I Blame Ninjas

As you’ve no doubt guessed, I’m not doing much blogging these days. After reached the 2012 Page Awards finals, work on my contained horror spec Devil’s Due is going well, and I’m working on getting my scripts into circulation among reps and production companies. Let’s see what happens next.

After has reached the quarterfinals of the PAGE International Screenplay Awards contest so far, while the latest draft of Ghost Train reached the top 10% of entries in the Nicholl Fellowship contest. I’ve also submitted Ghost Train to Amazon Studios; you are welcome to download a copy and offer feedback if you like.

I think the toughest part of any first draft for me has to be Act Three. Which seems odd, because by that point most of the character or plot pitfalls have long since been ironed out, and I’m looking at 20 to 30 blank pages as opposed to 60 or 100.

On the other hand, by this point the flaws in the preceding two acts are calling out to me for correction.  I have ideas for paving over plot holes, shoring up weak characters, tightening dialogue, and adding more depth to everything. Inconsistencies in use of all caps and overuse of double-hyphens are driving me bananas.

I just can’t wait to get to the next draft, so finishing the last 20 pages of this one’s sometimes a real chore. I’m also eager to get the draft out to my first round of readers for feedback, especially after several weeks or months of mostly working through it on my own.

I am trying a new strategy, which seems to be helping. Normally I mostly write scenes in sequence, but this time when I reached the last act I wrote all the key scenes first, then started jumping around working on whatever interstitial scenes most interested me at the time. I’ve been wanting to try it for awhile now, but it’s hard to break out of the sequential habit, particularly early in a script. But it’s working well, so I’ll add it to my toolkit for future first drafts for at least the third act.

You know, before I really got rolling on Devil’s Due, I started to worry that maybe straight horror just wasn’t my thing – I’d had a few false starts trying to find the right characters and right premise. But I’m really having a blast working on it, and I think this is going to the best first draft I’ve written – of course, it’s still going to need a rewrite or two.

It’s my turn in the chute over at Feedback Friday, where each week the first 10 pages of an amateur script are posted for review. I submitted the first 10 from Devil’s Due, the found footage-contained horror feature spec I’m currently writing. (I’d tried a lot of different openings before I settled on this one, plus I’ve rewritten it several times trying to get the script off on the right foot, so it’s not just a vomit draft). Some neat comments so far – please join in. And don’t forget to take a look at the previous weekly entries, too.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the first ten pages. I recently finished rewriting the first 10 of my current project, and offering notes on a friend’s first act. Plus I submitted the first 10 of After for free notes from a coverage service I haven’t used before and started participating on the new Feedback Friday site, which puts up the first 10 pages from a different amateur script each week  for comments (mine are coming soon).

The biggest problem I see with the first 10 pages of amateur scripts – including mine, hence rewrite – is it takes too long for anything to start happening. I think movies and, therefore, scripts, have become a lot faster in the past 10 years or so. (I blame ninjas). So we really don’t have the luxury anymore of leisurely introducing characters in everyday situations for 10 pages 0r more until a story slowly starts to take shape. The flash-forward action prologue followed by the “24 hours earlier” setup used to be a way around this, but it’s getting pretty overdone, too. The same may go for horror movies and the “earlier victim” prologue.

It’s a real challenge – you’ve got to introduce the world, introduce the characters, get the story rolling and still cap the opening sequence with a bang, plus sell the reader on your story, all in ten pages. But it’s also kind of fun figuring out how to do it all at once.

I’ve been working on a new feature spec the past few weeks while getting my two completed projects into circulation in various ways, and it’s been a reminder on the importance of strong characters. Everything else really clicks, but without solid characters scenes just lie there on the page and everything starts to feel repetitive by the midpoint. Of course, that’s also partly a function of being a first draft, as well. Everything’s not going to work the first time through. (I blame ninjas).

Sometimes writing is like dropping a rock down a well and waiting for the splash.

I’ve sent a few scripts to production companies or studios over the years, mostly responding to inquiries following contest placements, but actively querying management agencies is something new for me. I just never felt as though I was quite ready for that step before now. I’m starting with a few agencies where I have invitations to submit for various reasons. If nothing happens with the first round, I’ll move on to cold queries. In the meantime, I’m plugging away on the contained horror script, which I figure won’t be such a bad answer if I’m asked what I’m working on next.

For folks who aren’t familiar with screenwriting, a quick explanation. Most working screenwriters have representation, either an agent, manager, or both. The specifics of each relationship vary with the individuals involved, but generally a manager works with the writer on ideas and scripts, plus sets up meetings at prodcos and studios to pitch specs or seek open writing assignments. The agent negotiates script sales. Each works on commission, normally 10 percent apiece. You normally acquire a rep by sending a query letter on your script. If it strikes his or her fancy, the rep requests the script to read. If the screenplay looks like a seller, or the rep’s just impressed with your talent, you might get signed as a client.

But, like I say, this isn’t an aspect of the business I have much experience with. I’ll try to share what I learn in general, but I’ll have to be circumspect with specifics.

What do you snack on while you’re writing? I like grapes, chocolate-peanut butter malt balls, or butter toffee peanuts, although I can only eat a few of the last two – too much sugar. I normally drink ice water, sometimes caffeine-free diet root beer, but I’m trying to get away from soda. Sometimes hot apple cider in winter or diet lemonade in summer.