of the read pile. I wonder now if people scan to the end of their pdf files to see what the total page count comes in at?

Just to be safe, try to hit 110.

Reading on a computer screen is here to stay - so I recommend reading your own script off the computer, too. (In addition to printing out pages and marking them up with ink.) Because the look of a script - how it meets the readers eye - is important.

Here's a quick list of what to do to make your script look right.

1. If you are a beginner, get your hands on some screenplays and check out their format. A script in Germany will look a lot different from a script in Hollywood - so imitate the market you're trying to sell to. (TV scripts are another ball of wax - but the same rules apply. If you are writing a single camera comedy - get a copy of a similar show. Etc.)

There are great resources online - but also the WGA library and the Academy Library have fantastic collections if you happen to be in Los Angeles. If not, there's a great on-line site where you can download all manner of scripts called Drew's Script-o-Rama.

2. Don't leave a word dangling by itself, forcing the sentence onto a second line.

There are a million ways to say the same thing, so pick one that won't leave one word stranded. Less is always more. Readers hate to read. Remember that. Readers love to be swept up in your story, make them forget they are reading. Then, they'll love you.

Paragraphs in screenplays should never be longer than five sentences. You might notice that most of this blog is chopped up into paragraphs of five sentences or less. Old habits die hard.

3. Don't overwrite your description. I am WAY guilty of this. Save it for your novel. If you have to explain what your character is thinking or feeling in the action - then you need to rewrite that scene. Find a way to show it. And I don't mean have your character talk to herself or a goat (which I just did yesterday in my own script). I'll fix it, don't worry. This is the vomit draft!

4. You don't have to use proper grammar if your style choice really drives your point home. But, too much of a gimmick really gets annoying, beware.

Day 23 - Writing Anyway

2010-07-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Checking in from the end of the second act. I'm writing a part of the script that I just don't like. My attention is wandering. I'm current on all my bills and shampooing the carpets is really sounding like a fabulous plan for the morning.

But, NO!

Instead of darting away from my uncomfortable feeling - instead of avoiding - I need to welcome this discomfort, this dislike, this I'm on the verge of a "I don't wanna" tantrum, as an invitation.

Why don't I like this section? Because it feels silly. And even though a little dash of humor ALWAYS helps*, silly and meandering is not what needs to be happening right now. Tension should be mounting. Obstacles rising.

So what's missing? I'm not sure, but here's where I'm going to look right after I publish this post. CONFLICT. External and internal. Perhaps she's only dealing with external conflicts and I've let the internal conflicts slide. Perhaps that's why this section is feeling slapstick-y.

The point is - the carpets can wait another day or two. Stay with your work. Don't go into denial about what's not working - be thankful that you have an internal sensor to keep you sharp.

*A note about humor. Humor to some measure always works. Even in drama, even in horror, even in action. Case in point - Life is Beautiful (humor in drama) Interiors (no humor in drama). (If you take a Woody Allen class in film school, don't miss Interiors -it's horrible. There's not a single moment of levity. It starts tragic and goes straight North.) Which film allowed your to feel more? That's what I thought!

Day 22 - What's Important About The End of Act Two

2010-07-28T09:42:00.001-07:00

If you refer to the printable story grid as discussed on Day Four you will see two important beats nearing the end of Act Two.

In my current project I am writing these scenes today. What is happening in my script is that the main character gets an opportunity to find love, and believing she's learned her lesson charges full steam ahead -- in the wrong direction.

When the other shoe drops (and she loses it all; end of act two) she realizes that she wasn't using the right tools. The right tools are usually covered up by "all the things the main character is afraid of" and naturally that's not the first, or even second place your character wants to look.

But ultimately, after all else fails, there's no other way around it. Because of everything else that has happened in the script (character growth specifically) your main character will now be able to face that fear and succeed. That's your act three in a nutshell.

Let's look at Jaws (it's in instant play on Netflix and an all-time great movie in regards to character arc and I'm sure not to spoil it for anyone).

As a refresher - the POLICE CHIEF is afraid of the water - actually he's just plain afraid of the chaos of life - and water symbolizes* his greater fear. He's moved his family to Amityville Island to try to protect them from the violence and insanity he's witnessed as a cop in the big city. What could go wrong? Well, violence and danger returns in the form of a super shark.

In the second half of the second act, the Problem Returns Stronger when the shark eats someone right in front of the Chief's son - who was supposed to be safe in the lagoon. Now tourism is going to be dead unless they kill that shark. So our chief Battles Back Using The Wrong Tools. He hires Quinn to kill the shark.

This isn't a bad plan, it's not wrong in the sense that it isn't logical or a practical next step. It's the "wrong tools" because again our hero is still clinging to his fears. He's not facing them himself, he's hiring out. He gets on the boat, which shows growth, but the entire time he's looking the quickest way back to shore and safety. This is where the Chief delivers the classic, "We're going to need a bigger boat" line. This line is so memorable because it is exactly the type of thing we expect the chief to say, because he is a consistently drawn (realistic) character.

This all lends itself to set up a great climax in the third act where in fact, our hero is in the water, battling the shark himself. With quick thinking and good aim he blows the shark to kingdom come. And what is the closing image? The chief is swimming in the water back to shore.

Viola - happy writing!

*More about symbols and theme after we finish the vomit draft. DON'T think about that now. Not yet.

Day 21 - Approaching the End of Act Two

2010-07-25T17:11:00.001-07:00

The end of act two will land somewhere around page 80-85. I try to break my second act into twelve beats before the midpoint and twelve beats after the mid-point. In my current project, after hitting the mid-point, I looked at my outline and I'm feeling like I'm running a little long. But, this is the vomit draft - and so I am marching ahead. I'm taking note, in case I hit a scene that feels redundant, but I'm charging on. Since I'm on track and happy with how the story is progressing, it would just be procrastinating to try to re-org now.

My goal is to hit the end of the second act by this Friday. This will be a challenge because Tuesday I play in the finals of the President's Cup which will undoubtedly be followed by compulsory celebratory drinking. But, since I've looked ahead at my week, I've also made a plan as to where I can catch up on missed time. (No "So You Think You Can Dance" for me. Sorry, Kent will have to make it on his own this week.)

