2023 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Day 22

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

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 22.

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

“Forget every rule Syd Field, Robert McKee or any other screenwriting guru ever taught you. Except one: Never be boring.”

— David Mamet

Today’s Inspirational Video

A favorite scene from one of my favorite movies: Singin’ in the Rain. And the whole point of this sequence is about finding inspiration when things aren’t going your way. But the physical gyrations of Donald O’Connor… amazing!

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’ve Been Loving You Too Long” by Otis Redding.

Check it out. He dedicates this performance to Mick Jagger!

Today’s Dalton Trumbo Award winner: Justin Major.

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

I came into ZD30 with all the best intentions to churn through pages on my way to finishing one of my fun side projects and the below pic is a tiny example of how life sidetracked those plans… I reverted to movie and script analysis the last few days because if writing isn’t working, watching movies with a purpose and reading scripts is a great fall back activity that I can put in work to better myself as a writer. Keep writing everyone! Keep reading those scripts and dissecting the movies you love to identify the things that really make them sing for you and others. I’m here with you!

With a visual representation of his mental state:

Ha! I think we’ve all been there. Writing is hard. Watching movies and analyzing them … much easier. When we call it research, it sounds so legitimate. So, I appreciate Justin’s honesty in confessing where he’s at creatively. Because of that, he is the recipient of today’s Dalton Trumbo Award!

And with that award, I hope it incentivizes Justin to get back to actually pounding out pages. You know … writing. Not a guilt trip. Just a pat on the back to encourage your productivity.

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.

Congratulation, Justin!

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

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21

Now Zeronauts, Scamperers, Word Warriors, and Outlaws…

RESEARCH IS OKAY … WRITING IS BETTER!

POUND OUT PAGES!

SCAMPER ON!