I know you won’t learn a lot from me in the process, other than to observe my mistakes (and hopefully a few successes along the way). That’s why I’m not going it alone. My updates will be accompanied by an ongoing interview series with produced screenwriter Xandy Sussan.

You might remember Xandy from her past interview here on getting started in screenwriting or the recent announcement about her (and Merrel Davis‘) Double Feature Story Analysis service. She’ll be answering one or two interview questions for each update I post here about my progress with the screenplay — on idea generation, screenwriting research, outlining, drafting, etc.

Let’s get to it!

From Scaredy-cat to Screenwriter?

This isn’t the first time I’ve wanted to pursue a screenplay. I outlined my first novel back in 2004. I shelved it because when I finished those 70+ pages of outline material, I really felt the story would be better suited for a screenplay (after trimming some of the fat). Then when I was doing the other two novel outlines for readers to follow along with, I had more ideas for pursuing that outline as a novel again. So it’s still shelved until I decide what to do with it format-wise.

Fortunately that wasn’t the only screenplay idea that I had, and I really didn’t have to look far for one. Back in 2008 a friend renewed my passion for the horror genre. I loved it in my younger years, and then became the biggest coward about watching and reading horror for some reason (says the girl who was reading Stephen King by 10 — don’t ask me what my mother was thinking, or if she even knew, but I’m still terrified of clowns thanks to both the print and film versions of IT).

So I knew immediately that I wanted to write a screenplay in the horror genre. The idea seemed so obvious. There was this local legend in my college town. My ex-fiance told me about it (he grew up there). I got tired of hearing about the bullshit stories pretty quickly. You know the type — juvenile males daring each other to do stupid things and thinking it’s going to impress a girl. Yeah. Not so much.

Then a few months back I was reading a book with some area legends and lore, and that story was in it — with more detail than the ex’s version. The story suddenly became fascinating, not because I believed the essence of the tale, but because it turns out there’s possibly some factual back story that led to the legend. That’s what caught my interest.

I wish I could tell you about the specific idea, but I’m not going to. I’ve come across quite a lot of people online openly itching for this story to be turned into a movie, and sharing the overall idea as well as my fictional take on it would defeat the purpose of writing it myself. Besides, I can be pretty damn slow with these types of projects due to other commitments, so the last thing I’d want to do is hand over the idea to others to have them pursue it first.

What’s even better is that I’m reasonably close with a professor at my old college who I worked for at the time. He’ll be able to shed light on one aspect of the town like no other, and when we get to the in-depth research portion of the project and I’m ready to make a trip out there, I’m hoping to get him on a road trip to check out some elements of the story and educate me along the way. We’ll see.

So anyway, that’s the gist of what my screenplay is about — it’s a horror story based on a local legend. I’ll tell you a little bit more when we get to the research phase so you can understand what I’m actually out there doing.

In the meantime here’s some information from Xandy Sussan on screenplay ideas!

Xandy Sussan on Screenwriting Ideas

Where do you get most of your screenplay ideas, and how do your organize them?

I mostly get them from real life. I’m a professional eavesdropper and all-around-nosey-body. I love people and their stories and I always want to know everything about everybody ever. With that comes the unprecedented access to the best stories around. Strangers love to hijack me and confess their darkest sins to me in between the Sharpies and the Uniballs in Staples, in the grocery store, at the doctor’s office. I listen, I remember and I mull over for later.

If you had to choose 2-3 story elements / factors that tell you an idea is appropriate for a screenplay (as opposed to another medium like a book), what would they be?

What tells you that a story is ready for the screen? If a client came to me with a script filled with pages and pages of novelized text and internal thought, you probably have a novel not a screenplay. Novels allow for a deeper exploration of feelings, ideas and inner monologue that has absolutely no room in screenwriting. Screenwriting is a utilitarian pursuit. A script is a literal step-by-step of what to do to make art. Also, novels and most film are finite stories. They take place during a specific time period (even if it spans 100 years) and they have a beginning, middle and end. A television series is open ended. It requires something producers refer to as “legs;” basically meaning, can the show, under certain parameters, maintain it’s exciting adventures week after week with little forward movement? So, those are the things I immediately look for. Otherwise, the difference between a novel and a movie is really the visual component.

