Happy New Year, my Peeps. Hope you all entered 2010 safe and well and happy.
Just wanted to touch base with my one or two constituents out there in Cyber Space and let you in on what I’ve been up to.
Last week I finished a rough draft – actually closer to one-and-a-half drafts – of my latest script: No Road to Fortune. Here’s the logline: An ambulance-chasing lawyer lands a malpractice case worth millions only to learn he is up against the best lawyer in the state – his older brother.
I’ll let it to simmer on the back burner for a week or two while I develop a new screenplay tentatively titled: Peter and Ba’al. Here’s the logline for that: A down and out TV Evangelist is visited by an Alien who wants to meet Jesus.
Sort of a Sfi-FI comedy. I’ve never done a comedy before, so this is new territory for me.
I’ve also started to query management and production companies, begging them to read and/or buy my scripts 
We’ll see how that works out as one of my goals for 2010 is to, at the very least, option a screenplay. Fingers crossed.
How about you, my one or two faithful followers? What are you up to? I hope you’re writing – everyday. Are you going to send out queries? Let me know. The spec script season runs from February through April and then again from September through November. Remember, you will never sell a script if you don’t send out those queries and above all else you must
Keep Writing!
…this past Sunday. Didn’t want to write. Couldn’t write. Couldn’t concentrate.
I wanted to quit — for good!
And I hated that feeling. I’ve been working on a new script and no matter how I swizzle things, I can’t figure out the ending. Oh, I KNOW how it ends — I’m just not sure how to get there. I’ve never had this happen before. Always knew the ending of my previous scripts — knew how I was going to get there. All this is new territory for me.
And I hate it!
I have read about professional screenwriters having troubles: staring at the blank page; how difficult they found writing, and I always thought, hmmmm, I don’t have that problem. What’s so hard about writing? Now I am beginning to wonder if all those scripts I finished without ‘writer’s block’ or lack of an ending, or ’staring-at-the-blank-pageits’ is because those scripts weren’t any good in the first place. Maybe I’m having issues with this script because at long last I have a good story going on here.
Maybe not.
How do you, my faithful reader(s) — you are still out there, aren’t you? — how do you handle your uncertainty — self doubt? Do you chuck your script — start something new? Or, do you plug away in hopes the fog will lift and the end will make itself known? What I have learned from this ‘episode’ is this: I can not NOT write. Good. Bad. Indifferent. I will always,
Keep Writing!
Why? Because I ain’t all that PC. All my life it has been Merry Christmas, and Merry Christmas it will remain.
That said, I do understand some folks do not celebrate Christmas and for them I wish:
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Kwanzaa!
And… no matter your religious affiliation, or lack there of — yeah, even you believers in crass consumerism,
I wish you all happiness, writing success, and a prosperous New Year.
Let’s hope some of us find a manager or agent in our stocking this year
But above all,
Keep Writing!
What is your New Year’s Resolution this coming year? Normally, mine is to NOT make any resolutions But not this year. No sir. No ma’am. I resolve to make a resolution!
I have spent the better part of 2009 completing a new screenplay – you can read Act I (more or less) on my script page above: Cardinal Sin — and rewriting, ad nauseam, several others – four to be exact. So, my New Year’s Resolution for 2010 is to complete two – count ‘em – two, new scripts – I have a spreadsheet stuffed with ideas — and to send out queries to production and management companies. This is the year folks!
At least, I hope it is
And even if it isn’t 
I will continue to write. Continue to query. Continue to rewrite and rewrite and rewrite. I’m a firm believer in the 3Ps: Perseverance! Perseverance! Perseverance! So…..
What will be your resolution for next year, my two or three cyber friends? Leave a comment. Let me know and
Happy Holidays!
Keep Writing!
Watched TERMINATOR: SALVATION last week and gotta tell you I was very disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong… interesting story; loved the CGI… but the plot logic left much to be desired. Case in point:
The Resistance has learned that there is a hidden signal in the Machine’s carrier wave – a strategically important event for the plot. To determine if this information will allow the Resistance to shut down the machines on command, John Connor and associates go out into the desert and set off an explosion to draw in a Machine aircraft. Once in range, Connor activates the signal shutting down the aircraft. Woo Hoo!! The craft shuts down and crashes. Success! However……..
Later in the story, when the Marcus Wright character shows up at Resistance headquarters and it’s determined HE IS A MACHINE! Ouch! They stick him in prison for safe keeping. But – and here in lies the plot logic problem – he escapes and the obligatory SET PIECE takes place: a HUGE firefight. Gunfire. Explosions. All type and manner of racket going on, yet…
Yet, unlike earlier, out in the desert, no Machines show up to investigate what the hell is going on.
