What I’m Working On

So as it’s still the beginnings of the new year I thought I’d do a quick update on what I’m currently working on, and what I’m looking to do in the near future.

Recently I finished a new horror script that I’ve gotten proof read and am handing it out to a few people to read. I’m a little uncertain whether it’s finished yet (which means it isn’t) as there are still two scenes that I think I could do a little more with. Maybe just be a case of putting it to one side for a month then going back to it with fresh eyes as have worked close to non-stop on it the last several months.

Alongside this I’ve been working on a feature script that I’d love to direct myself, maybe next year. It’s definitely a simpler script than my previous, but also more dialogue based so a little more challenging for me. Have had this idea in my head a long time and completely failed at the first draft many years ago, but have since worked it out. Feels like my most personal script and definitely one that I would love to me my first directed feature. A long way to go with it yet, but it’s starting to take shape and is something that I will work at through-out the whole year.

That said I’m looking to have a little break from feature writing come February and work on a few shorts instead. One is very far along, the other just starting, but would like to create a bit of a slate for myself. Want to direct 2-3 shorts before I make the feature film as not only practice, and a showreel, but because I love the ideas and feel the need to make them. All three are slightly different but carry similar tones to the work I’m looking to do so in a perfect world (I Know) it will all come together nicely.

Have an idea for a web show of sorts that I’m working on with a friend as well but for the moment that’s more of a hobby. Will see what drafts I can get written in my spare time, or down time (Because I’m so addicted to writing that’s also how I spend my down time) and reassess it probably at the end of February.

So plenty of writing ahead over the next six weeks and beyond but progress is being made. Want to have another good crack at trying to sell a script in March and the proceeding months but for the moment I’m in writing mode.

Have learnt over the years that when I get into a rhythm of writing every day and feeling good about the work to not interrupt it and just keep it going as long as I can. There’s definitely other projects and things that I would love to give some attention too but now’s not the right time. For the moment it’s all about the writing and I will never have a problem with that.

Stephen

 

Can’t stop the Writing

So I tried to take a month off. Managed to last 2 days. Well 1 and a half. Then on went the MacBook, straight to final draft and the start of the third draft of my latest horror feature. Just can’t help it. Can’t switch off. And to be honest… That’s probably for the best.

I really wanted to switch off. More felt like I needed too after a long and difficult year, but guess I just can’t stop the writing, and nor should I. I’ve still managed to watch quite a few films these last few days in between my job job but my thoughts where never far away from writing.

Had idea’s swirling away in my head, was making notes on my phone for the next draft every spare few minutes I got. Was thinking about the structure of certain scenes on the way to and from work. All the normal stuff I do, while trying not to. Guess at this point it’s just instinctive and part of who I am.

So I’ve started the third draft. Although in truth it’s closer to the tenth. I’ve had this story in my head for years now and have reworked it plenty of times before I even typed the first word in the first draft so very much know what I want from it. Think that’s one of the reasons I can’t leave it alone at the moment. I feel like I can really crack on with this one and get it finished in relatively good time and ready to get it out there early to mid next year.

Have a lot of other ideas that I’m eager to move forward with but obviously away that I can’t rush a script. So instead of rushing it, it makes more sense to me to just carry on writing it when things are going well. Put in the time if I feel the quality is there, which at the moment I do. Having gone through  lean patch a few months ago it seems a waste not to attack my scripts when I’m feeling good about my writing. Kinda one of them situation when you have to cash in when things are going well because the last thing i want to do is take time off when I’m feeling good about my writing only to come back to it and find the moment has passed.

I’d still like to take it easier in December, I do need that rest, but think it will be more in the sense of not putting pressure on myself. Just consider that anything I do achieve this month is a bonus rather than any self-imposed deadlines that I normally live by. Still aiming to watch those 100 films despite not watching any today. On 12 so far as started a day early and watched loads on my day off. Finally caught Cool Hand Luke, a film I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t seen all of before, so least there’s that.

As always, just need to get the balance right.

Stephen.

 

Have 2 new reviews up on the channel this week I Saw the Movie

 

 

Computer Notes VS Pen and Paper

Started writing a new draft for a no budget script this week that I’d love to direct myself sometime in the future (Hopefully within next few years). This is the first script that I’ve ever fully written the notes for on my Mac rather than pen and paper and have to say I think the notes have gone well.

I finally decided to give Scrivener a try using their 30 day trail and found that I could organise myself well on it. I’ve always preferred pad and pen because I’m quite instinctive with notes and tend to write out plenty of streams of idea’s rather than anything to precise, but the problem always comes with matching notes up to older notes as the process moves along. Searching through hundreds of pages for one thing you wrote at some point isn’t the easiest but the pro’s have always out weighed the cons.

But as I think more and more about travelling, and as it gets harder to search through my wardrobe full of note pads and folders, I’ve come to the conclusion that like my photography its better to have everything on the computer and backed up via Dropbox and iCloud. That news article the other week of the writer rushing back into his burning home to save his novel could so easily be me. (Well, probably not, but why risk it).

For me Scrivener works nicely as it doesn’t fill to formal. I’ve always found it harder to delete sentences on the computer than rip out a page from my notepad (No idea why) but with this I can link together ideas and colour code things and it just seemed to flow. I doubt it’s for everyone but it suited my style of note writing well. Part of me still wants to just sit there with a notepad but it doesn’t feel practical. Like I’d have to just write them up afterwards anyway so why bother.

