Dead Words

We're two days away from Halloween, so dead words seem like a good topic.

Amazingly, I'd never heard of the term dead words until last week. I'd stopped by my friend Cindy's 4th grade class and she was showing me some of the things they were learning — cool stuff like character development and fictional narratives. Oh what I would have done to have a teacher like her in 4th grade!

Deleting Dead Words

Cindy pulled out a student's notebook to show me some examples and it fell open to a page on dead words — words that are used to death. The kids were learning to spot them and either eliminate them or find a better substitute.

Very is Very Bad

Until that moment I only knew of one dead word — very. On July 4, 1982 (I can't believe I remember the date) another friend, Monica, was home from her first year at college and telling me what it was like. I'm sure she recounted all kinds of tales, but the only thing I remember is that they told her not to use the word "very". So, for the past 27 years I've been paranoid about using that word. Now I find out there are all kinds of words I should have been paranoid about using.

You're probably saying, "Are you nuts? Every one knows this!" But somehow I missed Dead Words 101. So for any of you others who also missed the class, here's the list. Just click.

DEAD WORDS

I can't help but notice that my word "very" has a lot of (oops, "a lot" is also dead, I've got to remember to use "many") alternatives. I can now use: extremely, exceedingly, fantastically, unusually, incredibly, intensely, truly, fully, especially, shockingly, bitterly, immeasurable, infinitely, severely, surely, mightily, powerfully, chiefly.

The scary part is that I see I've used at least a dozen dead words in this blog alone. Yikes!!

A big thank you to Cindy Greetham's 4th grade class for making me rethink my corpse-like words.

Happy Halloween!

Write Something REALLY Cool

"What should we be writing about?"

Writers inevitably asked this of agents, publishers, producers, managers, etc. We don't want to waste our time. We want to be writing stories that will sell and audiences will flock to.

What floors me is that most agents, publishers, producers, managers, etc. have an answer.

At a recent NWSG meeting, a producer said about scripts, "Just look at what's selling. That should give you an idea of what we're looking for." (And we were to gather, that was what we should be writing about.)

I disagree!

The producer's answer has been bugging me ever since I heard it. Those words are of no help — especially for a writer who is setting out to write a story.

Say it takes a year for you to write your story. If you're lucky and someone likes it, it could take another year to sell it. Then you've got to produce and/or publish the story.

More helpful, would have been the advice from an agent at this year Pacific NW Writer's Conference, "I'm looking for wonderful character-driven stories with a high concept plot." This may sound vague, but it's great, honest advice.

Taking a project from concept to product can take literally years, and there is NO way to know what is going to be in vogue then. The only thing you can probably bank on is that whatever is popular today will probably be old hat by then. People constantly want something different.

Keeping Tabs on the Market

You should definitely keep track of what's being purchased. It can save you some wasted time.

I was about three-quarters of the way through a spec script on a giant elf when I checked the trades and saw ELF with Will Ferrell had just gone into production. I moved on to another project, but gave myself points for at least coming up with a marketable idea.

You Decide

So what should writers write about? Whatever we decide to write about! We're the storytellers.

I truly believe that producers, agents, publishers, and mangers, just want to be blown out of the water.

You've heard agents say, "When I read it, I knew I had a winner." In other words, I never would have conceived of the story, but now that I've read it, I want to market it.

Blowing Them Away

What blows industry folks out of the water? Your imagination, creativity and talent!

Like us, and every other reader and movie goer, the industry wants to experience something original, fresh, compelling, moving . . . you fill in the adjective.

That doesn't mean recreating the wheel. Heck, I would have thought after Anne Rice, vampires had pretty much been done to to death . . . then comes Twilight and True Blood and we're off to the races again.

Choose Wisely

Pick the story that you are passionate about. One that keeps you up at night. Whose characters that speak to you and are more real than your Aunt Marie. If we tell the stories that resonate with us, they are likely to resonate with others.

It's hard enough to write a novel or script or nonfiction book. You don't want to get to the end of the project and if (god forbid) it didn't sell, say, "Man, I wasted a whole year on this!?"

