July 12, 2012

YOU DON’T FINISH THE FIRST DRAFT OF A NEW SCREENPLAY EVERYDAY.

Today is a good day.

On May 29th, I published this post.  It was about putting this blog on hold for a little over three months.  I wanted to finish my newest screenplay and hopefully develop another.  It’s been 45 days.

I finished my screenplay! 

What an incredible feeling it is to type FADE OUT and smile.  Obviously my work is far from over as it’s just a first draft but it’s important to appreciate the moment.  I write a lot about ‘moments’ in movies and I feel like my new script has some great ones.  I’m proud of what I accomplished today.  Not just because I finished a screenplay but because I decided to focus and challenged myself.

Had I not taken a step back and reorganized my priorities, I could very well still be sitting on page 11.  It feels a lot better now that I’ve pounded out 105 pages.  Today, my little experiment was a success.  I still care deeply about screenplays.

WAS MY PASSION FOR SCREENWRITING LOST?

I ask that question because I feel like I could have accomplished so much more if I had focused years ago.  It feels so amazing to finish something new and unique.  So why didn’t I write more?  Why didn’t I write!?

Today represents a big leap forward for me.  I doubted myself.  I was beginning to question my passion.  I debated the difference between the love I have for the craft and the dedication needed to finish a new script.  I’ve learned there is a big difference between writing about screenplays and WRITING screenplays.  Who was I kidding?

I’ve earned the write to call myself a screenwriter again.  However, this new found enthusiasm can only live if I continue feeding it with new ideas.  I just reignited my passion and now I have to keep the fire going.  That’s my new mission.  I’ve proved to myself that I can write a feature length script if I commit 100%.

Now I have to prove that I can continue exploring new ideas.  When I wrote about taking a break from blogging, I mentioned very clear goals.  I wanted to finish a script and develop a new one before September 15th, 2012.  I’ve finished the first draft.  My list of rewrite notes is lengthy but manageable.  I should have a draft worth passing along to close family and friends within a few weeks.

Beyond that, I already know the next story I want to tell.  The seeds been planted and I feel like I’ve challenged myself again.  My new script is infinitely more complex than the one I just finished.  I’ve created a main character that has a long road to travel before redemption is attained.  Now it’s up to me to develop something worth while.  Something I care about.

- Long ago, I wrote a screenplay about a high school basketball star struggling to decide what to do with his life.

- Last year, I finished a screenplay about three college roommates who stand on the brink of adulthood.

- My new script is all about dealing with stress and anxiety as an adult.

Next up, I plan to write about responsibility and courage.  A drama that mirrors my own journey with a wedding around the corner.  (Actually, I suppose by the time you read this, I’ll be married!)  But I don’t want to think too much about my next project when there is still work to do.  I’ve got a second draft to tackle tomorrow!  A second draft of a screenplay I’ve decided to call: Strangers

HAVE YOU QUESTIONED YOUR SCREENWRITING?

I’ve never claimed to be an expert when it comes to screenwriting.  I can only talk about my own adventures between FADE IN and FADE OUT.  But if there is anything I’ve learned over the last year it’s this: 

You only get out of screenwriting what you put into. 

It sounds corny and horrifically obvious but a story isn’t told until you tell it.  Write it down!  Challenge yourself.

Today, I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can breathe again.  I don’t doubt myself anymore.  To think, all I had to do was sit down, shut up and write screenplays.  It’s a simple lesson but I’m happy to report that I’m a screenwriter again because I made a choice.

WHAT ABOUT THE BLOG?

All these screenwriting lessons have led to an inevitable question:

If putting the blog on hold led to so many breakthroughs, what will happen in September when I start posting again?

First of all, the blog isn’t going anywhere but I am going to make some changes.  (Again, these will all be announced by the time you read this.)  When I created The Athletic Nerd, I posted 7 days a week.  In year two I gave myself Saturdays off.  Towards the end of year three I began posting Monday-Thursday only.

I love movies, screenwriting and independent film.  I can’t wait to start posting new articles again.  I’m looking forward to featuring more of your work in the next evolution of THE POST.  But I owe it to myself to keep writing screenplays as well.  When the blog returns, I’ll be writing three posts a week.  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  That’s just a minimum.  I’ll probably still have week’s with 5 or more posts but I won’t feel like I HAVE to come up with that much original content.

I’ll save the rest of the announcements for a separate post.

SCREENWRITING!!!

Back to the new screenplay!  I’m done!  I finished it!

There’s nothing better than setting a goal and reaching it!  The only thing left to do is set more ambitious goals and work my ass off.

Thanks for reading!

