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From The Stage To The Page

JustKris

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First off, I'm extremely thankful for MJ and all of the threads on this forum. Chickenhawk's and Held For Ransom's progress threads were like a lightning bolt of inspiration.

A little backstory

My background is in comedy--standup and improv. I got started in college, then moved to Chicago to train/perform at all the big venues there. Then off to LA.

I've worked off-and-on as a writer for the past six years. Either as a hired gun screenwriter for various producers or ghost-writing on random projects. The rest of the time has been working day jobs or quasi-day jobs (acting in commercials, etc) to pay the bills.

After working on other people's projects for so long, I decided to start my own Fastlane project: A movie that I would write and star in. The result is a comedy/mystery that has gotten a lot of great feedback from the people who have read it.

But, as I quickly learned, mounting a movie is no mean feat. A number of directors really liked the script and are interested in making it, but they're recommending I try to attach a name actor as the lead. (Basically, they want to take my script and give it to a movie star. Dude, if I was going to do that, I'd just try and sell the damn thing.)

So right now I'm in the process of raising funds for a microbudget production and attaching a director who's cool with making something from the ground up. But it will be months before we shoot a single scene.

Another Avenue

After reading the Self Publishing threads on the Fastlane Forum, a lightbulb went off.

"Wait, what if I turned this story into a novel?" The thought of being able to tell a story without having to involve investors, directors, or any other strings attached was incredible. A screenplay is just a blueprint---nothing on its own. But it would be a great outline for a novel that I could send to an audience without any middlemen.

Plus, it would be a great way to test the market. If people liked this story as a novel, they'd like it as a movie, right?

And something incredible happened. I was excited to write again. I dug up all of my old short stories and half-novels that had fallen by the wayside. "What's the point?" I used to think, "Nobody will ever read this. I don't have a big-time literary agent. Better just hustle for some writing clients and take the paycheck."

I really LIKED these stories. And they were all in genres that had lots of readers---sci-fi, mystery, fantasy. Why stop with one novel? I could write a hundred of these things---all you need is your imagination and the willingness to put your words on paper.

Now

That was six days ago. I'm 12,000 words into the detective novel. I expect to finish my first draft (40,000 words) by June 19th. Then another couple months of editing and re-writing, with a publication date in September.

My plan is to write 3 books a year. I don't have any pie-in-the-sky projections. I'm in this for the long haul.

And to all of you that post to this board: Thank you. Without you, I'd still be firmly in the Slowlane (really, the Sidewalk) of a struggling artist. I'm not in the Fastlane yet, but there's plenty of gas in my tank and my engine is just warming up.
 
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Cannonball

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Best of luck JustKris! Starting a progress thread on here has really helped me to focus. I hope it does the same for you.

I'm looking forward to reading your updates.
 

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I'm just writing my first novel myself, but the approach I took is don't write the same junk as everyone else. lol There are lots of writers out there, but just like some of them are saying about your own brand, and website, if you write a novel quickly, you really haven't thought about your characters, dialogue, where there back stories start, what their problems and issues are, the scenery, and all the million other little things in your book.

What makes your book and story unique and different then the same love story over and over again and action thriller. lol If you look at every movie and every novel, it usually has the same theme. I've watched a lot of movies in my life when I didn't have the fast lane approach. One thing I did learn was what people watch.

This is the goal to write a novel that will turn into a movie. What novels turned into a movie? What did they have that other movies didn't. J.K. Rowling new she had to write something that wasn't written before.

I can write a novel in three months. Will it be as good as one I did research on, and paid careful attention to the details? I spent a lot of time stretching my creativity and searching for ideas. I'm always paying attention to detail where ever I drive and go in life. How do people dress, talk, and what bothers people. What do people want out of life? What aren't they getting? lol Your book has to sell, not sit next to a bunch of other books that have the same stuff. So fast lane yes, writing fast thinking you're going to be the top author by quantity of words you can put out no. Quality wins. Creative wins. Innovative wins.