We are the storytellers. We don't need to ask what to write, we need to write what needs to be told — and tell our stories like no one else has told them before.

Despite what they say, the industry will know a great story when it sees it.

Teleplay versus Screenplay

Feeling a little dumb today. I was working on a statement to demonstrate to the WGA that more than 50% of the final shooting script was mine. (This statement is required for them to determine if you will receive sole or shared writing credit on your script.)

It turns out that although that's what's needed for a screenplay, I had written a teleplay — a script used for a cable movie. And, it turns out that the rules for teleplays are completely different.

You Share Credit if . . .

In short, you will share credit on a teleplay if there is a substantial change in just ONE of the following:

• dramatic construction

• original & different scenes

• characterization or character relationships, or

• dialogue

How do they determine "substantial"? It's very scientific — it's whatever the panels deems substantial.

I spent yesterday bummed out. I didn't think I'd have any problem showing that overall the script was more mine than the other writers' versions. But showing that they hadn't substantially changed the dialogue? That would be close to impossible.

Getting On With It

This whole week has been a downer — trying to figure out rules, working on statements and worrying about credits and residuals. I understand that this isn't a hobby, it's a career and it's all part of the business. But talk about a piece of the career that sucks the creative forces.

Got up this morning at dawn, grabbed my journal and started writing. Spent an hour forgetting about percentages and WGA arbitrations, and writing about the pouring rain and the soggy Northwest.

I wrote about how rain washed away everything when you're young. About how much fun it was to splash in puddles and float things down overflowing ditches. And about how many stories I created running with my dogs through the valley where I grew up, hoping I'd find some treasure that had washed up in the flooding creek.

That's all it took. I'm no longer bummed. I'm ready to write. My muse was just waiting for me to get done with the paperwork and come out and play in the rain.

Hope you write some wonderful stuff today.

Getting Your Screen Credit

I'd heard about writers having their screen credits arbitrated by the WGA. I imagined it was a last resort between writers and producers, complete with huge drama and big dollars hanging in the balance.

No Drama or Dollars

Now that I challenged my shared credit and started the process to have it reviewed by the WGA, I find out my expectations were WAY off. First of all, there was zero drama. A producer sent around a notice of how they intended to post the credits and I could agree or disagree.

I called the WGA to find out how to contest. A woman there said, "It's easy. Just email me and tell me you want full credit and we'll get the process started." It was all very common place for everyone but me, who was stressing like crazy.

And as far as the big dollars . . . I wish. I know writers where getting sole credit instead of shared credit has meant the difference between receiving residuals in the amount of $500,000 and $250,000, but unfortunately that's not my scenario. If I get enough money down the road to pay for car tabs, I'll be smiling big.

Getting it Right

I just want to get it right. I read the final shooting script and more than 50% of my original script is still there. I'd like full credit, in part because it seems like it may make getting future assignments easier, but mostly because it just seems fair.

Of course, now I'm stressing because I'm going to have to put together writer's statement explaining why I think I deserve full credit. When I asked the woman at the WGA how detailed these statements are, she said she's read anything from two lines to 15 pages. Her advice, "15 pages seems a little long, but some writers are wordy".

I'm sure once I write the statement and turn it in, it will be less eventful than I'm imagining. I'll get a form letter that reads "Received", or something equally as exciting, and all this sweat will be for nothing.

Until then, I've decided that this imagined stress is an excellent reason to go out and buy a nice bottle of wine to sooth my nerves.

Hone That First Paragraph

I'm not sure if you follow Nathan Bransford's blog. If you don't, you should check it out.

Nathan is a literary agent and does some seriously interesting stuff in his blog. For example, last week he hosted a contest for the best opening paragraph to a novel.

The winner

The winner of the contest was Travis Erwin, with:

Coming-of-age stories are often fraught with symbolism, hidden metaphors, and a heaping mound of other literary devices. Not this one. I came of age while working at a dusty, Texas feedstore. A place where To Kill a Mockingbird involved a twelve-year-old and a BB gun. Of Mice and Men was a problem easily solved with rat poison. And David Copperfield was nothing more than a dude that made shit disappear.

