Countdown to FADE IN: Day 2

2 days from now, participants in Go On Your Own Quest are scheduled to move out of Prep and into Pages: In other words, type FADE IN.

Over on the GOYOQ forum [which is free and you are invited to join], some folks have been posting thoughts on what they have learned thus far during the Core and Prep parts of the process. This week as we count down the days to FADE IN, I’d like to share some of those observations with you.

Today: David Laudenslager

A few months ago I was inspired by the Go Into the Story with the 1,2,7,14 method. This led me to develop a horror screenplay called 13 Floors. I am finishing up that screenplay while I continue to develop my next story for GOYOQ. My story follows an atheist who starts working for a company that turns out to be run by Heaven. It is a horror/fantasy with a comedic tone.

I am so glad that something like this exists. I think one of the reasons I stopped writing was the lack of deadlines after graduating college and this might be just the thing I need.

Here’s how the Pages part of the GOYOQ process is structured: 10 weeks, 10 writing deadlines, 10–15 pages per week. You should target Monday as the start of your writing week and Sunday as the day you deliver your pages. Repeat each week for 10 weeks and voila: Your first draft. Done by December 30. Great way to end 2012.

By the way, the 8 writers with whom I am working in The Quest are following the same schedule. So if you believe in strength in numbers, between the positive energy of that group and your fellow GOYOQ participants, especially if you join the Forums, you should feel a swell of momentum to push you through this muscle draft.

2 days to FADE IN. Hollywood needs great stories. Here is your chance to write one.