Why is THAT?
Took me out of my ’suspension of disbelief’ – big time. Which brings me to my question:
Do you care about plot logic when you watch a movie? It is a pet peeve of mine and what bothers me is this: the studio spent $200 million dollars to bring Salvation to the silver screen, why couldn’t they spend the time to fix such a blatant, glaring, hole in their story? For me this is sloppy film making and/or writing. I go over and over my scripts to INSURE my plot logic rings true. Shouldn’t professional – well paid – screenwriters be as responsible?
Thoughts?
Keep Writing!
Hello my Peeps–
–my two faithful readers out there in cyber space — I’m back — once again
Where have I been, you may ask? And you may.
Busy rewriting scripts. Six to be exact and some are posted on my SCRIPT page — see tab above.
With any luck I will be back again and again and again — I’m like the stink on a skunk: you’ll never be rid of me.
Keep Writing!
November 29th, 2009 in
screenwriting | tags:
rewriting |
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For those few faithful readers out there in cyber-space who use Final Draft to compose their great American screenplays I want to share with you a trick I learned all by my lonesome. I can claim this as my own because I have never, ever seen/heard/read anyone else describing this.
During rewrites I check and double check a whole host of items to insure my screenplay is crisp/clean/and free of misspellings. Final Draft is a great tool for writers, however, the spell checker really sucks! No offense to the good folks over at Final Draft, but it is a fact. Which brings me to a useful trick:
Save your screenplay in RTF – Rich Text Format – then open that RTF file using Microsoft Word side-by-side with your screenplay in Final Draft.
Voila!
You will find – at least this has been my experience because I am, in fact a terable speler – anywhere from eight (8) to twelve (12) misspelled words that Final Draft missed. As you uncover these words in Word, fix them in the Final Draft version.
Give it shot – what do you have to lose? And then let me know what you think and/or share some of your writing tips and tricks.
Keep Writing!
Hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend. Three days off from work — way not enough time off
Spent most of Labor Day revising another script and coming up with a new title. Titles, I am finding out, are important when sending your material out to be read. The title has to grab your reader. Make them WANT to read your logline, then read your script. To illustrate my point I will share with you how I have changed my titles.
TURNABOUT is a thriller in the vein of Day of the Jackal. But, the title kind’a just sits there. Now TURNABOUT is BOOMSLANG. What’s a Boomslang? Ask for the script and find out.
Another example, another thriller. METAMORPHOSIS is in the vein of Falling Down. How an average guy turns into a lethal killer. Again, the title is not very interesting. Now METAMORPHOSIS is titled: SCORPIO CRUISE.
How do you handle your titles? Do they describe your story? Are they mysterious? Do they evoke curiosity? Let me know. Titles are important.
Keep Writing!
September 8th, 2009 in
screenwriting | tags:
titles |
3 Comments
It’s 11:35 AM on a Sunday morning and I have just finished rewriting my latest spec, CARDINAL SIN. And I gotta tell ya, I could sit here all day and write.
I’m at my local Panera Bread – got here when they opened at 07:30 AM – in my favorite booth. Seems writing away from home works better for me. Can’t say why for sure. Too many distractions. Too many interruptions. But somehow – when I’m here – I’m in ‘The Zone’.
Where do you write? Why do you write where you do? Are you productive?
And with tomorrow being a holiday – five more hours of uninterrupted writing time. Tomorrow I will start another rewrite. This time on my spec, QUMRAN, now titled THE TOMBS OF QUMRAN. More on that later.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and,
Keep Writing!
September 6th, 2009 in
screenwriting |
No Comments
There were 90 script sales in August.
GENRE TYPE STUDIO PROD CO.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Action Adaptation N/A Mandeville Films
Action Sequel 20th Century Fox Seed Productions
Action Spec N/A Nu Image/Millennium
Action Sequel N/A Nu Image
Action Sequel Columbia Pictures N/A
Action Assignment Paramount Pictures Bad Robot
Action Adaptation N/A Prime Universe Prod
Action Rewrite 20th Century Fox N/A
Action Adventure Adaptation Warner Bros. Pic Callahan Filmworks
Action Adventure Pitch Paramount Pictures Atlas Entertainment
Action Adventure Sequel Sony Pictures N/A
Action Adventure Remake Warner Bros. Pict Legendary Pictures
Action Adventure Sequel Columbia Pictures N/A
Action Adventure Adaptation N/A Bruckheimer Films
Action Comedy Spec Columbia Pictures Rip Cord Productions
Action Drama Pitch Sony Pictures Apartment 3B
Action Supernatural Adaptation Universal Pictures Dark Horse Enter
Action Thriller Sequel Universal Pictures Kennedy/Marshall Co.
