Jonathan Peace

To all new subscribers:

Firstly thanks for taking a look, but I have moved. For all the latest news about my writing be it for page or screen, please go to:

http://jonathanpeace.wordpress.com

Many thanks and I look forward to seeing you there.

JP

This is the last post here on posterous.com.

It's been a great ride since August last year and I have to thank Posterous for a lot of that.

However, moving forward (see... that phrase just sneaks up on ya and cold cocks the back of your nogging before you know it!) I find I need a simpler, less cluttered place to post. This hang out was becoming a little too hard to maintain and so, with a sadness in my heart, I bid fare-thee-well to this ship and move to a new one. More shiny.

Say hello to my leetle friend...

 

https://jonathanpeace.wordpress.com/

 

Please come across, say hi and follow the "NEW ADVENTURES OF JP" (you have to shout that out like the opening to Tin-Tin to get the full effect) over at War & Peace. 

Look forward to seeing you there.

Cheers.

JP

Back in April 2010 I took part in my first ever Script Frenzy. For those who aren't aware of this yet, Script Frenzy is a personal challenge to write 100 pages of script in 30 days. It's a great exercise in discipline and one I highly recommened. Take part in a Script Frenzy (or NaNoWriMo if you're a novellist in November) and your script writing will never look the same (at least in terms of getting the work done!).

Once I'd finished, I gave the script a polish and a few rewrites and then in September last year started pitching it. This led to a meeting with a production companys Development Producer in London in January and things progressed from there.

Now, when I say progressed, I don't mean the script was optioned or bought. That hasn't happened yet (I emphasise the word yet) and it looks like it might be some time before that actually happens. The last six months have seen emails flung between us (with the inevitable time lag as he's a very busy man with several projects at various stages of development) and long phone conversations about the script and how best to move it forward.

Move it forward... that is a phrase I have come to both loathe and love at the same time. Move it forward... it implies so many things in so few words (an excellent lesson in brief writing if ever there was one): going to the next stage - optioned, sold, sales agents etc; improve - the script, the story, the characters, the locations etc; taking it to potential directors - feedback, possible attachment etc.

All of these things have been said, written, talked about but still after eight rewrites (all done for free as this isn't in formal development yet) the phrase "How best to move it forward..." comes back to bite me in the ass once again.

Now before I go on let me make one thing absolutely clear: This is not a griping post. There are no soured fruit of any kind and my dummy is safely tucked where it should be and has not been thrown from the pram. There are no hissy fits, no stamping of feet and cries of "Unfair!" ringing from the office. Quite the opposite in fact. Mr Development Producer is taking time from an obviously busy schedule to discuss my script and my writing. He doesn't need to do that - he's not getting paid for this work, I am an unknown writer, and yet we have enjoyed long conversations about the script on his dime, he always calls me. He's putting in a lot of time and effort in the hopes that we can, together, get the script into such a form that it just has to be made. I am extremely greatful for the time he's given me, for the open and honest feedback and for the advice he so generously has shared. Okay, some of it stung a little, but that's because I care. However, I don't get all shitty about it.

I am a professional writer. Not some hack (as a few trolls still like to tell me on various occaisions). When I get criticised I remember that old saying, "Two ears, one mouth." I listen. I've listened, and I've learned.

And now I am going to pass on what I have learned, just like Yoda told Luke to do, right before he carked it.

"Much to learn, you still have."

No shit, Sherlock. The Development process, even one as informal as this, is a tricky mine field to navigate. Incorporating notes into a new draft of a script while still maintaining that original spark is a lot trickier than I'd originally thought. Ensuing story logic and genre rules all work together to create a solid piece of storytelling while still bringing something new to the genre is like juggling chainsaws. It looks impressive but one slip is all it takes to turn a deft piece of skill into a bloody mess. How to take notes, use them and incorporate them (possibly) into a script is the biggest lesson to learn and one I can see will take some time to master - if ever.

"You must unlearn what you have learned."

Great... this is another of those contradiciting statements, isn't it? I've much to learn, but still, unlearn everything I've already learned? Are you fracking kidding me? Well, no. Everything still applies but don't focus on it. Yes, you need great characters with fantastic dialogue and you have that, but now lets make sure that they both push the story forward. And that means dropping the three pages of chat about the main characters love life. It doesn't move the plot forward. Cut! And rewrite doesn't neccessarily mean rewrite, at least not a page 1 rewrite (which is where I went wrong a few times). You can redraft without making major changes. Rather than think rewrite, think polish. Streamline. When Michelangelo carved the David statue, do you think he dragged out a new block of marble with every new idea and started from scratch? No, he made intricate changes on the whole rather than simply start again.

"Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot."

After every new note, I would rush to the laptop, open the Celtx programme and get stuck into a new rewrite (and as stated above this would probably be a page 1 rewrite - *smacks himself upside the head* - stoopid!) making the little tweaks and changes to the scene, which would then mean changes earlier, then later again to accomodate the other changes and so on... I made a few notes, sometimes reading through the script and jotting down new dialogue, or scenes. I was working hard, but I sure as frack wasn't working smart. Having a clear objective in what the new draft was trying to achieve firmly in mind before making any changes would have helped steer me clear of any confusion and avoided making too many grand changes to something that was initially described as "unfussy, uncomplicated and a great read!" So, this new draft isn't so much going to be totally brand new; in fact I've dug out draft 1 and plan to read through it again, to hopefully regrasp that initial excitement and furvour it was written with over fourteen months ago. I will then read through the very first set of notes and see where I went wrong with that initial rewrite. Get back on track, but only after noting down everything I can about the characters, the story and the locations in order to keep everything coherent.

"Control, control. You must learn control!"

Keeping it tight is another skill that will take some time to learn. By this I mean not going off on a strange tangent from the original material - can you believe I put a Disco Dance number into the last draft? Funny, yes but did it really belong in what was originally a very bloody, very funny Grindhouse style horror flick? I didn't think so either. This script is probably a bit tougher than the usual first time spec as it has a non-linear story structure which is a very tricky beast to manage. How do you progress the story forward without putting the cat back in the bag with each new segment? How do you maintain pace and build each sequence to a fitting climax when you jump in time? Keeping (or regaining control) will help here - and that means taking time to properly formulate a plan of attack.

"Mine! Mine! Mine! MINE!"

This is something I haven't really had a problem with. I'm not overly sensitive when it comes to listening to other people's suggestions for my writing. Some people don't like criticism, I see it as a way to improve, but where I've gone wrong here is maybe I haven't been possessive enough about the script. There have been many notes, many suggestions from Mr Development Producer and I've tried to incorporate them all into new drafts in the hopes that this would secure the option or sale. All together now - dumbass! Rather than try to please Mr DP I should have been championing my script, defending our corner a bit more. This comes from a lack of experience and possibly self confidence. As a new writer who am I to question the choices of someone who has many years experience? Well, I'm the writer, damn it! It's my script, I know it better than anyone ever could - or I should. Maybe I didn't have as firm a grasp of the material as I should have. Time to reclaim it, bitch!

This is your story. You can write amazingly well. Those are the only things that count!!

Those were the final words from Mr Development Producer in his lengthy email last week. After the hard lessons of the email, those words filled me with hope and a fresh resurgence of optimism. Yes, there was a lot more work to do, but I now had a clearer focus on what was expected and how best to go about getting it. This wasn't a "So long and thanks for the fish," email - he still wants to help me develop the script to a point that the studio attaches their name to it. This was a "Here's some tough love, let's go to work now," email. An eye opener but also a motivational piece.

Moving forward (damn - even I'm starting to say it now!) I have a very simple plan:

• Read through that very first draft.
• Make notes on all the characters: their motives, quirks etc
• Define the story rules/logic
• Ensure that all dialogue, all scenes push the story forward
• No 'putting the genie back in the bottle' scenes.

Simple, Keep it ~ JP

Due to limited funds and an overwhelming desire to, you know, eat, watching a film has become even more the treat than it already was. The last film I saw at a gods-honest brick and mortar theatre was Paul starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I now have that on DVD. I say I have it, in fact I bought it for Lucy as she's A) a huge fan of both Pegg & Frost and B) she's written a great script with the pair as the leads. So it was both research and a gift. Anyway, I'm off point. Forking out for a cinema trip or even the hire of a few DVD's for the weekend as a way to relax is a risky business at present. Like most people, juggling finances is a tricky affair these days and you've to really weigh up what is more important: a treat or more milk. Film choices have to be on the nose or that's money wasted.

As an example of a wasted choice...

Sanctum, that much heralded 'film produced by James Cameron'. Badly scripted, poorly acted - they didn't seem to care - and just plain ludicrous at times (a dead body is gaffer taped to a wall - wtf?), that is £3 I'll never see again and 90 minutes wasted.

Or was it?

As screenwriters, one of the moto's we should all live by (yes, I'm on my soapbox, what of it?) is:

"write a lot of scripts; read a lot of scripts; watch a lot of movies"

Some don't hold truth to that, believing that by watching film or TV (if that's your bag) the writer will only succeed in rehashing what they've seen, be it good or bad. I'd like to give the budding screenwriter a bit more credit than that. Sure, some of us may just watch a bad film, decree to the world that they can do better than that and churn out 125 pages in two weeks, but those kind of writers, the Johnny-weekend kind of writers don't follow up with six months of rewrites turning that pile of vomit into a lean, mean 90-100 page script of exciting possibilities. Those kinds of writers expect their 'masterpiece' to sell for millions - wake up and smell the hard work, pal! It don't work like that.

But that's a topic for a whole other post.

Watching Sanctum I mourned the loss of £3 (that's milk and bread money!) but started thinking why it didn't work and what could be done to improve it. (It was that bad a film, I'm still trying to figure it out).

Luckily, I saw two films that have made it to my To Buy list. First up...

Drive Angry

I hear you groaning already but this is a really good film if you give it a chance. Yes, Nicholas Cage films can be very much hit and miss but this is a hit for sure. At least for me. This is cheese to the extreme and a great example of what films should be about: pure, unadulterated fun. It knows exactly what it is and delivers it in spades. As a huge Grindhouse/exploitation fan, this fits into the genre nicely, and why wouldn't it? Thumping music, OTT violence and one of the most engaging characters I've ever seen portrayed by William Fichtner. I love this film and it's now on my To Buy list.

The Adjustment Bureau

One of the smartest scifi/supernatural romance films I've ever seen, this captured me from frame one and didn't let go till the end of the credits. In fact, I'm planning on watching it again today before taking it back to Blockbusters. This could so easily have strayed into cliche, seen-it-all-before action, but it didn't. There was obvious chemistry between Emily Blunt and Matt Damon and, like Drive Angry, much fun seemed to be had by all during the making of this. 

What did I learn from these films? It's okay to have some fun with your story, to tease the viewer and lead them down paths seldom trodden. Drive Angry could have wasted minutes on backstory but didn't. It jumped right into the action and didn't let go. The Adjustment Bureau could have signposted the 'bad' guys but didn't. It let the viewer decide for themselves. Both films are smart in their own way, staying true to their own rules (however gloriously OTT) and having a blast doing it.

That's what I learnt. That's what I hope to inpart into my scripts, and that's what I'll be keeping in the back of my mind when I write FADE IN: for the first time on "The Vote" and for the fifth time on "Gunsmoke & Glory".

Keep it simple ~ JP

 

 

 

 

I know, I know. It's been weeks since my last post, and for that I apologise, but it has been a damn whirlwind of activity here in the Peace-O'Sullivan household. Lucy started a new job (thus keeping me in the manner to which I'm attired - namely househusband) and I've been inundated with various project deadlines all at the same time (self-inflicted). That has meant a noticeable absence from both this site and my cyber-home: Twitter. I can't tell you the number of DM's I received asking if I was alright. Rest assuared, I am fine - tired, but fine.

Things are starting to settle down now, to get into a routine so I'm writing this post to tell you all about what has been happening lately. It's going to be a lengthy one (but men always say that, right?) so get comfy.

Bubble-Butt Latest Draft

For those of you keeping score, this is now the eighth draft of my horror script currently being developed with a UK studio and by all the Grindhouse Gods, this is the best one yet. One of the things I am still learning is how to take notes - criticism is easy, you just listen to what they say, flip them the bird then walk away, but notes are a whole different matter. These aren't just random thoughts trying to ellicit an emotional response. The person giving them isn't wanting to get a rise out of me just for their own cheap thrill, quite the contrary. Adam - the development producer I'm working with - seems to have as much passion for the project as I do. He knows the characters nearly as well as myself and only wants to see the script in its best form, ready for when we approach sales agents.

But learning how best to incorporate his notes without going too overboard in a rewrite is a difficult task to master, and one I won't be ticking off my To Learn list anytime soon. Saying that however, this current draft meant a healthy section needed a few brand new sections to make the story logic work better. This in turn meant that one of my most favourite characters - Yummy-Mummy - had to be absorbed by another character - Nurse Jackie - in order to keep the pace fast and to not have the story jump too much (it already jumps in time, similar to Pulp Fiction). This was difficult to do at first, but I did it nonetheless and the script is better for it.

Adam now has the latest draft so its sit-back-and-wait time again. Now there's a skill I'm getting to learn really well, not just in screenwriting but in the other avenue that has recently opened for me. But I'll talk about that later.

My 3rd Spec Script

In April I wrote the first draft of my 3rd spec script as part of Script Frenzy 2011 (oddly enough Bubble-Butt was written for SF2010 - lets hope I have the same success!). Gunsmoke & Glory is a western but that version was also heavily slanted towards horror. May saw me writing a second draft - this was more action orientated (think a western version of Pirates Of The Caribbean). I am now writing the third and final draft prior to sending it out for feedback and pitching. This version will (hopefully) blend seamlessly elements of both the horror and the action to create something unique. I'm thinking a film similar in tone to Raiders Of The Lost Ark, but with stronger horror. Not PG as such, rather a 15/R rating.

It has been great fun writing this script - I've loved the research (old mining towns, tarot cards, how old west trains operated), I've loved the days when great OTT action sequences literally rolled out faster than I could write, I've even loved the days when the characters flapped their mouths but nothing came out. At least nothing that I could hear. I'm going to miss writing about Hoody Brown when I finish at the end of the month, but who knows... if it sells, maybe I get to write the sequel. And the next one. And the one after that...

My 4th Spec Script

You all know I have a plan, a plan I pretty much stick to and have ever since devising it nearly two years ago. That plan is pretty simple: write four spec scripts a year, one every quarter. Well, the first quarter (Jan-March) was taken up with lots of rewrites of Bubble-Butt, so there'll only be three this year, but I have over a dozen ideas to choose from. All are in various stages of development: some are just that, ideas, nothing more than a title and a What If? scenario. Others are fully fleshed out outlines, while one is a 60 page scriptment document.

July sees me starting to write the first draft of my 4th spec, a scifi horror/thriller called The Vote. I'm still in two minds as how best to approach the script: from a huge blockbuster summer movie point of view or a more focused character driven indie-style piece. Both have their merits (be great fun to write massive set pieces with lots of action and explosions, but also very challenging to tell a personal story framed by giant world events taking place). I'm not sure which road to travel yet, but I'm looking forward to getting started.

Frantically Mantic

On the rare occaisions I've jumped onto Twitter you'll have seen me talking about Mantic Games. I have never hidden the fact I am a fantasy gaming geek and have talked about Talisman and Dungeons & Dragons on more than one occaision. Mantic Games is a tabletop wargaming company. Put simply, players put together armies of fantasy creatures (Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs etc) then using a simple set of rules and dice batter the opposing army into dust. Cutting straight to the point (I'm aware this is already a lengthy post) I've started writing for Mantic, albeit in a speculative/freelance capacity. Just like writing spec scripts, I write articles, background even short stories which are then sent in every Friday. Some they use, some they don't. Either way, it's great fun. 

Click the link to read some of my Undead Mantic background. I've also started writing a series of articles focusing on gaming, modelling and painting with Mantic miniatures.

As the company grows (they've only been around a couple of years) I'm hoping to take more of an official role writing for them, but for now I'm happy to work on spec. They're happy with the stuff I've been sending in (and have even requested a few specific pieces) and I'm enjoying the freedome to write, basically what I want. I've been developing the game world as well as some of the background for the minitaures and it's all pretty exciting stuff.

Later this year they plan to release a scifi game - Warpath. I've started a few pieces of background and short stories but will have to hold back until I learn more about the direction they plan to take this new game in.

Moving Forward

As you can see, its been a busy time and only promises to be as frantic in the future. With script meetings coming up, more articles to write and models to paint, every day is a hive of creativity. I'll try to keep you posted on everything and get back into a weekly routine here on the site. Feel free to get in touch either through the comments section below, the Contact JP page above or even on Twitter

Keep it simple! ~ JP

You thought getting the idea for your script was tough... then you tore your hair out getting the beats down. That all paled in comparrison when you actually started to vomit the script onto the page but none of it - none of it - has prepared you for what is to come. Welcome to the hell of the rewrite...

TWO FLAVOURS, ONE TASTE

When it comes to doing the rewrite there are two forms: one that you do naturally to get the script into shape, prior to sending out in a pitch, and the second is the kind done based on notes from a development producer or studio when someone actually shows interest. Both are tough as nails to do, both hurt in different ways, but trust me... they'll hurt. You'll sweat, you'll cry. There'll be times when you feel like you can't go on, that you just can't face one more push. They'll be blood, tears and quite possibly you may just shit all over the bed in your anguished desire to get the damn thing finished (they never tell you that bit).

But much like childbirth, the pain is so worth it. At the end of the horror you will have 100-120 pages of highly polished, exciting story filled with engaging characters and surprise twists. By the end of your labours, you will be rewarded with a thing of beauty that people will coo over, clamour to see and (quite opposite childbirth) pay you for. 

YOUR REWRITES

After you've gotten your vomit draft down, now is the time to start working through it, noting down what works. What doesn't. I tend to mark the script with lots of notes, which then correspond to the pad of A4 which is filled with new lines of action, dialogue, character descriptions, all the points that spring to mind as I go through the script. Like the vomit draft, I like this initial rewrite to be done fairly quickly, trying not to overthink too much (keeping it simple). It can be quite easy to get so carried away with rewriting that you forget the original catalyst that prompted you to want to write this particular script in the first place.

A project of mine goes through a three month schedule:

• 30 days for a vomit draft
• 15 days for the first rewrite
• 15 days for a second rewrite
• A fortnight away from the project
• 15 days for a third, final rewrite

The script, for me, is now ready to send out.

Here is an example of a re-written page (before it gets typed up):

As you can see it is full of changes that speed the readability of the script while also adding to the feel, the style it is written in. Going through numerous rewrites will help bring the way you tell a story to the fore. My very first draft was a long rambling beast. I went through about six rewrites before I felt it was in a good enough shape to send out. I'm glad I took that time because it led to a great quote in an email:

First off, I think you have a great, punchy writing style and your work stands out from the majority of unsolicited material we receive

If I hadn't spent that time rewriting, I wouldn't have receieved such a great compliment and the offer to help develop the script with the studio.

