How Bad Movies Can Be So Motivating

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

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

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

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)...

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!