I don’t have an exact frequency set for this series. I’ll update as I move from one area to the next. The next post will cover research, and that will depend on when I can schedule in a research trip.

I know not everyone here is interested in screenplays, or novels, or other writing formats. But I hope you’ll bear with us and enjoy this series as it progresses. While we specialize in freelance writing here, we want to encourage writers to pursue their own projects as well — as additional revenue streams, or even just to flex your creative muscles once in a while.

In that spirit, I’ll again put myself on display whether that means succeeding in the project or making a complete fool of myself. We’re all new at something at one time or another, and these kinds of experiments are precisely why I never forget what that newness feels like. And that’s why I’m able to push you to do more and be better in your career — because I’m willing to do it right alongside you.

If I fail, that’s okay too. We’re not all cut out for everything. And worst case? Maybe you’ll get a laugh out of it — and any excuse for a laugh is a good one. :)

During one of our email exchanges she mentioned a special “Double Feature” service she would be offering with fellow screenwriter Merrel Davis. Merrel sent over all of the details and he and Xandy took some time to answer my questions. Today I want to share information about this service with you — a story analysis service for both screenwriters and novelists. (Note: I’m not an affiliate or compensated in any way since I know some people worry about that — this just a solid recommendation from me to you.)

Background on the Story Analysis Service

There are actually four services available where you can hire Xandy and Merrel as a team: coverage, development, rewriting, and ghostwriting. The latter two would be more applicable for clients who aren’t professional writers in their own right — which you are — so we’ll focus on the first two.

Coverage / Story Analysis — This service gets you two simultaneous reads of your manuscript, with two coverage reports and a “head to head” report (to give you “a clear apple to apples comparison of both readers’ comments,” as Merrel put it).  You also get a 1 hour phone consultation with both Xandy and Merrel. Between now and May 15th this service is just $300 ($450 after that).

Development Package — The development package is tailored to writers who want a little more help and feedback along the way. This package includes a first read from each reader, a second read and set of notes on your work from both of them, and a third read with notes before the final two coverage reports. You also get five hours of phone (or Skype) consultations to help you develop your story. This Double Feature service is $2000 until May 15th (and $2700 after that).

Check out Xandy’s sample coverage reports for a better idea of what the final cover reports will look like.

Why Hire Professionals for Story Analysis?

Look. Many writers don’t like criticism, but constructive critiques can be vital to a creative professional’s success. The longer the work, the more important I think this becomes (it’s much easier to lose consistency in a novel than a 300 word blog post for example). I asked Xandy and Merrel to share their own thoughts on constructive criticism and why it’s worth hiring people to provide it.

Merrel: It’s important to get an unbiased perspective on your work. When I first started writing, I relied on close family members and non-writer friends to provide me what turned out to be some pretty bunk advice. Family and friends are well meaning; they may offer you platitudes about how “good” your work is. And while it can be helpful for motivation, it is essential to get unbiased notes from someone who hasn’t diapered you.

Xandy: Story analysts are like personal trainers. We’re here to help you achieve your goals for yourself. It’s really the only way to assess where you are and figure out a plan to get you there. Think of it a bit like weight watchers.

Why Hire Two Professionals for Story Analysis (at the Same Time)?

Why you should consider professional story analysis seems simple enough — unbiased feedback could make your final project suck significantly less because it helps you catch potential problems early. But why hire two readers at once? I put it to the pros again:

Xandy: How many times will you get to have two professional, produced screenwriters and story analysts battling it out over your story? That’s the best way to get that big idea. Think of it like your own mini writer’s room. It’s a little smokey, pencils are stuck to the ceiling, but it’s the essence of hashing out a story delivered to you. It becomes organic. You have more than one person to bounce jokes off of; to spark ideas, develop plot lines, and keep track of the details. The better the ideas are, the better your project turns out. Often times, our clients will reconcile our differing opinions – finding a happy medium between us both.

Merrel: We are most valuable to you as a team, so we pass that value onto you. It’s cheaper to book us together than separately. Think of it like going to a doctor and getting a second opinion on the spot, but you didn’t have to make another visit. When we piloted this program last month, our guinea pig writer was super surprised how intimate the entire process was. They were able to reconcile and decide, from both of our notes, what worked for them.

