Scriptcat weighs in with 3 more survival tips for your screenwriting journey…

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you may know, I’ve decided to change things up a bit here on MY BLANK PAGE and weekly add short posts and share various survival tips. I do speak about these in the various articles on this blog, but this new feature will be a quick reference to glance over and consider as you navigate your screenwriting journey. So, in addition to my tips on Twitter (@scriptcat), I’ll be posting new ones here from time to time.  Thanks for reading and as always: Carry on, keep the faith and keep screenwriting!

When I consult on screenplays for screenwriters, I can’t tell you how many issues I repeatedly find that harm the overall screenplay. It will live or die by 1,000 tiny details.  I know with a little knowledge and insight on the part of the screenwriter, these issues could be easily cleaned up and push the script to a professional level. It only takes one or two issues that repeatedly appear to make your project go from a “RECOMMEND” to a “PASS.”

Okay, three more survival tips that will help you on the long marathon on your journey as a screenwriter…

#1 )  Find a genre that you’re passionate about and focus on that type of material. If you have too many projects in different genres, you’ll appear scattered and it will be hard to create your brand.  Pigeonholing is not exclusive to actors only, it also happens to screenwriters—and that’s not such a bad thing.  You want Hollywood to know you for your unique voice and style in a particular genre.  Usually your first script that sells will determine the type of genre you’ll be known for creating. That’s okay, but pick a genre that you really love and stick with it.

#2)  Before you take a meeting, research and do your homework about the producer, director, or executive you are going to meet.  As I mentioned before, they will respect the fact you took the time and that it was important enough to know what they’ve done.  And it will help if you move forward and work with them to know their other projects.  I recently worked with a director on a rewrite of a script and before we met I watched his other films in the same genre.  Because I was familiar with his other movies, we had shorthand and easily discussed certain shots and sequences from those films that related to our new project.  I knew exactly what he was talking about and it helped our working process.

#3)  Take rejection lightly.  We all suffer disappointment, but when you can accept rejection as part of the process, you can better adjust your temperament and not take the criticism personally.  There’s a myriad of reasons why a producer might reject your project but they could still like your writing.  Selling a project is great, but if it doesn’t sell, your writing ability can also land you a job.  Think positively and train yourself to avoid negative, self-worth thoughts.  The more you think negatively, the more it becomes an emotion and then it’s hard to separate the two.  You can actually start to believe a reality that isn’t true.

Keep on writing and learning. Oh, and never give up.

Scriptcat

“Masters and those who display a high level of creative energy are simply people who manage to retain a sizable portion of their childhood spirit despite the pressures and demands of adulthood.”—Robert Greene, “Mastery”

“Your work will be rejected, but don’t allow your skewed perception of failure to open the darkest places of fear and insecurity in your creative soul.”—Scriptcat

“The time we have alone; the time we have in walking; the time we have in riding a bicycle; are the most important times for a writer. Escaping from a typewriter is part of the creative process. You have to give your subconscious time to think. Real thinking always occurs on the subconscious level.”—Ray Bradbury

If you just finished your screenplay and need in-dept consultation check out my services. Click on the blue icon below for the link to my website and more information.  You only get one shot to make a first great impression with your screenplay.

Don’t miss my upcoming live webinar, “A Screenwriter’s Checklist: 10 Questions Every Screenwriter Must Answer to Stay in the Game.”  Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 11 AM PDT, 90 minutes, $49.

New screenplay? Consider my in-depth consultation services…

Did you just finish your first draft or your third?  Congratulations!  It’s that time of year when many of the top screenwriting contest deadlines are looming.  If you need a second set of eyes consider my screenwriting consultation services.

You really only get one shot to make the right impression in a town where they stop reading after the first typo or format issue. Your talent is as important as your attitude and work ethic and it takes all three to standout in a very competitive marketplace.  When you consider that approximately 30,000 – 40,000 scripts/treatments/pitches/loglines and books are registered every year with the Writers Guild, you have to be writing at a professional level to beat the incredible odds.  The only real competition should be with yourself to become a better screenwriter, but if you have any doubts about your screenplay, now is the perfect time to receive professional consultation before you unleash your magnum opus upon Hollywood.