So, twenty-five-ish pages to go. Approximately 10-12 scenes. Four days of writing. That's about 6 pages a day. About three scenes a day. No problem!

Here's where I have to admit that all this bravado is bullshit. Because this is a crucial part of the script. There's a lot of stuff that has to happen in a short amount of time. Your stakes have to keep rising, the characters have face set-backs, where you think they are going in the wrong direction, but are actually growing along their arc. It's a very, very, very important and difficult stretch. Wish me luck.

Day 20 - Are Your Characters Surprising You?

2010-07-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am now on page 60 of my script and I'm really having fun. I have no idea at this point if it's working or not. But, a couple days ago, the characters started walking around and pulling stunts that surprised me. And, yes, this happens. It's not a sign of a psychotic break.

Once you know your characters, you'll be writing a scene where your main character is supposed to agree to leave town with a friend. Suddenly, your main character and her best friend get into an argument over something that happened in high school and the friend takes off without her. In her car.

Well, that's a fine kettle of fish. The scene is great. There's conflict and a lot has been revealed about your characters, but your main character still needs to get out of Dodge.

When something like this happens - enjoy it! This is actually a very good thing. When your characters start wanting to do things that you previously had not thought of - that's when you know your characters have dimension. You can't force it and it doesn't always happen. You just have to keep writing and have faith.

Sometimes, after all the fun has revealed itself you have to put it in context of your grander scheme (does it mesh with your story?) and do some adjustments. But, usually your characters know exactly what they should be doing when they start running amok.

And P.S. Don't you just love the word "amok"?

Day 19 - Researching Your Story

2010-07-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know you are all holding your breath waiting to hear if I pulled it off. And the answer is - yes, I won my match and have made it into the finals of the President's Cup.

Oh, you were wondering if I hit my deadline of writing to my mid-point? Truthfully, I'm close, but not quite there.

And here's why - a dreaded little word. Research.

I broke one of my cardinal rules for my vomit draft*. Never research. Just write. In my current project much of the action takes place in an environment I don't know Jack about. I have friends who do and I've questioned them a little to get started on terminology, asked for pertinent websites, etc. Most importantly, I've begged them to read the rough draft with a red pen. (I don't actually recommend calling it the "vomit draft" when trolling for readers.)

So, why the no research rule? Because it's way way way too juicy and tempting to spend hours, days, weeks doing research when there are pages to write. The vomit draft is for discovering story and character and character and story. You're finding the drama, the conflict. It makes no difference if it's a B-20 bomber or an AK47 or Bengal Tiger. It's a war plane, a gun and a cat with big teeth. If the drama isn't on the page - it won't matter how accurate you were about how horses are born or anything else. Movies are headlines and conflict is not in the details. Not yet. We'll get there. Be patient.

Okay - so why am I only on page 50 and not 55? (And don't say it's because I was playing golf.) It's because I let myself get worried about the particulars of a scene sequence and the next thing I knew half my writing day had been spent emailing experts and reading Wikipedia. Oy...

And you know what? I'm still not sure about the details. What I am sure about is that my main character is about to step way outside her comfort zone. Now will she realize it isn't as scary as she thought it would be or will she fall on her face? I'm still figuring that out. I'm leaning towards the latter as (big clue) the movie is only HALF way done. If she realizes what she's supposed to learn already then we might as well throw on the lights, scrape the popcorn off our boots and head home.

One more point about research - it's a great thing to do before jumping into the rewrite of your first draft. It allows me to think about my story with a different brain lobe. Okay, I'm no brain expert - but it feels more analytical than emotional. But more about rewriting and your legitimate first draft when we get there.

*Vomit Draft (Explained On Day One). The first rough draft of a script that you write fast, without thinking, throwing everything in that gets you to the next scene, even if it makes you want to puke.

Day 18 - Crisis Point

2010-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of Howard Suber's birthday, and since I'm on schedule to write to my mid-point today, I thought we'd discuss what Howard Suber has dubbed the "crisis point." Howard Suber is like the Wooden of the UCLA Film School. He has a legion of dedicated followers called Suberites. A new crop of Suberites are born each time Suber teaches a class. Deservedly so.

I took Howard's class back in 1998 when I was a very young film student. I took copious notes and took everything he said as seriously as the word of God. The class I took analyzed why films work and why they don't. One brilliant point Howard shared with us was his observation that at the 60 minute point the main character takes an active step either toward or away from his goal. (Now, I'm remembering this from 1998 - so for the finer points - seek out the man himself. He has written books and posted many things on the internet. Here's a link to Howard Suber's The Power Of Film.)

While taking Howard's class, I applied everything I learned about the "Crisis Point" to the script I was writing at the time. And to make a long story short, it didn't work. I asked Howard why, why, why had his crisis point forsaken me? And what he told me was one of the greatest quotes ever. He said, "What you've done is make a perfect landing at the wrong airport."

At the time I was way too insecure to admit I had no idea what that meant. So I muddled on and on. And over time, over the last 19 scripts of my career, here's what I've come up with about the "Crisis Point."

Howard is absolutely correct. If you watch any good film at 60 minutes the main character acts. But, just because the character takes a step at minute 60 doesn't mean that the writer can force a beat to fall there. If you are structuring everything else, including your character arc correctly (See Part One and Part Two), then Howard Suber's Crisis Point is a naturally occurring byproduct.

It's great fun to go back and see after you've written your draft if your script actually has one. If it does, this is a great clue that you're cooking with gas and in great shape. If it does not, then buddy, you'd better start looking for false beats and wrong turns.

So, after all these years my UCLA education is still paying off. It's still drawing me toward critical thinking and helping me improve my craft. Thank you Howard Suber and Happy Birthday.

Day 17 - Writing A Good Love Story

2010-07-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a short post - because I am late to get started today after shooting a sweet 78 in the third round of the President's Cup. Nice.

In my current project I have just written the first scenes with my "love interest." He is brought onto the stage just after the act one break. This is usually where a romantic subplot belongs when you are writing anything other than a romantic comedy. In a romantic comedy you have to introduce both of the characters up front because the story is about their path to love.