Every time I look at the 50 plus full folders in my cupboard I wonder how I’ll ever find what I’m looking for. I’d love to turn all them notes into PDF one day (Maybe when I can afford an assistant) but that’s just not happening anytime soon. The other day while looking for a photo for Viewbug I found what I was looking for in minutes despite the photo being 10 years old and It just occurred to me that the same should happen with my writing. I spent a few hours looking for some script notes not too long ago and it involved moving around and searching through about twenty folder. That’s just too much hassle now. Would rather just have folders on my computer and Dropbox.

So I think i’m going to stick with writing notes on the computer for my next idea after this one and see how it goes. This current script is a second draft from an idea that’s a few years old where my next one is a brand new idea from scratch. Will be interesting to see if it works the same way for me coming up with all the initial ideas and story beats and characters. Hopefully will be fine. I’d miss pen and paper but as long as I can match the quality of my previous notes it just makes sense to move forward and use the Mac and obviously is much easier for backing up and never having to run into a burning building.

Stephen

 

 

Scripts on the go

It seems I’ve had a few older ideas whirling away in the back of my brain for a while now as solutions for the problems in these scripts are bursting out my head at every opportunity. If I was a cartoon I’d have little epiphany lightbulbs circling me as I walk.

What this has led to is what I sorta, maybe, kinda, possibly promised myself I wouldn’t do and that is work on several scripts at once, again.

The upside of this has always been zero writers block in any form as I just move onto the next thing, but writers block hasn’t ever really been a problem. The other upside is suddenly I’ll have loads of finished work at once again which works better for me this time as I already have completed work I’m sending out so it’s not like I’m waiting around to finish.

The downside is I don’t sleep and I won’t probably have anything finished for a while. That and it will bug me that I have three scripts on the go at once again.

Luckily I don’t think it affects the quality of my work as it’s always been the way I’ve written. It’s more the fact that I was trying to be a one script at a time person like I know I can be with paid work.

Think I just have to many ideas in my head that I want down on the page. Nothing wrong with that especially now I have more time to write, is more that I was hoping to finish another script this year but that feels unlikely with three on the go.

Flip side to that is I’ll have 3 new finished scripts in the first half of next year.

Think I just need to accept that this is how I write spec.

Stephen

 

Never Switching Off

So i’m not sure if this is one of whose things that just affect me, or maybe just affect a few, or if it’s every writer (or every creative person) but my brain just doesn’t switch off.

Like ever.

I mean I can function and stuff, can get through the day and perform tasks and all but idea’s and notes are just always running through my head. The quality may vary, greatly at times, but they’re always there. Just ticking away.

And sleeping, that’s just a different beast altogether. It’s not so bad on average but if i’m writing an actual script, just doesn’t happen. At least doesn’t happen in a way that is really that worth while. Is part of the reason I work the way I do. I generally plan everything out in note form first, end up with hundred and hundreds of pages before I sit down to write the script.

That way I can bang out a draft in under two weeks and get some sleep at the end of it because during the writing time I just tend to wake up and write more notes or edit. Sleep is a distant non existent second.

Have literally woken up in the morning hazily with pages upon pages of notes sitting on my bed. IS that normal? I should probably look that up. Or see how many people comment back to me that it is in fact crazy… or the norm.

Personally I like that my brain works this way. Wouldn’t swap it but it is one of the reasons I don’t drive. Actually does worry me that i’d crash because i’m thinking about how best to create tension in a scene or deciding how to show my characters motive.

Have tried taking a few days off after being non stop for 6 weeks capitalising on a bit of a purple patch and in my days off i’ve written up notes for the next draft of a feature and edited a whole bunch of photo’s and taken a 1000 more. That’s currently my brain taking a rest. Again wouldn’t swap it but even trying to watch some dumb movies hasn’t overly helped because i’ve just worked on other stuff through them.

Maybe one day i’ll find peace in some silent forest somewhere or something but in all honesty i’ll probably still be working out new ways for my slasher character to hack someone up, at best i’ll be taking photo’s of the forest with my fried brain.

This is the life I want though. So know it will never change, I won’t allow it. But maybe one day off at some point wouldn’t be so bad for me…

 

Stephen

 

 

 

Managing a new Draft

Have given myself a bit more time with the first draft of my new feature script. For years I have tried to stick to the same format/structure of writing the script but this time have made a few tweaks.

Instead of the normal 10 days I give myself to write the draft after working on notes for a few months,and having several hundred pages worth, this time I’m giving myself about 16 days having spent less time on notes.

I’ve never been someone who can start with a blank page and spend a long time crafting the script because my brian simply doesn’t switch off when I’m writing the actual script, which in turn means even less sleep than I already have. I’ve always combated this by spending longer on notes and outlines and getting plenty of prep done before I turn on my Mac and start up final draft. 

However my last script I just felt that ten days was to short. That I rushed to get to the end knowing that I’ll sort it out when I write up notes for the next draft which kind of seems like double handling what is already a long process. I’ve decided to test my lack of sleep (and probably increase my coffee intake 🙂 ) by making the draft process longer and adding almost a week onto it.  Just feel that it will give me more time as I write to explore new ideas as I go, rather than simply transferring notes to script format.

The idea behind it is to end up with stronger drafts without driving myself crazy through lack of sleep, or my mind on 11 for to long.  I know the old way still works so can always go back to it ,but feel the older I get the better I can balance these things. That’s how it works right?

If not there’s always power naps. 😉

Stephen