I’m a working screenwriter/script consultant with over fifteen years of professional experience and credits in television movies and independent features. I’ve been blessed to work and collaborate with some top professionals in Hollywood and many became my friends and mentors.  In this spirit of giving back, I offer professional analysis and editing/proofing of your feature or TV pilot script to help push it to the next level.  You never get a second chance to make a first great impression with your screenplay. Why not make the time to get it right?

Remember—Your screenwriting career is not some Dali-esque delusion, but the result of work, talent, focus, sacrifice, patience and luck.

Please browse my website for more information about my consultation services.

Keep on writing and keep the faith!

Scriptcat

“The professional respects his craft. He does not consider himself superior to it. He recognizes the contributions of those who have gone before him. He apprentices himself to them.” —Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

“Having spent too many years in show business, the one thing I see that succeeds is persistence. It’s the person who just ain’t gonna go home. I decided early on that I wasn’t going to go home. This is what I’ll be doing until they put me in jail or in a coffin.” —David Mamet

“You must not come lightly to the bank page.”—Stephen King, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft”

“Action is hope. At the end of each day, when you’ve done your work, you lie there and think, Well, I’ll be damned, I did this today. It doesn’t matter how good it is, or how bad—you did it. At the end of the week you’ll have a certain amount of accumulation. At the end of a year, you look back and say, I’ll be damned, it’s been a good year.”—Ray Bradbury

Scriptcat cooks up 3 even tastier survival tips for your screenwriting journey…

As you may know, I’ve decided to change things up a bit here on MY BLANK PAGE and weekly add short posts and share various survival tips. I do speak about these in the various articles on this blog, but this new feature will be a quick reference to glance over and consider as you navigate your screenwriting journey. So, in addition to my tips on Twitter (@scriptcat), I’ll be posting new ones here from time to time.  Thanks for reading and as always: Carry on, keep the faith and keep screenwriting!

When I consult on screenplays for screenwriters, I can’t tell you how many issues I repeatedly find that harm the overall screenplay. It will live or die by 1,000 tiny details.  I know with a little knowledge and insight on the part of the screenwriter, these issues could be easily cleaned up and push the script to a professional level. It only takes one or two issues that repeatedly appear to make your project go from a “RECOMMEND” to a “PASS.”

Okay, three more survival tips that will help you on the long marathon on your journey as a screenwriter…

#1 )    As you navigate on this slow climb to success, do not judge yourself as a writer only by an agent or manager’s opinion of your work.  I once received feedback back in the day on my script from an agent who held court at a powerful and mighty agency.  He had only bad things to say about my script—this was a script that had just nearly won the Academy’s prestigious Nicholl Fellowship at the Motion Picture Academy!  It placed in the top few dozen of all entries the year it was entered and it eventually went on to being produced and distributed worldwide.  Who knows the reasoning behind any given feedback?  Bad day, fight with wife or girlfriend/boyfriend, bias against the genre or storyline, who knows?  I think we as writers know in our hearts if something is good, clear and speaks the truth.  Get in touch with writing the truth and scripts that represent your unique voice.

#2 )  As you’re screenwriting, keep the intimate details of your work to yourself. Do not continually talk about the status of your projects, your “writing process,” or how each project is moving forward.  Hollywood has a bizarre time warp that works on its own schedule. Every project will take much longer than you ever expected and you don’t need people thinking that you’re blowing smoke when you talk about the status of your material.  The truth is that it takes an incredible amount of time for any script to find a home and eventually get produced—if ever.  Sometimes the less you say about your progress the better. We all have our own inner voice of self-doubt, but why give fodder to your critics and skeptics who will use it to squash your dreams? They’ll even taint any good news you share and use it to belittle your success because they didn’t have the guts to risk everything to pursue their own dreams.  They enjoy raining on your parade instead.  Protect your dreams and cut the naysayers out of your life. Keep your work close to the vest until it’s finished.