In other stories where part of the main character's journey is finding love, you can delay introduction.

But what is key to writing any love story is giving the two people involved something to learn from each other. And if you can make what they have to teach each other mirror images of what they need to learn themselve - well, Eureke.

In my current project, the main character is controlling and has to learn to let go. She has to learn that no matter how much planning she does, she can't sidestep all the bad stuff that happens in life. If she tries, she'll only succeed in missing out on a lot of good stuff; she'll be limiting her possibilities.

The love interest can show her the way because his problem is the opposite. He's got "go with the flow" down - but he's doing it to such an extreme what he's really doing is running away from the bad stuff as well. So the gift she can give him is the ability to commit, to be vested.

Everyone is arcing and everyone's arc is pushing the other out of the comfort zone. Pretty cool how that works? I hit on this revelation over a birdie putt on number five. Nice.

Day 16 - The Writing Process

2010-07-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

A good routine is essential not only in golf, but in writing and anything else where you must have consistency to succeed. That said, the key to having a successful routine is finding what works for you and sticking with it, even when it occasionally doesn't work for you.

Young writers always obsess about other writer's processes. I did. I used to ask everyone where they wrote, what kind of program they used, did they ever hangout in coffee shops with their laptops? I listened and then I tried it for myself. I went to coffee shops, I wrote at my dining room table, I bought cork boards and chalk boards, I tried long-hand on yellow legal pads. I played music that went along with the soundtrack of the film I was writing. I tried to write warm up pages, timed-writings, standing on my head to get the blood flowing. If I heard or read about a writer's routine, I gave it a whirl.

And then I started to pay attention to what I actually just plopped into on the days that I turned out good work.

And I found that for me, I needed Seattle. I needed a rainy day, a hot mug of caffeine and a room so silent I could hear the rain tapping on the roof.

Okay, I guess I should tell you - I don't live in Seattle. I live in sunny Southern California where right now the heat and light is making me feel like doing anything, ANYTHING, but write.

Also, I needed to spend about an hour screwing around. Paying bills, doing dishes, organizing my desk. With intermittent bursts of looking at the blank page I needed to attack.

So my ideal writing situation was a day where it was raining (in Southern California) and I had an entire day to write undisturbed giving me enough time to screw around for an hour before getting started. Yeah, right. Let me tell you how often that happened for me in the beginning. In the beginning, I was working an 60 hour a week job in development, reading an avalanche of scripts each weekend.

I had to accept that if I wanted to be a writer I needed to write. And I had to come up with something that worked for me and stick with it.

You must find your own routine that works for you for, but if you can glean any clues from my process here it is:

1. Get large caffeinated beverage. (Hopefully you aren't a caffeine addict and can skip right to step two.) Close the blinds and shut the door to my office and I play my Rain For Relaxation softly on my iTunes. This is my simulated Seattle.

2. Make a realistic goal* and write it down. (Today I am going to write bad version of 4 scenes on the script and put all my edits I made in the novel on the computer in preparation to move forward on that tomorrow.)

3. Start. When I get stuck, I allow myself five minutes to pay that bill or check Facebook, but then I look back at my goal list and start.

4. At the end of my work day, if I don't complete something on my goal list I put it on the top of the list for tomorrow. The next day, I finish that before making a new list. I do not want to pile on. (And it's really satisfying to cross things off the list, isn't it?)

5. When I'm done. I am done. I can now leave and do whatever I want guilt free. This is my reward for meeting my goal. I do not try to do "extra" work unless I am really inspired and having fun. If that's the case - I go, go, go.

*Realistic Goals - this is really the trick. I used to always set myself up for failure by putting down way too much. If you are consistently not meeting your goals, then reduce them until you can get into a routine of finishing what you set out to do. If you breeze through your goals and still have hours on the clock, day after day, then step up the challenge a bit.

Secondly, to make this all work you need to carve out time to write. Make your time as consistent and sacred as possible. (My schedule as a full-time writer is usually six hours a day six days a week Sunday-Friday. With additional time not behind the computer before I go to bed to do research, reading or movie/tv viewing - all part of the job.) Sometimes, family obligations wipe out Sunday - but Monday through Friday are set in stone.

But, I didn't start off having the luxury of all this time to write. Who does? My point being, no matter how busy you are - even if you can only manage 20 minutes, three times a week to write - that's your sacred time. Stake it off and fight for it. It might take you a year to write a rough draft, but you'll get there if you trust your routine and you work on becoming consistent. After all, the year is going to pass anyway. I'd rather have something to show for it than nothing.

You can't wait to be inspired. You have to develop a routine to write through the muck until you uncover the inspiration. These are the skills you need to do this for a living, so don't wait for Seattle.

Day 15 - Trailer Moments And Selling Your Script

2010-07-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Okay - here we are Act Two A. Act two is separated by the mid-point. (See The Printable Story Grid) Before the mid-point your character is still in learning mode. We've left the set-up of the first act where we have established what is wrong with this person's situation - and now, the situation has changed. That's the act break. The story spins in a new direction. The problems, however, are still with us.

This is where the fun begins. The term "trailer moments" might be a little passe, but it's a great term to communicate what your act two a needs.

Act two is where your main character is tested by the premise of the story. Stop and think about your favorite hit movies. Check out the trailer for The Hangover. Most of the hilarious moments are found after the guys wake up in act two - hungover and missing the groom who is due back in LA to get married. The story has taken a new direction and now we get to experience what Blake Synder called "the promise of the premise." The premise here being The Hangover.

In my own script, my main character thought she was starting a new life, but at the beginning of the second act low-and-behold, her life as taken a 180. Now, I have to make sure the premise tests her and makes her a bit miserable - so that she'll grow. Like in life, we usually grow from our mistakes. Mistakes also happen to be hilarious in comedies and fascinating in other genres. Think about in a horror film when the girl is going to go in the room where the scary thing is waiting. It's a mistake, but it's also the good part; why we bought a ticket.

So, don't be nice to your characters. Remember to put in the stuff that makes you squirm to even write - that's why people will watch. That's why someone will buy your script. Another neat tool - if you find yourself wondering what is my premise - is draw your movie poster. If you can see your poster - then you've got a handle on your premise.