Which leads to:

STUDIO REWRITES

I am currently midway through a new rewrite (8th) of a script with the same developement producer who gave the above quote. This is a harder form to master as you are trying to, not second guess exactly, but forecast what someone else actually wants based on the notes they send you. Now, just because you may receieve a note saying: character A needs a better story logic entry it doesn't mean you have to change the script just to accomodate this. You, as the writer, have to look at these suggestions, give them the time and respect they deserve and then decide whether or not to put them in (or take them out - based on the note). What you have to be able to do, however, is argue your point - and that is a skill I have yet to learn, let alone master.

One of my rewrites took all of the points literally which led to a totally different feel to the entire script, nearly destroying the central core element that initially attracted the attention of the producer. A definate *headdesk* moment.

This draft has some major changes in that certain elements have been removed to focus on the main character more, while several other characters have merged into one for pace sake. Juggling these elements, while staying sane is a difficult line to walk because you want to please the producer while keeping true to yourself.

Rewriting is hell... but a neccessary hell we must all navigate if we want to achieve the heaven of a sale.

Keep it simple ~ JP

So you've drunk from the Story Pool, and then spent some time Beating The Script Down. You're all ready to start writing the first draft, but how do you go about doing that? What's the best way of getting this first ever incarnation of your script down on paper? Longhand or straight into the computer? How many pages should you do each day? How long should you give yourself to write it?

THE VOMIT DRAFT?

First off, let's briefly discuss just what I mean by this pretty disgusting term. Some people call this a first draft, others a rough draft. I used both terms in the past but what this really is, let's be honest, is a shit draft. When all those ideas you have clash for attention, when you literally vomit it all up on the page. The idea behind this initial draft is to just get it down on paper and out of your head. The truly hard work will begin later, when you enter the hell of rewrites - but that's another blogpost for another week.

I entered Script Frenzy again this year. In less than 30 days I wrote the vomit draft of my thrd spec script Gunsmoke & Glory and boy does it suck. It's full of confusing ideas, contradicting ideas and even worse, just plain bad writing. But it's there at least, 108 pages of utter shite under which, quite possibly may lurk a few golden nuggets that just need sifting through a pan. 

That's all a vomit draft is all about. And by now means should you show anyone this. This is your draft, the one that is allowed to suck big time. This draft you write fast & furious (see what I did there?). This draft you never look back. Just stick your fingers down your throat and chuck it up onto the page.

I'm not going to tell you what you should do. That's your decision and it'll probably take some time till you find the perfect way that works for you. What I will do, however is tell you what works for me. At the moment.

1. CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

I tend to write my vomit drafts (and more often than not, the rewrites) longhand. I get 100 pages of lined A4 braded together, choose a pencil or my silver fountain pen, and get ready for some serious wrist action. Writing longhand - for me - is a very organic process. The ideas seem to roll faster, easier, than if I was typing directly into Celtx. Using my basic beats, or notes I know - roughly - what I need to write each day, but I also know that things can take a dramatic turn, and they usually do. 

Writing longhand seems to free my mind up and before I know it I've run off down a new avenue I hadn't even considered, adding several more pages to the days total without even realising it.

2. SET A DAILY MINIMUM PAGE COUNT

I treat screenwriting like the job it is. I'm at my desk every morning by 6am at the latest. Most mornings I'm sat there with the second cup of coffee of the day by 05:30am. When I was writing novels, I followed Stephen King's advice (from On Writing) on getting ten pages a day down no matter what. This was good practice for later years when I struggled to motivate myself. Knowing I had to get a certain amount of pages down lit a fire under me so that even when the words hid as is their wont - I kept on going, kept on trying to find them until I had those ten fracking pages done. Sure, they were shit, but they were there. I could always go back to them later and at least the story had moved forward.

Then, when I decided on a screenwriting career, I read Joe Eszterhas' Devils Guide To Hollywood. I copied the mantra he writes on p157 of 6 script pages a day, everyday. I followed this for a year and wrote over a dozen scripts in that first testing year. Only two of them I've felt strongly enough to continue through rewrites to pitching, but the practice of 6 pages a day led to a finished first (vomit) draft within twenty days. Remember, this draft is supposed to be shit hiding good ideas. But as a learning curve, it's pretty damn good.

I now aim for four good pages a day, for thirty days, giving me a finished draft somewhere between 100 - 120 pages. I plan to write four spec scripts a year: #1 Jan-March #2: April-June #3: July-Sept and #4: Oct-Dec. The first month is for the vomt draft; the next two months for rewrites - but we'll talk about that later.

For now, decide on what's a good daily page count for you and stick to it. No matter what. If you want to write, to make a career out of screenwriting, then you'll get up at 4am to get 2 pages down before you go to work; the other 2 pages done just before you go to bed. Remember, this is the vomt draft, don't be too precious over what you write here. Just get the fucker down.

Rewrite later.

3. DO THE WRITING

There's no point in setting goals if you don't stick to them. Sure, life has a habit of getting in the way - that's why I always get up so damn early to get some writing done. Most days I'm done with the script before Lucy has even started to wake up, thus leaving the majority of the day free for family stuff. Some days, however, the story is yanking my chain so hard I just have to keep on going.

For many years (way too many) I talked a lot about writing and never did any writing. I could talk a good story but write one - fuck no! That has changed (I hope). Now, I put the damn time in. I write. I write. I write some more. I have stuck on my new wall of courage: A Writer Writes. 

Simple.

Before you know it, you'll have a finished draft of the script. You should be proud of it. I know I am, every time I finish one. I've created a story that runs 100 pages. I've plucked characters from the Story Pool, beating their lives into some semblance of structure and then vomited their story onto the page.

Now comes the hard part.

Now comes rewrite hell.

This time next week I'll have completed two rewrites of different projects. One for a studio development producer; another a personal rewrite. Both have their own joys, their own nightmares. Next week, we'll look at them.

NEXT WEEK: Rewrite Hell.

Keep it simple - JP

Following on from last week's article about finding your script idea, this week focuses on beating the idea into a state of being when you feel ready to start the script itself.

Now, in a total contradiction to the purpose of this weeks post, let me state I'm not a huge fan of spending too much time outlining every conceivable angle of a potential script. I much prefer to get stuck in, get writing. Let the story have a few surprises for me. Give the characters a chance to start speaking for themselves, but saying that, it is important to have a rough map of where you want to go otherwise you're just going to end up driving around in circles, bitching that you can't find that exit and the bar's going to be shut by the time you get there.

NOTE IT DOWN

I carry a notebook everywhere with me, one of those expensive Moleskine* books with the foldout pocket and elastic fastner. Pretentious... probably, but you buy a notebook for £10 and by jingo you'll make sure you use it. Last year, back in Ossett, I was working in an off-license (you might remember some of my grumble-Tweets). Anyway, there I was stuck behind a till for three to five hours a night. What better time to make some script notes. As you can see from the photo below, I wrote the notes for gthe script I'm writing now back in November. As I'm into my second draft, if I get stuck I can flick back to see what I thought back then, back when the idea was a hot flash, rather than a slow burn.

I didn't go into a great amount of detail. Just my intuitive thoughts, some snippets of dialogue. A simple: this happens, then this, then this and so on until I had the story down. If a new idea took hold (remember that Magpie syndrome from last week? Still happens, my friend) I could flip forward a few pages, jot it down and make a mark on my whiteboard in the office to go revisit the idea as soon as I'd finished with this one.

That's my basic outline, and 9/10 times that's all I rely on when I come down to write that first vomit draft (the focus of next weeks post). Sometimes though - usually when I'm into a rewrite, sometimes before I start the vomit draft - I'll go a little deeper and note down all the beats by breaking each act down into its own beginning, middle and end. Then I'll break those down further into the small details, making sure no stone gets unturned.

Yet, all I really need to know before I start to write the rough draft is what happens, roughly, at the beginning, the middle and the end. From a simple "What if...?" scenario I jot down each act, before I flesh it out in a rough draft.

Then the real work begins and sometimes a more detailed analysis of the script is needed. In future post (30th May) Rewrite Hell, I'll discuss how a detailed breakdown of the script can help (and hinder) future drafts.

As you can see, outlining (like screenwriting on every level) is a very fluid state. You can't set a hard and fast rule one day, because you can be damn sure, the next day it'll have changed. Sometimes you get stuck and the only way, really, to punch on through is to take a moment to make a few notes. So, to sum up - yes, you need to know your story before you write FADE IN: for the first time, but also give it chance to breathe for itself. To surprise you as you write it. Make a few notes but don't get so engrossed in making notes and outlining that you beat the idea to death.

How do you prepare your script? What process do you go through when making notes? Do you fully beat the script out or, like me, make a few notes and then get stuck in?

NEXT WEEK: The Vomit Draft

(bring tissues) and remember...

Keep It Simple - JP

*CLICK HERE to buy your very own Moleskine notebook

You want to write a script. The burning desire to get your thoughts down on paper in the format of a screenplay is just too strong to resist anymore. You pick your choice of weapon - typewriter, laptop, even good old fashioned pen and paper (my preferred choice for a first draft). You get your office sorted - a corner of the living room, a local coffee shop or if you're lucky (I'm lucky) a room dedicated to your screenwriting pursuit. You're ready. You're raring to go. 

But what do you write?

Obviously it's more productive to have an idea about what you're going to write before sitting down to start the script, but where do those ideas come from? Stephen King (in Lisey's Story) describes it as the story pool, a place where writers go to drink and cast their nets. I like the image of wading into cool waters, throwing out silver strands to catch an idea. But in reality, where do our ideas come from?

I don't know about you, but if I'm ever stuck on a script, I do one of two things: go for a run/bike ride or take a shower/bath. That's when my best ideas take hold. The solution to a structural issue on Bubble-Butt came when I was leant against the shower wall, eyes closed, simply letting the water blast over me. The heat, the steam, the somewhat soothing noise of the jets, all took me away from the immediacy of the script. Gave my mind permission to wander free. The same goes for a good long bike ride. Not only am I out in the real word (for a change) but the feel of wind on my face, the total freedom of simply pointing the bike north, for example, and going, once again frees the mind.

That's an important point. Not forcing an idea. Giving it time to grow, to nurture itself, feed itself so that it becomes strong. Working on a partly formed idea will result in two unfavourable situations: 1) a bad script and 2) total frustration more commonly known as writers block. I used to suffer from a condition I dubbed: The Magpie's Lament (*also the title of my novella - available from Amazon.com and Lulu.com - shameless plug*). I would get an idea, start work on it, get another bright new shiny idea, ditch the first one and start on that. Ad infinitum... It was no wonder nothing ever got finished. So now, a new idea comes, it gets jotted down, thrown into my Compost Heap of ideas to bubble away for a while till we're both ready.

But where do you get your ideas?

That is probably the most asked queston of writers. Where do you get your ideas from? I think people really expect an answer as simple as "Oh, I just get in the car and drive to the Ideas Factory down on Santa Monica and Fifth. Open 24hrs, you can get pretty much any idea you want there. You've to put it together yourself but they're usually pretty cheap!" The answer is usually: "In the bath." or "When I was walking the dog."

The idea for Bubble-Butt came from a dream in which a pregnant woman walked towards me with a cricket bat dripping blood. The idea for Dogging popped into existence after watching Dog Soldiers. A line of conversation from a Kevin Smith Smodcast birthed the idea for what will be my next script, The Vote.

Ideas can come from anywhere, the skill and fun lies in identifying the good ones. It doesn't matter how you get your ideas, or where they come from. What's important is that you recognise the good ones. When that lightbulb goes off, make sure you have a notepad at hand to jot it down. Let it bubble away for a while (The Vote has been simmering for nearly a year now - I think it's just about ready. Maybe a touch more salt), let it mature. Give the idea time to really let you know what it's all about before you jump right in. One thing I've learnt over the last few months in regards to screenwriting... slow and steady wins the race. Screenwriting is a marathon, not a sprint. You're in for it for the relationship, not a quick, sticky, drunken fumble in the dark. I know I'm mixing metaphors here, but hopefully you get the point. There's no rush, so give the idea time.

Having said that, don't give it too long: I missed out on several scripts because I waited too long and someone else wrote them. The Blob; The Smurfs. Fraggle Rock... all came from inspired - Hey, no ones done those yet - ideas. I waited too long. The last two are set for release next year; The Blob is still in development.

You'll know when the time is right: the story will be bursting to be written down. It'll fill every waking thought, and then bleed into your sleeping ones too. It'll demand you sit your ass down and start dictating to the page. 

But before you write FADE IN: for the first time, you need to at least give yourself a road map of the journey to come.

NEXT WEEK: Beating The Script Down

 

Keep it simple! - JP

 

I've been pursuing a screenwriting career for sixteen months now and while I've written several scripts, the process I've used for each one has been slightly different. Some were written longhand; some were typed directly into Celtx (a great and FREE screenwriting programme). Some were outlined in detail while others were written in the hot heat of immediate inspiration. One script was written in twelve days, others took up to a month for a draft. A few were even abandoned half way through.

Each script has its own unique way of being born and I'm pretty sure you have your own process. It doesn't matter exactly HOW you write your script (and I strongly suggest you ignore and avoid anyone who says a script can only be written THEIR way - usually at a substantial cost) just that you get it written.

Just as a film has three acts, so does the creation of a script. The idea first needs to be beaten out; then a rough draft vomitted onto the page and then it needs to be rewritten over and over until it's ready to be pitched. However before we can start on the first part of planning the script, we need an idea to work from. That will be the basis of next weeks post.

This series of articles isn't supposed to be taken as a "do it this way" teaching method and I would hate for anyone to think that. Instead it is intended as a self-motivating tool; that the very act of breaking down my own process into simple black and white steps will reinforce and solidify the way I go about writing future scripts so that they (the script) and I (the writer) improve.

Next Week: Writing A Script 2: The Ideas Factory

Keep It Simple

JP

The only way I could write a new blogpost this week is from my Blackberry while I take a much needed relaxing bath. So as you can see its all stripped back to the basics - no extra media: no pictures, no audio. Unplugged so to speak. I haven't emailed in a post before, let alone one from a bath-steamed Blackberry, so bear with me...

I want to talk briefly about time this week. About being able to find the time to do everything you want, without neglecting everything you need.

The reason for my sparse blogging recently is because time was disappearing faster than Charlie Sheens career. Despite a routine that sees me up and at my desk no later than 6AM every day (including weekends) I found I couldn't do everything I wanted to. Actually, that's not quite true...

I COULD get the new draft for the studio finished, more pages of the new spec written, and a guest blog for a new horror site written and sent. I COULD answer the numerous requests for me to write for other filmmakers, swop ideas back and forth over email and start writing. I COULD do all that...but none of it would be any good. It'd be okay, but I don't do okay. None of us should settle for okay. There are too many films, too many books, too many of everything that is just okay. People settle for okay because its easier than saying no. Because saying no might mean turning down money. Instead they churn out bland, emotionless content that screams "BORED" just because they couldn't say no.

I said NO (for now) to the guest blog. To three requests to write scripts. To writing my own blog.

I said YES to the draft for the studio. To writing my new spec (which I finished the rough draft of and am now rewriting). I said YES to two peoples requests for scripts (which are being sent tomorrow, Paul!).

By doing so I can give each project the time they deserve. I realise now I'll never be the kind of screenwriter who can churn out scripts like a factory belt. I'm refining my writing process every day, discovering what works best for me.

Over the next six weeks I'm going to share that process with you in a series of articles that show how I write. Its not a teaching thing, its just what works (or doesn't) for me. You might do things different. Neither is right. Neither is wrong.

Here's the list of articles:

My Screenwriting Process
1: An Introduction
2: The Idea Factory
3: Hitting The Beats
4: The Vomit Draft
5: Rewrites: Heaven or Hell?
6: A Summary

Now I know what I want to write about, I don't have to worry about just throwing anything onto the blog. Pressure gone.

I hope you join me for the posts and throw some of your working processes into the mix.

Now to enjoy the rest of the bath before continuing with Gunsmoke & Glory Second Draft.

Keep It Simple
JP
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

There is so much to learn when starting out in a new career: where the kitchen is; who got off with whom at the last Christmas party. Why the boss can get away with claimng expenses for a budgie bath. Lots of small details that they never warn you about when you're in the interview hoping to all the gods of fiction that they give you the job.

It's the same with screenwriting (except you know where the kitchen is; if you get off with anyone it'll be the fiancee and as you're the boss you can't claim for Jack Daniels). You know going in its going to be tough, that somedays the words will come; somedays they won't, but every day you'll write. You'll write with the passion of the possessed (the original title for Mr Gibson's Christ film); you'll write on spec hoping that someday you'll be able to garner a studio's interest in your script. You'll write (and rewrite) because you have to. You'll learn about form, structure, voice. By writing every day you'll develop your own particular style. Three act structure; linear V non-linear storytelling. Be an epic writer, moderate or lean (I tend towards lean in direct contrast to my blog writing). So much to learn.

But that's not all.

Something is kept back. Something secret.

What do you do when you've written your script: you send it out of course. Use Virtual Pitchfest or GAPF. Find producers, studios and agents through the Writers Handbook to send your query letter to. Send it out and wait. Some will reply, some won't. Sods law. Play the odds - send out 100 queries, you might get 10 replies. Half of those may request a read. Send it out and wait.

That part I've been doing for over a year and I'm happy with my results. By using VPF you're guaranteed a response within five days and this has proven the case 99.9% of the time. Only one person didn't respond and the kind folks at VPF gave me a free pitch. I have no problem in waiting for their replies - it's all scheduled out. I'll chase up a submission a month later. Then again another month after that. Any longer and its move on.

What I hadn't counted on was what do I do when a script is actively being developed by a studio and all the inner turmoil that particular kind of waiting brings.

As you may know, my horror script (originally written for Script Frenzy 2010) has gathered the attention of a UK studio. Over the last six months we've talked, we've met, we've discussed the script, made changes, talked about a potential director. It's been a great learning curve, especially in regarding notes. What's a good note, what's a bad one? Is that just one persons opinion or is it a valid structure point? I've had a blast working with the development producer and I am truly greatful for the experience.

Last week was crunch week. Thursday was the meeting when the studio head would meet with the producer to discuss my little script and whether or not the studio was going to take a chance on a genre movie. The signs all look good. I'd hear by Friday. For those who follow me on Twitter, you know I was on tenderhooks for those 48hrs - virtual pacing the tweetstream. A lot of good wishes were thrown my way (thank you), and a lot of 'hang on in there' advice.

Midday Saturday I couldn't handle the tension any longer and had to send a follow up email to the producer asking if there were any details he could throw my way. My fingers were nothing but stubs at this point and I'd not have to eat again as my belly was full of finger nail, but I had to find out if anything had been decided yet.

A bag of cats on cat-nip could best describe my hoppity-jumpity nerves. I checked my phone every twenty seconds. I made sure it was fully charged all the time. Everywhere I went, my Blackberry was right beside me, you know -- just in case. Remember that old saying, "A watched pot never boils", well, it's 21st Centruy equivalent is "A watched Blackberry never rings".

And so far it hasn't. No email. No phone call. No text. 

And this is all part of the joy and frustration of such a collaborative career as screenwriting. I might have my agenda, my schedule, but so does the producer. So does the head of the studio. So does the potential director. It is only when the stars align, that the worlds can collide. Its a pure and simple fact. Nothing I can do or say will ever speed this up. Staring at the phone won't make it ring.