#3 )   Don’t be a “one-script wonder” and believe that one script will make your career. Become a writing workhorse who constantly writes new material because it’s a numbers game at best and the tremendous odds of selling anything or forging a steady career are stacked against most.  Always have ready a new pitch, synopsis, treatment and script to offer.  Hollywood is a business, and agents and managers size you up to see your career potential. They want you to work and need the material to send into the pipeline. That means you  may write five or six scripts before ANYTHING happens that moves you forward in a real and positive way. It wasn’t until my fourth spec screenplay out of college that made some noise for me and not until my fifth spec screenplay that was optioned and produced into a film.  You also need to be good in a room while pitching your ideas — and you’ll need to execute the notes well and write under the pressure of deadlines. Be a team player and don’t bristle at criticism.  This is all part of being a professional screenwriter.  Potential reps will look for these traits because your potential employers will as well.

Keep on writing and keep the faith. — Scriptcat

Did you just complete your latest screenplay and need in-depth consultation before you unleash it upon Hollywood? Check out my services by clicking the blue icon below for the link to my website and more information. You get one shot to make a first great impression with your screenplay. Make the time to get it right.

“It is no small feat to get a movie made, on any subject, on any screen.” — JJ Abrams

“Reading, in the showbiz game, is work. Drudgery even—antithetical, I might argue, to why most writers toil. We write to be read. Hopefully enjoyed. Even to later be complimented. But most importantly, we’d like to know that we entertained. That the reader either laughed or was moved to tears or struck by some worthy emotion summoned by the strings of words we’ve chosen.”—screenwriter Doug Richardson.

“It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life.”—Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary, 5th Century B.C.

Check out new my upcoming live webinar: “A Screenwriter’s Checklist”

Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 11 AM PDT, 90 minutes, $49

LINK

It can be overwhelming for screenwriters to successfully juggle and keep focused on the many aspects of their writing career. As they constantly write, promote, network, and live an artist’s life, screenwriters need to regularly “check in” on their progress and choices. Ultimately, the responsibility for a screenwriter’s career begins and ends with the screenwriter. Your time is precious and you need to constantly be moving forward and avoid the pitfalls of poor choices and negative experiences. It helps to have a “check list” — ten questions to honestly answer about your strengths, weaknesses, failures and successes on your screenwriting journey.

It’s possible you’re not focusing on certain disciplines that may be your weaknesses, and these can be the reasons holding you back from success. Knowing the pitfalls before you embark on your journey will better help you to anticipate the dangers that you’ll encounter. Every project is either a new opportunity or a lost opportunity — it depends on how you play it.

Success or failure, there’s always precious new information to be learned with every screenplay and every choice that you make. This webinar will ask you ten honest questions about your screenwriting abilities, your career choices, and your daily writing habits. If you frequently pause to reexamine your progress, you’ll be able to chart your success and more effectively discover where you need to grow as a screenwriter. If you build on your strengths and work on your weaknesses, you’ll be able to and stay in the game — at the top of your game.

“Work inspires inspiration. Keep working. If you succeed, keep working. If you fail, keep working. If you’re interested, keep working. If you’re bored, keep working.”—Michael Crichton

“Think of the mind as a muscle that naturally tightens up over time unless it is consciously worked upon. What causes this tightening is twofold. First, we generally prefer to entertain the same thoughts and ways of thinking because they provide us with a sense of consistency and familiarity. Sticking with the same methods also saves us a lot of effort. We are creatures of habit.”—Robert Greene, “Mastery”

“The professional respects his craft. He does not consider himself superior to it. He recognizes the contributions of those who have gone before him. He apprentices himself to them.” —Steven Pressfield

Need screenplay consultation? Check out my in-depth services for your feature, TV pilot, or short script. Click on the blue icon below for the link to my website and more information.

Scriptcat’s shares 3 more tasty screenwriting tips…

As you may know, I’ve decided to change things up a bit here on MY BLANK PAGE and add short posts and share various survival tips. I do speak about these in the various articles on this blog, but this new feature will be a quick reference to glance over and consider as you navigate your screenwriting journey. So, in addition to my tips on Twitter (@scriptcat), I’ll be posting new ones here from time to time.  Thanks for reading and as always: Carry on, keep the faith and keep screenwriting!

When I consult on screenplays, I can’t tell you how many issues I repeatedly find that harm the screenplay. I know with a little knowledge and insight on the part of the screenwriter, these issues could be easily cleaned up and push the script to a professional level. It only takes one or two issues that repeatedly appear to make your project go from a “RECOMMEND” to a “PASS.”