Day 14 - How to Get The Most Out Of Getting Notes

2010-07-15T16:29:00.001-07:00

Today was supposed to be the first day I worked on the second act. Instead I decided to get a little distance from the script. (Okay, it was the second day of the President's Cup. Where I took down the club champion in an impressive come back from behind victory.) Later in the day, I also worked on my novel and I sent the first act of my screenplay to my Trusted Writing Buddy for notes.

I highly recommend finding a Writing Exchange Buddy who will tell it like they see it. This person should be a writer who knows at least as much as you do (hopefully more) and/or be a lover of movies.

What you are looking for in the optimal writing exchange buddy is someone who will read quickly and with the right amount of attention.

What is the right amount of attention?

Actually, just barely enough would be the correct answer.

You need to find someone who is busy with their own work and their own life. Someone who has so many pots boiling they forget what they're cooking half the time. Why? Because that's about as much time as any person in the industry will be able to give your script. Producers, agents, studio execs, managers are all overworked and short on time. If you can grab your busy Writing Exchange Buddy's attention and keep it, then you know you're on the right track to submitting it everyone else.

In addition to your Writing Exchange Buddy, you will want to give out your first draft to several people for feedback before you give it to anyone who counts. (E.G.: Producers, Agents, Managers, Actors, Directors, Studio Execs, etc.)

The most important thing for you to find out is if the script is hanging together and what parts are lame and boring. It's important to know what parts the reader believed and where they didn't follow the main character's logic. You're also listening for what rocked your reader's world. You're listening for WHERE. Where are the problems and where are the golden parts that make you grateful for being alive.

What you don't really need at this point is HOW to fix things.

A lot of people get lost telling you how to fix it. But, they don't know that the producer wants A or the actor who's attached forbade you from doing B. They don't know about the five drafts of the treatment where you tried what they are suggesting and determined it wasn't the way to go.

Instead of getting frustrated or God-forbid defensive, here's what you need to do: Listen hard to what they are saying.

It's what you are listening for that's the key distinction. Instead of memorizing their ideas on how-to fix your script problems, simply note where in the script they are applying the band-aids. This is a fabulous clue as to where you've run off course.

Don't argue. Don't point out that producer A told you not to do that very thing they suggest. That doesn't get either of you or your script anywhere. Just listen and follow the clues they are so generously giving you.

**Occasionally, a reader will give you a how that helps. Don't get me wrong. Notes and the thinking they generate are exactly what takes your script from "vomit" to "spec sale." Most often times readers who can peg what needs to be done and also provide clues to "how you can fix your script" will become your Writing Exchange Buddy. That's how you know they're special.

Day 13 - Act One Finished On Schedule

2010-07-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first round of the President's Cup - the match play championship at our golf club. I can report a victory in the first round, but this is a writing blog - and so let me share how sometimes doing something completely outside of writing can keep you focused.

I was pretty nervous during the match and so I tried to focus on my breathing. That never works. I could Eat, Pray and Love myself around the world and there's no way my brain would ever focus on the breath. I needed bigger guns. I needed to focus on something I could obsess about. My script.

As I was nearing the end of the first act that little voice in the pit of my stomach had been trying to get a message through. I didn't want to hear it. I had a schedule to maintain. But, on the golf course, I finally heard it loud and clear. I had been writing my script like a romantic comedy.

This was a problem because the script isn't a romantic comedy. I'm supposed to be working on something closer to a drama, something that will tug on the heartstrings. So far, all my scenes felt very surface and funny, but where was the emotion? Or, where was the set up for emotion to be had later?

If I need to go deeper, then I need to go deeper into character. Between shots, I started to let my mind ponder what I loved about my main character? What made me like her and stay interested and root for her?

Well, I missed a tap in six incher after the little voice in the pit of my stomach answered, "Not so much." There wasn't anything about my main character that I liked? And I'm the one writing it?! Danger Will Robinson.

Okay - I'm six holes in to a tight match that's all even. I'm going to be safely away from my computer for at least three more hours. This gave me space to actually stop the denial and let this unpleasant idea settle in. I don't like my main character. There were moments, things she said, that of course I related to - but where was the compelling stuff?

Being on the golf course helped me noodle on it without being too close to the actual script. When I get in front of my well crafted scenes, I can trick myself into not seeing the flaws. But, standing on the tee of number twelve gave me the distance I needed.

I could just invite my character in to the scenes I had written and try out different ways the scene could play out. What was her attitude? What if she wasn't pissed in the scene with her sister, but so used to her crap she just ignored it? What did that say about her and their past. Stuff like that.

I closed my opponent out on 16 and couldn't wait to get off the course and back to my computer. I went back and added a few things I had brainstormed about. Today, I charged ahead and low and behold my first act ended on page 25.

So, onward. Act Two begins tomorrow. And just a warning: This is the hard part.

Day 12 - Writing The Scene You Hate

2010-07-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

Okay - I'm very close to finishing my first act. So far I've written one scene I don't even understand, several fairly decent scenes and two "please let me wake up with something better" scenes. But, today I am battling with that scene I really don't want to write.

This scene will appear once or twice or maybe even five times in this process. I know what I have to write - it's right there in my outline. But, for whatever reason, I would rather go to the dentist.

What I've learned is that there usually IS a reason why this happens. And, shockingly, it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm lazy and undisciplined. What it usually comes down to is I don't know what the scene is about.

In this instance, it's a scene where the main character is supposed to be having a good time. What could scare me about writing that? Is it because I wouldn't know a good time if it tickled me on the ass? Hardly. Is it because she's participating in something I can't even imagine taking place? No. I'm pretty familiar with the ground where she stomps.

What's blocking me is that I haven't zoned in on where the conflict is in the scene. What's going to make it interesting? What's going to add that little bit of surprise? Well, what if I add her husband into the mix and give him a competing agenda? What if what she was looking forward to doing- turns out to be a big let down? Now, she's got a husband going against her externally and her own disappointment internally. What if she doesn't want to let the husband know that she's not having the great time she expected? What if, she would rather eat dirt than let him have the privilege of saying "I told you so." Now, that's a scene I'm excited about writing.

