365 days of 40 #200-203

I can't believe that I've been 40 for over 200 days.  Where has the time gone? Truly.  Some days seem to fly right on by, while others drag on forever. A lot of it depends on how productive I feel on any given day, when I'm rocking it with the writing, the days seem to go by fast.  Other days, not so much.  I know that for a while I needed to take a break from JAL, which is why I was working on other scripts, but I'm bound and determined to get this script written.  It has taken longer than I had hoped, but if I hadn't set the goal in the first place, it never would have happened.

I finished the scene between my two main characters that was causing me all kinds of problems.  It was an intimate scene, not a sexual one, and the only advice I could find about writing it was about sex scenes, which were decidedly unhelpful.  I knew the tone I wanted but it took forever to find it.  I'm now writing the companion scene, another intimate non sexual scene, but this time the feelings are about pain and betrayal.  I can see the scene, but I can't quite hear what they're saying.  Once this scene is done, I'm almost done.  It's really just about pumping up the end so the third act is strong.  Not that it's horrible now, but it needs a few more hurdles before I get my ending.  It really needs to be earned.  And I can't wait.

I want to send out the best possible script, and after I got feedback about it, I realized that while it was close, it still want good enough to send out.  The last few days I've been rereading older versions, just to see where I had been going with certain ideas.  Many scenes are still in this version, but there are others that I read and I want to gag because they are so bad.

I'm getting to be a better critic of my work and understanding better what works in a screenplay.  I wish I was better at writing witty dialog, but it's not bad.  I know I am really good at writing action sequences.  Sometimes I miss writing with a partner, but I know that when I send this out, it's all me, good and bad.  While daunting, it's also quite satisfying.  I've worked my butt off.

Consistency has been the name of the game.  Power 90 really helped give me a good foundation to put action to my goals, and I'm learning to not beat myself up if I miss a deadline that I came up with, because in still working.  Granted, once I'm working as a paid writer, different story entirely, but my writing most everyday has been getting me in the habit.

That consistency is something I never had before.  I had to mature and grow up.  While I wish I had figured that stuff out sooner, it's really nice to know that things are falling into place.  40 is feeling pretty good.