Okay, three more tips that will help you on the long marathon on your journey as a screenwriter…

TIP #1

Master screenplay format. I don’t care how amazing of an idea you have, your script will die on the vine if you are ignorant or just don’t care about screenplay format. I find many aspiring writers have a serious lack of knowledge or respect about screenplay format.  It’s what separates the professional from the amateur.  Producers, directors, and executives will immediately recognize that you don’t have enough respect for your craft to know proper format and it will reveal that you’re an amateur.

TIP #2

Always be a team player.  You’ll stay on your projects as the screenwriter if you’re a team player and not a temperamental diva. The constant barrage of notes and changes can make screenwriters frustrated and angry. They can feel totally out of control and like they’re just around to do the “grunt” work of writing. Avoid the temptation to go down a destructive pathway with these valid emotions. Don’t become “difficult” or branded a pain in the ass to work around. Producers will hire a talented team player over a pain in the ass that has no regard for professionalism.  Hollywood is a business of relationships and networking.  People in Hollywood generally like to work with those people they’ve had a positive experience with in the past.  So, always deliver your best work, every time, regardless of your salary and don’t ever gripe about the changes.

TIP #3

Always be humble on your screenwriting journey. You will never be bigger than your craft. Screenwriting is an ongoing, lifelong journey and learning experience. Yes, it’s a mountain—the ultimate challenge. Consider it your own personal Everest or K-2. Sure, we all have mountains to climb in our lives, but finding success as a working screenwriter is one hell of a conquest. Do yourself a huge favor early in your journey and respect this fact. Don’t believe that somehow it’s different for you because you’re “special.”  We’re all special and unique and we still have to claw, fight and write our way to any type of success by hard work, discipline, drive, sacrifice and passion.

Keep on writing and learning. Always look for the truth in your stories and seek authenticity.

Scriptcat

“The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not come, whatever they like.” — Steven Pressfield

“There’s delusion—we all know what that is and who that is—then there’s a lifer—one who creates because he must. It’s the lifeblood of an artist.” — author/musician Bill See

“It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life.”—Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary, 5th Century B.C.

“Believe me that in every big thing or achievement there are obstacles — big or small — and the reaction one shows to such an obstacle is what counts not the obstacle itself.”—Bruce Lee

“Having spent too many years in show business, the one thing I see that succeeds is persistence. It’s the person who just ain’t gonna go home. I decided early on that I wasn’t going to go home. This is what I’ll be doing until they put me in jail or in a coffin.” —David Mamet

Did you just finish your latest screenplay? Check out my consultation services and click on the blue icon below for the link to my website and more information.

You want me? You really do want me!

Ah, there is truly nothing like finding solid representation that not only believes in you and your talent, but gives you that extra confidence and hope of building a career. Representation on its own doesn’t always mean a sale or success, but a manager or agent is an important member on your team as you forge a screenwriting career. It’s always going to be an adventure, but we love adventure, right?  If you’re “hot” you will attract interest, but just never get “cold” as the interest will chill like that martini you’ll be drinking to drown your sorrows.

Finding an agent or manager is a lot like dating, except it’s your script out there in the trenches and hopefully it’s charming and attractive enough for the agent or manager to believe in it to sell.  Bottom line, if you write a fantastic script it will find its way to someone who will recognize your amazing storytelling ability.  Write a script that will have agents and managers calling to find YOU — not the other way around.   Spend your time working on your craft and being the best writer you can be and the rest will fall into place.

That being said, I’ve had probably five different managers and agents during the course of my adventures in the screentrade to date—some were fantastic and others were not. Some agents were at big agencies and managers at both boutique and big management companies. The problem was that like any relationship, during our march up the mountain together, it took time to figure out who wasn’t really working at the level that I thought they were to further my career. Precious time.

The worst situation is when you fall into the false sense of security—being so thankful for any representation that you completely loose sight of the fact time marches on and now it’s been a year with a few meetings or maybe only a handful of submissions. We always want our latest screenplay to sell and move us forward on the playing field of Hollywood, right?  It’s a team effort, so you must always provide new material to your rep, but you’ll need to see real signs the rep is doing the best job to provide the tactics and plan the missions to get you into the inmost cave.