Find the conflict and you'll find your window.

Day 11 - Interesting Discovery

2010-07-11T10:38:00.001-07:00

So, I'm doing dishes. Doing dishes is now part of my precious thinking and dwelling time. Gone are the days when I can spend uninterrupted hours behind my computer. A little thing called life came up and bit me on the butt. It will happen to all of you eventually. Lucky bastards. Because the messy stuff that keeps us from writing, is the reason, it turns out, why we are writing.

I started writing for all the wrong reasons. I wanted money and fame and glory. I chose writing because I was good at it. But, guess what? After my first big spec sale, I hit the biggest depression of my life. I got everything I ever wanted. I was in the trades. People at my bank started giving me stuff for free. All my friends were green with envy. I picked up checks at restaurants and drank very expensive wine. So why was I so low that I could barely drag myself out of bed? Because, I had got what I wanted and it didn't fix a damn thing. It didn't fill me up. It didn't make me happy.

Now, years down the road. I've had my fair share of ups and downs. Nine out of the nineteen scripts I've written I've been paid for. If this project sells, then I'll be 50-50 - and that's actually pretty good. I once heard that 1 out of 5 projects sell - so, I've been lucky.

But, the reason why I'm still at it, ten years later, when a lot of my buddies from film school and beyond have fallen by the wayside is this: I discovered the real joy in writing.

It has nothing to do with what happens with the project when it's done. Sometimes they sell, sometimes they don't. Sometimes the project you least expected turns out to be one of your proudest achievements and others you were sure of turn out to be embarrassing. You have no control over any of it. So, focus on what you can control and let the rest go.

I can't tell you what makes it real and good for you. You're on your own journey. But, for me, I write because it stretches me. Because it gives me satisfaction, because when I'm cooking on a scene I'm connecting with something greater than myself (I do not take sole ownership of my inspiration).

Now, when I get a few hours to write, I focus. I have to. And there's never enough time, between my family, the housework, the shopping, friends, my golf addiction, the baby, the baby, the baby (if you have one you know the baby is time suckage on a new and improved scale) - there's just not enough hours in the day. Never. And there never will be again.

I laugh at all the time I used to waste. I appreciate all the time I don't waste now. I've become an efficient writing machine. I'm proud of that. But, what puts me in the chair now is a much better motivation. I'm participating in who I am. I am also providing for my family. I'm no longer trying to get rich and famous.

I get it now. And I feel full, happy and complete. I hope your writing brings you to where I'm at one day. It's a fun ride.

That said, I also hope that when I'm done with this project I can post about it selling for a ridiculous sum, take you through the rewriting process at the studio, right up to the premiere. I've grown, I haven't become Ghandi. Jeeze...

Day 10 - Act One Or Bust

2010-07-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

Okay - it's Sunday and the World Cup is about to start.

This week I have two goals in mind. Write to my act one break in my screenplay by Day 14 and write 20 new pages in my novel.

The major act breaks are always my favorite scenes because they are usually where I have the clearest focus on my story. They are the beats that come to me first. So as I approach the end of act one - let me share with you a list of things you will want to accomplish in the first 25-30 pages of your script.

In the outline the first act will have ten story beats. Sometimes you'll have a sequence of short scenes that equal one beat, only count these as one beat. A beat is something that happens that moves the story forward - by revealing character through action. In the first act these beats should pull double-duty and not only reveal character, but also set up your story.

There really shouldn't be any scene in your first act that only serve one function. Right now I have a "place holder" scene which is introducing the main character's spouse and showing "why they got married." This scene is merely there to show the good side of the hubby, before everything falls apart. Hopefully when people read this scene they will like the hubby. This is important because later I will make them hate. And I need the audience at this point to be fooled along with my main character. But, I'm not satisfied with the scene because it is only accomplishing that one purpose. It feels empty.

What I have to do is go back and set up some issues to play out later, set up some attitudes that can be changed, set up some bold assumptions to be undone. Also, I need to reveal something new about my main character. That's a lot of work for a one and a half page scene, but that's the challenge.

You can't let clever dialogue trick you. (And it will try to trick you. Look at me, I'm so funny, I can stay even though I'm not pulling my weight. Bull!)

Now, I say "place-holder" because I'm not going back NOW to fix this. I have simply made a note to myself and I'm moving forward. There are many discoveries to take place on this journey. Who knows, by the time I finish the vomit draft I might start the entire story in a new place in the next draft. Or maybe not. Maybe this scene will survive. Maybe not.

At this point, my job is to keep going.

Day 9 - Invest in Your Back

2010-07-09T00:11:00.001-07:00

Okay - so today I only accomplished about three pages of novel (and I'm pretty sure it was crap, but I'm too afraid to look) and even less progress on my script. I thought about my character, I futzed around on a couple scenes. I think I wrote one new scene and I'm sure I hate it.

It wasn't for lack of trying. Believe me. Some days your muse is on vacation and there's not a jelly donut in the world that can coax him back.

So, here are two important things I can speak on today.

1) When I get back to work next week, I will not try to play catch up. Catch up will drive you crazy and you'll stop writing. If a day comes along and you don't hit your goal all you can do is promise yourself to try to do better tomorrow.

2) Part of the reason why I didn't get everything I wanted accomplished is because I went to see my chiropractor. This isn't an excuse. Don't get me wrong. It's a part of my process, like twenty minute think-naps and collecting composition notebooks I rarely write in, but love toting around just in case.

Now, I'm from the mid-west and we, as a people, don't believe in chiropractors or any remedy found in a health store. So for most of my life I shunned going. Even now, I rarely let the doc "crack" me. But, if you are a serious writer - you are going to develop serious back problems if you are not careful.

For years, I thought that I had A.D.D. (and my former writing partner probably did too) because I could not sit behind my computer for more than ten minutes. It was physically impossible. It wasn't until I invested in a good chair from Relax The Back that I realized the reason I couldn't sit still was because I was in pain. So I bought a chair that was the price of a small car. Something like this: Other Ergonomic chairs can be found for less. Just make sure you can adjust the seat and arm height.