This probably doesn't go with fast lane thinking but basically to be a good writer you have to write from the heart. Capture the real feeling, emotion, and bring the experience alive. I can't tell you how many free novels on Barnes and Noble I tried to read. lol I read the first few pages and deleted it. Same story, and bad editing. Exactly why it's not going anywhere. That's why it's free.

Another bit of wisdom is to hang out on hubpages for a year and write what ever. Good comments and feed back, you'll learn to be a good writer, and where you need to improve. You also learn where everyone else makes mistakes. I learned right off the bat when I started writing on there, I was a prolific writer. I also learned from the others where not to waste my money in publishing. Some of them even said to me, they wish they had waited like me because their book wasn't selling and those comments and traffic tell you whether people like your writing or not and basically a test of what you have to put out there.

People love what I have to say and that I'm creative. How do I do that they ask? I just do it and I don't tell people my secret. lol Basically most writers are to lazy to do all the work. A novel is your baby and always needs nurturing. I don't share my novel because you also learn real fast someone will steal your work. We have people rip off profiles, poetry, articles, short stories and novels. I'm not interested in other novel writers stealing my ideas.

Don't think author's aren't out there stealing your work. Already one published author making money was fishing what my book was about. Didn't give it to him. Another one tried to mess up and sabotage my progress. He never read it either. So you learn there is a good reason why you don't share your ideas. It's kind of like real estate. lol You may have friends you love dearly, but you don't tell them you have a deal, so they can go back to their company and steal your sale.

Hang around a writer community before you think you're ready to be a writer. Know what you have to sell and whether the readers want it, need it, and can use it in a novel. My first novel is the hardest due to learning all the pieces and parts, and dynamics. Once I've done all this, I can be the prolific writer and spin them out every three months, but still have the quality.
 

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Wow, that's so exciting! It's empowering to consider the possibilities of focusing on a path with no gatekeepers (self-pubbing) as opposed to the movie avenue, where multiple people have to say "yes" before your vision can become a reality. And your background should give you a huge head start. Can't wait to hear more!
 
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JustKris

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Wow, that's so exciting! It's empowering to consider the possibilities of focusing on a path with no gatekeepers (self-pubbing) as opposed to the movie avenue, where multiple people have to say "yes" before your vision can become a reality. And your background should give you a huge head start. Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks!
 

JustKris

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20,000 words in. I've been using the screenplay as an outline and I'm about 3/4 of the way through.

The novel is definitely very "talky" right now. Some chapters are just pages and pages of dialogue. I've been doing scripts for so long, I'm going to have to regain my "regular prose" muscles.

The rewrites will be a good opportunity to write more interior thoughts, descriptions, and tangential scenes that wouldn't fit in the movie version.

Also, shout out to @JackEdwards for his excellent advice on a movie-related Fastlane business I'm working on.
 

JustKris

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Well, the good news is that I have finished the first draft a week earlier than expected.

The only downside is that the first draft is just a bit over 25,000 words. I'm going to have to write an "in-between" draft to fill in some of the holes and flesh out the story.

But now, it's time for a drink.
 
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JustKris

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I've skimmed over the first draft, but haven't really given it a thorough read-through. Been working on getting my movie-related Fastlane business off the ground, as well as trying to attach actors to the film. That, plus a now-resolved family emergency, has taken up a ton of time.

Looking forward to doing some (critical) reading.
 

JustKris

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Just like in screenplays, the real work with this novel is going to be after the first draft. I can't even really call this a true first draft, more like a Zero Draft. There's a lot to add.

Some thoughts on the zero draft:
  • There are some really funny parts. And I was able to add a ton of jokes that wouldn't fit in the movie.
  • The plot is very bare bones. This next draft will need a lot more character introspection, B and C stories, and fleshed out scenes.
  • Some of the prose is B-A-D. There were times were I was thinking "who wrote this shit?". My "regular writing" muscles need some strengthening.

Helpful book I really liked: Walter Mosley's "This Year You Write Your Novel". It helps that he's my favorite author, but there are some excellent tips in there.

Oh, almost forgot! I got a director attached to the movie! Super talented guy and he has a really solid understanding of both action and comedy filmmaking.
 

