Zero Draft Thirty Spring 2016 Challenge: 4 Days and Counting!

T-minus 4 days until the beginning of the Zero Draft Thirty Autumn 2016 Challenge. If you don’t know about the Challenge, you can go here to find out more. But the main thing is this:

If you are writing an initial draft of a story, align your mind with the idea that your fundamental goal is to get from FADE IN to FADE OUT. You are going to use that focus to shoo away your Voices Of Negativity which generally come in two flavors: Perfectionism and Procrastination.

Know going in, you will hear them. They are a natural part of the creative process. You can’t stop them from expressing their opinions. Their chatter sounds something like this:

Perfectionism: “Ooh, you’ve got that scene terribly wrong, you know that don’t you?”
Procrastination: “Besides why are you writing right now? I’m sure there are emails mounting up you really need to take care of.”
Perfectionism: “Yeah, best to do that because this story… honestly, it’s a real mess.”
Procrastination: “And remember, there’s that pint of Double Delight Chocolate ice cream you bought this morning waiting right there in the freezer! Let’s have a scoop or two, just take a break for a few minutes, shall we?”

And on and on. Their job, which they do quite well, is to distract us. But the Zero Draft approach introduces another P word into the mix: Productivity.

When we write a Zero Draft, we put a premium simply on producing pages. The quality of the writing is a secondary, even tertiary concern.

Embrace the tenet that by producing pages and getting from FADE IN to FADE OUT, you will go on a journey of discovery which will lead you to a much greater understanding of your story than when you began.

The pages themselves may — in your eyes re the actual quality of the word assemblage — read like a load of crap. But there are surprising aspects of your characters which emerge. Lines of dialogue which sing. Plot elements which come together rather nicely. And an overall sense of Beginning-Middle-End.

None of that there before you typed FADE IN. All of it there after you type FADE OUT.

So in preparation for the upcoming #ZD30SCRIPT Challenge, it’s time to have a conversation with your Voices Of Negativity!

Hey, Perfectionism… Procrastination… we gotta have a little chat.

Look, we’ve known each other a long time.

I admit there have been occasions when I’ve cursed you. Tried to squeeze you out of my mind. Other times when I’ve embraced you and indulged in creative slumber like a happy, slobbering sloth.

But next month, it’s Productivity time. That’s right, P-R-O-D-U-C-T-I-V-I-T-Y. I am subletting your space and you’re gonna go on a well-deserved vacation for 30 days.

Oh, I know you’ll Face Time me because, you know, you guys just gotta keep up the chatter. And I’ll answer. But don’t be surprised if I hang up very quickly and get right back to work.

You see, next month, it’s all about FADE IN to FADE OUT, “Once upon a time” to “And they lived happily ever after”. Nothing else matters. No knock on you particularly. Everything will take a back seat to my Zero Draft.

Wanted to be clear with you so we understand ourselves. And when you check in and see me hunched over my computer fingers tap-tap-tapping away? That’s what we call a writing scamper and I’ll be doing a lot of them next month. That’s right, actual sustained writing. No Internet. No social media. No distractions.

And because it’s a Zero Draft, Perfectionism, you have no sway over me. Because it’s a 30 day challenge, Procrastination, you got nothing on me either.

Oh, and Productivity will be making a few visits before Day 1, to do a bit of clean-up, so I hope you don’t mind the company.

Toodles!

Get psychologically tuned up for the Zero Draft Thirty Autumn 2016 Challenge! Put Perfectionism and Procrastination in their place. ‘Coz starting September 1, a whole bunch of us are gonna fall in love with Daily Page Count.

Call it The Seduction of Production!

September 1: Type FADE IN.
September 30: Type FADE OUT.

30 days. A first draft of an original screenplay. TV pilot. Or a rewrite of an existing script.

For background on the Zero Draft Thirty challenge, go here.

Don’t forget the Zero Draft Thirty Facebook group. A terrific collection of folks who post things every day, even when we’re not in a challenge.

So calling all Zeronauts, Outlaws, Scamperers, and Writing Warriors. Who’s up for pounding out a Zero Draft in September? LET’S DO THIS THING!

Hashtag: #ZD30SCRIPT.