It'll happen (or not) when it happens (or doesn't).

In the meantime I can simply accept this, and move on. Keep on writing on the new project. Make plans for the next. I got asked to write a couple of short scripts over the weekend and the timing was perfect. It helped push aside all thoughts of Bubble-Butt for at least ten seconds.

Learning to play the waiting game is going to be one of the toughest skills for me to master. I'm fully aware of that. The next time I get the urge to send a follow up email, I'm going to snap the rubber band about my wrist really REALLY hard, open up the notebook and write four pages of new script while my skin welts up.

Wait! Was that the phone? An email!

*GULP*

"Damn you Amazon! I know what day comes after Thursday... I don't need Rebecca Black to tell me!"

SNAP... back to the writing.

Keep It Simple

JP

 

 

Jumpin' jimminie-crickets... has it been a year already? A year since I took part in my first ever Script Frenzy? Wow, how time flies when you're having a great big bucket of fun. And yet, here it is yet again. Four days from now, Friday April 1st will see thousands of writers type those immortal two words on the first of 100 pages. 

FADE IN:

to what Script Frenzy is all about.

It's nothing more than a personal challenge to write a 100 page script in 30 days. It's a gauntlet thrown; a silk fancy dropped; a leather glove across the face (I'll stop now) for thousands of writers to summon the courage to go for it; to write that script (be it radio; theatre; film or TV), to swim against the tide and simply do. 

Do, Or Do Not. There Is No Try

Actually, that's wrong but who am I to correct a Jedi Master. Script Frenzy isn't about winning competitions: there is no 'prize' to win other than the personal pride in achieving a goal. There are no monetary awards that can ever rival the day I typed FADE TO BLACK on my first ever script (actually that might not be 100% accurate. I'm sure the feeling of selling a script for a chunk of change will be a close supernova of win). What Script Frenzy is all about is the pure fun of creation.

Writers Write, Right?

So get your legal pads out; sharpen your pencils. Make sure your laptop has enough battery power and get comfy. 3.5 pages a day. That's all you need to aim for. 3.5 lousy pages. And they will be lousy. This is the vomit draft of your script. Don't over think it... just write it. Get it down on the page. Move on. Write it in a hot fury, with passion, with lust. With tequilla (if you're a certain scriptPIMPangel). Just write. 

But What's In It For Me?

Last year was my first year as an aspiring screenwriter. I already had a vomit draft of another script which I was rewriting. I didn't have an idea for the next script but then I got turned onto Script Frenzy. I didn't plan it. I didn't outline in any way. I just typed FADE IN: and dived in without looking. The ultimate leap of faith. A year on and that script (Bubble-Butt) has been rewritten a bunch of times and is now being considered by a major UK studio. 

Gentlemen (and ladies): Start Your Engines!

Friday April 1 it's on. Head to my Script Frenzy Profile and buddy me up. Lets keep each other going. Let's help each other out. On Twitter use the hashtags #scriptchat or #scriptfrenzy to connect with other writers. 

Get those 3.5 pages a day down. Vomit them onto the page. Get the win, the satisfaction of achievment; don't be one of those people who say they are going to do something and then never do, choosing instead to vent trollish thoughts on those who at least have the courage to try. Even if you don't finish the script, at least you've started it - and that's half the battle.

I look forward to frenzying with you.

Keep It Simple

JP

 

Dont Give Up The Day Job

 People always quoted those immortal six words of this blogs title whenever I said I wanted to be a writer. I never listened to them; I gave up day jobs on a quasi regular basis. Fed up of selling wedding rings for Beaverbrooks... I give up! Tired of making sandwiches and pasties for Greggs... I'm out of here! You want a beer, go see the other bartender... I quit! It wasn't that I didn't want to work, far from it. It was just that the initial blush of romance with the new occupation lasted about a month. Then it became a job, and worse... a dull one.

The one job I have never given up on – and never will – is the one job I hadn't even thought of as a job, until now. My writing. My screenwriting, to be more precise. Screenwriting isn't work, it's play. I'd be at the desk every day, coffee on hand, music or a movie lined up on the laptop. I'd know what I wanted to achieve that day, the number of pages I wanted to get down, and off I'd go. I'd jump into the world I was currently creating, hang out with the characters for awhile, jot down what they did or said then type it all up into a screenplay.

That wasn't work. That was play. It is play and to me, it'll always be play. It's not work: Work is having to get up early; work is a lot of schedules, deadlines, multi-tasking several projects together. Work is what my other half is starting today. Lucy begins a ten till four job as a personal assistant for a new health product company. She has lots of great ideas for developing the training department, of setting up a new department for on-site customer service and about a dozen other ideas which convinced the CEO to hire her. We've spent the weekend getting the house set up for this new chapter of our lives: proper housework schedule, shopping schedule etc. Getting a bit of organisation into our lives after several months of unemployment hiatus.

And this frenzy of activity got me thinking about my screenwriting. To be honest, after the last few weeks of my own frenzy, I was already starting to realise that something was going to have to change regarding my screenwriting. Something big.

I'm into Year Two of my 10 year screenwriting plan, and while there are long steps still to take, and lessons to learn, there have been some major developments recently which have contributed to this shift in mindset. I've said earlier that to me screenwriting is play and that could be misinterpreted as arrogant folly, a sign of in-experience but that couldn't be further from the truth.

In a past life I worked for Games Workshop. No, that's wrong... I played for Games Workshop. Yes, it was hard work... yes, there were long hours but it was play for me. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every day, even the days that ran sixteen, seventeen hours. The days when it all went horribly wrong – and there were a few of those – were still fun. I learnt something new every day, a new way to train managers, a new way to paint goblins. It was play, it wasn't work. And yet, I was organised, I knew what I was doing each hour of each day. I think it was working, sorry playing for GW that I developed my latent OCD skills. My love of To Do lists, dry-wipe boards, check lists and clipboards is almost as big as my love of writing.

Especially writing scripts, and as I said, writing screenplays is like play to me, but that has to change. And as of today, boy has it changed, but before I go into what my daily schedule now entails (and how Day 1 of my new job has gone so far), let me explain what's happened.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Frequent followers of the blog will know I've written a couple of spec scripts as well as got hired to write a script for Vantis Pictures. On top of that I'm currently writing my third spec script and with plans for six further specs currently in mind (and on paper, dry-wipe boards) the next few years are already set up to be busy.

BUT...

My horror script Bubble-Butt drew attention from a UK studio. I was invited to a development meeting in London in January and since then I have been working on new drafts as we move closer and closer towards getting the green-light. Of course, there are no guarantees in this business, and while the development producer I'm working with is extremely passionate about the project, we could get a definite No at any time; while a definite Yes will always remain that elusive quality until the film is actually playing in theatre.

Saying that, I am getting notes about the script on a regular basis. I had a great phone conversation with the development producer on Friday and now have a few tweaks to impart into a new draft of the script, timing it for when the CEO of the studio returns in a few weeks. We might not get a definable answer, but it will be a few steps closer. And the script will be a lot tighter, but I fully understand that Bubble-Butt may not sell to the studio, that after all this time and numerous (free) drafts they may turn it down, and I am prepared for that. Some may say I shouldn't be (re)writing for free, but I believe that by putting the time in now one of two things will happen. 1): they will buy the script or 2): they will pass and I will leave with a much leaner, tighter script. Either scenario to me is a big bucket of win.

BUT...

I also have the new spec script to write, as well as tweak my first script to improve its chances of selling. Add to that Script Frenzy starting in April and several people asking about the possibility of me writing for them and I suddenly have a thousand things to do and no time to do it in.

So here's where my play becomes a little more like work. A little more like a job. Which is really as it should be. If I want people to take me seriously as a screenwriter (and there are still a few trolls out there who love nothing more than to send some poison my way) then I have to start taking it a little more seriously myself. It's a fine line, however, between taking the work seriously and taking yourself too seriously. I have seen others online who have begun to get a little holier-than-thou about basically making shit up for a living. For a time I felt I was being like that and consciously tried to reel that negative side in. Yes, its a job. Yes, its hard work but that doesn't mean we have to be dicks about it. 

So, What's The Plan?

I have four types of project that I am working on at the same time: Spec Script, Rewrite, Script Development and Writing Assignment. Each one needs a little time devoted to it each day, some more than others. Before I was just writing the spec script. I only had the one script. Now I have four written. I have seven lined up. I'm getting notes from a studio executive trying his damndest to get my film made. I have requests to write for others. I have... shit, I have a career - who knew!?

This means I need a proper working day. This means I can't just throw a schedule together at the last minute. Like every great screenplay I need structure. Just like every nine-to-five job I've held down in the past no matter how short (I sold Encyclopaedia Britannica for all of six hours - in my 'lunchbreak' I went to the Odeon and watched The Exorcist) there has to be a daily structure. 

Luckily for me, I have a love of wipeboards! Here's the plan:

1. Spec Script

 I'm currently writing my third spec, another horror called Dogging. You might have noticed me talking about Dogging the last few weeks. If you haven't, don't worry (I deleted the posts about that plan) but basically, I was thinking about directing this myself, however with the latest developments regarding Bubble-Butt (as well as everything else) I just wouldn't have the time to devote to the project. So instead, I decided to write it simply as a spec. Luckily for me, the development exec has already expressed a desire to read this and Virtual Pitchfest has at least a dozen companies seeking original horrors.

So, from 6am till 9am I'll work on the spec, starting by typing up the previous days pages into Celtx. Once that has been done (and more coffee poured) I can start writing (longhand) four brand new pages. Do this for a month and at the end I'll have 120 page script finished, ready to be rewritten. The beauty of starting the day by typing up the previous days pages is two-fold: 1) It gets me fired up for the day, back on track with the story and 2): I can do a little rewrite as I type up. A rough draft AND a rewrite for the price of one.

From 9am till 10am I'll take a short break (more coffee) and check emails, Twitter and on Mondays post the new blog (hello!) as well as update the other pages on the site. Basically its break time.

2. Rewrite

From 10am till 12pm I'll work on the rewrite of a previous script. Currently this will be Deadline, my thriller spec. I'm actually trying to turn this into an outright horror and so, using the same system for the spec, I'm editing four pages a day, starting by typing up the previous days edits.

And for the first time in years, I'm going to have an actual lunch break. 12pm till 1pm time to get my lunch on. I already have today's planned... there's a Subway about ten minutes away from the house. A nice brisk walk for a meatball sub... perfect.

3. Script Development

All refreshed and with a full belly I'll spend 1pm till 3pm developing a script. In this case it will be Bubble-Butt. When this project ends I'll tackle one of the many ideas from my Compost Heap and start planning it out. I've already done this for the next spec (Kidz) but once Bubble-Butt is done, I can start on the fifth spec (The Vote).

4. Writing Assignment

I wrote a script for Vantis Pictures back in September 2010. Since then I have been asked (as recently as last week) if I would consider writing for other people. This has led me to change my thinking regarding writing for hire. I thought I'd just write to spec, hoping I could write my own scripts and sell them, but the experience of working on Bubble-Butt has made me realise just how long the process can actually take and I have bills to pay. It's a job, after all. I've sent out my writer-for-hire contract to a couple of people who have expressed interest; one for a short, one for a full feature. While I wait for them to get back, I'll be using the writing assignment slot of 3pm till 5pm for my Script Frenzy entry for this year. Script Frenzy is the self-challenge to write a 100 page script in the month of April. I entered this last year (with Bubble-Butt) and it was a blast. This years script is my horror-western Gunsmoke & Glory, a script I've had bubbling away for some time. This is the excuse to get the thing written.

At five 'o clock, its down tools as that's when Lucy returns home. The evening then is ours, as will be the weekends. No writing at the weekend (unless its for a paid gig and the deadline's looming). Saturday and Sunday is family time. It's also going to be game time as anyone who was following my Twitter feed last night will attest to (I basically tweeted a game of the Dungeons and Dragons boardgame Castle Ravenloft. I got butchered, by the way). And besides... I'll have put in ten hours of hard writing every day. That's a fifty hour week.

Working For A Living

Suddenly my screenwriting career has hit Act Two. I'm writing specs, I'm writing for hire. I've got a script in development and I'm rewriting another one. This amount of work needs a schedule and now I have one. I expect the first few days to be a slog (I have to get up at 5am in order to make sure I fuel up with breakfast) but like every muscle you need to exercise it to start getting the best results. I'm going to exercise the hell out of it.

Today was day one, and it was a blast. I was at the desk by 5.30am. In every job I've ever done, I was there early. Sometimes a couple of hours early. I could get the crap of the day out of the way (the cleaning, the trammel that gets in the way of the real job) and this was no different. At the desk, raring to go with a huge mug of coffee. The pages of the spec were done by half six. The rewrite pages were done by nine. Of course real life always finds a way to get its muggy little head in the way and this post is late by about two and a half hours. But that doesn't matter. I'm well in advance of where each project needs to be page wise (work smart - not hard). As soon as this post is well, posted, I can get on with a few pages of edits on Bubble-Butt. Might even get them done before lunch.

They say “Don't give Up Your Day Job”... I don't intend to. Ever.

Keep It Simple.

JP

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes I really need to listen to myself. I wrote about this many months ago, back when I was starting out on my screenwriting career. It's Rule #13: Keep It Simple. It's been Rule #13 that has kept me on the straight and narrow, walking the path, nudging the door open a little more with each new FADE IN written, each new line of action described. With every beat of dialogue Keep It Simple has been the phrase kept firmly in mind.

I truly believe that if I hadn't kept it simple for over a year, I wouldn't have had such success with my horror script Bubble-Butt. I'd kept focus, channelled all my energy into making sure that scrpt was the best it could be, and thanks to that hard work, a development executive from a studio requested a meet. From that meeting a plan of action was formed to help snag interest from a potential director. And now -- well, that would be telling. You'll have to wait for another post to learn the fate of Bubble-Butt. Needless to say, keeping it simple has yielded rewards.

So what do I go and do...

... that's right. Complicate Unneccessarily (in) No Time. I'll let you work out the acronym for that one.

I swear there must be a self destruct button hidden somewhere in my genetic makeup, lurking below the surface like Arnie's tracking device in Total Recall. I need to shove a reclaimer device up my nose, draw it out, cram it into a Snickers bar and let the rats take it away (and get ceremonially destroyed by gunfire) once and for all. For over a month now I've gotten swept up in a vortex of possibilities, a conflaguration of desires and hopes that, while honourable and noble, bear no real resemblence to what I truly want out of life.

I'm a writer. A screenwriter at that. I have a ten year plan that seems to be working for me, so why did I go and think I could make my own film? Ambition, the courage of a lion and balls of steel. That's what made me get all excited about the prospect of directing one of my own scripts. Jesus, wept... I threw myself into the project with such gusto. I wrote a business plan, had a distribution plan in place. I researched crowdfunding, found a UK based site and set it up. I created a FB page, even got a few Likes on there. My enthusiasm raged, it carried me along for the ride but what it didn't allow was what I do best: I couldn't write. I found myself stymmied by what to put on the page, and that was due to having in the back of my head a voice reminding me that we'd need to budget for that effect; we'd need to buy a crane for that kind of a shot. And so the pages were scrapped and started again. And again.

And again.

Last night we had the guy round who we planned to have as director of photography on the shoot. We talked film, we briefly touched on Dogging, but what we talked about more than anything else were his ideas for his own films. Lucy got swept along by his obvious passion for filmmaking (the actual shooting of the film - something I had not been able to do yet) and it slowly became more obvious: Anthony should direct the film he wanted to make. We'd already done the ground work, the business planning side. He can go ahead now with his own projects using the model we'd set up. Lucy will produce for him. I'll write and produce where time allows me.

For everyone who showed interest in Dogging, nothing has really changed. An indie horror film is going to be made. It will be released as we'd stated both as a DVD and an online rental. It just wont be Dogging (I plan to write that as a spec script). I just wont be directing (thank fuck!).

Already I feel a thousand times better. Not only has a weight been lifted from my shoulders, but the concrete shoes I was wearing have been replaced with comfy slippers. Not too comfy, mind. 

Time to go now. Back to the well.

I'm starting at a blank page one for Dogging, this time writing with no budget in mind, no shackles to hold me back. The rough draft will be penned longhand, old school. Five pages a day for the next eighteen days. I'm also rewriting my script Deadline, turning it into a psychologcal horror rather than a simple thriller. 

I have that old buzz back in my belly, those eager butterflies whirling around with expectant joy. It's good to be back!

Keep It Simple!

 

For those of you who know me, this weeks post probably won't come as much of a surprise. For those of you who don't know me as intimately you will probably be left thinking "Whuh?". If you are, then that's my fault and I apologise. Let me explain... wait, there's not enough time. Let me sum up...

For several weeks now I've been gripped in a feverish frenzy of filmmaking. Business plans, schedules, budgets, storyboards, website designs; all manner of paperwork is scattered around the tiny space I have as my writing office. The To-Do list reads like a corporate take-over initiative. The Blackberry is filled with potental location pictures. My online time has been reduced to endlessly self-pimping links to a new Facebook page, a new posterous page, YouTube and Sponsume.com. It has been exciting as the potential is huge; it has been rewarding as I've learnt a lot of new stuff, but it has also distracted me from the one thing I love doing above everything else...

... and that is writing.

I wrote a short teaser trailer (which Anthony turned into a great visual). I started to write a script but could never lose myself in it the way I did with Bubble-Butt because always there in the back of my mind a little voice was whispering: "You have to shoot this some day. Can you afford that scene? Do you need that character?" That was annoying in its own way, but pretty soon that whisper became a shout: "Are you fucking crazy? How are you going to pull that effect off?" The writing slowed, became a crawl. Dragged itself across the broken ground, gave a last cry for help and then died.

But I didn't notice; my attention was elsewhere. Potential investors had showed up and the reality of this really happening meant more detailed business plans were needed; a better schedule was required. Oh, look: actors are applying to work on the project: need to create a file for each one. Need to set up auditions in the future. Better get that pub location secured in the next few days...

And so on, and so on.

And yet the pages had died around page 17. 

I read back through them this morning and they stink, obviously written by someone whose mind is more concerned with crowdfunding than telling a good story. Multi-tasking is a filmmaking skill I haven't yet mastered, as I've been focusing on the business rather than the show, and right now that's not working for me.

So I'm going back to the well, back to the source of my enjoyment and that is scriptwriting. 

I'm not abandoning the project, far from it. The idea is still sound; the basics are all set up (Crowdfunding Campaign; new FB account etc), the groundwork has been laid. What I'm going to do now is let it breathe. For the next twenty-four days I'm going to write the script. During that time the Crowdfunding Campaign over at Sponsume.com will continue. People will either sponsor the film, or not. During those twenty-four days the investors will either agree to invest, or they won't.

Come March 31st, I will, however, have a brand new 120 page horror script and to me that is more important. Having the script is like Jamie Oliver having a brand new set of ingredients to play with. In fact the script is my main ingredient. Once I have that bad boy in my hands I can do anything with it. I can rewrite it several times. I can send it out into the film world as another writing sample. I can try to sell it. I can try to make it myself. There has already been interest shown in it by the same Development Executive who is trying to get Bubble-Butt greenlit and that was before I'd even considered writing it. Kidz was going to be my third spec script (it's now my fourth and due to be started June 2011).

