Writing is getting done and it's true, when you love what you do it's never work. This challenge has gotten me off writing new songs which was boring the crap out of me. I was lost, but now I have found a new screenplay to work on. Stay motivated people. One day at a time, one scene at a time, one page at a time. Hey, we all have the same amount of time.

As I'm getting further into my script I'm getting even more motivated to write. It's what I've been thinking about for most of my day today, but unfortunately with school I can't write all day. There's a time and place for everything, right? Or maybe not... there's inspiration to be found every, even in the hell called school. I feel like I could write the whole thing in a day!

I'm being very wishy-washy today going back 'n forth btwn 2 different stories I've been sitting on for a while. One has a great Act I, characters, world, but Act II is making me crazy. The second has fully fleshed characters, plot, journey, and resolution, but I'm having a HELL of a time opening it and threading ONE through-line... Good lord, I'm thinking WAY too much. I just need to shut up and write. WHY DOES CREATIVITY MAKE ME NUTS!?

Up to 12, the forest is dense and deep... keeping close to my characters, they seem to know the way. Trusting the process. finding little treasures.

Today, practiced just showing up. Then, having shown up, tried to give a little more. 4.5 pages. No dialogue, all action. 53 pages in. Reached the 1st Culmination today. Realized with startling clarity that I need a major shift in time and place for most of the 1st Act. Characters, Arcs, and Structure are sound. What happens when and where needs fundamental change. Would never have seen this without writing the draft. Deeply grateful for the clarity. Going to keep driving towards THE END and get it on the 1st rewrite. Not sure if this quote is inspirational or not, but it sure keeps me from quitting in the middle of a draft. May it prove useful if anyone finds it useful. If not, please discard it and find something that is useful. "If you must begin, then go all the way. Because if you begin and quit, the unfinished business you have left behind begins to haunt you all the time" -Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Excellent. If only this were available 40 years ago. If only. However, it's never too late. Thanks.

I wrote 4 more pages today. Happy about the progress but I also have to admit I'm starting to feel the sense of "Wow, this is going to need a lot of work later" creeping in. Still, I remain committed to simply continuing on, one day at a time. Looking forward to more great comments from you all and more writing tomorrow. Oh, and I really enjoyed the Denzel Washington video.

Day 3. 11 Pages written, ALMOST half of Act 1. Will have the last pages written by Saturday night, ready to begin Act 3 by this upcoming Sunday. (My crazy process is that I always write Act 1 first, then Act 3, then go back to Act 2a, then Act 2b.) Not looking ahead at how far I have to go, stay focused; vision; just focus on what I need to do today, ONLY look back, not too far ahead- it will overwhelm and stagnate you. "HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? ONE BITE AT A TIME!" Eat on fellow writers, eat on. So far, still on track and lots of coffee!

Hello everyone. Sliding in here on Day 3. I started on Sunday by revising a short screenplay I'd written before and then though, fuck it, why don't I use this opportunity to churn out that random film idea I've been too scared to attempt before? So that's what I started with today. 3 pages, the opening shot that establishes what my world is all about. Thank you so much, Scott, for creating this space for us to take risks!

So, on Sunday I had an idea, one or two jokes and zero confidence as to whether or not I could actually make that add up to a story. Now it's Tuesday and I have half a dozen characters, ten pages and, I'm not certain, but I think, if I squint, I can see the end of Act 1 just over the horizon. Tomorrow, it will probably all go to hell and there will be a lot of banging my head into the desk. But, there are still going to be words on the page that weren't there before. All I had to do was make them up. How is it possible that I keep forgetting that this is how it always works?

Finished ACT TWO today. That's 9 pages today, 25 total. Start ACT THREE (p. 26) tomorrow.