Which Service is Right for a First-Time Novelist?

I could be way off base, but I’d guess we have more aspiring novelists than screenwriters as regular readers here. So I wanted to know what the dynamic duo would suggest for someone in those shoes:

Merrel: First time novelists should do the development package for sure. A first time novelist will most likely have NO outline, and 200 pages of written material that’s unusable. It’s a common problem among first timers to charge into battle with no gear on. The development package allows us to begin our “Rocky training montage” where we whip writers into shape, in fast cuts, to Eye of the Tiger. For me, the development stage is so important, because a lot of first timers have great ideas but aren’t totally clear on how to best present them. They have a notion, and often make the mistake of going too big, and trying to jam in too much. The development option allows them to organize their thoughts, and get an outline done, early so they are on track for the first revision.

Xandy: All levels of writers come to us. For those more accustomed to the novel or script writing process, coverage is the way to go. It’s a good way to get a story checkup, figure out your strengths and weakness and get some concrete ways to fix or elevate your already completed story. Some clients like to book us for coverage to assess where they are, and then book us again for development services if their story is in dire need.

Who Are These People Anyway?

It’s not enough to know that this is a good service. You should know a bit about the people behind it. So here are their mini-bios to tell you why Xandy and Merrel are qualified to provide these story analysis services for writers.

“Xandy is a working, produced screenwriter. In the past, she worked as lead Story analyst for WB & WB Animation, and read for many production companies and studios including Miramax and Jennifer Lopez Entertainment. She has written for WB Animation, Cartoon Network and Disney et al.

Merrel is a produced screenwriter, story analyst and the organizer of Screenwriter Karaoke; a fun and successful writers/screenwriters networking event. He read for clients and production companies around the world. He staffed on series for NatGeo and works currently as a writer / editor for television, documentaries, and web series.”

Final Thoughts

I don’t think there’s any secret that I like honest opinions over coddling “yes you’re wonderful sweetie” comments. So any chance you have to get objective feedback on your work, I would consider a good thing. I have no idea how my own screenplay project will progress, or how long it will take me. I also have no idea when I’m going to make time to get back to the three novels I outlined from 2004-2008 (yeah Merrel, I’m one of the first-time novelists who did take the time to outline thoroughly to hash out problems early, so :P ). But whichever project I finish first, I can definitely say I’ll consider tossing it their way, especially if they’re still offering the Double Feature options.

If you have a project ready for story analysis from a couple of pros, I hope you’ll check out the services. You can order them online through Xandy’s site — CoverMyScript.com.

Xandy and Merrel wanted to share a few closing remarks:

Ultimately, we do this work because it’s important to us to help cultivate and grow craft. We are working writers as well, we feel your pain, but luckily have the tools to make you a better writer, so bring it!

In the meantime, here’s what Marshall had to say about how he became an author and what you should keep in mind if you’d like to do the same:

On How he Became a Novelist…

“I started writing novels when I was eleven, but it wasn’t until years later that it finally dawned on me that I was creating novels only for myself and wasn’t truly thinking about publishers’ and readers’ needs. So I started from scratch, cold-bloodedly studied the market, targeted a genre in which editors were aggressively buying, and came up with a fresh angle. These were my Jane Stuart and Winky mysteries–cozies featuring an amateur sleuth no one had done before: a literary agent. I created a proposal and within a month had a three-book contract. I’m currently at work on my tenth novel, which will be published in late 2010.”

On Needing Specialized Education or Experience Before Starting…

“I’m constantly reading cozy mysteries to see what’s being done and what isn’t. That’s the most important kind of education–knowing the market inside and out. Experience helps, of course (I based my first series on my own experience as an agent), but thorough research can take the place of experience. My current series, the Hidden Manhattan Mysteries, feature a New York Sanitation Department supervisor. I’ve had a ball researching–touring SDNY garages, interviewing personnel, and so on.”

On How Writers can get Started in Novel Writing…

“At any given time it’s important to find out the genres in which editors are currently actively buying. Of course, the genre also needs to appeal to you. Right now, for example, paranormal is huge, so fresh ideas in this genre are welcome.”

On Things Prospective Novelists Should Know Up Front…

“1. You will probably not be able to make a living solely from your writing any time soon, if ever.