 

I used to work for a hobby games company. I was a pretty successful assistant who quickly became a pretty successful store manager then area manager. Lots of paperwork, lots of overseeing others and while I still enjoyed it, I was never more happier than when I was sitting down to paint some goblins.

So with that in mind, it's time to get back to doing what I do best...

... and that's writing.

 

This week has definately been a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Not in a bad way, mind, but in a "Oh my god this is TOO BIG" kind of way. A "Look at the size of that thing" kind of way. A "you've lit the touchpaper, stand back 'cos this is going to blow" kind of way. Okay, I've stopped with the lame references to awed fear. Here's what I've been up to this week:

DOGGING

I've started down the path to making my first film, going all in this week. I've made the Dogging website, have created the Crowdfunding Campaign site. I've even found a site where I can download/create all the sound effects we'll need (I've spent a great deal of time on there today.) Once we've secured the preproduction finance (£4000 through sponsume.com) we can get Final Cut Pro Studio and start really crafting the sound of the film. This is the greatest benefit of going digital: everything is virtually free: the effects be they sound or visual; the promotion through websites and social media, right down to the dstribution through CreateSpace.com and the Dynamo Player.

The main chunk of the budget is going on acquiring the technology needed to do this (and the other films we have in mind) as cheaply as possible.

We have an official Facebook page as well now. Go... 'like' it. The more the gorier!

BUBBLE-BUTT

The new draft has now been finished and sent off to Adam. Fingers crossed we should hear something n the next few weeks about the director who was approached. He's been busy over at the Berlin film festival but now he's back in the UK, hopefully there will be some forward movement.

KIDZ

Tomorrow sees the rough draft of my new spec script Kidz being started. An urban horror, Kidz is a mashup of three films: Clerks; Assault On Precinct 13 and Falling Down. It's the story of a man beset by a group of kids as he works in an off-license. After suffering through the annoyance of drunken customers, he is besieged by the group of youths, hellbent on causing the man as much hassle as possible. Tired and scared he fights back. I'll have the draft finished longhand by the 31st of March.

As you can see, its been busy. Add to that a poorly cat (Tom aka The Dude has had a stomach bug which has meant feeding him water every hour to make sure he didn't dehydrate) as well as the usual household chores, all I can say is thank god for Red Bull/Monster.

This next week sees the launch of the Crowdfunding Campaign. Expect lots of Tweets, updates and self promotion.

Follow the making of Dogging at the following sites:

http://dogging.posterous.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogging-a-horror-movie/203878419627725

http://www.youtube.com/user/JonathanPeace1138

Keep It Simple

JP

The unthinkable has happened, an occurrence that defies all logic, all the natural laws. In short, for over a week I have been all but absent from Twitter, my surrogate home. I've missed out on birthday's; I've missed a great #scriptchat with the writer of Hot Tub Time Machine. I've even missed out on some great Castle Ravenloft chat, and why...

...because I've been slowly driving myself insane working on a new draft of Bubble-Butt.

Those keeping track will know that Bubble-Butt has gained some interest from a UK Independent film studio which led to a meeting with their development producer. This in turn led to a few notes. Not as many as I'd thought but certainly enough to keep me busy. The major notes were about story logic and 'the rules' and these were fairly easy to incorporate. What I've been struggling with this week has been expanding the world of the story, opening it up to allow the characters to breathe a little more. 

When I first started screenwriting, I read a lot of articles about the horrors of writing with notes, of how the producer just didn't get the script and made suggestions just to justify their job. I had a lot of trepidation when I first heard he had some notes, but that dissipated during our two hour meeting. Two hours... this wasn't just a quick perfunctory meeting, a quick meet-and-greet; he had something to say. I've never worked with notes before, at least not from someone who was as passionate about getting the movie made as I am about writing the story. By the time the meeting was over I had about 3 pages of 'suggestions' and that buzzing sensation at the back of my brain which signifies the cogs are already turning with possibilities. Every note from Adam pushed the story forward or helped me focus the logic of the piece (for all the logic a horror-comedy can possess). His notes increased characterisation while again, also pushing the story forward in pace. He pointed out the weakness of the script and we threw ideas back and forth as to how best to fix that. 

And for the last couple of weeks I've been putting those notes into action. Making changes. Tightening the script. So far I have 44 pages finished. About 65 more to go. I know the script is getting better; I know that with each slight change, each extra breath of life into the world of Bubble-Butt, the chances of the script getting the green-light from the studio increases. There were no guarantees, however. Just because I made the changes, that didn't mean the movie would go ahead. But the script would benefit from it, and I would have benefited from learning a new skill.

So as soon as I finish this weeks rambling post I'll be back into the big sequence (the chapter is called 'Disco Dan's Halloween Extravaganza' - and it's a huge sequence!), switching scenes around, removing some, adding quite a few. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to hit my own personal deadline of - *gulp* - tomorrow for the entire finished script but I'll give it a go.

How have you found working with a producer's notes? Did they help or hinder the project?

 

While not nearly as packed as Howl's Moving Castle, the van I hired to move (what I thought were) my few items from West Yorkshire to Nottingham came a close second. Nearly every part of the vehicle had a black bag with a sticky white label on. The majority had DVD's scrawled on in black marker pen. The rest were either KITCHEN; BOOKS; GAMES (quite a few of these, what can I say - I'm a boardgame nerd) or CLOTHES. Then there was the bed; the small table I bought at Christmas so Lucy and I could sit together and share our first Christmas dinner together rather than balance what would be an overloaded plate on a floral tray. The widescreen TV and stand. My bluray, the printer and computer gumpf. I thought I'd done well in the last year or so by not going out and buying lots of crap. Turns out that not having a lot of stuff still equates to a van full.

It took the best part of three hours to load up. An inward groan as I realised we'd have to do the same again at the other end, after another 65 mile journey back to Nottingham. I'd hired the van from Arnold in Nottingham only that morning, getting up at 6am so we could trek across the city by bus to the van hire place for an 8am set off point. Follow that with driving a van for the first time coupled with the onset of another bout of man-flu (which I am still suffering I hasten to add) and the day was already becoming a nightmare.

But there was light at the end of the motorway, so to speak. I knew that today was going to be a slog. It was going to be gruelling; there would probably be arguments. Maybe even a tantrum or two. Lucy might even get annoyed, but I knew that at the end of it when we collapsed into bed that night, there would be the knowledge that good work had been done. A task completed. A new chapter in our lives started.

That was last Tuesday. Yes, the day was a bitch. Not only did we unload the van in record time, we also re-loaded with Lucy's old bed and TV which we then took to her sisters. After dumping the crap giving her sister the old, we then took the van back to the hire centre and made another trek across city home. To my new home. Our home. It was just before midnight when we got back, tired. Achy, a little moany, but happy that it was done.

I'm sat in my new office writing this weeks post, checking my to do list (Housework - CHECK; Laundry - CHECK; Blog - DOING; Bubble-Butt Rewrite - ) and the final item on the list, the rewrite fills me with the same kind of dread as moving did.

I wrote last week about the meeting I had in London with Adam, the development producer. Well, this week I started making the few minor cosmetic changes to the script as suggested. I thought there wasn't a lot to do, not really, but just like moving house, the few quickly became the many. I was amazed at how vast the knock-on effect that changing just a small line of dialogue had on the entire script. Now whole scenes were either no longer needed, or needed beefing up, which in turn meant other scenes needed trimming. And that was just for a five line dialogue trim. What would happen when I added the three new scenes we'd discussed?

Now some of you reading this may be asking: why are you changing the script just because he suggested it? Shouldn't you wait till you at least get optioned? And to that I say - maybe. Maybe I should have held out for some up-front cash before making some revisions. It certainly makes better business sense in one way, but my view is the wide one. The long game. By making a few revisions now I'm showing I can work in collaboration; that I'm prepared to do the work to make the movie better. That I can listen to new ideas, take what I think works and incorporate them into the script. There are a few areas we disagreed on, but that's bound to happen in such a creative field. It's how you deal with those disagreements that counts.

I aim to have a new draft of Bubble-Butt completed by the 15th of February. So far I'm on track. Today's section is Chapter Five: Doc & Mean Old Bastard. A huge section is getting axed from here - which is going to cause issues later - and there's some characterisation that needs tightening up, but this is where the real work is. This is where the fun is.

I can see the end result: a tighter script. One with more action, a heroine with a clear defined 'mission' and better story logic. A script that gets the green-light.

And like spending a day hauling 38 years worth of amassed stuff sixty-five miles to move in with the woman I love, it's worth the hard work.

Having never had a meeting with a development executive before, I had no idea what to expect last Friday, sat in the Costa coffee shop in Belsize Park London waiting for Adam to arrive. In typical fashion I had made sure I arrived early: a 6am start for an 11am meeting. Remember I was in a strange town (and London is very strange, let me tell you), with no understanding of the transport system other than it seems to run fairly efficiently though confusing at times. So up at 6am, shower, wait for an hour while Lucy gets ready then head out for breakfast before catching the first of three tubes to Belsize Park.

I didn't know what to expect of the meeting but I sure knew what to expect of my body's response. The nerves had been building up for the last five weeks, eversince I got the email asking to meet face to face to discuss my horror script Bubble-Butt. The initial excitement, that bubbly fountain of drunk butterflies steadily grew to become dark predators feasting on my insides. I could barely eat, I drank copious amounts of coffee and slept about four hours a night (but that could have been because of Lucy's cute-snores). Every thought was about the meeting: what would he ask; what would he want to know; could I answer his questions; would he think I'm a fraud; what the hell was I doing? Even a day before the meeting my hands were sweating at the very mention of the script.

And then, just to show exactly why I love her so much, and why she's the brains of this relationship, Lucy saved the day. 

We were sat in the bar of the hotel. I was working on a beer but didn't really have much enthusiasm for it. We were snatching looks at the tv (Sky News were reporting on the uprising in Egypt - only a matter of time, folks till it reaches your town) and making small talk. I started babbling nervously about the meeting the next day. My beer glass kept slipping in my sweat-slicked hand. Now normally I'm cool like Fonzie, as unflappable as Shaft. But that night I was as nervous as a virgin on her wedding night (and twice as tight). It wasn't panic as such, more like an inner self-help tape that was stuck on the 'being negative' chapter, continually playing over and over again in the Texan drawl of Michael Parks: "Don't fuck it up asshole! Don't fuck it up asshole! Don't..."

That was until Lucy leant over to whisper: "Take a breath... and do it anyway." She kissed my cheek, sat back and proceeded to rip into how smug the woman newscaster seemed to be while I sat stunned by her simplistic response to my world shattering problem. Only it wasn't one... not really. And her solution was one I had employed countless times in the past with nerry a thought.

Take a breath... and do it anyway.

So I did.

Sat in the coffee shop with a mug the size of a Lola breast I took a breath and did it anyway. When Adam turned up we shook hands and proceeded to banter for about fifteen minutes. We talked London (this was my first trip to the big city). We talked about how Lucy and I missed the #scriptchat Tweetup because we were so enthralled by the bright lights of the big city we wandered aimlessly all day Thursday, checking out Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, the Royal Albert Hall. The Natural History Museum could have occupied our entire itinery it is such a vast treasure trove to explore. I regalled Adam with the stunned joy of standing in Harrods pet department watching a dog getting shaved with other people like me (ie, not the dog's owners) watching. That was such a surreal moment, but Adam sat and smiled and listened and laughed in the right places and then we got down to business.

To hear a filmmaking professional (Adam is development executive for a British studio) lavish my script with praise and be as enthusiastic about it as I was writing it, is a feeling I hadn't expected. I didn't tear up but it was damn close. He got that this was a tongue-thru-cheek Grindhouse style flick. A genre piece akin to Planet Terror, Shaun Of The Dead; Doghouse and Severence. He knew the audience it was aimed at. He knew there was no deep message and had no intention of trying to crowbar one in there.

I'd expected the meeting to be about half an hour. Lucy was in the Starbucks down the street reading (takes a breath) a Twilight novel with a venti chocoloate creme frapuchinno. For nearly two hours Adam and I threw ideas back and forth about how to strengthen the second act, how to increase the power of the climax (its pretty explosive as it is but Adam thinks it could be bigger) and the pros and cons of showing kids getting mulched on screen. We talked ratings, we talked sales, we talked about making a movie!

Nothing's set in carbonite yet. That's the nature of the business. While Adam may be extremely passionate about Bubble-Butt, his boss (ie: the guy with the cash) just needs to be pushed from 99% flirtatious to 100% balls deep in. And Adam has a plan for success. He has a director already in mind and asked my permission to send the script to him. I thought about it for at least 0.000000000001 of a second and said "Hell yeah!" and while he may pass, if he says yes, if he agrees to take on Bubble-Butt then that makes my script not just 120 pages of insane action, but that illusive of creations, a package.

And that might just do it.

So, while Adam talks to his director friend, I'm chipping away at the script to make it even more commercially viable while at the same time starting work on Kidz, a new script of urban horror. A script that Adam loved the idea of. Along with the two other scripts I have planned. He asked for first read... and who am I to say no. Did I mention, we already started talking not just the sequel to Bubble-Butt but the trilogy?

Now that's planning for success...

 

 

This post is a perfect example of what I'll be talking about. I'll be on a coach down to Nottingham Monday morning and so I'm writing this article in advance. See... I planned for success; the success being sticking to my promise of having a new post each Monday. I could have just not bothered, but that's no good. That's not professional. That's failure and we don't plan to fail in our lives, or at least we shouldn't.

But a lot of people do. I find that both unusual and very depressing. Why go through life always thinking the worst of situations and opportunities? Why have such negative energy around you, sapping your strength, clouding everything in your life with an unseen darkness? If you do that you're merely surviving life instead of living it.

What got me thinking about this particular topic were the reactions of several people when I told them I was moving down to Nottingham to live with Lucy. What happens if it doesn't work out? What will you do then? You can always come back here. You remember what happened last time? On and on these comments came and it totally baffled me how easily people embrace the negative possibilities rather than work towards the positive. I think this is a cultural thing as I've recently had my eyes opened to the negative downturn of British society thanks to working behind a till in an off-license for three months. I've already had my rant about this so won't repeat it here, but along with binge drinking, youth anti-social behaviour and the impotence of authority, I've been witness to the morose outlook of others. Everything was too hard; it would take too long.

I just don't get it. I know there's a fine line between optimism and naivety but surely its better to have hope rather than despair. All you need to do is have a plan, work hard towards your goal and enjoy the ride, including any bumps along the way.

And there will be bumps (the lesser known Daniel Day Lewis film). There will be set-backs, that's the one guarantee in life, but that's no reason to not try in the first place. Too many people give up before they've even tried and I find that sad. On the flip side of this however are the great many people I've found through networking who are like minded, who seize opportunity rather than bemoan circumstance. Still in the minority, this steadfast band of creatives welcome the challenge and that inspires me to challenge myself further.

I'm an aspiring screenwriter, working at a career which has tougher odds than winning the lottery. So many people have said it's a crazy idea, that I have no chance of selling a script, especially in this economic climate. And then they say how they're looking forward to the next Star Trek film or the Avengers movie. Well, someone has to write them... why not me? Having a plan for success has opened many doors for me. By writing several scripts, networking, researching the business, working hard towards my ultimate goal rather than whining about it not being an instant event, I've actively and positively taken control of my own destiny.

And this has led to further opportunities. I've decided to take the ultimate step towards control of my career in film by writing and shooting my own film. Still at an early planning stage, I'm taking one of my ideas and developing it into a low budget film. I'll be spending 2011 putting all the plans in place: financing through crowd sourcing; getting a great cast and crew together and then writing the script to what we have available. At the moment this is still just an idea but it's one that has been growing in the back of my mind for many months. Again, a few people I've mentioned this to have laughed at the idea. Some have openly mocked, but this is because they are scared to live life. To take chances, to feel the thrill of self achievement.

While they moan and whine and mock, I plan for success. I might not succeed: my scripts may not sell; the horror film may not get made or be terrible. It would be arrogant to ignore such possibiltes. But just think... a script may sell. The horror film may get made and lead to more movies with the same cast, the same crew. All it takes is a leap of faith, not religious in origin, just a strong self belief that by taking positive and affirmative action the possibilities are endless. But remember...

... Keep It Simple!

JP

 

It's been another hectic week, and if you saw my tweet-rant on the 15th you'll know that it was also a very frustrating and annoying finish to seven days of creativity. In a nutshell I've been working a few hours a week behind a till selling booze and cigs. This has seriously opened my eyes to the degeneration of British society as I was besieged by youths trying to get drunk when they should have been at home, safe, doing homework instead of hanging around a mostly deserted town centre causing a nuisance for hard working folk. Over the course of several months I have been robbed twice, assaulted once, harassed over a dozen times and verbally abused too many times to recount. I have called the Police numerous times and what do they do... send out a Community Service Officer who has as much authority and power as a wet tampon.

To cut a long story short, Saturday 15th the Police (a real one this time) came into the shop to say they had stopped a youth with alcohol he said he bought from me. They didn't show me the kid, gave a general description but still proceeded to lecture me about how it's my responsibility to keep the town from degenerating further. I pointed out that, actually it's their job to handle all forms of anti-social behaviour when reported and proceeded to recall from my Refused Sales book the times I had reported such activity including older youths supplying younger ones with alcohol, to which I was told they had no powers to deal with such cases. Final result, I have a meeting with Sgt Prince (that has to be made up) at Ossett Police station later today to discuss the matter. I will be taking evidence of my refusal to serve minors as well as all the times I've reported such behaviour with no action taken by Police. I'll add an update at the bottom as to how this went. 

End result, I've quit this soul sucking job a week earlier than planned. The 23rd was to be my last day as on the 31st I move to Nottingham to move in with Lucy and begin life as a kept man, but there's no way I'm going to risk getting stung like this again. It's just not worth the hassle for another £94 pay cheque. I've saved enough for a cushion to live on for a few months, and hopefully the meeting on the 27th with the Development Executive about Bubble-Butt will show financial results. Fingers crossed.

While this whole experience has been frustrating and upsetting, it has sparked the idea for a new urban horror script. Part Clerks, part Assault On Precinct 13, part Falling Down this script will have something to say about British society, the vacuous state of today's youth, the impotence of authority and the joy of bloody revenge. It is a horror script after all.

I'm still currently writing Gunsmoke & Glory, my horror western and having a blast doing so. By the end of this weekend I will have 40/120 pages and be into Act 2, the meat of the piece. And the meat is bloody...

This script initially started out as a potential blockbuster franchise, the germ of the idea in 2009 centring around a Captain Jack Sparrow type character. The early draft had set piece after set piece but it just didn't ring true to me. Plus it was a slog to write, despite writing to the Hans Zimmer score, or having the Pirates movies on in the background.

Scraping that original idea and re-inventing the concept as a horror was the natural thing to do. As I wrote in a previous post, focusing on a genre and becoming expert at that was sound business advice. And horror is what I love best.