The bottom line is that it didn't have to be that hard.

At the ripe old age of twenty-four I had already got myself so knotted up massages didn't make a dent. So hear me now and thank me later. Make your writing space ergonomic. Get the keyboard at the right height. Get a good chair. Make sure you are looking straight on at your monitor, not down or up. Get up every twenty minutes and stretch.

If you're comfortable you'll be able to stay at it longer. And it's a heck of a lot easier to lose yourself in your writing when you don't feel like you have a knife between your shoulder blades.

Day 8 - Falling in Love With Your Character

2010-07-08T14:05:00.001-07:00

Okay. I'm now on page 15 of the script. It's bad version - but there's momentum. I need to go back and shuffle things around. I have some scenes in the wrong order*, but the characters are coming to life. I'm not letting myself spend too much time on editing, because there's too much to discover before I will have any clue how to really fix anything.

I realized today that what I was mainly doing (by overwriting my scenes and letting my characters take center stage and shake their groove thing without me reigning them in) was falling in love with my characters.

Writing is a left-brain/right-brain endeavor. You plan and plot, but just as importantly you have to crawl inside and find the intangible gunk. Today was a success because I got a little closer to understanding my window into my main character.

All characters you will ever write are you.

Sorry. True.

It's the writer's job to find the part you relate to in the character to give it soul. It gets tricky on assignments. (Well, it's always tricky, let's be honest.) It's trickier on assignment when you have to find a character to service a plot that didn't come from you and what you're thinking and experiencing. But, eventually, even in characters you don't like, you will find that little opening to crawl through and find yourself. It might be a part of yourself you don't really want to look at, but do. Try. I won't tell. Explore. Stretch yourself. Over the long haul, this is what keeps writing for hire exciting. It keeps writing exciting.

*You see why I called outlines and beat sheets and the rest of it tools. If you are a slave to your outline you will plot yourself right out of your story. It's a tool. It's something to get you to the next step. But, you are the captain of this ship - so if you need to drop anchor and go back and change things up, re-outline - DO IT. It's a tool. You are in control. (For now.)

Day Seven - Stumbles are Necessary

2010-07-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

So already one work week in and I hit a stumbling block. Despite getting no sleep the night before (thank you, Loyal Canine Companion), I managed to write to my inciting incident. Good, right? No. Not so good. It turned up on page 6. Page six is way too early. I haven't had enough time to establish my main character for anyone to care that she's received a call to action, a life-changing opportunity, a major kink in her plan. What did I do wrong?

I had no idea. I was tired and cranky and really unhappy that my perfect outline had let me down so early on in the process. (And, there's the point that I'm blogging about my process and therefore on the brink of totally humiliating myself.)

I didn't panic, binge drink or even hit the donut shop. (Five years ago you would have found me in Winchells, drinking from a paper bag and talking to myself along with the other sweat-wearing writers often mistaken for homeless in Santa Monica.)

This time around I went back to the bag of tricks I keep tucked in my right hand drawer. Squeezed in on top of the pile (I am really disorganized in places guests don't open) I found my tonal comparisons.

Tonal comparison breakdowns are a trick I learned about at UCLA. I believe it was from the Werb/Colleary class. I can't be sure, because I never got into the Two Mike's class, but a friend let me in on their basket of cool tools just the same. That said, a tonal comparison is where you write down every beat of several films that remind you in some way of your project. It shows you the structure and pace. It's also handy to refer back to whenever you get lost. And man was I lost. On page six.

Thanks to my tonal guide posts (I usually do two per project) I realized that my ducks were already in a row. I simply hadn't gotten to my inciting incident yet. What I thought was the inciting incident was just an example of demonstrating issues/problems. It did not change the direction of the story. It was not the incident. I had to keep writing.

My actual inciting incident was a few scenes down the outline. Once I recognized the inciting incident for what it was - it was obvious. It even contained the old classic "a letter arrives" albeit it arrived via digital age technology.

Here's the point: Even though I have now done this twenty times, I still run into unforeseen issues. You might spend a day flat on your face or wallowing in doubt. You might find yourself at Winchells once and a while. It's okay. Have a jelly donut for me. Eventually you will embrace these stumbling blocks as opportunities. They are invitations to think harder about your characters and your story. Hopefully, you'll emerge on the other side on both feet and charging ahead at full speed. This is still the vomit draft, after all.

Happy stumbling.

Day Six - Opening Pages - And Cold Writing Days

2010-07-06T13:04:00.001-07:00

Today is a normal writing day. And what I mean by that is that there are many distractions (children and spouses, bills to pay, things to clean, grocery shopping, etc.) and all of them seem much more vital and interesting than moving one word further on any of my writing projects.

That said, this is normal. Hot days - where you sit down on the way to brush your teeth and the next thing you know you're ten pages in and it's nearly noon - are rare. Most days are cold to lukewarm at best. But, pages do not write themselves and so you'd better get used to it.

Writing anything is always better than writing nothing. Even if what you write you end up throwing away, at least you went down a road you'll never have to travel again. You covered territory that will eventually help you discover your next parcel of solid writing. So, suck it up.

In my project I have finished the outline.

I broke out my treatment into 10 first act beats, 12 Act Two A beats, 12 Act 2B beats and 10 3rd act beats. I started by identifying the KEY BEATS which are highlighted in The Story Grid (see previous posts) and filled it out from there. The outline, like everything else, should be regarded as a tool. You are in control (for now) so act like it.

And then I faced the dreaded first scene. Not necessarily the opening scene - but any old scene you have the gumption to write. Of course, this takes place after you've created a title page and anything else you can think of to stave off starting.

So, I decided to write the opening scene for my first scene because it was the scene that helped me get into the story when I first imagined it. But I could not bring myself to write the "action" or description. Ironic because I've been tooling along on my novel at a healthy clip for weeks. (Action or description being the prose of a screenplay - you'd think I could handle a couple lines to get me into a scene... think again.) My mind is blank. My child is screaming. Facebook is calling through the DSL, "What is everyone else you know doing? Must be something way more interesting than this."

