Don’t just count pages

If you’re like most writers, setting goals to stay motivated in the face of other responsibilities, then I think it’s important that you count more than just pages.

The actual writing of the script might be the most important phase, but stalling out in the pre-writing phases might mean you never get to writing. Or if you do get to writing, you might become lost and abandon the project.

So, keep track of the pre-writing steps to stay motivated!

     1. Write down your concept

If you can turn it into a logline, that’s even better. Now, you can record – “wrote concept/logline.”

     2. Figure out what research will develop your idea

If you have an overview of all the research you’ll need, you won’t feel like you’re wasting time. You’ll know when enough is enough.

Research includes:

• Talking with or interviewing people
• Watching related movies or shows
• Reading articles and scripts.

Research should anchor your project’s relevance, accuracy, impact or marketability. Make sure you keep track of what you do. Some people generate notes.

     3. Plan your beats

Usually you’ll have a few ideas for moments that attracted you to the idea in the first place. Write them down.

I write mine on 3×5″ index cards and then stick them on a cork board, where I can rearrange them. Then, I keep track of how many I write each day.

For feature films, Blake Snyder suggests forty of these cards in his book, Save the Cat!. I usually try to overshoot this number and then refine. The scenes that don’t make it are opportunities to flesh out my characters.

     4. Outline your scenes

I move on to outlining when my board is covered and has some logic to it. Some people go straight into outlining. I find outlining is easy if I really iron things out in the planning phase. And writing is easy if I really iron things out in the outlining phase! Okay, not quite, but easier.

You can measure an outline by page count, but for many people, outlines fluctuate greatly in length. So, it might make more sense to count scenes and make sure you have all your important scenes outlined.

You can count a scene as outlined when it has a purpose to the storyline, conflict, and an emotional change in the characters.

Save the Cat! is a great resource for some of the tools I mention:

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Concept tunnel vision

Quarantine is a contained thriller where the concept is everything:

“A television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.”

Cool idea. It offers plenty of intrigue and creepy atmosphere (and at a reasonable cost). But as I watched it, I wondered:

Who are these people?

The characters are flat. I know what their jobs are, but that’s about it. There is a missed opportunity in building deeper connections, particularly between the protagonist (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris). Why do they never share their hopes, plans, or passions? The only character development is from calm to hysterical.

Additionally, the protagonist becomes less interesting and less active as the story progresses. At the start of the story, she’s cordial with mildly sexist firemen to try and get a better scoop. Then, when the crisis begins, she pushes back against authority to keep filming. But by the third act she is nondescript and reactive.

One of the strengths of a contained setting is it can drive character development. My favorite example of this is The Shining. Jack Nicholson’s descent into madness is driven by his containment.

Avoid concept tunnel vision by making sure your characters are interesting without your great concept. Then, make sure they galvanize as a result of your concept.

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