2023 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Day 1

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 1.

Write an entire draft of a script in March — FADE IN. FADE OUT. Or any sort of creative goal you have in front of you.

Feature length movie screenplay. Original TV pilot. Rewrite a current project. Break a story in prep. Generate a month’s worth of story concepts.

Whatever you feel will ratchet your creative ambitions into overdrive…

DO THAT!

As for me, I will spend the month co-writing a feature film spec script. It’s based on a story concept I came up with late last year and it may be the strongest comedy idea I’ve ever worked on. My writing partner and I have spent the first two months of the year on character development and breaking story. Now it’s time to jam out a first draft!

If you join the Challenge, I will be right there with you writing each and every day in March! Let’s do this together!

Download your very own Zero Draft Thirty calendar — designed and created by Steven Dudley — and track your daily progress!

On Twitter, use this hashtag: #ZD30SCRIPT.

Join the Zero Draft Thirty Facebook Group: Here. 4,700+ members strong.

Today’s Writing Quote

“I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it.” — Chinua Achebe

Today’s Inspirational Video

Setup: This young fellow just rode a bicycle for the first time. Here are his words of inspiration:

I feel happy of myself. Everybody, I know you can believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you will know how to ride a bike. If you don’t, you just keep practicing. You will get the hang of it, I know it. If you keep practicing, you will get the hang of it, and then you can get better and better at it. Thumbs up everybody, rock and roll.

That is the spirit of the Zero Draft approach to writing. Believe in yourself and just keep at it. Let this video be your spirit guide throughout the next month!

Today’s Stax Music Video

I have dedicated the 2023 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge as Stax Music Month. Part of that decision is to honor one of the greatest record companies of all time (check out their history here). But mostly, it’s an excuse to feature awesome R&B and soul music to get you out of your chair, dance around the room for 5 minutes, churn up your creative juices, then sit right back down and write your ass off.

Today’s featured song: “I’m a Soul Man” by Sam & Dave.

Today’s Dalton Trumbo Award winner: Carter Ferguson.

Carter is a Scottish-based filmmaker who as a fight director has 870+ film, TV, and theatre credits. He posted this yesterday:

Carter is stepping away from social media pretty much for the entire month of March to focus on his writing project.

Talk about commitment to one’s craft!

Because of that, the recipient of today’s Dalton Trumbo Award is Carter Ferguson!

To learn more about Dalton Trumbo and his fascinating career as a screenwriter, go here.

For your chance to win the Dalton Trumbo Award, one given away each day during the Challenge, post something inspiring, here on the blog, via Twitter, or the Facebook group.

Congratulations, Carter!

For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what it is, go here, here, and here.

Now Zeronauts, Scamperers, Word Warriors, and Outlaws…

SPREAD THE WORD!

GO WRITE!

THUMBS UP, EVERYBODY! ROCK AND ROLL!