That first slugline just hung there in space, all alone. Lots of cursor hypnosis happening. Until finally, I decided to start with the dialogue - which led me to see what the characters were doing. Which led me to a scene I'm happy enough with the writing to move on to the next scene. And that's all there is to writing at this stage - moving on. I'm now four pages in. A good start. Next stop - inciting incident. Tomorrow I hope to get through roughly page 10-12 (inciting incident land.) Wish me luck.

Day Five - Breakthrough...

2010-07-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

I love Mondays. Every Monday is a do-over. And this Monday is especially sweet because it's a holiday. I love writing on holidays because I can trick myself into believing it's "bonus" time. Like it doesn't really count, because I should be drinking my weight in beer and roasting by the pool. Instead, I'm sneaking in this extra writing. It's totally freeing. I can take more chances on extra Mondays. If only I could convince myself that every day was a holiday.

So happy day after the fourth of July. I'm off to write my five pages of novel, followed by finishing up breaking out my outline into beats of 10, 12, 12, 10.... More on that tomorrow.

In other news, I have happily happened upon my main character's arc. It is simply bottled-up to open. She is a control freak in the beginning and tragically afraid of feeling. She's bottled up a tragedy in her life, but that cork is also holding back her joy, happiness and capacity to love. The journey of the movie uncorks that bottle of pain, creating a big mess of her life as the contents spill out here and there. Ultimately, there is room to let the joy in.

I'm sharing this with you because it fills me with joy to take a step forward on a project. Joy in the writing process can't be beat. It's also few and far between. So embrace the victories when you get the chance. Yesterday, I made the huge mistake of drinking decaf which lead to one of the most depressing writing days of my life. I felt like a deflated balloon. This opened the door to fear and self-loathing who camped out with me all day and forced me to eat fattening food.

By the way, sometimes, I hate to admit this - but jelly donuts do get your through a rough writing spot. In the "writing tools" toolbox - this is right up there with The Story Grid and a pair of sweatpants. Funny post about the sweatpant/writing relationship here: http://hollywoodroaster.com/?p=3239

Day Four - Part Two of The Grid

2010-07-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Okay - so a note about writing tools. They are tools. They aren't magic. They can't do the work for you, but they can help you do the work. And, just like you can't use one tool to frame a house, you can't use just one tool to write a screenplay.

Here's my favorite tool for outlining: Story Grid. If the structure of the screenplay is like the frame of a house, then the Story Grid is the hammer. After I have the storyline roughed out in a short treatment, once I know my character's arc (and I'm working every day on getting to know his/her attitudes, history, ambitions) I turn to the Story Grid.

I first started using a form of the Grid while studying screenwriting at UCLA. One of my favorite professor's grid got me through my first five or six scripts. (The professor was Hal Ackerman - who wrote the terrific how-to book: Write Screenplays That Sell - The Ackerman Way). But, as fabulous as this book is I discovered that I needed something more for pitching for writing assignments. All the structure was there and it was a great tool, but I needed something that emphasized the premise. In pitching the premise is King and Queen and landed gentry.

Next, I started using Blake Snyder's Save The Cat Beat Sheet. Blake Snyder, God rest his lovely soul, wrote Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need. And that was great for pitching, but, for me, I found the character arc unsupported when I got to the writing stage. And, for me, the third act was murky. Again, great tool, but I needed something a little different.

Then my mangers shared with me a diagram that had a multitude of arcs and arrows which basically discected the storyline (vs. the plot). Again helpful, but not exactly what I needed.

Finally, I decided to make my own. And the point is - other people's tools are great to get you started. Ride on the back of their knowledge and experience, but eventually you will discover what works for you. Here is what works for me. THE STORY GRID

Click On The Story Grid to make larger.

Here's the corresponding key to The Story Grid.

Opening Image - pretty self-explanatory, it is the image that opens your story. It should be mirrored with a closing image. These two images when held side-by-side should provide evidence of how your character has grown.

Issues/Problems Demonstrated - These are 3-6 examples of what need is lacking in your main character's life. These are set-up scenes and they must pull double duty. They set up the story (who, what, when, where, how-come?), they show where your character is at and what has transpired to get him/her in that place, but they also must set up pay offs where you will later show their corresponding pay-offs/resolutions of problems.

Potential Exposed - During the set-up sequence, relatively early on in the story, one of your scenes should provide an opportunity for the audience to see who your character can be one day. It is usually the same moment that tells the audience - hey we like this guy, let's root for him. No matter how messed up your character is - this is the moment where the audience can see themselves in the character and thereby gets on board to root him in.

Inciting Incident - Traditionally this is a letter, a message, a piece of information that sets the story in motion. What it has to be is a moment where the rest of the story would not take place if it had not occurred.

Act One Break - The end of Act One is where the story heads in a new direction. It is also where your premise starts playing out.

Act 2 A - How Your Premise Tests Your Main Character
This section is the entire point of your script to most people in Hollywood. Only us writers really care about character arcs and themes. This section is what is represented in the poster of the film and most of the scenes in the trailer will come from Act Two A. (The reason why your main character is being tested? Because on the character arc - he's still "before the midpoint." He's klinging to his old ways and therefore gets the snot beat out of him.

Midpoint - Before (approximately) page 55 your character's actions reflect the first half of his arc. After page 55 the scenes demonstrate moving closer to end of his character arc.

Act 2B - We are on the other side of the mid-point, so your character is now on his way to the right side of his character arc. He is now demonstrating those skills - but he doesn't quite have it down.

To demonstrate this you have two-linked beats. The Problem Returns - only stronger and he Battles Back, but with inadequate tools. Once the main character has learned his lessons the movie is over. In the second half of the second act, the obsticals have to escalate to keep us interested, and the character has grow to keep us interested, but the big point still eludes him. That's the big work of Act 2B.

Act Two Break - The end of Act Two is where your character is the farthest away from his goal. Everything has blown up in his face - even bigger than he ever thought possible. He's in a worse place now than when he started the movie.

Act 3 - Reflection Beat
After the smoke clears we need to see a moment where the main character reflects on his ownership of what has happened.