Just got out of work and finally sitting at my writing space. Sharing this short clip of Gill Dennis who wrote Walk The Line. When I sit down to write I listen to or read something that brings me to the space in my imagination for the world of my story. I like his humility and clarity. And thank you for the Denzel clip. Always good to remember you can't take it with you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbwRuKyZYcY&app=desktop

Despina, from today's Daily Dialogue (Finding Forrester), the writer tells this to the student: "No, no thinking – that comes later. You write your first draft with your heart and you rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is… to write, not to think!" Try FEELING your way through each scene.

Oh, that quote is a TOTAL ZERO DRAFT MANTRA! Don't be surprised if you see that as the Writing Quote for the Day 4 post with a Hat Tip to you, my friend!

Steve, there is no writing craft where the adage "Writing is Rewriting" is more relevant than screenwriting. So yes, you will need to do a lot of work later. It goes with the territory. That's why you should just cut loose, explode and explore with your Zero Draft. It's about finding your story, a journey of discovery. You can pull it all together in subsequent drafts. For now, just jam out the pages.

Virtual coffee for the entire ZDT crew right here. And pizza. And pie!

Greetings, Lisa! So wonderful to see new faces and good friends participating in this challenge. I'm scared about my script, too, because it's the first full-blown comedy I've written in several years. Am I still funny? We shall see! Onward!

zbvance, I define writing as "wrangling magic." And you just experienced it: Going from an idea, a couple of jokes, and "zero confidence" to where you are now -- 2 WHOLE DAYS LATER! Taste the magic!

Wow, VE, that Gill Dennis clip is really strong. Lots of great quotes. But the main thing is I really resonate with him about the power of moments and the importance of writing something that means something to the reader, has an emotional impact. Whether it's a drama, sci-fi, thriller, comedy, horror, or whatever, make the reader FEEL something. Thanks for that clip!

Today was a day of editing my vomit draft of the script I finished a bit ago. Went well. Lots of changes. That's ok. Even the story has changed a little - which can be a bit scary. Lots of detail to keep a handle on - so tomorrow will write out the story again to include the changes to keep my head straight about motivation and especially the twists. Some have been taken away with the new overall story. Need twists darling.

Unexpected inspiration tonight, got 5 pages written. My protagonist was having a good time. I was enjoying it. Now tomorrow I have to adhere to Lew Hunter's quote, "Nobody wants to see the village of the happy people." I'm off to sleep on it. Have a good night.

I had a long day of client meetings, sat down 2 pages ahead of schedule I was expecting to write a sentence or two, just to keep the streak of "writing a word." I'm a page and half in & feeling energized. Back to the mines but good night you guys!

Today I had a little trouble structuring a subplot and having it intersect with the main plot in the third act. But after brainstorming and talking it out I came up with something. All the scenes are mapped out so tomorrow I should be ready to procrastinate.

Day 3 went very well for me. I got more prep work done, more character work and even several dialogue exchanges for specific scenes (I like letting my characters talk freely about what that specific scene is about. Editing/translating dialogue into visuals/action is for rewriting). The way I write my first drafts seem very messy since it's a weird mix of fleshed out scenes and plain text in parentheses describing what the scene will be about. I don't care about page count nor on-the-nose dialogue, either. For me, the most important thing is to move on to the end, no matter how. That first draft is for my eyes only. It's a little like letting the words free like horses out of a corral. They look good running around and having fun but it's still chaotic. Then you get to the rewrite where you round them all up and make them walk straight and do what they've been taught. No pressure, just patience and perseverance. Inviting. Repeating. Polishing. Making order out of chaos.

4 more pages today, bringing the total to 12. Maintaining the pace. Feeling like I'm dancing on the edge of the story's knife. Translating feelings into scenes without knowing exactly where it'll all end up. Just gotta make sure to stay open to that emotional fuel as we continue deeper into the script. Still outlining one or two scenes ahead of where I'm at, with a vague idea of where to push the story. Thinking tomorrow I should do a rough outline of the whole story. Can deviate from it if I don't wanna follow it, but it's always good to have a map. My friend, a screenwriter, often does outlines in the style of DVD chapter titles. It's vague and from the gut and seems like the right mix of structure and openness. Listening to music while writing helps!