The scene I'm writing at the moment is a Mexican stand-off, classic Western cliché but instead of the characters using guns, they're playing Blackjack - with a difference. It's also a great way of doffing out all the needed exposition but in a unique way. The cards they're using are also a form of tarot card, with the mysterious stranger Hoody Brown foretelling his story to his opponent Doc Green. Doc also has two cards, but as yet hasn't looked at them... what will they foretell?

This is all intercut with a family in the General store, barricaded into their home and being stalked by an unseen presence. Hopefully spooky stuff.

The rough draft will be finished by the end of the month for definite but with me quitting the day job a week early, I hope to have it finished by the end of next week as it would be nice to have a draft ready for the meeting as another example of my writing.

A few years ago you may remember I set up BOLD as Brass Films with the idea of writing and directing my own film, a short horror called Dogging. Like most of my ideas back then, this venture never truly got off the ground. I had an actor, I had a great producer/composer and a good idea, but what I didn't have was a good script. I had a mediocre script. BOLD got cancelled, Dogging put into the ideas drawer.

The other night I woke at 4am with the one sheet for Dogging firmly in mind as well as the entire genesis of a new story. My initial thought was that I could resurrect BOLD and make this my first film as a writer/director. A few sobering cups of coffee later and I came back to earth with the realisation that, for now at least, I need to concentrate on writing.

The good thing is I have a contact at a UK studio who wants to discuss low budget genre films. This, along with Kidz would be ideal, so a few notes need to be made prior to the 27th.

Everything seems to be slowly coming together, a few more steps of progress made each day. Even Deadline (my thriller script) is attracting attention with another 2 requests to read coming through thanks to Virtual Pitchfest.

Oh, and as for the Police 'chat'...

Oh, the irony!

It was an official chat. I was cautioned. I was basically fined £80 ($127.04) for selling to a 'minor'(DESPITE the fact he had proven ID previously as well as them not actually showing me the person I was alledgedly to have sold to - I thought they had to show me hard evidence? Guess not). So after months of me informing the Police of the need for them to act regarding youth anti-social behaviour in Ossett, they slap ME with a fine.

Cest La Vie!

 

JP

 

 

With the upcoming development meeting for Bubble-Butt only 17 days away I've got to thinking about how to approach this important event. This will be my first face-to-face contact with a true Industry professional and as such all manner of thoughts have started to log jam the brain, rushing through like some speedtalker at a world record attempt: WhatshouldIwearDoIgocasualorsmartHowpreparedshouldIbe

Not exactly panic, but not far from it either. Why... because this could be the door swinging open for me. This could be IT.

Not that it.

But what is IT exactly? What would the physical representation of my success actually be? How do I know I've achieved what I want? This is what I want to explore today as a way to help get my thoughts in order for the meeting, as well as getting the ideas out of my head and onto the page so I can get back to doing what I love which is writing a damn script. With a bad case of flu adding to the sluggishness of my New Year's virgin days, I've only managed to get down 8 pages of my new Western Horror script "Gunsmoke & Glory".  But I have several sprint sessions planned for this week and should have a finished rough draft come the weekend.

But that's next week's post...

Let's get back to the elephant in the room, or in other words What's In It For Me? (the original title of this post).

Thoughts tend to immediately shift to money. We all need it: bills need paying; it's nice to be able to eat once in a while and I have a movie habit to feed as well (plus an upcoming marriage to fund), but I have never - and will never - write a single word with money as the goal. I've said this several times before but I'll say it again here. 

Writing with money as the motivator is a sure guarantee that the finished project will be desperate. Rushed. Poor and that means there's a very good chance it won't sell. It's like a snake eating itself, a truly vicious circle.

The result of this meeting could be an option on the script; it could be an outright sale. That's very good news, especially as Bubble-Butt is only my second script, but it could also be neither. And that news is just as good as far as I'm concerned because I now have a face to put to the name. 

More importantly, so do they...

Shooting started last weekend on The Rift, the short sci-fi film I wrote for Vantis Pictures. Now, while I got paid for writing this script, I didn't write it for the money. I took this project on for the chance to learn how to collaborate, to write to a budget as well as how to develop someone else's story. I had a great time doing it, and watching Vantis go from strength to strength in the following months has been reward in itself.

In the early stages when we negotiated the fee I could have held out for more (I'm a writer, dammit! Pay me my worth!) but that would have been wrong in so many ways. Firstly, I'm not an arrogant pig (despite what some trolls seem to think). Second, this is a new company with a set (low) budget. Thinking big (long term) picture, it would surely be better to get paid a few sheckles, work with an emerging new director (who just might have other projects in mind for the future and need a writer he can work with) and get a screen credit, rather than go for the big cash up front. Learning that nugget was a big step for me, I have to admit, and one I am most proud of. I proved to myself that I was prepared to walk the walk, rather than just talk the talk. Writing for me is never about the money, and this proved it.

And now seeing my words start to become moving images is a feeling too vast to describe...

For more details about The Rift, Vantis Pictures or Robert Kouba head over to their website

So. I've covered money. I've covered learning new skills. What else is there?

Well, I sort of touched on it in that last bit. As a screenwriter starting out (remember this is a ten year career plan) what I need to do is create a list of contacts: people I've worked with, learnt from, maybe even aspire to be.

This meeting on the 27th is my first with a true industry professional. Until a deal is in place, or they've passed I won't reveal any details but I can say they are a major UK studio who have made films with Samuel L Jackson, Simon Callow, Robert Carlyle. Even if they pass, I will have learnt about how to take a meeting. Hopefully I won't fluff it up too much, but I do intend to go prepared. This venture is for a new low budget independent arm of the studio to which Bubble-Butt is perfectly suited. As are three of my new 2011 scripts, so even if they pass on this, they might like to be sent one of the new ones later in the year.

Thinking big picture, remember?

So here's my checklist of what I hope to get out of the meeting:

1. Put a face to the name of the email.
2. Develop a working relationship with the development executive AND the studio.
3. Learn how to take a meeting.
4. Get my name out there.
5. Subtly pitch a few ideas for future projects.
6. Not throw up. 

And who knows, they might just throw some cash my way as well.

JP

Keep It Simple!

 

 

So 2011 is finally here. I say finally but 2010 skipped by, lost beneath a [script] frenzy of writing, rewriting and rewriting some more. Plans were planted, watered and a few fruits were borne. I hope for a bigger harvest this year, maybe not a bountiful one, but enough to keep me sustained for another year.

Until a few hours ago I had no idea about what I was going to write today as a post. Not so much a block but after a few days with terrible fever, sickness and dizziness my brain is a little more scrambled than usual. With coffee (which tastes like dirty water - thank you flu) and Bon Jovi on the media player I settled down to catch up on last night's ScriptChat transcript. After an hour half of reading the lightbulb went off with another "I'm already doing that" moment.

As a trainer of managers for a major hobby company there were two phrases I used a lot when it came to learning new skills: Conscious and Unconscious. If you knew that you didn't know something (how to hold a disciplinary hearing, for example) you were consciously incompetent at that task. You could then learn the skill and move on. On the other hand if you had carried several out to a good standard you were consciously competant. That was the best state to be in regarding any part of the job - consciously competent, because that meant you were always thinking about every aspect. You weren't letting your mind slide into that dream state of unconcious competence where you knew you were good at something, you just didn't know why.

This is all sounding complicated - get on with it!

The point I'm labouring to make is this - after reading the transcript of scriptchat with Hal Croasmun, I realised that I'd been unconsciously competent in regards to the business side of my screenwriting career. While it's good that I've made some good gut choices already, it's a bit scary to not fully grasp the ideas behind said choices. By the end of this post I hope to be a few steps closer to being consciously competent regarding screenwriting as a career. My career.

"Write enough to find your voice. Then decide on your brand and focus on it." - Hal Croasmun

VOICE

Quite ironic that I'm writing about finding your voice when I can't talk too well thanks to the flu, but let's give it a shot anyway. I'd heard this many times before but never gave it much credence, probably because I didn't really understand the concept. How can words on a page have a voice? They're just words. Everyone writes the same, don;t they?

Slap forehead repeatedly.

No wonder for many years I didn't get anywhere with any form of writing with that attitude. Voice is about style. It's about HOW you put those words on the page, how you construct your action; your dialogue. I didn't have that in my writing for so long, but luckily now I've found my voice. Here's a quote from a studio about my two submissions sent them:

"I think you have a great, punchy writing style and your work stands out from the majority of unsolicited material we receive."

Later this month I'm meeting the development executive from the studio to talk about one of the scripts. That came from having a voice, and now I'll continue to nurture and develop it on all my forthcoming scripts now I know how to do it.

And how did I get to that?

By writing. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. And...

You get the point. By writing a lot (I wrote 10 scripts throughout 2010 but only pitched the best two, scripts 9 & 10) not only will you find your voice, your style but also what you like to write best.

And that leads us to:

BRANDING

As Hal says, you have to find your brand. Find what you like to write and then write that until you're the best in the world at it. Make yourself an expert in that area. He cites Diablo Cody as fringe-sassy; Christopher Nolan as dark, psychological thriller. Both successful writers, both distinct brands. 

It's taken such a long time for me to find what works best for me. I've tried all manner of genres: thriller; romantic comedy; period piece; family drama. I tried them all but the one that stuck, the one that works best for me is the one that fills 43% of my DVD collection - horror. Imagine that! I love a good horror, from the gore filled bloodbaths of Zombie Holocaust, Evil Dead to the beautiful masterpieces of Let The Right One In, The Shining. Korean horror The Host is a once a week film as is Dog Soldiers.

After reading the transcript I looked at my Writing Schedule spreadsheet for 2011 with open eyes. Western-Horror; Urban-Horror; SciFi-Horror; Thriller-Horror. Um... guess horror is my bag, right? 

As simplistic as that might sound, it wasn't something I had given any true thought to before today. I'd briefly mentioned staying true to one type of film way back in 2010 but had quickly let it sink into the depths, into unconscious competence. Not good.

With this realisation now more firmly locked in place I can do what Hal suggests next with more confidence.

And that's:

FOCUS

I have my first development meeting in 24 days. We're discussing my comedy-horror script Bubble-Butt. I want to be able to go into this meeting with three extra projects: A rough draft of the western-horror, the scriptment for the urban-horror and the idea for the sequel to Bubble-Butt.

By focusing on my writing style, I'll have a distinct voice which helps me stand out amongst the many thousands of aspiring screenwriters like myself. By focusing on one particular genre of movie I can create a known brand. When they ask for a horror writer, maybe one day my name will be put forward. By focusing on all aspects and honing each one a little more each time, I will hopefully move my screenwriting career forward a few more baby steps.

I skirted the movie business in 2010 much like a burglar casing their next house. All the door were shut, the windows barred. Towards years end I found a rear door slightly cracked open. n 2011 with a voice, a brand and focus as my tools, I hope to jimmie the door and slip inside.

Shhh...

JP

 

Okay, so I said I wouldn't be posting again until 3 January, 2011 but I just had to drop this in as soon as I saw it. As you all know I'm a massive fan of Kevin Smith. Well, here's the trailer for his new film Red State, taken from his website SModcast. Totally unlike anything he's ever done before and with a creepy performance from one of my favourite actors Michael Parks, this looks amazing.

For my last post of 2010 I want to say thanks to a great number of people who have become valued friends, supporters and champions over the last year. I've waxed lyrical several times in the past about my love of Twitter so I won't do so again here. What I will do, however is pour a lot of seasonal love to the #scriptchat community, a great source of inspiration for screenwriters everywhere, no matter their level of experience.

Over the last year I've talked with the writers of The Killers, Ginger Snaps and Machette. I've talked with producers, agents and managers. I've bounced ideas off emerging writers; I've had ideas ripped apart by established screenwriters. I've learnt so much from so many people, and great opportunity has fallen my way, all thanks to Twitter.

And all thanks to #scriptchat.

There are way too many people to name, and I don't have the words to truly express my gratitude for what this amazing community has given me. I hope over the years to come I can give back as much.

Right. 

Schmaltz out the way. My next post will be Monday 3 January 2011 (and every Monday thereafter), so let me leave you with a slice of SModimation from Kevin Smith. For more head over to SModcast.

Have a great Christmas and an amazing New Year, everyone. Enjoy.

 

*WARNING: This is by nature a lengthy post. If you choose to read on, thank you. Please leave a comment - JP*

My last blog post: That Was The Year That Was, looked back over my first year as an aspiring screenwriter. The goals achieved, the dreams made real. My highlight... got to be meeting, falling in love with and getting engaged to Lucy. Followed quickly by getting a development meeting with a major UK studio for my horror script Bubble-Butt. This might sound weird but when I got the email (stuck behind the till at the off-license I work at - think Clerks) last Monday, I nearly burst into tears. Someone believes in my writing enough to want to meet and discuss the potential movie. And that means they believe in me. It's common knowledge that writers are a nervous, self conscious bunch (in the main), paranoid about the work (it's never good enough; it's never written fast enough), fearful of how it will be perceived (whatever were you thinking?) and terrified it will never sell (I have to pay for family/wife/kids/bills/food/booze/weed - delete/add at your pleasure).

I took a risk a year ago. I left the safety of the 9-5, a state of survival I'd lived in for 37 years to embrace a dream I'd held for that exact same time. I took the scorn, the trollish comments that cut deep, the sly sniggers behind hands when I told others of my hopes. I took it crying inside. And then sat down to write the next script. Then the next. I've blogged & Tweeted about Deadline and Bubble-Butt, the two scripts I pitched (after registering with WGA and US Copyright). What I didn't talk about were the other 7 scripts I wrote (The Magpie's Lament; One For Sorrow; 47; Down The Darkened Path; White On Red; Beneath Us; Heartache). These were a mix of horror, drama, sci-fi and thriller. They were written fast. They were written to learn what worked for me, what didn't. I learnt how to format. I learnt the best software to use. I learnt the rules of structure and then how to break them. I learnt what were the best genres for me (horror & thriller). I learnt patience. I didn't pitch any of those scripts because I didn't feel they were ready. I wasn't ready. I did pitch script 8 - Deadline - and script 9 - Bubble-Butt - because they were ready, and these are my first 2 official scripts.

I'm glad I took that time, wrote those scripts. It's paid off. Big style. So lets take a look at what 2011 has in store:

1: Continue To Pitch Deadline

Using the great servce of Virtual Pitchfest I plan to keep plugging away for a sale of my thriller script. Based loosely on a trilogy of novellas I wrote over 4 years ago, Deadline tells the tale of horror writer Joe Pittman and the horrors he goes through when a deranged fan targets his family. This has been read by 3 agents, 4 managers and 6 production studios. Each one has unfortunately passed, but each one has also given notes on the script as well as requesting further writing samples in the future. That to me counts as a win, each and every time, because some stranger has taken the time to not only read my writing but taken their valuable time to jot down a few constructive comments, time which could have been spent schmoosing with a client that already guarantees them income.

To each and every one I say thank you.

2: Development Meeting For Bubble-Butt Script

January 27 I go into my first development meeting. I travel down to London to meet an executive of a major UK studio (not allowed to divulge - YET) to discuss my horror script Bubble-Butt. I got the email only last week and like I said earlier I nearly burst into tears while trying to serve some drunken local some Gin. God knows what would happen should they option or even buy the script (I don't have to suck anything, right?). I guess 'd become a gibbering wreck.

Why?

Because it's happening. It's finally fucking happening. Hard work, perseverance, plain stubbornness has led me to this point. There is a 99% chance they will turn round and say no at the end of it all, but if I go in fully prepared (have scrounged the 'net like a stalker sapping up all the intel I can find about the company and the exec) as well as with a firm understanding about the script and her characters, there is a good chance a working relationship can be started. It might mean no cash and I'm fully acceptable of that fact. I write because I have to, not for some dollar amount (although an option of a certain amount could help me focus intently on the work without worry - [we'll talk A]).

But to have someone championing your work is a very personal thing. Someone out there (Mr P in my case) believes in my writing (ergo ME) enough to take the time to physically meet me. Although new to this business that is show (sorry - had to use it) I understand that's a big thing. And I intend to do Mr P proud by being prepared.

Did I tell you I have the sequel already written? ;-)

The dream: They buy the script at WGGB rates (budget £750'000 - £2million)

The hope: They option the scirpt at WGGB rates (budget £750'000 - £2million)

The reality: They pass.

Either way, I win. They already said they like my style, like my script. Like the idea of a sequel (think a British Ripley - but pregnant). Whatever happens I have a way in...

3: Write Six (6) Scriptments

Bold... yes. Tough... fuck yeah. Impossible... don't be daft!

It took me 4 days to write longhand the notes for my secret project NSA. 2 days to type them into Celtx to produce a 49 page properly formatted scriptment. I'm currently writing the first scriptment of 2011 already (it burns not to write), jotting a few scenes everyday into my moleskin notebook. Once done it gets written into Celtx. As I type it naturally expands. NSA had originally 84 sluglines. When I typed THE END it had 215. It makes for an organic form of writing, at least for me, and a future blog post in 2011 when I've refined the process a bit more.

4: A Multi-Project Process

In 2010 I slammed out scripts, choosing only to rewrite and pitch the strongest two. In 2011 I plan a new approach, one that will help develop each of the scripts into saleable projects. It is a new process for me, but one that I was sort of working on towards the end of 2010 when I was rewriting one project while writing a draft for Vantis. It was that which got me thinking. I needed to increase my output, to have more projects 'in the bag' should a company say those great words: "What else do you have?"

Here's how I'm going to do it.

Every month:

1. Write a scriptment - first longhand then type into Celtx
2. Write a Rough draft of a script
3. Rewrite another script

Before I tried to write to two famous writers schedules: Stephen Kings 10 pages a day or Joe Eszterhas's script in 63 days.

I now write to MY schedule. This will also allow for unexpected events (like Vantis Pictures hiring me to write a script). I've already written a schedule for 2011. It looks pretty frightening (especially for the first 6 months) but it's also pretty exciting. Something new, a challenge. And worse case scenario: it doesn't work for me and I change it. No harm, no foul.

Here's a rough guide to what I'll be working on:

1. A Horror sequel
2. A Western-Horror
3. An Urban-Horror
4. A Sci-Fi-Horror
5. A Thriller-Horror
6. A Blockbuster Franchise

Enough to keep me busy, right? And what to do with those projects when finished?

Continue on...

5: Attend GAPF 2011

This was originally entitled Attend Either Gapf 2011 or Cannes. 

Why would I want tp attend either? Well, two fold really. To raise my profile within the film industry as well as aim for a sale. the question remained, however, which was better?

Cannes might be THE industry event - bar the Oscars - but it really is aimed at those already in the know. Or at the least, those who are known. I could go there and end up looking like a prick, trying to fit n with those who have a track record rather than a dream.

So I choose GAPF 2011 instead.

I can pitch the scripts I write through the year (I'll have 6 by the time the event comes round) plus the event is affordable (about £3000).

GAPF it is!

6: Continue To Develop Network Contacts

How... through Twitter of course.

I would not have had the success of this year if not for the little blue guy (I call him Maurice). I know this for fact. I met hundreds of people through the ether thanks to this little blue guy, and so in 2011 I need to expand on this.

2010 was very passive. I was learning. I was watching. I was studying. I waited.