Adventure Adaptation DreamWorks Pictures N/A
Comedy Turnaround N/A Alcon Entertainment
Comedy Spec Universal Pictures Big Kid Pictures
Comedy Spec Universal Pictures Principato-Young Enter
Comedy Spec N/A Vanguard Films
Comedy Spec N/A Montecito Picture Co.
Comedy Adaptation N/A Screen Gems
Comedy Sequel Sony Pictures Wayans Brothers Prod
Comedy Adaptation N/A StudioLine Enter.
Comedy Assignment Warner Bros. Pic De Line Pictures
Comedy Pitch Paramount Pictures This American Life
Comedy True Story Columbia Pictures Happy Madison Prod
Comedy Adaptation Warner Bros. Pict N/A
Comedy Drama Adaptation Fox 2000 N/A
Comedy Sports Spec N/A Friendly Films
Coming of Age Adaptation N/A Focus Features
Drama Adaptation N/A Foster Productions
Drama Assignment N/A Mpower Pictures
Drama Polish N/A Overnight Productions
Drama Adaptation N/A Superb Entertainment
Drama Spec N/A Death Row Films
Drama Rewrite Warner Bros. Pict Di Novi Pictures
Drama Option N/A Conquering Lion Pic
Drama Rewrite Warner Bros. Pict Di Novi Pictures
Drama Spec N/A Groundswell Films
Drama Spec N/A Feet Films
Drama Action Pitch Warner Bros. Pict Atlas Entertainment
Drama Bio Adaptation Universal Pictures 821 Entertainment Group
Drama Bio Adaptation Walt Disney Pict N/A
Drama Bio True Story N/A Independent producer
Drama Bio Pitch N/A Legendary Pictures
Drama Bio True Story N/A Habourton Entertainment
Drama Bio True Story N/A Permut Presentat
Drama Crime Adaptation N/A Wonderful Films
Drama Crime Pitch N/A EuropaCorp
Drama Dark Adaptation N/A Optimum Releasing
Drama Historical Spec N/A Kingsgate Films, Inc.
Drama Music Adaptation Warner Bros. Pict PorterGeller Enter.
Drama Romance Adaptation N/A Scarlet Fire Enter.
Drama Sports Adaptation N/A Greif Company
Drama Sports True Story N/A BellTower Films
Fairy Tale Adaptation Miramax Films N/A
Family Adaptation Fox Searchlight Ad Hominem Enterprise
Family Adaptation 20th Century Fox Pistor Productions, Julia
Fantasy Remake Walt Disney Pictures ImageMovers
Fantasy Action Adaptation N/A Vanguard Films
Fantasy Dark Adaptation N/A 72 Productions
Horror Remake New Line Cinema Contrafilm
Horror Adaptation N/A Appian Way
Musical Remake 20th Century Fox Seed Productions
Rom Com Assignment Warner Bros. Pict De Line Pictures
Rom Com Pitch Universal Pictures N/A
Rom Com Spec N/A Overture Films, LLC
Romance Spec Columbia Pictures Imagine Entertainment
Satire Adaptation N/A Quote-Unquote Films
Sci Fi Adaptation Universal Pictures Scott Free Productions
Sci Fi Adaptation N/A De Laurentiis Company
Sci Fi Adaptation N/A Radiant Productions
Sci Fi Adaptation N/A Vanguard Films
Sci Fi Adaptation N/A Dahlia Street Films
Sci Fi Remake Warner Bros. Pict Hollywood Gang Prod
Sci Fi Pitch Universal Pictures Rat Entertainment
Sci Fi Adaptation DreamWorks Pictures Bay Films
Sci Fi Remake N/A Creep Entertainment
Supernatural Remake DreamWorks Pictures Motion Picture Corp.
Thriller Adaptation Fox 2000 Film Rites
Thriller Pitch N/A Phoenix Pictures
Thriller Adaptation N/A Furthur Films
Thriller Crime Turnaround N/A Time Inc. Studios
Thriller Psychologic Turnaround N/A Morgan Creek Prod.
Thriller Supernat Spec N/A Film Department
Western Adaptation N/A CBS Films
Keep Writing!
September 2nd, 2009 in
Uncategorized |
No Comments