Getting It Right - Here's the climax of the film where the hero proves that he's learned his lesson. He may not have got what he wanted, but he's got what he needs and this is the beat where he demonstrates that.

Closing Image - Look how far we've come! Ideally this little wrap up beat should mirror (literally or thematically) the opening scene.

Day Three - Character Arc - Part One of The Grid

2010-07-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

So the most important thing for me to figure out when I'm starting a project (or up for a writing job) is what character arc supports the premise. For me, this is half the ballgame.

For example, you are up for a writing assignment. A coming-of-age drama about a girl who runs away from home to become a movie star. What I ask myself is: "Who can travel the farthest in this story?" What lesson can the main character learn during this journey? When you find an arc that supports the premise - you've also found some opportunities for natural conflicts, you've found drama. You're half way home. This is where I start.

That's why in my outlining tool - The Grid - I put at the top: Main Character Arc ________ to _______ right up under the one-liner and the title. It's that crucial. Because where ever you are in your outline - if you get lost (and you will, it's natural) you can always go back to your character arc and figure out how your character should be behaving.

Let me explain. For the example above (I picked this because no one in Hollywood will admit to making movies about writer's, politicians or the Hollywood industry.) They do, occasionally, but usually only people with enough power to override the common thinking. The industry standard is stay away from these arenas.

But just for laughs, let's say our girl wants to prove to the world that she's special. She's looking for love and approval on a grand enough scale to take all the pains of her rotten childhood of neglect and scorn away. Her character arc would be: Looking for outside approval to finding self-acceptance. Or, in simpler terms, she's empty and winds up fulfilled. I love finding one word to tag my character to - my favorite arc I got to write was going from self-ish to self-less. That was for a comedy and what fun!

But back to the script that will never be made... In the first half of the script all scenes should demonstrate and be consistent with a character searching for love in all the wrong places. The second half she's taking steps to get it right. Along the way she can try to fill herself up on the wrong kind of external love. Ultimately she'll discover, after climbing the heights and losing everything, that there isn't enough success in the world to make her feel happy, until she starts to love herself. Can you see how the entire story is right there in the character arc?

Well, if that's not so clear maybe it will be once you marry it with the structural grid on tomorrow's post.

Day Two - Project Backstory

2010-07-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started the outlining process. But, that is hardly the beginning of the journey. To catch everyone up to speed here's the backstory to the story.

In my annual meeting with my agent and managers we discussed what I should do next. This is totally standard, only this year, I really needed to know what to do next. I didn't have a clue.

Okay, backstory to the backstory:

Since the writer's strike, I believe the industry has changed. The spec market did not roar back to life like it reportedly had after previous strikes. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone knows what game we're playing right now. The amount of work seems to have shrunk. It's still there, only it feels more like a puddle than a Great Lake.

So what's a writer to do? Well, who knows. But here's what not to do, complain, whine and wait for things to go back to the way they were. Ain't gonna happen.

What am I doing? I'm writing a spec (The Project) that hopefully we can package and sell and also use to get more assignment work. I'm writing a novel (a completely new endeavor that is wonderfully freeing) in hopes of finding a publisher and then selling as a movie adaptation and I'm developing one of my other ideas with another writer, me taking the producer's role.

So, I leave my annual meeting armed with The Idea. (Which by the way, was just a kernel of an idea until my agent threw in his magic and turned it into a full fledged, marketable, castable concept that I couldn't wait to tear out of the room and start writing.)

Next I turned The Idea into a treatment. A treatment is a summary of your story. You should be able to tell the entire story in two single spaced, typed pages. Those are the bones.

The next step is to get notes on The Bones from several trusted friends (or if you're lucky, like I am, to have savvy industry professionals on your team - them). Be open to their notes and listen for the little voice inside that says, "I recognize that." Even if you don't know how to fix it - or stubbornly don't want to. That's not your job right now. Just take it in and let it sit with you.

Next, incorporate the notes that resonated into a longer treatment or outline. For this project I had to do a longer treatment, because it helped me flesh out the character, and because my managers wanted to make sure I was ready to start writing. But you can go straight to outline. That's where we're at. You're all caught up.

Next Post: The Grid and The Outline

Day One And So It Begins....

2010-07-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

It is July 1, 2010 and I'm staring at a blank page.

During all this staring, while the cursor on my screen disappeared and reappeared in one second intervals, inducing a mild state of hypnosis, I realized that I'm about to start my 20th feature length screenplay.

In my humble opinion, twenty is when things really start to count. Who wouldn't search every pair of discarded jeans for a missing twenty spot? Twenty is also around the time when you can collect your pages, smack them on the desk and produce an impressive thump.

When I write "Fade Out" the very next time I will be there. Twenty scripts. Five of which have been made into actual movies. Not a bad batting average.

To commemorate this event, I've decided to blog about my process. I have two objectives in mind: 1) Share what I've learned and 2) Vent. No, just kidding. (Although, any writer that tells you writing isn't a miserable, tedious, horrible process which includes many hours of head bashing into neighboring wall, has never written anything. So, yes, there will be venting.) For real, 2) I want to motivate myself to keep growing as well. How will a blog do this? I'm not sure, to be honest. But, I'm willing to see how it goes. So here it is: writingforhollywood.blogspot.com How To Write A Screenplay

And so it begins. Day One of script number 20.

The page is still blank.

I wish I could tell you it gets easier. I wish I didn't have to go through the histrionics of convincing myself each and everytime, whether writing on assignment or on spec, that I didn't kill the braincells that knew how I did this the last time. Well, I can't tell you that because as I type this, the page is still blank, and instead of getting down to the business of writing my 20th script, I am blogging about writing my 20th script. I have officially entered a new level of procrastination. I'm kind of proud about that.

The Plan: First Draft (the vomit draft*) to be completed by August 13th. (Six weeks. Gasp. Gnash. Grind.)

Step One: Outline*

*Vomit Draft. The first rough draft of a script that you write fast, without thinking, throwing everything in that gets you to the next scene, even if it makes you want to puke.

*Outline - this is not actually the first step of my writing process. It is what I am launching into today. To read about the preliminary steps - read the next post - Project Backstory.