2011 I'll be more aggressive. If you can help my screenwriting career I'll come looking for you.

I'll also be more interactive. Try to push more of YOUR projects than mine. Now I know really how Twitter works, I can use the format better. For you. For me.

Good stuff.

7: Build On The Success Of The Website

I started this new site in August of 2010 - a dedicated multi-media site where I could chronicle my screenwritingm journey. Sure, there's hundreds of thousands of similar sites out there, but this is MINE. This is MY story. I have no idea how its going to end, but lets share the journey together - the highs (a few) the lows (millions).

Written with a humorous tone, this site is literally how I feel, how I think. Not edited. Not toned down for content. If you don't like the word fuck, you probably stopped reading months ago.

A lot of you didn't. Here are the stats since August 1, 2010:

• Total Site Visits: 17'345
• Total Post Views: 45'136
• Total Page Views: 2'200

This tells me several things:

People are visiting the site. Regularly. And thank you for that. People are readng what I have to say, liking it and coming back for more. Chances are they are reading more than one post as well.

Let me say a huge thanks for that. You wouldn't believe some of the comments people try to post - you know the cunts... the ones who would rather use their time fucking others over rather than being proactive in their own shit life. After going over my own site stats its obvious you like what I write... so I'll keep doing it. Honest. From the heart. No hidden agenda. No message. Just me writing. Venting at times, yes, but trying to share the journey as honestly as I can. If I'm fucked off, I'm not going to smile and eat it. I'm going to tell you I'm fucked off, but also why and how I plan to get over it. Always with a positive outcome in mind.

But I'm going to try make it more interesting. 

I hope to add either a video journal or a podcast. More music as well.

But in order to provide quality I need to reduce quantity.

Therefore there will be one more post this year: "Thank You..." and then all posts will be weekly starting Monday 3 January 2011.

This has been a great year.

2011 looks to be phenomenal.

All the best to you and yours and if you're reading this, PLEASE subscribe, and promote.

Thanks

JP

 

 

 

 

Before we can look forward, we need to look back. Back in time...

It was in June 2009 when I decided to leave the relative comfort of a paid job (projectionist in a multiplex cinema) to pursue a writing career with every fibre of my being. No longer would I play at it... this would be my job from now on (all-be-it) a job I probably wouldn't get paid for doing for a long time. If ever.

But it wasn't about money. It's never been about money and never will. I write because I have to. I write because I have a passion for movies. I write because I have to write movies. As proven in earlier articles (http://jonathan-peace.posterous.com/a-typical-libran; http://jonathan-peace.posterous.com/hard-at-it-a-writers-challenge; http://jonathan-peace.posterous.com/catching-up and others) I just have to write. Or write about writing. It's as much a part of me as my love of the original Star Wars films (fuck you very much Mr Lucas for ruining the story with overuse of CGI as opposed to crafted sets), Bon Jovi and action/horror films of the 1980's/1990's (Prince of Darkness; The Thing; Big Trouble In Little China and other non Carpenter films such as RoboCop, Lethal Weapon and Critters).

Here's a little history about me, a snatch of insight if you will. It might go towards explaining my crazy desire to pursue this dream. It might be nothing more than self-obsessed filler. Make of it what you will, but know this: it's truth.

I started writing in 1999 as a reaction to getting divorced. It was either that or go bat-shit fucking crazy (some people say I did). I had a shit load of dark thoughts rolling in my head as I went through one of the darkest periods in my life ever (and my dad died when I was 12 leaving me to be raised by an aunt and uncle - Mum n Dad V2 f you will - to show how dark dark was). The first thing I wrote was a horror novel about a man returning to his home town (as I was) after the betrayal of his wife (kind of) and finding himself in a horror murder mystery (erm...). I wrote it on an old Brother Electric typewriter, 12 pt Courier. 498 pages, space & half. 112'000 words. It took 6 years to write. 6 years during which I basically pressed the self destruct button. I did a lot of stupid shit: I drank way too much. I wrote nowhere near enough.

What I did more than anything, was talk.

I talked about writing to anyone who would listen. I regaled the customers of the pub where I worked about my great new novel. About how I was going to be the next Stephen King. I talked. I talked. I talked.

I talked a lot of shit. 

A Writer Writes.

A writer doesn't go around telling everyone how he's writing the best British horror ever. A Writer doesn't send off the manuscript of the first 30 pages to agents, publishers and the like thinking he's going to get a huge advance and his money worries will be over. A writer doesn't spend 6 fucking years writing a pulp horror novel!

Ergo... I wasn't a writer. At least not a writer of novels. But I needed  to write. I needed to get the shit from out of me. To slit the vein and let it drip onto the page. But how...?

I was five. Dad was the projectionist of the Cannon Cinema in Dewsbury UK, a two screen fleapit. I would sit in the booth on a spinning stool, trying to shoot the Tie Fighters while Dad got reels 3-6 ready for the changeover (it wasn't always digital, kids). I grew up around film. I loved films of all types: Gone With The Wind; North By Northwest; The Birds. In later years Shogun Samurai; Grindhouse; Cloverfield. The answer was staring me in the face.

I could write movies. I could write film scripts. I mean, I didn't know how. Didn't know the format; didn't know the language... but I knew deep n my balls I could do it.

I just had to get back first...

It took until 2009. It took wading through a lot of personal shit. It took taking a long hard look in the mirror and deciding that life was for living, not simply surviving.

I quit my job. I embraced the fear, the uncertainty. I welcomed the joy of each new day doing what I love: writing. I no longer talked about it. I fucking just did it. No airs. No graces. I just did it.

But I did it right, this time. I made a plan (See... old dogs CAN learn new tricks).

I spent from June 2009 till Jan 1 2010 planning just how I was going to go about my new career. I would need to write scripts (obviously) but more importantly I was going to need time to get them into the best possible shape prior to sending out. This would take time. This would take hard work, long hours. I was always good as a store manager for Games Workshop. I had plans. I executed plans (or the staff for failing me). I knew where I was and where I was going. It was a business.

I needed to treat my writing as a business. So naturally I wrote up a ten year plan.

I just needed a K.I.S.S

Keep It Simple (Stupid)

And that's what I intended to do. My screenwritng attack would be three-fold:

1. Write. A lot.
2. Promote. A lot.
3. Network. As much as possible.

Q: What would be the best way to do this? All of this?

A: The Internet.

There are some who argue that the Internet is the death of traditional methods. To them I say: "Damn right!" It's virtually free, it's simple to use and you can do it without having to go through a third or even fourth party if you so desire. For someone like me... perfect. I could work from home, reduce costs in paper (pitch online) as well as time (pitching via internet is not restrictive to postal delays, air strikes etc) and work to my own schedule (tougher than any anyone else could inflict). 

Some fear the 'Net. Some don't fully understand it's vital use. And why?

Because they don't have a plan. Lesson number 1: Have a plan. Not just a plan, but a career plan. It takes ten years to become expert in any given field, so lets go with that. Here's my screenwriting plan for the first year:

1. Write 3 Scripts
2. Get a Read Request for a script
3. Get a Wrting assignment
4. Improve the website
5. Increase Twitter Followers
6. Pitch scripts via Virtual PitchFest
7. Enter a Screenwriting competition.

This was my plan A. And plan B...?

So how did I do?

1. I wrote 3 scripts: Deadline, Bubble-Butt, The Rift.
2. I recieved 12 Read Requests
3. I got hired to write a sci-fi scrpt for Vantis Pictures
4. The website (which you're reading) has had over 17'000 visits since August 2010 with over 93'000 page views.
5. After a purge, I am now followed by nearly 1'000 people, the majority of which have ties to the film Industry including Tom Cruise, Weinstein Films and Sony Pictures.
6. I've pitched both Deadline and Bubble-Butt to production Studios, Agents and Managers thanks to Virtual PitchFest.
7. I entered the Final Draft Industry Insider Screenwriting Competition with the first 15 pages of an original script: The 9th Protocol.

It's been a fucking amazing year.

For the first time in 38 years I've achieved EXACTLY what I set out to do. Note, at nowhere do I put any monetary value to my goals. It's all about the work. The writing. The actual doing, rather than the final reward, and to me money isn't the reward. It's the achieving of personal goals that makes this all the while.

But even better. The icing on the cake.

You all know how I feel about Twitter and #Scriptchat. I love each and every one of the crazy individuals I have met through this online community like family. I would do anything for anyone of them in a heartbeat. And why? Because they would for me. Simple.

See a theme here... good. Me too :-)

While I have made some great contacts through #Scriptchat (@Jeannevb @DreamsGrafter @ZacSanford @Yeah_Write @KageyNYC ect) there is one individual who has made my year even more special than it already was.

I 'met' @lupiilu for the first time 6 June 2010. I proposed to her 3 December 2010. She said yes. If it hadnt been for me finding the #scriptchat community because of my new screenwriting plans, I wouldn't be as happy and content as I am today.

12 years ago I was more concerned about my work than I was my family. That was my mistake, a lesson I needed to learn. Today, Lucy means more to me than anything. If I never sell a script but have her by my side I consider each day a win. I have a plan in mind for our wedding... something wild and extravagant. A huge fan of Kevin Smith, I would like him to officiate our wedding as a SMarriage SModcast. we've swopped a few emails. She's tentatively agreed as long as we have a formal ceremony in UK for family.

And as promised... here's a photo of her pussy. I took two pictures (shh... don't tell her)

That's Tom-Tom (top) and Dippy (bottom).

What... you thought I meant.... you dirty minded--

  And teases for 2011...

#4: No Strings Attached. A 49 page scriptment has been written and emails sent to the holder of the IP to gain their approval.

#5: Gunsmoke & Glory: A horror western currently being written as a scriptment.

#6: The Vote: A Sci-fi thriller synopsis has been written.

I plan to attend GAPF 2011. I hope to write & direct a short film.

 

I love it when a plan comes together...

 

Firstly... what the hell is a scriptment??

Here's how I used to write. A) Get an idea. B) Make a few notes. C) Write a beat sheet. D) Tinker with the beat sheet. E) Write the script. F) Rewrite the script to death. It worked; having a structured process certainly meant that projects got finished but what I've discovered is that the initial burst of energy that accompanies a fresh idea moment tended to whittle away over time. Also what I originally started out to write (by the time I got to actually writing the script) had changed from the initial idea, and while that is probably going to keep happening, I found my ideas began to dilute. Become stale. This meant a hell of a lot of rewrites to get it back to the original spark.

And then I learned about the scriptment. Another lightbulb moment...

I'd heard this phrase bandied about (James Cameron talks about them alot in his interviews/commentaries - he was the one who coined the phrase) and always thought it sounded a bit weird. Neither a treatment (a long document that basically outlines what happens) nor a finished script, it's an amalgamation of the two. When I got the idea for my 3rd spec script (a rather ambitious project, especially for a new screenwriter) I started writing down in my moleskin notebook what happened as I saw it. No pre-thinking, no mapping out... I just wrote FADE IN, the first slugline and went for it. Not in any great detail, just the broad strokes, but as I changed scenes I kept the rough format of a script with sluglines, then action. When characters talked, sometimes I'd just write: the CEO goes on about how the project will put [company name] on the map. The Lab-Tech argues about safety. Sometimes I'd write it as proper dialogue:

CEO

There's no way anything could possibly go wrong I tell you. No way.

Once I'd written it all down including the ending, I then typed it into Celtx, formatting it as a script as I went. It was a form of rewriting; new scenes were added as inspiration took; action sequences were broken down into their separate elements. Dialogue was added in places where I knew I wanted certain info to go. It was a blast writing it as I could clearly see the whole movie come alive. By the time I finished I had 49 script pages and it only took 6 days from the initial "What if..." moment.

Don't get me wrong. It's nowhere close to finished. It's not something I would show anyone other than Lucy for her usual acidic feedback (but damn if she ain't right), but it looks and reads like a script if a somewhat basic one. And it tells you everything that's going to happen. Some people even start to pitch a scriptment. Ken Nolan sold his scriptment for The Grays for $3 million. I'd like that, but the main reason is to help get the story down as fast as possible.

Which means when it comes to actually writing it, developing the scenes will be much easier and the whole process a bit faster.

Why faster??

I don't want to miss out on an opportunity. I have done so several times in the past when I've had big ideas and then not acted properly on them.

I had an idea for an A-Team script back in 2006. Sent the basic treatment off to a cinema chain that were thinking of moving into film production. When it didn't win the competition I forgot about it, instead of writing it. This was back when I talked a lot about being a screenwriter and never actually wrote much.

I then had ideas for The Blob (Rob Zombie is remaking it);

The Smurfs (Raja Gosnell, released 2011);

and Fraggle Rock (Corey Edwards, released 2012).

Great ideas but no action. Way too slow. Too much talk. Not enough writing.

Not with Script 3. That sucker has now been registered, and while there may be other similar projects circulating (none yet according to imdbpro) I intend to strike while my iron is hot. That means not writing harder (I think I already work pretty damn hard), but smarter.

Hence the introduction of the scriptment. I'm letting it settle for a week, and then jumping right into it and while I do that, I'll start writing the longhand version of the scriptment for Script 4... and so on.

By the time 2011 rolls around I could possibly have scriptments for my next 5 projects... and that fills me with lots of bubbly excitement.

Oh and the title of Script 3... NSA (working title)

 

 

 

Start with a song, my Dad always said.

More like 10 - 9. For 16 days. No day off. Granted it wasn't the most arduous of tasks: sat behind a till ringing through 4packs of Stella Artois (or more accurately 8packs of Special Brew or Kestral Super - I think the people of Ossett have a real drinking problem), Lambert & Butler cigarettes and the occasional can of Coke. There were a few problems with a bunch of kids trying every day to buy alcohol (did they think I'd forget I'd refused to serve them the previous day? Maybe if they changed their clothes once in a while and looked anything but shifty they might have stood a better chance. Oh, and by the way - a library card is NOT acceptable I.D) as well as a few drunken moments (the customers, not me. One woman thought by showing me her naked, and honestly pert and adorable, breasts I'd let her have free beer. I said very nice and charged her double) but on the whole the days went by fairly uneventful. I stocked up. I cleaned the shelves. I turned the little light on in the window that declared the store open in flashing neon letters. But mostly I sat behind the till crumpled up in my fleece (its a bloody cold shop), read various novels and comic books and wrote.

It's a compulsion. I have to write no matter where I am. No matter what I'm doing. I suppose in the years to come if I am fortunate enough to find myself in the position of becoming a father again, you'll see me stood beside my partners bed notebook in hand, jotting down a piece of description of an orderly I spent ten minutes talking to while she huffed and pushed. I can't help it. I need to write, and write I did.

I took stock as well. About where I am and where I want to be.

New Years Day is only 42 days away, a number that has specific meaning for me (a story for another time). While I was sat behind the till serving people booze and cigs I started to think about how my screenwriting dream was progressing. It has certainly been an eye-opening year to this point. Here's a quick breakdown of what JP: YEAR ONE has resulted in.

• Written 2 spec scripts (Deadline; Bubble-Butt)
• Deadline script registered with WGA
• Deadline script pitched to various agents, producers through VPF. 
• Deadline script placed on InkTip
• 4 requests to read Deadline, resulting in some great feedback.
• Hired to write a sci-fi script for Vantis Pictures - now in pre-production
• Entered Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest (write 15 pages based on an existing logline)
• Bubble-Butt script about to be registered with WGA before placing/pitching through VPF and InkTip
• Was given a year's subscription to ScriptMag thanks to the great screenwriting community #scriptchat
• Have developed some great relationships again through #scriptchat. In years to come these will prove very beneficial in terms of friendship as well as networking opportunities.

I have achieved a hell of a lot. My screenwriting plan for the first year has a lot of DONE written next to it as I slowly achieved what I set out to do. This has given me a great boost for next year and yet has led me to gently revise my plans.

Orginally I wanted to write 3 spec scripts each year. Spend four months on each. Sounded reasonable, right? But then I was asked to write an assigned script - for pay. I had to work that into the schedule and in order to do a good job, something had to give. So I dropped my then planned script 3 - the romantic comedy K.I.S.S despite having written 36 pages. It now rests in a drawer maturing. I know I won't get back to this script until at least 2012 as next years two specs are planned.

That's right - two spec scripts. Not three. Two rolls of the dice. One of the great things about screenwriting is that it is a constant learning curve, whether it's some new writing technique or pitch style; an outlining method or a realisation that to make the script better if not perfect you have to rewrite the shit out of it.

That's the biggest lesson I learnt in this first year. I had thought I could do a rough draft followed by two or three rewrites. Oh, the impetuousness of youth! Deadline looks totally different now to what I called my official first draft back in April of this year. The title's different for a start. Not only that but it has a theme; it has characterisation. More importantly it has a style.

"I think you have a great, punchy writing style and your work stands out from the majority of unsolicited material we receive."

That was a quote I recently received from a major production studio who read both my spec scripts (they are now considering going to the next stage with my horror Bubble-Butt). I wouldn't have gotten such great feedback (a win in my eyes) if I hadn't tempered myself and gone back to the script time after time. In the end Deadline probably went through 20 rewrites until I was happy. It was finally registered with the WGA in September, a full six months after I'd thought it was done. Bubble-Butt was written in April and will be registered at the end of this month.

Writing is re-writing. That takes time. It can't be rushed. This means I'll spend six months on each script, writing, rewriting, rewriting some more until its ready to venture out into the world.

And that means feedback... Important Lesson #2

I never used to get feedback when I was writing books. I wrote a first draft and sent it out straight away. Didn't wait for the ink to dry sometimes. No wonder I never got published by a major house, and rightly so. 

Some people are scared of feedback. I welcome it as long as it is given in the right spirit and is not just an excuse to rip apart someone's dream. To be told your story doesn't work by one person could just be a difference in taste. To be told the same thing by three to five people... yeah, there's probably an issue that needs addressing. Yet you won't get that much needed insight unless you suck it up and send it out. Not just to the girlfriend (although mine has no problem pissing on my fire - but for the right reasons and damn it if I don't agree with her observations 99%) but to people who specialise in such a thing. Some offer this service for free, most charge a fee. I've found a number of people willing to tell me what they think thanks to the community of screenwriters over on Twitter. Some of the feedback has been a punch to the gut but quickly followed up by a hair ruffle and a "get outta here kid" bit of banter, all of which has helped me chisel away at the script.

I have no ego to bruise. I don't believe I deserve to sell my first script or probably even my fourth or fifth. I'd like to, but that doesn't mean it will. I listen when people tell me they don't like the character of so-and-so. I listen when they say the structure works, or doesn't. I listen when they say the grammar needs working on, or the theme needs bringing more to the fore. I listen... I might not agree, I might not make the changes they suggest. But I listen. I take note. As I said before, if one person doesn't think something works, it could be subjective. If several people say the same thing... well, that's what rewriting is all about.

And that is why I intend to put even more time into the rewrite process next year. I'm currently giving Bubble-Butt one last polish (despite the glowing remarks noted above) prior to sending to the WGA. It will have been eight months since I first wrote FADE IN: on this script, time well spent. I keep in mind that I'm in a marathon, not a sprint. Clichéd perhaps but still no less true. I have time on my side, so lets use that time to make sure the script is in as good a condition as possible. Another cliché is "You only get to make one first impression", so what's another month or two?