Great point about allowing the characters talk freely about what the scene is about. You can always make it "cinematic" later, the important thing is getting those ideas down on paper

Day 4. Let's go to work. Page 11 is waiting. If you have time, listen to Kevin Spacey's motivational speech.

I got 6 pages done today. With that in mind, here is a big honking batch of creative juju!

7 more pages today, 14 total. But the best thing happened afterwards. I went for a run and my mind was still deep down in the story. When I got home after an hour I already had filled most of the gaping holes in the plot and characters. I am now pretty confindent that this thing will make sense once I'm done.

Morning folks! Not a bad night last night... got 6 more pages done, bringing me up to p23 (don't tell anyone but the editor broke free and cleaned up some of the previous stuff - I sometimes find that going over what I have already tends to get me flowing into the next bit...then I lock the editor away again) Love the Denzel Washington video and feel prepped for another night of keyboard bashing tonight for Day/night 4. No doubt I'll have those thoughts during the day, you know the ones where the annoying bastard tries to tell you your wasting your time etc? If you have him or her in your head from time to time, do what I do, tell him or her to go forth and multiply while you determine to go for it regardless!! Cos you're doing what you do for you. Write on!

I just wanna thank you again for this blog and the momentum it´s created- in me and in others and maybe in the world, eventually. I wouldn´t have dared to write a script in a month without this challenge. It feels so good to be writing!! I often get migranes and I have battled them for the past couple of years in different ways. But just now I was thinking: maybe they come from feeling isolated. Not being heard, not seen, all that. Just sensing that there is an open line, a connection to the likeminded world out there is a huge relief. So: thank you!

Great job, fellow ZDT-ers!! Finally broke ground on actual pages yesterday. This challenge will certainly test me -- I usually work my muscle draft on paper, longhand. Once I hit my screenwriting software, I tend to slow down and it seems to be less free-flowing writing and more tedious, taut editing. That said ... I'm still trying to discern WHICH WAY is gonna be best for me to "get a draft down". I HOPE I can break my own ranks to muscle things out via the keyboard, but we shall see.... I have a sneaky suspicion I'll hug my legal pads and actual/real index cards instead. Sigh... Today I'll be "writing while driving" which is always fun --- I have about an 8-hour drive during which I will "talk out loud" to work through some scenes, then do voice memos on my phone as appropriate. Nuts! Have fun and keep keeping on!!

Awesome! Thanks for the kind words Scott. Gratitude and appreciation to you for offering this whole dance up in the first place. A great idea whose time has come.

I've just read an interesting post by Lucy V. Hay. It's called "7 Ways To Write When You Really Don’t Want To". Take a look at it if the writer's block hits you. :)

Today I am just going with the flow. I have 3 pages now. And I discovered the complete little universe my character inhabits. Soon I will pull the rug out from under her feet. Glad that she will become a warrior later on in the screenplay :), she has to! Good night and good luck.

Pepper, I couldn't find a quote I have somewhere from a playwright talking about how it's great to have happy, normal people, but not in stories. They're boring. We need conflicted characters, what I call living in a state of Disunity. It's more than just giving a Protagonist a 'flaw', it's about the character living an 'inauthentic' life and going through a journey (Plot) to emerge into a more 'authentic' life. That positive transformation arc is not always true. There are stories with characters who resist change, who have a negative change, or who change others. But since Hollywood is attached to happy endings, one way to engender that is for a Protagonist to have a Disunity to Unity arc. So yes, drop a 'bomb' onto your characters, especially your Protagonist. This Inciting Incident serves as a Call To Adventure to compel them onto a transformation journey. Good luck!

DJ, that's the ticket. I was incredibly busy yesterday, but started writing at midnight last night and pounded out 6 pages. Each of us has to PUSH ourselves, every day, make progress, no matter how SMALL. Do the work and the work will get done.

"Ready To Procrastinate". That's a self-help book title waiting to happen. Emphasis on... waiting.