2. It takes a while to build a readership, so you must be patient and keep at it.

3. There may be times when you have to change course–start a new series, change your name, change publishers. It’s how this business goes.”

On Evan Marshall…

Evan Marshall is the author of a number of popular mystery novels; recently released in his Hidden Manhattan mystery series are Death is Disposable and Evil Justice; coming in March 2010 is Dark Alley. Learn more about Evan’s mysteries at http://www.evanmarshallmysteries.com. He is president of the Evan Marshall Agency, a literary management firm specializing in fiction, and is a former book editor and packager. Evan is also the author of the bestselling Marshall Plan® writers’ guides. Recently he and coauthor Martha Jewett released The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software, based on this series. Visit http://www.writeanovelfast.com and download Evan’s free 77-page Fiction Makeover guide, packed with tips and ideas for writing a great novel.

I have several other interviews confirmed, so I’d like to announce those interviewees so you have an idea of what’s coming up:

• Freelance Blogging – The corporate blogging authority, Debbie Weil
• Copywriting – The always-awesome Angela Booth
• Magazine Writing – Coming back for her second AFW interview, Linda Formichelli
• Playwriting – The not-so-one-and-only Jennifer Mattern (What can I say? If you want to be a writer, apparently it’s a good name to have!)
• Fiction / Novel Writing – The Marshall Plan creator Evan Marshall (soon to release his 10th novel!)
• Screenwriting / Writing for Television - Xandy Sussan, who has written for television shows for Disney, the WB, and Cartoon Network, stops by to talk about writing for the big (or small) screen
• Trade Publication Writing - Christa Miller will be sharing some thoughts on getting started writing for trade publications

I also have feelers out to folks for interviews covering Web content writing and technical writing. I’ll update this list (rather than posting another) as confirmations come in. I’m still looking for a freelance medical writer to chat with. If you know someone, please ask them to shoot me an email at jenn@allfreelancewriting.com.

If there are other types of writing you’d like to see covered in this series (they don’t have to be specifically freelance-related), leave a comment and let me know. I’ll do my best to track down a writer in the field to come and share some of their thoughts for you. :)

You would think that character sheets, notes, outlines, etc. and then the novel outline itself would be more than enough to get a good feel for your characters–to get into their heads.

What I’m finding fascinating in the drafting process is realizing that I don’t really know my characters at all–or least not as well as I thought I did.

For example, the current book is a mystery. To oversimplify, it revolves around the protagonist trying to find her sister’s killer when the police run out of leads. In the first scene alone I realized something about my heroine–she wasn’t as emotionally distraught at the funeral as I thought she would be. In fact she was rather subdued.

While writing, I discovered that she and her sister didn’t have a great relationship for the last few months of her life (even though that’s not how I outlined it). It gave her actions and emotions a new complexity–she not only has to mourn her sister’s death, but process those more complicated emotions like a lack of closure over their past troubles. It’s also keeping her general temperment a bit more on edge; a bit less predictable to those close to her.

I have no doubt I’ll learn much more about all of my characters throughout the drafting and editing processes, and I’m really looking forward to it!

When you write how much do you know about your characters up front, and how much do you let them run away with the story, exposing bits of themselves to you along the way?

I”m happy to say I was finally able to come up with a working title for this novel – Animus. I don’t know if I’ll pitch it under that name, but having a title helps to keep me focused on the “essence” of the story–it’s simple and sums up the overall atmosphere well.

My only problem with the title (which I otherwise love) is that there was apparently a self-published book put out last year under that title. Given, titles aren’t protected by copyright so there’s no serious issue in using it, but we’ll see how it goes.

At that point I’ll look at the status of the other book and see if it might present problems marketing-wise. And of course, pitching it under that name doesn’t mean the title wouldn’t be changed by an edior if the book is picked up later.

That hurdle is an editing obsession. I find myself second-guessing everything I write.

I do think this is a bigger problem with the comedy than it will be for other things though. Frankly, it’s hard to be funny!

