2023 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Day 14

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

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 14.

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 rewriting a feature film spec script.

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. 4,800+ members strong.

Today’s Writing Quote

“Reprogram your brain so THE END isn’t a giant finish line. You got pages done today. You’ll do more tomorrow.”

— Eric Heisserer

Today’s Inspirational Video

Listen. Be inspired. And write.

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: “Cold Feet” by Albert King

Here he is live at Fillmore East in 1970.

Today’s Dalton Trumbo Award winner: Jennifer Almendarez!

Over at the Zero Draft Thirty Facebook group, Jennifer posted this:

Nothing yet today…but, since I am a school bus driver I have spring break. Been waiting for this. I’m taking a six day personal writing retreat by myself in my own house.

That’s one way to do it: Go on a writing retreat. When I lived in L.A., I wrote 30+ film and TV projects for every major Hollywood studio and every broadcast network except ABC … which is why I don’t watch ABC (joke). Even when I had a paying gig, I would write the occasional spec feature script. I’d work up the outline in my spare time, then head up to Lake Arrowhead. I’d always stay in the same hotel. Get there at noon on Friday and do a late check-out on Sunday, so basically 54 hours. No interruptions. I never managed to pound out a complete draft, but I did get to 70 pages on one project. Completed it back home over the next week.

There’s something about blocking off a period of time with a commitment to have no interruptions. No email. No social media. No TV or movies. Just write. Even if you carve out 24 hours, you’d be amazed how many pages you can produce.

For that suggestion, the recipient of today’s Dalton Trumbo award is Jennifer Almendarez!

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, Jennifer!

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

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Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13

Now Zeronauts, Scamperers, Word Warriors, and Outlaws…

WRITER’S RETREAT!

POUND OUT PAGES!

SCAMPER ON!