Swiatly, I'm a huge proponent for going outside and running, biking, walking. First, it's OUTSIDE, which is different than sitting at a chair, hours on end, staring at a blinking cursor. Second, there is something about exercise and the creative process. Can't begin to count the zillions of times I've had the same experience as you: Story problem. Go for run. Solution occurs. Third, get those endorphins pumping. I was going to forego my run today due to schedule, but you've encouraged me to swipe my calendar aside and head outside for a 5 mile jog. Thanks!

Paula, I am SO happy to read your comments. Writing is such a lonely craft. One of the reasons I created this blog is to engender a community. Having taught screenwriting online part-time since 2002, it never ceases to amaze me how authentic the connections between participating writers become. That's why in all of my Screenwriting Master Class courses, I encourage each of them to continue on as a writers group. I'm happy to say there are dozens of them out there spawned by my classes. Maybe you'll have a dual benefit here. Not only write your story, but also perhaps mitigate your migraines. In any event, so glad you had the courage to take up this challenge and are forging ahead!

Joni, writing while driving is EXACTLY how I broke the story for K-9. Back then, I used a clunky handheld cassette recorder. I was driving a 1978 Ford Fairmont with 140,000 miles on it. No AC. Up and down the 5 in California traveling from comedy gig to gig: Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Stockton. 6 hour drives. Nothing to do but sweat and think aloud. Get back home to Berkeley. Go through each tape and create a hand-written transcription. Then go through THAT pulling together a hand-written outline. Eventually I went to my wife's Apple IIc computer with 5 1/4 floppy discs and a dot matrix printer which took 1 hour to print an entire script. Laborious process. But I continue with at least part of that today: The Voice Memo app on my iPhone. Sync it up with my computer. Voila! Audio files stored and ready for listening. Good luck on your trip and happy creative hunting!

Ricardo, nice image: Pull rug out from under her feet. Precisely. I'm guessing your Protagonist has cobbled together a life, but it's not the one she NEEDS to be living. Getting knocked on her keister is a 'negative' experience, but ultimately part of a transformation process where her inner warrior can emerge. Go pull that rug!

Just waking up from a 12hr overnight set! Happy to report I was able to get quite a bit prep done yesterday even while on set! Things happen if we but try guys! Today is the day writing begins! Time to hash out papers baby. Mission is a go! #ZD30SCRIPT

Eep! Another crazy day. However, I DID manage to crank out crank out some scenes. Not quite on target with my page count but will hopefully be able to use more restful days to catch up.

Okay, people. We've all had a chance over 4 days to do some creating. But in the process, probably got a bit battered and bruised by the experience. So I do believe it's time for some comfort food! Here you go: Virtual macaroni and cheese! Dig in. Then dig BACK into your story!

Daily vomit report no.3 plot plot and plot. I'm drowning in plot but hey, what an amazing adventure in discovering ... well, me. That I CAN do it.

Iallo, we should tattoo that on our foreheads so it reflects back to us from our monitor screens: "I CAN do it!" But then, we'd have to tattoo it backwards so it would show up forwards on our monitor screen. And then for the rest of our lives, we'd have a backward tattoo which no one could make any sense of... Never mind.

Trying to comment in the Day 4 post, but comments are closed? Anyway: Just squeezed out 2 pages in 15 minutes with http://writeordie.com! Fantastic and free to try! Be sure to use Kamikaze mode, which erases what you've typed if you pause for too long!

A productive day, 8 pages bounced onto the page but I'm regretting a more comprehensive prep. I know my destination but the road my characters are travelling is meandering to say the least. My plan is to let them lead and hopefully my page count will be well over 120 so when I get to a serious edit mode I can tighten it to my target of 110. I'm also writing out of order, following character threads to my midpoint. One is (more or less ) done but I still have my Protagonist to do. Current mantra: I must not rush it. I must not rush it! Let the characters tell their story (especially the Protagonist!)

;)