What's more interesting and inspiring than Travis's great first paragraph is Nathan's commentary on what went through his head while he was making his decision on the winner. This is a "must read" blog to see what agents, among others, look for in an opening paragraph.

What the opening needs

In short, Nathan believes the first paragraph needs to:

• establish the tone/voice

• get the reader into the flow of the book

• establish a trust between author and reader.

That may seem like a lot for one paragraph to accomplish, but take a look at finalists in this contest. You'll see it's absolutely attainable.

Scripts too

If you're a screenwriter, you might not think this would apply to you, but give the blog a read. Storytelling is storytelling, and that opening scene of a movie also needs to set a tone, bring the audience in and establish trust in the storyteller.

If anything else, after reading this blog you'll have a whole new appreciation for opening paragraphs.

10 Tips to Staying Motivated

Writing isn't a team sport. Other writers don't come up — like athletes — slap us on the butt and say, "Way to go!" (Which is probably a good thing.) We are in charge of keeping ourselves motivated.

Since I've been writing for quite a while, I have come up with quite a few ways to keep myself motivated. Here are my top 10.

1. Read something inspirational each day. Today's was "When you lead a big, full life, it's idiotic to think that your missteps are gonna be small. And to me that's a risk worth taking." Oprah Winfrey.

2. Try something new. What you learn can both improve your stories and inspire you. I'm taking a bookmaking class, which at the very least is demonstrating how much better I am at writing than bookmaking.

3. Celebrate every step. My motto has always been "Don't waste good excitement". Heck, five rejection letters are worth a celebration — that means you're marketing and getting your stuff out there.

4. Keep a journal of all the positive steps you've made. Read it over when you're down. My writer's group kept one of these. It was pretty amazing to see what progress we'd made over the years.

5. Find someplace fun to write. Sure, you can take your laptop to a coffee shop, but what about taking your paper and pen to the beach, a little bed and breakfast, or a nice spot in the woods?

6. Do what research you can do in person versus over the internet. Talk to people, get out and check out new locations. It's fun!

7. Surround yourself with enthusiastic people that want to see you succeed. Don't limit yourself to a writers group.

8. Visualize your success and don't worry about the failures. I read that athletes who visualize perfect performances also improved their performances. So start thinking of cool stuff.

9. Teach. Giving back and tapping into the excitement of others does wonders for the psyche.

10. Read fabulous works. You not only find inspiration, but you can get an good education at the same time.

Wow, this was kind of inspiring just writing this. I'm off to my story.

di

Will I Get Credit?

When you write a script you have this fantasy — the fabulous story you're writing will appear on screen with your name alongside the Written By credit.

This may actually happen to some writers, but I haven't met any of them yet. The reality is, you write the script, you rewrite the script based on notes, others are likely to also rewrite the script, and if you're lucky it gets shot (where more changes are made), and when it shows on a screen you, along with others, get writing credit.

Reality Bites

Today got a statement from producers, which shows me who all rewrote my script and who of those will get credit. I also got the dubious pleasure of reading the final shooting script to see if I think more that 50% of my original script is still in there.

For those of you who aren't familiar with how credits are given, here's the abbreviated version. If a writer rewrites more than 50% of your script, then you share credit with them. If they write more than 75-80% (you'd have to check with WGA for the specifics) then you get "story by" and they get the credit.

It's Fair

You may say, "Oh my God, that's not fair! The original writer should get the credit." But actually, it's really fair. If someone asked me to rewrite a script — and it's a lot of work — and over half the material up there was mine, I'd want credit.

The problem arises when you try to figure out what constitutes 50%. 50% of the scenes? 50% of the words? 50% of the story in general?

All I can say is, THANK GOD, the WGA figures that stuff out, because after reading the final shooting script all I can say is "My objectivity is shot!" In some ways I think it's exactly like my script, just a different hue, and at times I'm thinking "What the heck is this?"

What to do?

I'm glad I'm onto other scripts and detached somewhat from this story. Otherwise, I'd be a basket case.

