2023 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Day 3
One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.
One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.
Zero Draft Thirty: Day 3.
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
“Write like you’re on deadline, even if nobody is waiting for your work.”
— Elizabeth Berger
Today’s Inspirational Video
“Dreams without goals are just dreams. Have goals. Life goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, daily goals. I try to give myself a goal every day. Understand that to achieve these goals, you must apply discipline and consistency.”
Damn. Straight.
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: “Walking the Dog” by Rufus Thomas.
Today’s Dalton Trumbo Award winner: Aaron Dobbs.
Over at the Zero Draft Thirty Facebook group page, Aaron posted this:
On the second day of #ZD30SCRIPT, my Scriptment said to me … “this Act IIa sequence is kind of stupid & doesn’t really work!” So I became a wee bit momentarily stuck. Yet I persevered, spent a little over 2 hours, & am just shy of midpoint!
I have been writing/not-writing (more the latter) this project for nearly eight years. In fact, this is the third time I’ve SAID I was ZD30ing it. I’ve worked on it and written tens-of-thousands of words in notes, outlines, partial scenes, etc, but I have yet to complete a single start-to-finish draft. Third time’s a charm …?
Currently, I’m working my way through something resembling a Scriptment. Finished Act I yesterday, and have just a few scenes left in Act IIa. Hoping that I’ll finish this by Sunday before heading back to dig in deeper with drafting some complete, albeit generally still vomit-scented, scenes!
Over the years, I feel like I’ve gone through multiple drafts, though. The starting and end points have remained generally consistent, but every character and relationship has changed so many times. But I’ve still had nothing I would actually ever want to hand a friend and say, “Hey, would you read this? So this month, once and for all, I will type that damn FADE OUT before the end of this #ZD30 … and hope it’s not on page 300!
I’m screaming it from all the digital rooftops, so I better follow-through this time!!!
That is one surefire way to do it: Make yourself accountable via a public pronouncement. The fear of humiliation can be a powerful motivator! With that commitment in mind, the recipient of today’s Dalton Trumbo Award is Aaron Dobbs!
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, Aaron!
For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what it is, go here, here, and here.
Now Zeronauts, Scampers, Word Warriors, and Outlaws…
MAKE YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE!
SPREAD THE WORD!
GO WRITE!