Okay, if your first screenplay goes out and doesn’t sell but gets you meetings, that’s okay—it’s your second and third projects that will usually determine if the rep’s interest fizzles and they cut you loose. The agent or manager usually does not have the time to hang on with the hopes their client will eventually sell something or get work. It’s also their reputation out there and how does it look if their client repeatedly does not work?

Sure it could be the marketplace and the fact that it’s damn near impossible to sell anything, but surely it will focus back on you as the rep’s confidence wanes in your talent and ability to craft projects that sell. You’ll stick around longer if you have a solid body of work and continually give new material to your rep to put into the pipeline. Don’t be a “one script wonder” because it will probably take a handful of solid screenplays to make some noise. Also be a master at executing notes because this is so important when you do land a job. Your ability to execute script notes will determine if you stay on the project or get fired.

One day you may turn in a new script and your rep says, “it’s not for me.”  Did you hear the other shoe drop?  Just because a signature is on a representation contract doesn’t always mean someone is burning the midnight oil to find you work.  Never, please never forget this: You must always be out making new contacts and building new film industry relationships because you can’t entrust everything to your rep to do even when they are fantastic.  You need to do the work as well. It’s now a team effort—you can’t drop off a script and expect in a few weeks the job offers to come rolling in.  The journey of one screenplay could take a year or more so get ready. Sure, you may sell your first script to the first company that reads it—but that’s like winning the lottery.  How much did you win from your last scratcher or Powerball ticket?  It’s the long marathon screenwriter who survives.

Also, do not judge yourself as a writer only by some agent or manager’s opinion of your work.  I once received feedback back in the day on my script from an agent who held court at a powerful and mighty agency.  He said only bad things about my script—this was a script that had just nearly won the Academy’s prestigious Nicholl Fellowship at the Motion Picture Academy!  It placed in the top few dozen of all entries the year it was entered and it eventually went on to being produced and distributed worldwide.   Who knows the reasoning behind any given feedback?  I think we as writers know in our hearts if something is good, clear and speaks the truth.  Get in touch with writing the truth and scripts that represent your unique voice.

If you think about the sheer volume of scripts out there it could make your brain freeze.  I just read about the number of scripts entered in the Nicholl Fellowship screenwriting contest last year – 7,197.  That’s a staggering amount of writers all doing their best to get their script over the wall.  More sobering stats: Spec scripts sold in Hollywood in 2012: 132 scripts.  2011: 110 scripts.  2010: 55 scripts.  2009: 68 scripts.  2008: 87 scripts.  Do you still want to be a screenwriter?  Of course you do!  Who are you kidding?  You love it more than anything else — or you’d better!  It’s in your blood.

Write something from your heart that tells the truth and it will eventually find a believer.  Always be involved in chartering the course of your career and remember. Trust others, but keep tight reins and do your best to not waste precious time with those who promise the world and deliver nothing.  You know the sacrifices and time it takes to craft your projects.  Surround yourself with like-minded people who truly champion your overall career as a writer, not just one project.  Hollywood is  a place where everyone says they’ll read your script because they want credit for their good intentions—it’s the follow through that’s a bitch.

Write something that will make noise and have agents and managers calling to find YOU — not the other way around.

It is your responsibility to charter the course and take the helm. Never allow precious time to waste with an agent or manager in your corner who doesn’t truly believe in your talents and ability as much as you do.  Time is too precious on our adventure.  Remember this simple statement and write it down and post it near your computer:

” There will never be anyone who cares about your career as much as you do.”   Read my article: “Always Remember It’s Your Career.”

Some insights from author Steven Pressfield in his amazing book “The War of Art”:

For the Artist to define himself hierarchically is fatal.  Let’s examine why. First let’s look at what happens in a hierarchical orientation.  An individual who defines himself by his place in a pecking order will:

1)   Compare against all others in the order, seeking to elevate his station by advancing against those above him, while defending his place against those beneath.

2)   Evaluate his happiness/success/achievement by his rank within the hierarchy, feeling most satisfied when he’s high and most miserable when he’s low.

3)   Act toward others based on their rank in the hierarchy, to the exclusion of all other factors.