I’m most in my comedic element when I’m just being myself – when I’m speaking my mind, no holds barred. My main character is supposed to have a similar dry, sarcastic kind of wit to her, albeit a bit more “obvious.” It’s very difficult to try to be like that on purpose. To do it at all, I can’t be writing – my character has to be writing (this is a first person piece), so I have to be so much in her head that her “thoughts” become my own. It’s kind of fun – kind of scary.

What sounds good when I’m “just writing” sometimes doesn’t feel right at second look. And I know the problem is that I’m taking that second look more than the actual words. I need to let her get from beginning to end of her story before I over-analyze her, and I’m very much struggling with that.

That said, I’m still in the beginning segment of the manuscript. :(

Something else I’ve been thinking – these 15 sub-stories are just too much. I wanted them brief in short story style, but I really think some need to go. I don’t know how many I’ll keep (I always intended to cut about 5 at the end, so maybe I should cut them before drafting, so I expand the others as I write them instead of doing major fill-in additions later). The extra stories would actually be perfect for a blog tied to the book (I was actually thinking this entire book would make for a pretty interesting fictional blog instead of book format, but I just don’t think I have a good enough marketing scheme in me to pull that kind of project off).

So anyway… things aren’t at a stand-still, but they’re not moving as quickly as I’d like. Fortunately I’m not in a huge rush on this project, but I really should soon set a deadline to have the first draft completed – that might help me get over the editing obsession if I’m feeling a bit “rushed” to get from one section to the next. We shall see.

I’m thrilled to say that I did get started today (not a huge amount to be proud of, but getting started is half the battle with me).

I set up the manuscript – took care of basic formatting, put the cover page together, and took care of all of the chapter breaks and titles. Again, not a big deal, but I figure having it all laid out like that will make my life easier. Because Three Weeks involves an intro, and ending, and 15 “short stories” throughout the middle, this way I can just browse to whichever scenerio I’m in the mood to write about and take it from there.

On top of the formatting, I started working on the intro. I finished just the first page, and I’ll probably make changes tomorrow when I re-think it, but it was progress, which is better than doing nothing or taking a nap (although those are good too). Tonight was about trying to setup the attitude / personality of the main character and having the intro jump right into things.

If you’ve read any of my blogs (including this one), you know that I like to drag things out. So fiction is a chore for me (but also quite fun because it takes me a bit out of my element).

Something else I’m doing with this project is re-evaluating my main character’s career choice. I have some ideas, but I need to run them by a few folks (I’d like to do something that’s actually going to play into a promotional tactic for the book, but it may bring the character a bit too close to home – and there are already a lot of “me” details in this particular character). We’ll see.

The Marshall Plan Software – The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing was the very first novel outlining system I used (and still my favorite, despite trying two other interesting plans). Evan Marshall got in touch not long ago to let me know he converted the plan into software. Cool, huh? I usually prefer doing my outlining by hand, but I’ve been starting to play with this. For now, I’m just trying to get used to it and how it works. When I get back to my writing work I’ll either be editing the outline I did under the Marshall Plan or I’ll be drafting another book. If I do the editing, I decided that I’ll move the hand-written outline into the software as I make changes to use it a bit more fully.

1001 Character Quirks – Before outlining Three Weeks I purchased a character trait / character quirk product through ClickBank. It’s essentially a huge list of character quirks (which came in handy when having to plot 15 male characters in that story). It was a lot of fun to peruse – definitely recommended.

I’ve also been spending time reading a variety of mystery writing books – nothing terribly exciting to share on that front. I’m just trying to make sure I haven’t missed important elements and such before moving on with edits to the dark mystery outline I’ve put together.

So it’s finished, and in just 9 DAYS! That includes the 78-page full outline, the abbreviated outline laid out in “scene card” format with 17 pages (actually 5″ x 8″ note cards), 16 full character sketches, character notes for more minor characters, some very minor research (this didn’t need much at all), and my setting sketches / notes.

I’m glad I didn’t follow the Book in a Month 30-day plan, and instead just used some of the resources in it to find my own way. I suppose I’m most happy that I’m getting so comfortable with the outlining process.

Now that I have three finished novel outlines sitting here, I suppose it’s soon going to be time to get on some drafting. However, I’m going to take a few weeks off from these novels for now. I want to do minor notes on my other book ideas, work on my non-fiction book interviews quite a bit, and finally get this Web Writer’s Guide e-book finished.