Well, that day was nearly 4 months ago now and the passion is still there.  The blog has been back since September 15th and October traffic nearly tripled the numbers I got in August.  Posting 3 days a week instead of 6 gave me a lot more free time to develop my new screenplay and I finally started writing pages.  It’s a little later than I had hoped but those first 10 pages are always exciting to tackle early on.

Interestingly enough, I’ve also lined up the script I want to write AFTER I finish my latest.  I’ve decided 4 straight dramas is quite enough and I’m going to attempt a horror film next.  Until then, I can’t wait for another day like July 12, 2012.  The day I typed FADE OUT and completed a project I’m extremely proud of.

That was a good day.

A LENGTHY BREAK FROM BLOGGING.  A NEW DEVOTION TO SCREENWRITING

It should always feel like the best thing you’ve ever written.  But is it really if it’s the first thing you’ve written in a long time?

I took the summer off from blogging to finish a script called Strangers.  I’m happy to report I accomplished my goal.  Strangers weighed in at 103 pages.  It’s the first feature length script I’ve completed in a while.  What did I learn from my summer of screenwriting?

I still love to write movies!

Having said that, I feel like I could have experienced this months ago if I just applied myself.  Perhaps I could be well on my way to writing a better script.  When I finally printed out Strangers and held it in my hands I immediately felt an urge to start something new.  I wanted to challenge myself to be better.  The fire has returned but I know I have a lot to learn about the craft I’m passionate about once again.

SET SCREENWRITING GOALS.  ACCOMPLISH THEM.  SET NEW ONES.  REPEAT.

I began writing a brand new screenplay towards the end of the summer and I’m already immersed in the world and the characters I’ve created.  I’m so excited.  But it’s important to sit back and enjoy my accomplishment.  You don’t finish a screenplay every day!  Screenwriters everywhere will agree there’s nothing quite like typing FADE OUT and sitting back in your seat.  It’s a moment that anyone who enjoys being creative craves.

I learned this summer that I missed that feeling.  I had so much fun writing the script and I didn’t want it to end.  My new script instantly filled that void.  Before I took time away from this blog, I wondered if I could confidently call myself a screenwriter.  There’s a big difference between loving screenwriting and writing screenplays.

I’m a screenwriter.  I love writing scripts, I love writing about my experiences,  I love creating new things and I love the journey to FADE OUT.

It was a rejuvenating summer.  I’m recharged and ready to finish another screenplay by the end of the year.

ONE JOURNEY ENDS.  ANOTHER MUST BEGIN.

Stay tuned for a new series called The Summer of Screenwriting.  Over 20 posts about the challenges I faced writing the new screenplay.  There will be multiple new posts EVERY Wednesday.

Click here for more screenwriting.

I finished my last feature length screenplay earlier this year.  It was a drama loosely based on my time in college and by loosely based I mean the location stuck and maybe a couple scattered inside jokes.  It was about growing up or more specifically, realizing you’re already a grown up.

The next feature I wanted to write was an extremely sad drama about redemption and family.  However, after some thought, I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone.  Over the last few years, I’ve written a bunch of dramatic short screenplays including Playing Through and The Climb.  Both are short films I directed.

XTRA | Directing Short Films: Playing Through vs The Climb

This time, I wanted to change things up.  I wanted action.  So I decided to put my new drama on hold and develop a superhero movie.  Automatically this caused problems because in today’s movie world, superheroes are everywhere.  How could I set myself a part?  What could I write that would be different and fresh?

I set out to develop a concept I came up with last year and really worked hard over these last few months to work out a story I felt was worthy.  The first thing I did was eliminate the word superhero from my vocabulary.  I like to tell people I’m working on the least heroic superhero movie I could think of.  I hit some snags here and there.  Mainly with my main character.  Yet somehow, I surprised myself by how attached I became to his story.

XTRA | Make Actors Fight To Play Your Characters

THE DRAMA RETURNED

The biggest surprise came when I realized my superhero movie turned into a drama.  It does have big action but it also has big tears.

Last week, I spent 4 hours in a local library with nothing except a blank notebook and a pen.  I wrote the entire story with as much detail as possible.  It wasn’t quite a treatment or an outline but rather an OutMENT.  (OutMENT?  Just remember who made up that term!)

Essentially, my outMENTs are a series of point form notes mixed with larger descriptions of key scenes and characters.  They’re full of story notes in the margins and most of the time they’re a complete mess.  For me, these outMENTS aren’t meant to be a reference point unless I get stuck.  They are meant to be my first official crack at the story.  My chance to get it straight in my mind and establish an overall style.

Will my story be told in sequence or in a non linear fashion?  How will scenes work together?  Which voice will I choose for my characters or rather, which voice will they choose for themselves?  How can I make this better?

These are all questions you have to work out in your mind before you start a project like this.  I restarted my previous script about 9 times from scratch because I didn’t take the time to work out the broad strokes early.  I learned my lesson.