JustKris

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The re-writing has taken a turn. After some discussion with the director, we're actually re-tooling some of the scenes in the movie. The good part is that I'll still be writing, but the bad news is that it won't be the actual novel.

I'm afraid the book will have to take a backseat to the movie, at least for the next several months. I definitely plan to return to it once we've wrapped principal photography.

I'll still use this thread for any updates on the movie/Fastlane business I'm starting.
 
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JustKris

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We're having our first staged reading next week. I also had a great conversation with a producer friend of mine, who had some cool tips for financing/deal structures that I'd never even heard of.

And just got an email from my first potential client in the Fastlane business, so things are looking up.
 

JustKris

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Staged reading went really well. I'll be doing some traveling this week to meet with some potential investors. And my close friend is friends with a pretty big director who has worked with a lot of A-list actors. So after this next polish, we'll be getting the script out to some "names" as well as some film funds.

Man, there is a lot of paperwork involved with getting movies off the ground. Lawyers, unions, insurance companies, banks...whew.
 

JustKris

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(And I still am planning on getting this novelization finished, just after we wrap principal photography.)
 
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JustKris

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I've been in Vegas for the last few days to meet with potential clients for my Fastlane business. It's pretty exhausting, but a lot of fun.

One thing I noticed was that my pitch improved dramatically as time went on. At first, people were like "Wait, what is it exactly?" And now, I'll get a sentence out and they'll say "Oh, wow. That's cool. I'm a big believer in that." There's so much power in delivering your content in a digestible way.

These face-to-face meetings also gave me a clearer picture of my ideal client. And, strangely enough, the more successful businesses were also the best meetings I had. The broke, ne'er do well types? Disastrous. There are plenty of great customers out there, no need to squeeze blood from a stone.
 

JustKris

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Hit a bit of a setback. The clients I've been prospecting either can't afford the product or it's not a high priority for them. (This industry is usually populated by very big players---my niche was going after smaller companies.)

It's possible that my pitch needs work, but I've had some great calls and super-enthusiastic responses. But then it gets to "We just don't have that in our budget." It's not the end of the world, but it means I'll have to weed out 95% of companies and go after the big boys who are already buying this product.

On the movie side, it's also frustrating. I've talked with a couple of agents and managers for "name" actors, only to get hit with the "Is it fully financed?" question. Basically, they won't even LOOK at a script/project unless the money is in an escrow account and the project is ready to go. You can't get the actors without the money and you can't get the money without actors attached. And this type of Catch-22 is all over the industry.

The weird thing about Hollywood is that it really is a "who-you-know" situation one time. My friend happens to be friends with XXXXXX (a pretty big director) who directed XXXXXXX (a famous actor I want to play the villain) in a movie. So she is getting the script to him. But without that personal referral, he would never even hear about it.

And to top it off, I'm super-broke. I don't have the money to even pay California's LLC tax, much less get a lawyer for the contracts and filings I'd need to do to attach an actor. I've interviewed for some Slowlane sales jobs. Not ideal, but my income has been basically zero for the past few months, except for an odd gig here and there.

On the upside, the script is looking really good. No need to mess with that until we're location scouting and signing talent. At least now I can go to the novelization and clean that up.

(And if anyone has any actionable advice on any of this, please feel free to chime in.)
 

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Just stick with it my friend your going in the right direction. Just try get a part time job to keep your bills paid and the roof over the head for the moment. Harder you work the luckier you get.
But Im watching this thread from now on
 
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JustKris

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Fun bit of synchronicity recently. I was at a friend's wedding this weekend and I was sitting with my old acting teacher. The movie came up and I shared my frustrations. "I don't know how to move forward," etc.

"F*ck that! Just do it. Don't worry about those agents and managers. You want to get to those actors directly," he said. Yeah, easy for you to say, I thought. But I just nodded and knocked back some wedding cake.

Then I read this quote in one of MJ's articles today----

"If you're an entrepreneurial masturbator the bottomline is this: Quit F*cking around, identify your need and then define your customer path — the shortest route to your first customer."