4)   Evaluate his every move solely by the effect it produces on others. He will act for others, dress for others, speak for others, and think for others.

But the Artist cannot look to others to validate his efforts or his calling.  If you don’t believe me, ask Van Gogh, who produced masterpiece after masterpiece and never found a buyer his whole life.  In the hierarchy, the Artist faces outward. Meeting someone new he asks himself, “What can this person do for me?”  “How can this person advance my standing?”  In hierarchy, the Artist looks up and looks down.  The one place he can’t look is that place he must: within—Steven Pressfield

Speaking of screenplays… did you just finish your latest magnum opus and need in-depth consultation? Check out my services by clicking the blue icon below for the link to my website and more information.

Scriptcat’s 3 tasty screenwriting tips…

I’ve decided to change things up a bit here on MY BLANK PAGE and add a short post and share various survival tips. I do speak about these in the various articles on this blog, but this new feature will be a quick reference to glance over and consider as you navigate your screenwriting journey. So, in addition to my Twitter tips (@scriptcat), I’ll be posting new ones here from time to time.  Thanks for the read and as always: Carry on, keep the faith and keep screenwriting.

When I consult on screenplays, I can’t tell you how many issues I repeatedly find that harm the screenplay. I know with a little knowledge and insight on the part of the screenwriter, these issues could be easily cleaned up and push the script to a professional level. It only takes one or two issues that repeatedly appear to make your project go from a “RECOMMEND” to a “PASS.”

And yes, contrary to popular belief, good ideas are everywhere, but it’s all about execution.  You may have an interesting idea but a poorly executed screenplay and this will kill your chances every time. Too many screenwriters don’t take the time to figure out if they have enough of a premise to sustain a feature-length story. In addition, too many screenwriters don’t make the time to craft a solid treatment before they start.

“The extraordinary fact is 99% of writers fail at the premise. This is the great unknown gatekeeper that keeps most writers from being successful. If you screw up the premise, nothing you do later in the writing process will make any difference. The game’s already over.”—John Truby

During the process of feedback from a trusted group, your script is in a protected place, but once you unleash it upon Hollywood—all bets are off and your script will live or die by 1,000 details.  So, here are three tips to consider on your screenwriting journey. Check back often and sign up to receive posts via e-mail.

Tip #1:

Do not write your WGA registration number on the cover of your screenplay. It screams amateur hour and will immediately set up the reader to consider you an aspirant. No one cares about your registration number. In fact, most professionals have already taken care of their business with regards to “protecting” their work and they don’t need to put up warning signs. Any professional reading your script will assume that you have done this. It’s like building a new house and putting up “NO TRESPASSING WE SHOOT LOOTERS” signs on the front yard. What is on your screenplay cover? The script’s title, your name or co-writer’s name, and contact information. That’s it!

Tip #2

Do not write a screenplay that is barely 90 pages or is over 120 pages. I once consulted on a script that was 250 pages long. I told the screenwriter to grab an axe, chop it in half and have two movies!  Seriously, folks. Many times when I read a script that fizzles around page 85 it shows me the writer didn’t have enough of the story figured out to sustain a complete movie. Also TV movies will have commercials and usually break into eight acts while feature scripts have a bit more wiggle room. Trust me, the first thing a reader does is pick up your script and flip to the final page to see the page count. You don’t want a “chunky” screenplay. As no one likes to read, a lean and mean script will get their attention every time. First impressions can last, so 90 pages is a bit lean and 120 is a bit long. Try your best to come in around 100 solid pages.

Tip #3

Please do not write in the past tense in your screenplays. I know it may seem obvious, but I’ve read screenwriters who write: “Frank walked into the room.”  Traditionally, screenplays are in the present tense because we are reading and seeing the action as it happens.  So, “Frank walks into the room.” On the subject of action verbs like “walks”—please find more creative active verbs to convey emotions from the action. Change the boring verb “walks” to lumbers, ambles, wades, glides, marches, etc. It will make your screenwriting pop and convey vibrant images to the reader.

Keep up the good work and best of luck with your screenwriting journey.

Looking for in-depth screenplay consultation?

Click on the blue icon below for the link to my website.