IT BEGINS…

Developing a new feature length screenplay requires more than creativity and hard work.  It requires a passion for the story. 

After my time in the library, I knew the passion was there.  So yesterday, for the first time, I sat down and started writing.  My development work isn’t completely finished but I have enough of the story roughed out.  I couldn’t help it.  It’s been so long since I really worked on a feature length action screenplay.  I HAD to write some of these action scenes.

Truthfully, I’ve only written 2 feature length action scripts in my life.  The first is absolutely awful and the second was deleted, burnt and shredded.  It no longer exists.

It’s good to be writing action again.  The unknown has kept me up at night, excited about the possibilities.  Who knows where this story will end up?  Regardless of whether or not this script ‘makes it’, after yesterday, I know it’s going to be a blast to write.  For now, that’s all that matters to me.

XTRA | Be honest.  Is Your Screenplay Entertaining?

Click here for more original posts about screenwriting.

CAN YOU EVER REALLY TURN OFF THE SCREENWRITER?

There is a reason this blog is called The Athletic Nerd. Today is all about the nerdy side.

For a while now, I’ve been meaning to take some time away from screenwriting. (Not too long though.) Currently, I’m in between shorts and I’m just about ready to start a new feature so it’s a perfect time.  The calm before the storm.

This summer will be packed with development, writing, rewriting and more development.  I can’t wait.  But this ambitious plan is pointless if I’m burnt out. So over the last few weeks, I’ve been taking more time for myself. Catching up on movies, recharging with family and friends and playing more video games.

I missed video games. Specifically, I missed a good old fashioned real time strategy game. So I bought Starcraft 2!

The original ate up a ton of my free time when I was younger. I didn’t play online much but complex skirmishes against computer AI were my specialty.  I loved the strategy the game involved. The addiction of positioning my Terran forces accordingly for the most effective strike. Managing resources and dominated the opposition. So much fun.

I used to spend hours buried in games like Starcraft and Warcraft on my PC. I think I may have waited too long to get my hands on Starcraft 2.

XTRA | I waited too long to upgrade my copy of FINAL DRAFT too…

Obsessing over a strategy game right now is perfect for two reasons. First, it gives me a chance to rest my brain and just click around destroying my enemies.  Second, as I got deeper and deeper into the game, I found myself thinking about my new screenplay anyways.  That sounds contradictory but it’s true and it’s a good thing. In my mind, I still create little stories in the world as I play. Sub stories I create myself.  Epic tales that span multiple games and maps.  Yes, I’m a proud nerd!

It’s shocking how much work you can get done when your mind is occupied. So really, I haven’t stayed away from screenwriting at all. I’m still working. I’m just not writing anything down in any ‘official’ capacity.

My new feature is very action oriented and Starcraft 2 has provided me with a perfect escape before I dive into a brand new story.

My issue now is avoiding this brilliant game when I begin writing again in a few days….  Just one level? It can’t hurt right? Maybe there is a reason I’ve avoided these games lately.

PS: Thank you Blizzard!  I grew up with these games!

Since I finished my last feature length screenplay, I’ve been working furiously on my new creation.

The story is heavy on the action but loaded with issues that I’m really excited to explore.

The previous sentence is about as general as it gets but the tale is still in the infant stage.

I still have a lot of work to do.

Step One: Killer Concept

I’m confident in the premise of this new script.

Your story is doomed if you don’t believe in it right away. If you’re going to invest months and months of work into an idea it has to at least inspire you.

You should wake up every morning thinking about all the ways to deliver something unique and entertaining.

I’m beyond pumped about my new project. The concept takes the superhero genre and flips it upside down. (Literally actually)

I’m not going to get too far in to it but needless to say, I believe in this concept with all my heart.

Step Two: The Main Character(s)

I’m not as confident when it comes to the man who will drive my story.

I’m extremely proud of the world I’ve created around him and his back story/motivation is something I’ve never seen before.

But he’s flat. He has no personality yet.

There is a big difference between knowing their a character’s past and knowing how it makes them feel.

I still have to get to know this guy.

• What’s he like?
• What makes him happy?
• What angers him?
• What makes him tick?
• What inspires him?

I find it interesting to think about what inspires my characters. It usually brings out some interesting traits.

I’m not there yet with ‘Evan’.

Even that name is boring. I can do better than that!

The other day I was actually considering writing a scene or two. I could have written a fight scene or a chase but those have to be motivated by character.

You can’t do that if you don’t know who your characters are.

It has to MATTER to someone in the story.

I’m determined to make every single decision with character in mind. My favorite action stories involve fascinating main characters.

My main character will be better. It has to be better. I won’t stop until it’s better.

Back to work.