And I remembered that my teacher knew a couple of big name movie stars that would be really perfect for the film. "Hey, do you think they would be interested in doing a comedy?" I texted. He called them both and asked me to send over a script so they could read it.

One text message and I've made more progress than in the last four months. Shortest route to the customer. Word.
 

JustKris

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Had an epiphany yesterday.

I've engaged in a lot of mental masturbation the past few months. Blogs, podcasts, books---but none of them were to deal with an immediate issue. It was just an illusion of work. I'm cutting out all unnecessary input for the time being.

I'm going to focus 100% of my creative energy on the novel now. The screenplay is fine---all it needs is financing, which is going to take phone calls and meetings, not writing time.
 

JustKris

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Plugging away at the second draft. At around 26,000 words. The real challenge has been combing through the language to make the prose as tight as possible. And ironically, adding more material. Screenplays are, by their nature, sparse as hell. You put the bare minimum of description and dialogue, letting the set designers, actors, and directors bring it to life.

But in a novel, you can have long internal monologues or asides that are interesting and fill in the world of the protagonist. It's been fun adding little details and getting to know this character better.
 
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So do you have progress or stepping in the right direction? Like would you expect to have this film/screenplay done and filmed for March/April.
 

JustKris

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I'd say generally in the right direction. The novel is definitely making progress---I'd imagine a strong final draft by Jan/Feb.

The movie is a different story. The script is out to those two actors (people you'd know for sure), but I haven't heard back. Without a star attached, it's a serious uphill battle to get financing. Investors don't want to drop a million bucks on a film without recognizable talent.

At this point, the best option seems to be making it as a microbudget film (50-100k or so). The script is ready to shoot. At 50k, I could scrape probably enough money on my own in 5-6 months. So for accountability, let's say a May 1st start date. It's scary to write that in print, much less on a public forum.

Thanks for checking in!
 

JustKris

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Whoa, can't believe it has been this long since I've been on here. Any excuses as to why are just that, excuses.

Some updates:

Another draft of that book is done. Maybe I'm being too precious, but I still don't think it's very good. Maybe after another go-through it will be ready for public consumption.

I've also been plugging away at another book, in the outlining stage right now. It definitely FEELS better writing it.

The big news is that I am meeting with a potential financier for my movie tomorrow. Not exactly a May 1st start date, but it's something. If all goes well, we could be shooting by this summer. Fingers crossed.
 
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JustKris

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Had my first meeting with a potential financier. Pretty interesting. There's a whole world of deal-making that I'm completely ignorant about. Foreign pre-sales, which actors do well overseas, VOD rights. This is going to be a fun journey.

Also, my script is out to a pretty famous actress. (Apparently we have a mutual friend. Weird how things start to line up when you start on the path.)
 

JustKris

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Checking in after a long hiatus----

The financing/attachments fell through on the movie. I definitely understand the saying "Even a bad movie is a miracle" now. There are just so many moving parts. My option at this point is to do it micro-budget, which I'm fine with. First I'll probably make a short film version (7-10 min) and see how it goes.

Slowlane job is doing pretty well, so I have some money I can put towards projects. I launched a blog where I interview people who have created their own careers in entertainment (comedians launching their own tours, actors producing their own films), but I'm not sure what the policy here is on self-promotion.

Working on a new novel in a new genre (thriller/mystery). I’m at 6k words in so far. My original novel is still pretty bad, but I think with enough work it can be decent.
 

JustKris

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11k words on the new novel. It's been a bit of a fight, but a great learning experience. It actually FEELS like a real book, instead of a script I just awkwardly re-formatted.

Some friends of mine signed a deal with [giant movie studio], so I'll be doing some script consulting and assistant directing on their upcoming project.
 
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JustKris

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Quick update:

No real progress on the novel.

I've been working with a director on his new film (co-writing the script) as a contract gig. The money is decent and I'll get points on the back end if it is produced.

Between that, my day job, and the new baby---time is at a premium.

So I AM writing, just not on the novel.