So while I've been away from the laptop (now fully healed after said GF attempts to upgrade it nearly destroyed it LOL) I've been re-charging, re-assessing, re-evaluating and making a start on script 3. This officially won't have FADE IN: written until January 1 (in my moleskin journal, written in black ink - all rough drafts are now to be written longhand). What I'm working on is my first ever scriptment, a weird amalgamation of both treatment and script. I wrote the story at work in between kids trying to buy cider (too many times), women flashing me their bits (not enough) and drunken, yet friendly old sots coming in for their daily whisky fix (which became hourly). I'm keeping this one pretty much under wraps. There won't be any blog posts about it, no teasing Tweets. I'm hoping to write fast as well because I've missed out too many times on inspired ideas which never got written in time (The Blob; The Smurfs; Fraggle Rock). I'm not even going to give you the secret title underwhich it is being written - it's THAT top secret. It will only be referred to as Script 3.

And then there's my second potential franchise... Script 4 starting June.

It's a great start to 2011!

Finish on a song, my Dad always used to say.

Keep It Simple.

JP

 

 

 

Now THAT'S who you want pitching your script for you. Who could refuse a Wookie? Who would dare? I mean, if a newbie wannabe screenwriter turns up out of the blue pitching some moronic tale of a pregnant woman battling zombies in a small town it's easy for an agent, manager or Production Company to say "Hey kid, great idea but we got something similar cooking with Dimension," and then go snicker over wine cocktails at the Chateau Marmont with the other agents about the brainless project and the naive kid from somewhere in the UK.

But with a Wookie in your corner, especially a Wookie with the stature and respect that Chewbacca commands (not one of his dumbass nephews [come on George - THAT Christmas Holiday Special? What WERE you thinking?])... who the fuck is going to say no to a Wookie?

I got me a Wookie in my corner, more of which later. But let me first tell you my thoughts about the whole pitching process.

1: The SET-UP

Before you can pitch, you got to have something to pitch. Well, duh? But that was something I never took into consideration. Back when I wanted to be the next best Stephen King (all the money but none of the road traffic accident) I pitched lots of novel ideas. Horror, thriller, action. Even a romance or two, but guess what? I didn't have any of them written. Oh sure, they were written in my head and they all sounded GREAT, but they weren't written. I hadn't put in the time or effort so when I sent out letters to numerous publishers, agents etc they always included the line "... will be written by the  end of the [insert year]." How fucking dumb was that?! No wonder no one asked to read anything... there wasn't anything to read.

STUPID!

But you live and learn. And learn I did. I managed to suppress the urge to start sending out query letters in the early stage of my screenwritng career, choosing the correct path of actually writing something and more importantly finishing something. How can you sell something you don't have? Easy answer, you can't and this led me to decide that I wouldn't pitch something that wasn't written already. In other words, I chose the path of the spec writer, settling myself on the honest path of writing the script, then, and only then, starting the pitching process. Harder... you better believe it. More honest.... definately.

2: GRIP FOR THE PITCH YOU WANT

Like the perfect handjob, it's all in the grip. It's all in the way you handle the material. You know you want THAT happy ending (sell the script just to be clear) so you have to make sure that what you pitch is handled right. This means taking it slow, milking the moment for all it's worth. Don't just tug away at the thing in a rush for release... coax it, tease it. Work it baby.

All this foreplay works out in the end. Trust me.

By not rushing to the cum shot, I was able to hone my query letter. This was largely thanks in part to Jamie Livingston who, several months ago, helped me write the near-perfect pitch letter. Actually, it was perfect because every time I used it, I got a positive response. But if I hadn't taken the time to hone the pitch letter I'm sure I wouldn't have had the success that quickly fell into my lap recently.

Take time to write (and rewrite and rewrite and rewrite - ad infinitum) that query letter. It's worth a few extra months. Trust me.

3: MOTION

Once the query letter/pitch is done it's got to be full steam ahead. Just like a rough draft you got to pitch every day if you want to succeed. Doesn't have to be an executive, agent or manager (ie someone who might just buy your script) but a friend, partner, family member. Shit, I pitch customers who come into the shop where I sell booze and cigs like some Kevin Smith reject (I swear if that fat genius hadn't already made a flick about working a till I'd be all over that motherfucker - last night I had a customer come in and show me her tits hoping I'd let her off £2. Nice tits... pay up!).

Whatever you do, you have to keep going. Keep pushing forward even when it feels like you're wading through shit. I have a book written by my brother (David Peace - GB84; The Red Riding Quartet; The Tokyo Trilogy; The Damned United) in which he wrote a dedication which reads: Keep On Keeping On. I live by that. Keep on keeping on. Keep pushing forward, taking a small step every day. A million small steps equals a fuck of a distance travelled. It's going to take time so keep on keeping on.

4: FOLLOW THROUGH

Right. You've waited. You've written at least 2 scripts. You've gotten advice on your query letter and finally you've pitched to agents, production companies and managers. What do you do next?

You chase them. You give them a month to get back to you then send them a very politely worded email/letter asking if they liked your script and what their initial thoughts are. You then leave it another month. Still not heard anything? Don't worry. The thing I've learnt recently is the cliche "no news is good news" is actually true. Just because they didn't get back to you immediately raving about your script and throwing dollars at you does not mean you've struck out. 

Be realistic dude or dudette... there's thousands of us newbies out there sending scripts, sending letters/emails. They have their jobs to do just as we have ours to do. Give the Pro's time. Be generous. Don't be in such a rush (it's taken me 10 years to realise this basic fact so don't beat yourself up).

Be professional in your approach and re-approach and you WILL get a little further each time. I did. You will.

And all this leads to just who to approach... and this is where having a Wookie helps.

What's this about fucking Wookies, I hear you cry. Let me introduce you to my Wookie:

Virtual Pitchfest is probably the best option for the aspiring screenwriter to get his or her script into the hands of those who can forward their career. 

You purchase pitches (go for the VIP pack - $90 10 pitches) and then upload your letter which is then sent direct to an agent, manager or executive of your choice from their extensive list. Now I know people will be saying why should I pay to pitch? I can just get their name from a directory (contact books are available through Amazon) To that I say who the fuck are you? Why should an executive even consider taking a look at something that just appeared out of the blue?

By pitching through a company such as VPF you are announcing the fact that you are semi-professional. VPF has contacts within the industry you, as a newbie screenwriter, could never hope to access. So in my humble opinion forking out $90 is small potatoes to gain this insider shortcut. In fact it took me many months to save up to be able to do this, time I spent honing the script and the pitch letter. So far of the pitches sent through VPF I've had a 100% success rate in read requests.

Right now, thanks to VPF, my thriller script is being read by a director, a development executive and a potential agent. They all might pass... but the key word is might. At least they're reading it, and will probably be more accessible in the future when my second script is being pitched (soon).

Plus... they now know my name.

Keep On Keeping On and keep it simple.

JP

Just had a great email convo with Robert Kouba, head of Vantis Pictures and the visionary director behind The Rift, a scifi/horror I wrote. Unfortunately I am not allowed to go into details as yet (and I soooo want to) but what I am allowed to say is that the casting process is well underway and looking very exciting, so exciting in fact that come hell or high water I WILL be on set when Robert starts shooting next year.

More details will come both here and on Vantis Pictures own website which hopefully should be going live soon. I was given a sneak peak at it tonight and it looks great.

This is very exciting, hence the need for me to post a lot of vague teasers but it was either that or explode with utter giddyness. (seriously, if I told you what I'd been told you'd be as giddy as I am LOL). 

JP

Sorry to disappoint all those who found this post after typing in Mork from Ork into Google. NaNoWriMo is not a misquote from that under-appreciated tv series but is in fact a wonderfully poetic acronym for National Novel Writing Month.

The challenge is to write 50'000 words of a novel during the 30 days of November and while I had originally decided not to take part (2 scripts to re-write and a screenwriting competition entry to complete by Novembers end) I have now thrown my hat into the ring with gusto. 

And why... because it's FUN! Writing is fun for me. It's a blast. I love every second I'm sat either at the laptop or in a cafe -- okay, pub -- scribbling down new pages or an outline for a new script. I love those bursts of inspiration when I can't get the words down fast enough. I love those hair yanking nightmares when I know WHAT I want to say but don't know HOW. I love writing longhand, into Celtx or into notebooks. I breathe movies and shit celulloid (might not be a good analogy but you get the gist).

NaNoWriMo is not about producing a work of art (don't get me started on writing as art. To me it's entertainment. Full. Stop.) It's about getting that first draft out of your head and onto the page. Too many of us (and I most definitely include myself here) spend way too long umming and aaahin about a project and no time sitting our ass on the chair and banging away at the pages, staining those white pages with our black blood.

From the NaNoWriMo website:

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

 

I've decided to go all BANZAI! and throw myself into this with whole abandon. I've already written and self published a novella -- which can be bought by (shameless plug #1) checking The Magpie's Lament page uptop and clicking a link -- and have toyed with the idea of writing another. I could never muster the getgo to do this though as it took me 10 years to get blindsided done. Also I didn't really have a story I wanted to tell in novel form. I'd been asked to write a novel proposal for an existing IP but despite my love for their product I couldn't find the passion needed to create something worthy of their time. If I was going to write their novel it would be for publication and so would need to be absolutely spot on. To do that would mean time away from my true passion which is screenwriting. I've been lured away too many times for that to happen again and so I passed. I said no.

BUT NOW...

Now here come's NaNoWriMo.

I won't be writing for publication as an end. I'll be writing, as George Mallory once said, "because it's there." I'll be writing for fun. For me.

In April 2010 I took part in the screenplay version of NaNoWriMo. Called Script Frenzy the rules remained the same: write a script in 30 days in April. I had so much fun churning out my OTT Grindhouse horror Bubble-Butt it then became my second script, undergoing numerous rewrites. I'm now about to officially register what was once just a fun idea with the WGA and start pitching it, so who know what could happen to the novel.

And just what am I going to write about?

Well... let's just say it's a dark fantasy based on my all time favourite boardgame. The next 12 days will see me playing this game which will, thanks to it's storytelling nature, help me outline the novel. 

Geeky... yes.

Fun... HELL, YEAH!

Don't think about doing it... sign up here and give it a go. It's not about the endgame, it's about having a go and having a blast while doing something out of the ordinary. You don't win a prize, you don't win any money. But you at least have a go. You meet some great people online (and in local NaNoWriMo meet ups), and at the end of it (if you stick to 1667 words a day) you've written a novel. Not many people can say that, and if you want you could then take that to Lulu.com and self publish it (after rewriting it to death!).

Just have a go.

Buddy me over at the official website.

 

 

 

 

It's been too long since I posted something actually about screenwriting instead of some tribute to an '80's iconic movie or an animated version of a podcast (or SModcast to be more accurate). The reasons for this apparent lack of non-committal meandering are numerous. Let me try to explain the most relevant...

Reason #1:

Pure and simple (not that crap song by that crap manufactured band) I have suddenly gone from thinking about writing my first script to a workload that borders on the insane. In the last ten months I've written & rewritten Deadline, registered it with the WGA and then started pitching it through Virtual Pitchfest. I've written Bubble-Butt which is now being rewritten for the final time prior to the selling process. I've been asked to, and have, guest blogged as well as written an article about an upcoming release of a new horror film. I've outlined my 3rd script and have just started writing the rough draft. I've dallied with entering the Nano novel writing self-challenge (write a 50'000 word novel in November - like Script Frenzy but with a novel. You get the point!), choosing instead to enter the Industry Insider Screenwriting Competition, the deadline being end of November. I've outlined the stories for 4 other scripts. I wrote a script for Vantis Pictures (The Rift).

See? Insane. It's gone from a dream to a job (low to non-existant wage, granted) but the best job in the world, the kind that will never feel like a job even on the worst days when the words won't come.

Reason #2:

This has now happened twice, hence the lofty position of number 2. My laptop has been the victim of potential assassination. Granted this was at my own hand but both times the situation was instigated by Lucy. From a position of love, true... she wanted my laptop to have a few extra bells and whistles, but it didn't go to plan. The first time I tried to upgrade my very basic hp Compaq 6720s it deleted several programmes, wiped out Microsoft Office (which I used for writing) and then threatened to self implode. Luckily I could get a reboot disc from hp and all was well. And then I tried again and really fucked it up. Not only were programmes lost but entire drivers, software and plenty of hair as the 24 Hour Twitter Script event was totally scuppered the night before.

Everything is all well now though and while I love my birthday present (Lucy got me an official upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium) I don't think I dare risk trying to upgrade again.

I Hereby Pledge...

There are a few other reasons for my lack of posting so mundane I won't waste your time here with them but I think those two are sufficient in size to explain my blogging abscence if not justify it. 

Therefore as of now I pledge to write a post every week, every Monday. These will be the serious posts, the ones that add something to the screenwriting community in some way, however small. There'll be other posts, I'm sure. Things like YouTube videos, SModcast animations or trailers for films I'd like to see. The main post though will be every Monday.

Coming Monday 25 October: Pitching The Script

 

And here's the original Teaser...

I thought I'd talk a little about how I rewrite a script. I'm currently rewriting my Grindhouse horror Bubble-Butt (actually I've already rewritten it once, this is the final rewrite/polish) and thought I'd share a few pages.

First up is the original. 

Once the rough draft is finished I print it out, bind it then spend two weeks sat in various pubs, cafes on the sofa, even in bed pouring over the pages with a variety of pens and a notepad. Here are a couple of pages with my spider-scrawl over them:

  As you can see I scrawl like mad, scrapping whole sections, dialogue runs, even adding a few new bits. This is the part I used to hate but really enjoy now. Writing is rewriting and once I learnt this invaluable piece of treasure, my writing started to take off. It is in the rewrite where the true story starts to evolve, where the theme of the script can be developed and where characters start to take on a life of their own. Here is the final version:

The most notable difference is the pace. This version is a lot faster at getting to the main meat of the scene. In fact the script has now been trimmed by 9 pages - 6 pages from this sequence alone. 

The rewrite stage is probably the most important aspect of writing. Sure outlining is a must, as is actually finishing a rough draft (you need something to rewrite after all), but without taking the time to go back and kill your baby in the rewrite stage, it will just be a rough piece of work. If I can pass on anything about screenwriting, that single piece of knowledge would be it.

JP

And here it is... the first EVER poster for the first 24 hr Twitter Script:

The vote is in and the first ever script written in 24 hours over Twitter will be a horror. 

It was close... right up until the very last minute it was neck and neck between horror and romantic comedy. Such was the state of things I was contemplating writing a romantic horror comedy. In fact Lucy and I shared a few beers last night throwing ideas around about how to hit such a project. We got a few good ideas (some which will be now stored like a squirrels nuts for the winter) and a slew of bad ones (multiple Stella Artois - me - and red wines - Lucy) will do that.

Having said that, I have a doozy of an idea for the 24hr Twitter Script event. Bear in mind I am a huge fan of the sort of horror movies made in the 40's and 50's as well as Grindhouse exploitation films, so expect something along those lines mixed in with the kind of dialogue found in Kevin Smith or Tarantino flicks.I'm not saying I write as good as those guys... I just love naturalistic dialogue which appears to have no direct influence on the immediate story. Long blasts of why George Lucas is an interstellar whore or why Facebook is quickly becoming a community of intellectual retards might seem a stupid distraction but it adds character. At least I think so.

So expect B-movie staples galore, a few twists and a shit load of cursing.

To the beat sheet Batman!

I just got one of the biggest thrills this morning. (Get your minds out of the gutter - I didn't mean that!) When I started out on my screenwriting career I thought finishing a script was a huge accomplishment (which it is). Then when I registered with the WGA I thought that was a huge moment (which it was). And then when I started receiving requests from agents, managers and producers to read my script I nearly exploded.

But that all pales beside what happened this morning. 

There I was, happily working away on my third spec script, a romantic comedy called K.I.S.S, making sure page one was a great hook that made you salivate over what could possibly come next when there it was, that little ping! that signifies new email. A quick look and it was a message from Robert over at Vantis Pictures. 

The Rift is going from strength to strength. The website is nearly ready to launch (click the link below); CG tests are going well and the associate producer is breaking the script down into production chunks/needs. But what made me take a pause, what made me let out a very happy sigh was this:

My words are now storyboards for a film. People are working to bring to life the script that I wrote. Below is the logo design for the diner where the action of The Rift takes place.

That is truly a humbling moment as well as being a great firecracker up the ass to do it all again. To write a script that people want to make come alive. And that means writing. A lot. Then re-writing and re-writing and re-writing and... you get the picture.

Just seeing those rough sketches with all manner of technical details (crane down; blue gel; light CTB 560 - wtf?) and it all became real. I've stated elsewhere it's not about the money, it never has been. It's been about finding my place in this crazy world and seeing these storyboards justified the choices I've made. No amount of money could buy this feeling of achievement and self-worth.

Right now I feel damn proud of myself. 

For more details about the making of The Rift and Vantis Pictures: www.vantispictures.com

JP

 

This Friday I will be going to see one of the films that set me out onto the path of the screenwriter. This will be a real blast from the past, filled with nostalgic memories bitter-sweet yet still satisfying. You see, back in 1985 my father was a projectionist for a small cinema in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire UK. Two screens, a flea pit really., but it was where I was drawn into the movie world. Star Wars was the first film I ever saw, sat on a black swivel stool in the projection booth, my dad working behind me making sure that Luke got to blow the Death Star (not like that... dirty minded readers!). It was from that moment I knew (although it took another 32 years) I had to write movies.

And now, one of those moments has come back to the silver screen:

Back To The Future probably defined my childhood. From this movie alone I developed my love for Huey Lewis & The News, denim jeans/jackets; trainers; skateboards and Toyota trucks. After watching this movie I learnt how to play lead guitar. After watching this movie I grew fascinated with time travel (something to do with resetting your wristwatch and thinking really, REALLY hard¬!).

And it's back on the big screen this Friday (1 October 2010).

I also remember that it was one of the last films I ever saw with my father. He died not long after this came out. He was 42. I was 13. I'm now 38 (27 September -- thanks for remembering folks LOL) and feel the weight of time on my own shoulders. I know I'll have a tear or twelve in my eye when I watch this on Friday. The whole "what if I could change things" theme is very strong in my life right now. I still keep trying that damn wristwatch theory, but no luck yet. Yet.

A few years ago I entered a competition at work to write a treatment for a script. I sent this in and after a few months was told I hadn't won. It was a great script idea: a possible franchise based on an existing brand. Okay, it was a TV series from the Eighties but it could be HUGE if done right. And the script I had written was fucking amazing. It started with a bang and then never let the fuck up. There were character arcs, explosions, a bit of nudity. It had everything.

It was an R-rated version of another childhood classic of mine: The A-Team:

But I was told there was no place for such a concept. This from a cinema chain wanting to branch out into film production who has taken YEARS to get digital projection into their cinemas thus loosing out on increased revenue from 3D - but HEY, let's do stand up comics instead!

I digest...

Anyhoo... lo and behold, three years later and we get a revamped A-Team. I so wish I had the conviction THEN in the belief I have of myself NOW. I'd have sent the script out myself. Still, we live and learn.