It would be nice if writing scripts was like the fantasy, but it's not. It's a business and a collaborative process. Unless you also produce and direct the movie, you won't have control of your creative work.

If you have to have that control, you might look into writing novels.

You're Getting Better All the Time

With each script, book, essay or short story we improve. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell when you’re knee deep in words and working on character motivation.

Also, we’re hardly objective about our writing. When we look at it, we tend to see the blemishes versus the brilliance. But you just have to have faith. You are constantly evolving and improving. Like the Beatles song, Getting Better . . . it’s getting better all the time!

Finding Proof

You say you need proof? Well, you could ask your friends and other writers, but even if they told you your work was improving, you probably wouldn’t believe them.

I look to other artists work.

My husband, for example, started making these rather simple totem dolls that over the past few years have evolved into much more complex sculptures. Each work builds on the next and it’s motivates me to see the gradual transformation.

My artist friend down the street, Sharman Owings, paints a small painting each day. Each day she just keeps getting better and better. Watching her paintings evolve is truly inspiring and lets me know the same things are taking place in my work, even if I can’t see it as easily.

We’re Getting Better

It might be hard to see, but have faith. With each new work you’re gaining more insight and skills. Trust me . . . We’re Getting Better All the Time!

I Mud Wrestler for my Writing

At 16, I read that "the average age of a published writer is 35". That line changed my life.

I was horrified. Thirty-five was a lifetime away — 20 years!! I would be a old lady by then. I didn't doubt that you needed maturity and life experiences to write well, but 20 years of it?!

The Plan

In my panic-induced state, I struck out on a plan. I would double up my experiences. By the time I was 26, I would have as many life experiences as your avery 36-year-old — peeling 10 years off the writer's timetable.

The only rule was that the experiences had to be legal. The article didn't mention anything about "the average published writer has spent time in prison."

And so began the journey.

Weird Stuff I've Done for Writing

Flash forward 30 years. I've got a truckload of experiences under my belt. Some are bit weirder than others — like mud wrestling.

Some years back, I heard there would be competitive mud wrestling at the Puyallup Fair. I'd seen John Candy in Stripes. I signed up immediately. How many chances like this come around?

If I had known that the first thing they have you do is stand on an enormous scale to be publicly weighed in, I may have reconsidered. But I was already there. I stepped up, got my weight and my official mud wrestling T-shirt.

Turns out you have to wear a T-shirt over your bathing suit because the mud is more like axel grease than mud. Because it's slick, you're natural response is to grab your opponents suit, which has a good chance of coming off under the strain. Since this is was family event, they didn't want any youngsters seeing exposed parts — although I could tell from the audience's reaction that a good number had come for just that possibility.

The Line Up

The officials pulled names from a hat at to see who we would wrestle first. I was in the lightest of the three weight groups and my opponents looked pretty wimpy. I felt extremely confident I had a chance at the $25.00 grand prize.

Then came the last-minute contestant — a 110-pound woman that looked like she just got off a Harley Davidson. She was decked out in leather and looked like she could bench press her equally tough-looking boyfriend. I knew instantly I would draw her name, and I did.

On the bright side, I made it all three rounds without being pinned. I still feel bad about ripping her expensive, black leather halter. But it was her fault. She wouldn't wear the official T-shirt.

Afterwards they hosed us off in the cow barn. (That water is COLD!! How do cows stand it?) And I had another life experience to add to my resume.

The Moral of my Story

Did I get published at 26? No. I started publishing regularly in magazines at about 35. Right on schedule.

Am I sorry I started my odyssey. No way. It was the best panic-driven decision I've ever made. I'm still racking up experiences and my stories are benefiting because of them.

Please tell me I'm not alone!

di

The Informant - Was it Just me?

Have you seen The Informant?

Was it just me, or was there something a little "off" with that movie? Both my husband and I left the theater feeling less than enthusiastic about the flick and wondering why.

Gotta find the answer

Not knowing what's wrong with a movie is like having a itch I can't scratch. There's no relief until I can figure out what the problem is. I get panicky, thinking, "What if I can't pinpoint it? I'll make the same mistake myself!"

