Zero Draft Thirty: Day 6
Zero Draft Thirty: Day 6.
November 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning.
November 30: Type FADE OUT / The End.
30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever.
I’m doing it. You’re invited.
To learn everything you need to know about the ZDT Challenge, go here.
To download your very own Zero Draft Thirty calendars to track your progress, go here and here.
On Twitter, use this hashtag: #ZD30SCRIPT.
Facebook: Here.
Join the conversation for a chance to win The Trumbo Award!
Today’s Writing Quote
I reached out to several screenwriters whose scripts have been selected for the annual Black List, asking them this: What do you focus on when writing a first draft? Here are some thoughts from Julia Hart (2012 Black List):
I write a really thorough outline so that when I get to the first draft, I can let myself get lost. Getting lost is the most important part of writing the first draft. That’s how you make important discoveries. That’s how you prevent over thinking and over writing. That’s how you create. Start with an outline and then lose yourself in the writing. If you have a map of the forest, you can let yourself get lost and still make it back home.
Today’s Inspirational Video
Chuck Esterly, the guy featured in this video, is 89 years old. He is on stage. Attempting to do stand-up comedy. For. The. First. Time. In. His. Life.
And he crushes it.
I did stand-up comedy for 2 years just before I discovered screenwriting. In fact, the very first script I wrote was called “Stand Up”.
Let me tell you something. All of us will face a lot of stressful situations in the course of our lives. There is nothing that quite compares with standing alone in front of a crowd where the expectation is for YOU to make THEM laugh.
So if an 89 year old dude has the huevos to get on stage and put his raggedy ass on the line for all to see…
You can write the next word.
You can write the next sentence.
You can write the next paragraph.
You can write the next page.
You can write the next scene.
You can write the next 2 scenes.
You can write this script!
Chuck Esterly should be your Patron Saint of Courage. No matter what you fear, just conjure up the dude in the video above. Lean on his courage and willingness to venture forth into the unknown…
Then do that yourself!
If you have a writing quote appropriate for pounding out a zero draft, post to Comments, Twitter, or Facebook.
If you have a video to inspire or perhaps give us a laugh, post to Comments, Twitter, or Facebook.
But here’s the biggie: Head to Comments, Twitter, and Facebook to support each other!
How many pages did you write in the last 24 hours? Or if you’re prepping the story, what did you work on? How are you feeling about your story? Are you loving or hating your writing process? Did you have a good day or a bad day? Do you have any questions about your writing process? Ready to give a virtual hug… or maybe you need one.
Comments, Twitter, Facebook. That’s where the Zero Draft Thirty community gathers. Remember: Every day I’ll be handing out the coveted Trumbo Award to the best Comment, Tweet, Photoshop, anything you come up with to get our collective juices going.
And each day in November, I’ll be dishing out a special batch of ZDT-flavored creative juju for everyone who posts.
Nothing else to say. Just. Write.
Onward!
UPDATE: In celebration of Day 6, this!
Hey, nothing wrong with clutter as I attested with this blog post: Wherein I embrace my messy desk! If you’re like me and have a chaotic work space, there’s evidence suggesting that is a more creative environment than one in which everything is neatly buttoned up.
So as Miss Frizzle said in “The Magic School Bus”:
“Time to take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!
Maybe the best Zero Draft advice of all time!
Congratulations to Chad Davis for this Facebook post and winner of today’s Trumbo Award!
“There are not many roads. There is only one road, infinitely connected, like the grooves on an old record, endlessly leading away from home and back towards home at the same time. It’s all one long journey and traveling is just what we do to stay alive… It’s inevitable: the same gypsy voices that called you when you were a child, telling you to get on the bus, on the train, to move down the highway — Mahalia Jackson, Hank Williams, Ray Charles — hit the road, Jack! — thirty-five years later, these same voices now urge you to go back home. Don’t lose the plot, remember why you came.”
— Van Morrison
Take chances! Write messy!
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