Anyway, I have to say I am looking forward to seeing this when it hits DVD, loathe though I am to watch it kbnowing full well it could have been my vision written to GEORGE CLOONEY as Hannibal; JOHNNY DEPP as Face; JIM CARREY as Murdoch and VINGH RHAMES as B.A.

Seize the moment now. Write it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it some more, then send it out. Don't wait. Do It...

... but Keep It Simple.

JP

 

Here is a sneak peak at the cover design for the second part of my novella trilogy: The Magpie's Lament. Book One: blindsided is available now. Part Two: aftermath should be available for purchase towards the end of October with Part Three: deadlines & consequences due 2011.

To buy just check out the Buy My Novella page. Cheers.

JP

September 28th is important for two reasons. Firstly it's the day AFTER my birthday where I'll be in Nottingham spending some time with Lucy and hopefully not getting too drunk, but more importantly -- and the real reason for this post not just a blatant plug for said birthday (did I mention it's my 38th?) -- this is the day The House Of The Wolf Man is released on DVD over at Amazon.com.

I'm a massive fan of the horror films of the 30's and 40's and The House Of The Wolf Man pays great homage to this classic style. Even better it stars Ron Chaney. Great grandson of horror film legend Lon Chaney, the grandson of Lon Chaney Jr (the orignal Wolf Man), Ron carries on the family legend for great horror in this film by writer/director Eben McGarr.

"House Of The Wolf Man tells the story of Dr. Bela Reindhart (Chaney) and the five guests invited to his castle to see which one will inherit his estate. He has arranged for a competition of sorts, and the victor shall be determined through a process of elimination. But it quickly becomes apparent to the five unwitting visitors that danger lurks in every corner, and that the House Of The Wolf Man holds a secret that could drive anyone to insanity."

I remember watching those great Universal monster movies like The Mummy, Frankenstein and Dracula on tv, loving the atmosphere and creepiness the black and white films evoked. House Of The Wolf Man follows this tradition and is presented in glorious B&W, a very daring and ambitious stylistic choice in this age of 3-D and CGI abused films.

The film came out in 2009 and is now hitting the DVD shelves thanks to Amazon.com. Unfortunately it's not on release here in the UK (yet) but already I'm salivating at the idea of a new take on the Wolf Man story after the disappointment of the Benicio Del Toro/Anthony Hopkins debacle.

These press release pictures show hints at what's to come for our five brave souls in Dr Reindharts castle and it looks like they'll have more than a rampaging Wolf Man to deal with.

A launch party will be held on the 28th September by Taurus Entertainment and My Way Pictures in Hollywood with cast and crew attending as well as a six piece band performing in celebration of this event. Another reason why moving to LA is part of my own ten year plan -- I'm missing out on the good stuff!

So get ready to enter...

... The House Of The Wolf Man!

JP

It's taken a while but I finally found a few moments to write a short piece about my first experience as a paid, working screenwriter. Luckily for you I'm scrunched up in bed riddled with man-flu and after a quick peruse of the new White Dwarf magazine and while I wait for the kettle to boil for another coffee-cum-Lemsip, I thought I'd throw a few thoughts down about how I got involved in the project.

Starless Sky

You all know I love Twitter and if ever there was a perfect example of why, this is it. I was just chumming around one afternoon, readng Tweets, checking links out when I saw a RT (that's re-tweet for you Twitter virgins) from uber-pimp-angel JeanneVB. I can't remember it exactly but it ran along the line that someone was looking for a screenwriter to work on a project called Starless Sky. Never once thinking I'd get further than a cursory reply, I sent a DM (direct message) to the original sender, one Robert Kouba, then got on with sending out my own spec script Deadline.

Later that day I got a reply from Robert. We swapped some details then started an email conversation and found a joint passion for old style B-movies as well as their modern day equivalent. Robert then started to tell me his idea for a sci-fi short - roughly 30 mins. I'm not allowed to give away any story details yet (the film is currently in a very active pre-production phase) but the original idea is based on true life accounts. After we talked for a few hours (thanks to time delay between LA and UK email exchanges) we agreed I would go and write a basic story outline while Robert checked out some of my spec scripts to get a feel for how I write.

Research

It goes without saying that Robert is a huge fan of Roland Emmerich and that he wanted Starless Sky to have that kind of feel. So with that in mind I dug out ID4, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012. An afternoon of mayhem and destruction on a planetary scale ensued and as I watched I made a few notes about character, plot and structure. By the end of the world for the third time I felt ready to start on the story.

Outlining

Robert had already told me a rough idea of what he wanted. I took this and ran with it, my head still filled with Emmerichism's. I then sent this rough story beat outline to Robert and waited for his reply. I was stunned by his enthusiasm. He had read the sample of Deadline and Bubble-Butt and loved them both. He had lots of questions and another frenzied swapping of emails followed in which we hammered out the story, talked movies and his plans for the film. It was here that I now changed the title of the story, moving away from the vague Starless Sky to the more story specific: The Rift.

With a contract in place, remuneration agreed upon and a deadline set, I then started writing.

But, as the kettle has just boiled, that's a story for another time...

JP

October looms ahead like a dark storm on the horizon, threatening not a deluge of torrential rains (those are already here by the looks of things this morning) but a torrent of writing projects. I have but a few days to prepare myself for what looks to be some early morning/late night combo's, so I thought I'd share how I go about down-timing. A word of warning though: this has nothing to do with writing in any shape or form (well, maybe watching movies is still considered research). This is a true Gaming Geek moment. You have been warned.

Talisman Revised 4th Edition

Many moons ago I used to play this classic board game almost religiously, and now as I boost myself to overload on the new script idea a few rounds of fantasy gaming is an ideal past time. The game is a perfect blend of roll-a-die move mechanics with near role-playing capabilities as your character journeys 3 different realms of the board gaining strength, craft and gold/equipment till strong enough to battle for the Crown of Command and control the land. You can play a Warrior, Dwarf, Elf or any of fourteen characters, each with their own plastic miniature (which need painting). It's a great game perfect with a few friends and a few beers. As it can take some hours to play, and due to its simplistic rules it is also perfect for taking a break from writing to play a few turns then get back to it (just need to call Nick to ask what he wants his Druid to do).

Another great aspect is the painting of the miniatures. They are quite small but still detailed and look amazing once finished. Which leads me on to:

Warhammer Fantasy Battles

I mentioned elsewhere on this site about my connection to Games Workshop. I'm still working through painting the models that came with the new release of Island Of Blood. So far we have 10 Swordmasters of Hoeth and 20 Skaven Clanrats painted. I'm now working (slowly) on the High Elf Prince on Griffon. After being away from painting for several years I'm really pleased by the initial results and while not Golden Demon standard (I did warn you this post was for geeks!) they are perfectly acceptable to game with. I hope to get a better camera at some point and take some digital photos of my labours in the future.

Why are you telling us this shit? I hear you cry. Do you not want to get laid ever again, or are you having a meltdown? Truth is I'm really enjoying taking some time away from the writing. Don't get me wrong, I love writing scripts but I also have a passion for all things fantasy ("Yeah! You're living in a fantasy world!" - HA! Beat you to it Mr A!). Since reading Tolkien for the first time, then moving on to the Sword Of Shannara books by Terry Brooks, fantasy has always been a big part of my life. Finding Games Workshop and their world was a dream come true. Re-igniting that love has been fundamental in making sure I kept grounded, that I didn't lose myself in words and that I had a reason to poke my head up once in a while and see what else is going on.

And yet, it's still an outlet for creativity. Painting the models, playing the games (I also play Space Hulk). It's all creative and a great way to keep the imagination fresh and alive. I highly recommend it.

JP

 

 

 

It's been a hectic year so far, much more so than I'd ever imagined. A whirlwind of activity has left me feeling a little breathless to say the least. That old adage "Be careful what you wish for..." has proven to be fact rather than a convenient plot device. I wrote out a ten year career plan back in June 2009, to kick in January 2010. When I wrote it I always hoped it would take off; I never thought it would in such an amazing way.

The Writing:

So far in this first year of my screenwriting career I have written 2 spec scripts (Deadline and Bubble-Butt). Deadline has been registered with the Writers Guild of America, West and is currrently being read by several agents and production companies thanks to the pitching service of Virtual Pitchfest. I was hired by Vantis Pictures to write a short sci-fi script (The Rift) which was handed in on schedule and after only a few minor tweaks for budget reasons that too has been accepted and also registered. Filming starts in early 2011 and I have been invited to go to LA to be there for the production. I was also asked to write two online articles, one on my screenwriting plan (link above), the other on how social media has affected my fledgling screenwritng career.

The Website:

I also started this new website, mainly as a journal to chronicle my journey (highs and lows) but also as a way of connecting with those in a similar position as myself - the dream of being a working screenwriter. Maybe I could pass on some of what I learn (through success or failure - I expect a lot of the latter and hopefully a little of the former) and inspire others to give their dreams a shot. I thought a few people might take a glance now and then: I'm truly humbled by the response this site has received. Here's a few numbers:

• The site was launched August 1 2010
• Total Site Views: 5'035
• Total Page Views: 17'187

This is truly amazing and as I said, humbling. I hope to continue providing such content to keep you coming back. Thanks to all my faceless fans for your kind support. If I could make one suggestion: please feel free to add your comments to the posts. That way I know who you are and hopefully we can grow a small community of like minded souls here.

So as you can see, it's been busy and it's only September! I now find myself in that lull before the storm as I plan and prepare for what's to come. Here's a sneak peak at what's next for the remainder of 2010 as well as early 2011.

K.I.S.S

I'm mid-way through outlining my 3rd spec script. The working title is a reference to my number one rule (which is actually Rule #13 of my personal screenwritng rules) Keep It Simple, Stupid! and as it's a romantic comedy (with a difference) it ties in nicely. All I'll say for now is that K.I.S.S is a sort of Tarantino version of You've Got Mail. Or to put it another way, a romantic comedy. With serial killers. The rough draft will be finished October 20 which will be written longhand (and the subject of another article I have planned).

Bubble-Butt

My Grindhouse horror is undergoing a few final tweaks and will soon be registered with the WGA. Then I can start the pitching process, again thanks to VPF. I also hope to utilise the services of InkTip for both my scripts, registering them both for 6 months in the hopes a studio or producer will search them out.

Fantasy Novel

October is a very busy month as I start writing a fantasy novel that I've had bubbling in my head for some time. I wrote in another article about my rekindled passion for fantasy gaming thanks to Mantic and Games Workshop. I'm currently painting my way through the Warhammer Island Of Blood set (now working on the High Elf Prince on Griffon) and saving up for some of Mantic's new zombie models out soon. Anyway, all this has convinced me to write a novel which has been on the back burner for a few years. I dug my notes out of The Compost Heap (the big box which eats all the notes, half starts and forgotten projects) and started outlining. I have a rough structure, word count and list of characters. By the end of September this will be fleshed out enough to begin work October 1. 1500 words a day for 61 days and the first draft will be finished - fingers crossed!

It's been a great year so far. I've accomplished so much of what I wanted to do and this has opened a few doors I never expected. The main thing is I'm doing what I've always wanted to do and that is write. Each new article, blog post, script or even tweet teaches me a little more and helps me make another small step towards my dream of being a full time screenwriter.

As always... Keep It Simple!

JP

Before you say anything, I know I haven't posted in a while but I have a very good reason if not a note from my mum. These last ten days have been a blur of activity, with a lot of writing (The Rift script for Vantis Pictures), a lot of pitching (Deadline has now gone to an agent and a manager - still not 100% sure of the difference) interspersed with downtime consisting of painting fantasy miniatures (Skaven, High Elves, Undead), reading lots of books (Adventures In The Screentrade, Guilty Pleasures) and watching lots of movies (way too many to list here).

The Rift script was delivered on schedule and has now been WGA registered. Robert of Vantis Pictures is well into pre-production. As I wrote the script he kept sending me some rough vfx as well as creature designs - they look amazing. It certainly helped the writing knowing 'roughly' how he intended for the creatures to look. It meant I didn't waste time on action that wouldn't be accomplished with the design he had in mind. I'm really looking forward to seeing this short movie develop and have been invited to the shoot which begins in LA in 2011. I hope to be able to do this as I think seeing an actual shoot in progress and how my words on the page affect every decision during filmmaking would be a great benefit to developing my writing.

Deadline is starting to attract some attention. Using VPF, I've pitched agents, managers and producers and have had interest shown. The script is now being read and fingers crossed I'll be moving to a similar stage with my Bubble-Butt script soon.

A very busy and productive time. I've now started work on my 3rd spec script which I start writing 1 October. KISS is a romantic comedy with serial killers, a sort of Tarantino version of You've Got Mail. At least that's the idea -- it'll probably change when I start actually writing it.

JP

*WARNING: Cheese-factor set to 11 (that's one higher than 10)

Like an Ewok on Red Bull, I've been celebrating an amazing week where the stars aligned, the cards turned right and the dice fell spot perfect. What had seemed a dim hope at best (but a hope nevertheless) became reality on more than one front. Across my entire screenwriting career plan, more TO DO squares were coloured green. JOB DONE!

Here's what's been happening in the world of JP:

HIRED BY VANTIS PICTURES, INC.

Following a lead over my blue friend Maurice's wing span, I was pointed toward Robert Kouba director/producer over at Vantis Pictures, Inc a new film production company who were looking for a writer for their film. After swapping a few emails and a sacrificial offering on my part to the screenwriting god Eszterhas, I got the job. I am now nuts deep in a rough draft of a film I can only describe as Signs meets ID4. Robert has kindly given me permission to write about the whole project (set to shoot in June 2011 on the RED ONE camera) so expect updates periodically. The first pages have been accepted with much excitement and so a rough draft can be expected 13th September.

DEADLINE SCRIPT

This is now officially registered with the Writers Guild of America, West. #1455873 now has five years of legal protection. Not only that but it is about to be pitched to Industry Professionals thanks to Virtual Pitchfest. Over the course of the next week I'm going to be pouring over their lists of agents, producers and studios finding the best people to send it to, in the hopes of garnering a sale or at the very least a read.

SMWRITERS.COM ARTICLE

My good friend Jeanne V. Bowerman the same one who pointed me in the direction of Vantis Pictures, as well as introducing me to my soulmate (I think she might be my personal Genie) asked me to write an article about how social media is helping/hindering me in my dream of screenwriting professionally. I gladly accepted and then went and wrote a 12'000 word piece. She only wanted 1'000 words and so I broke it up into 3, like all good trilogies. Well, it wouldn't be a trilogy if it were two or four would it? Anyway, the first article: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA SAVED MY LIFE (and other wild claims) PART ONE: MAURICE seems to have gone down well. Don't think PART TWO: GETTING FACE-BOOKED will though as I basically rip apart what I hate about FB but why I still use it. PART THREE: GETTING BLOGGED is the Return Of The Jedi ending but without any drunken Ewoks.

WARHAMMER - A NEW AGE OF WAR

Many moons ago I not only worked for GW but was also a maniacal hobbyist. I am so pleased to say that I am back into the hobby and have just purchased the new box set Island Of Blood. All the models are assembled and Swordmasters Of Hoeth are the first to suffer my stale painting skills. With the addition of Mantic Games range of models large armies can now be quickly assembled. A new age of war indeed!

And that's been my week. Hectic, dizzying but amazing fun. I am so blessed to do what I love which is create, be it an article, a script or even simply painting some toy soldiers.

How's yours been?

JP

 

 

 

So here is the third and final part of my screenwriting rules. Part One and Part Two covered such topics as my writing schedule, The Four Line Rule and No Widows. As before this isn't a teaching type of article just me sharing a few parts of my own writing process. The majority of these 'rules' came about when I got down to the real heart of writing: re-writing. 

Rule #10: Always Have A Built In Sphincter

I think I also got this one from my screenwriting hero Joe Eszterhas. Every script needs an 'audience sympathetic' character, one that comes out and says the things the audience are thinking. They also provide a little comedy relief in the more tense scenes. Think the Robert Loggia character in Jagged Edge.

Rule #11: 4 Pages A Day

This ties back into my Writing Schedule Rule in Part One. 4 pages a day whether longhand or typed directly into the laptop, whichever way, those pages are done. This also means going through 4 pages of a written script and rewriting them. And rewriting them. And rewriting them again just to be sure. 4 pages isn't a lot to do, but again that doesn't mean they won't be hard to do some days, but by limiting to just 4 pages the creativity is focused sharp. Hopefully this means better content at the end of the day.

Rule #12: Every 12 Pages Have An Action Sequence

Babes with guns. Can't go wrong. Unless it's a piece set in Biblical Times. But that's not what I mean by this. In fact, this rule comes from Joel Silver. It was one of his rules and seems to have worked out okay for him. What this means is to have something happen every 12 pages, be it an action sequence in a thriller; a new kill in a horror; a comedy set piece in a comedy. Something bigger than life that makes your script stand out but ties in to the themes or adds some character depth. Not just a set-piece for the sake of it. Always have the story in mind when designing these moments.

Rule #13: Keep It Simple

This is without doubt the most important of all the rules. Oh, Rule #12 mght happen every 15 pages rather than 12; you might use 8 words to describe your bikini babe with an uzi in flagrant disregard for Rule #5. There might even be the odd 'and' dotted in the action. That's fine. That's okay. But the one rule you must never, EVER break is Rule #13. Keep It Simple. Apply this rule not only to your writing, but your career hopes. Apply Rule #13 to your homelife. Apply Rule #13 to everything and you'll be surprised by the results. I started using Rule #13 when I found myself floundering, wondering where I was going in life. That was a year ago. I'm now writing my third script. I've been hired (and PAID) to write a short sci-fi horror script for Vantis Pictures. Rule #13 has simplified my life, gotten rid of complications that I've put in my own way so I can now concentrate on what's important. In regards to writing, by keeping things simple you can then play around with the script a lot more. My new spec script is even called K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and like Bubble-Butt before it plays with a non-linear storyline. 'm only able to do this because I used Rule #13.

Rule #14: Synopsis = 500 Words MAX

Utilising Rule #13 here, the synopsis on your query letter/email needs to be short and punchy. To the point. My previous synopsis ran on and on, using way too many run-on sentences. I couldn't understand why no one was giving me any attention. Then Jamie Livingston gave me a few pointers and hey, presto: people started requesting reads. Here's the synopsis to my thriller script Deadline:

When obsession turns to murder, a wrter discovers the true meaning of fear. Deadline is a taut thriller that explores the theme of obsession as a motivator both positive and negative as people fight to achieve their dreams.

Best selling author Joe Pittman's marriage implodes just as an obsessed fan begins a terrifying campaign. When his agent is run down, Joe thinks it's just a case of hit and run, but when a friend is killed in another freak accident the Police start to think Joe is responsible. Those closest to him are being killed in the same way as characters in Pittman's first novel: agent, friend, employee... Family is next.

Some may say this isn't a full synopsis and I agree. It isn't. It's a brief hook to wet the appetite. There is a rule that a synopsis should tell the entire story. Luckily that's not one of my rules. You want to know how it ends, read the script. The whole script. But that's another whole bag of worms.

Those are my screenwriting rules and they seem to be working so far. (touch wood). Let me know what your rules are, what do you do different? What do you do the same? Leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading.

JP