-----

Once the first script is locked, I'll be back on the Fastlane hunt. Still not sure if writing novels is the best way. I tend to be a perfectionist with fiction. Non-fiction is an option, but I feel weird writing about subjects where I'm not a true authority.

My "real" goal is to write, produce, and act in films. A Fastlane business would be there to subsidize that.

I've been looking for pain points in the entertainment industry. There are definitely areas for disruption and improvement.

An example---all of the breakdowns (lists of acting roles open for submissions) are basically controlled by one guy, Gary Marsh of Breakdown Services. He makes an absolute fortune with a fairly straightforward SaaS model for the agencies and casting directors in town.
 

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Some general thoughts:

If you retain ownership of whatever you make, then it is a potential Fastlane business. You could make a documentary about life in a troupe, and license it to Netflix, Amazon, etc. Give schools a free copy, write it off on your taxes (if allowed).

If you want to make a software service, consider the affect of technology. What if everyone in rehearsal had a gopro/ipod/iphone, and it was recording, or providing reminders? For example, if you were recording where the actors were, and what they were saying, you could merge the video streams afterwards so the troupe could review what happened.

If someone forgot their line during a production, the director could hit a button, and the iPod they were wearing on them would say their line (not loudly). Maybe a GPS function beeps when they get to the right spot on the stage.

What if the actors wore cameras (not too obviously), and the audience could view the action from the cameras via wifi? You could have an Alien-esque scene where the stage actor looked down in to an 'egg', and the audience could look with them. A killer might lurk in the shadows, and the audience could see from their POV. Maybe people could watch from home.

If you want to make a film, you could do something similar. Remember how the show "24" would have multiple POV's on screen? You could fit 4 portrait views in to a 16x9 screen. Maybe make a zero/low budget film from combined video streams.

Felix Dennis said ownership was everything. He owned everything he created, and he owned everything he paid other people to create. That's how you get to spend $100M on drugs and hookers.
 

JustKris

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Apologies on the lack of updates. I won't bother with some goofy excuse.

Update:

The contract gig ended a few months back. I've shot a short film, with an eye to shoot another in a couple months. My main focus right now is to shoot a low-budget feature film (about $10k budget) in July. Writing the script for that.

I still do want to knock out a few novels, but it's just not as high a priority.

I'm still keeping an eye out for any needs in the marketplace I can solve. I don't know what my problem is. Meanwhile it's been over 2 years since my first post on this thread and still no finished novel.
 
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JustKris

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Super productive month!

I'm 40 pages into the feature script. Still aiming for a July 15th start of principal photography. Also 6000 words into a non-fiction book. My goal is to create a 25,000-30,000 word guide, with audiobooks, as well as some video add-ons. There's definitely a market for this, since it's the exact process I used to bring in an extra million dollars to my Slowlane company last year. It boosted their new business by over 70%.

At the very least, it will be a good bit of social proof for attracting consulting clients. I could do this exact same thing for a number of companies---but instead of being in an office all day, I could charge a flat retainer and % of sales. (That's basically the arrangement I have now. But I just hate being stuck in one place. Especially LA. If I can bring in the same amount of money and move to an area with a lower cost of living, it would be like making 2x the income.)

Also, a pretty fun moment----I was listening to a podcast by a pretty popular blogger. As I walked into my local Coffee Bean a minute later, I ran into him. We ended up meeting again (on purpose) and he gave me some really positive feedback on my blog, which was cool. Plus, I was able to connect him with some people for a project he's working on.
 

JustKris

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Burned the candle at both ends and definitely feel the effects. Note to self: Don't neglect your health by hunching over your computer all day and skipping exercise.

I decided to validate my business concept by testing the market and pre-selling a product. It's just been a lot of administrative stuff getting it all set---stuff that I hate. As soon as I get a good handle on everything (and get some sales), I want to see what I can eventually outsource or automate so that I can focus on writing.

Speaking of writing:

9000 words into the book & 48 pages into the screenplay, which isn't a ton of output. But I did also spend a couple days writing a sales letter and landing page as part of the interview process for a copywriting gig.

Well, keep on keeping on....
 

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