Luckily, I have a husband who puts up with my obsessive nature. Over lunch at The Kettle (home of the biggest and best breakfasts ever) we hash it out.

The issue with the Informant we decided was that we never really got into the character. We never knew his true motivations and why he's doing what he was doing. Was he (a) greedy, (b) screwed up or (c) both?

Not knowing "why" the guy acted how he did, I'm left wondering, "What's the point of the movie? I should have waited for Netflix. Dang, and I spent a mint for that popcorn with extra butter."

The fix

Chris and I decided it would have been better if it had been more Catch Me If You Can, where we understood the young guy's motivations were based in something good and we rooted for him even though he was doing some pretty illegal stuff.

Or more like Fargo, where the Bill Macy character is doing illegal stuff and although we're not rooting for him, we completely understand his motivations and are riveted as we watch the story unfold.

Lesson Learned

I feel much better having my answer. From this point forward I must craft my stories so that the audience can relate to my character(s) motivations. If not, the audience will leave unsatisfied.

They will also probably want me to refund them for the popcorn.

A Walk in the Garden, aka Story Development

People tell me, "Your garden looks great." I respond, "It's all in the fertilizer," but really it has more to do with story development.

While I'm out weeding, pruning, watering and fertilizing, I'm working on the scenes, plot points and characters.

Stepping in to the Garden

I can literally step into the garden and an hour later step back out unable to remember what I did because I was working on the story.

Yesterday, I was out with a new character — a successful underwear model named Michael — trying to find out why he's so set on becoming an actor.

After talking to him (thank god no one can see me garden except for my husband), I found out that he's been serious about acting since he was in high school. It was while he was in L.A. trying to break in that he did this underwear commercial. How could he know that he'd become an overnight sensation.

Today he's splashed on billboards across the company, famous for his tight buns, and avoided like then plague when it comes to serious acting roles. Everyone sees the Underwear Guy as a joke. He's depressed and wants a real acting roll in WORST way and will do just about anything.

All this information while I was cutting back the dahlias and pruning and weeding the herb garden. I consider it successful multitasking.

No Sharp Instruments

Maybe other writers are different, but I think everyone needs that place they go for inspiration and creative freedom. That place they feel free to wander around with their characters or play around with story ideas. It can be anything from long walks to doing chores.

However, I do recommend avoiding story work while you've got sharp instruments in your hands. I've pruned my fingers and fallen off more ladders than I care to admit.

OK, back to writing.

Saying Good Bye to Characters

Just got the shooting script of Growing the Big One. For the first time I got to read the changes made to my script since I handed it over. I think I might need a stiff drink or two.

I've been a professional writer for over a decade — writing for a variety of magazines and companies. I know the client writing the check has the final say, so it's dangerous to attach your ego to words that can be (and often are) drastically altered.

I pride myself on being able to shrug off edits with the best of them — it's just part of the business of commercial writing. So why can't I shrug off these edits as easily?

But it's my story

I've always known screenwriting is commercial writing. It's just that this time the client is a studio and/or producer paying me instead of a publisher or corporation.

I knew while I was writing that first draft that if I was profoundly lucky and someone picked up my story, it would lead to story edits.

So, again, why can't I shrug off these edits as easily?

Saying Good-bye

This may sound odd, but I think it's because I had to say good-bye to some people I cared about. Several of the characters I had crafted, loved and lived with for months as I wrote disappeared or were combined with other characters. It's like having someone you're close to vanish into thin air.

I've listened to other writers lament over the changes made to their stories and how their characters have been destroyed. I feel for their pain, but although edits aren't the easiest thing to read, I'm not quite as worked up as some.

Saying Hello

Why? Because I'm a writer! I can write another story and I can populate it with characters I've lost.

Oh sure, they may have a different hair color, be a little older or younger, or hold a different job, but I'll know who they are. They're my buddies — characters too good to be deleted.

We writers may not have the final say when it comes to editing, but we definitely have the power to resurrect.