10 (Let's Make that 5!) -page-a-day society?

[Hal Berlin]

An off-the-cuff attempt to tackle the inbuilt difficulties of writing on spec with the powers of social shame: whoever is interested forms an adhoc society devoted to producing X amount of pages a day. X can be ten, but probably should be less. This is the basic idea, but there are two other variables to consider.

a) How to handle the daily updates/checking-in/peer review element
b) degree of flexibility: do we have set genres, or other formal restrictions?

[Jeff Messerman]

I like how you think, halberlin.

Let's make a go.

Lord knows I have some self-imposed deadlines looming over my head and the extra added attraction of being a pariah on the board for failing is far too tantalizing.

Er, I think.

If we get enough supporters, I will open up the "10 Pages-a-Day or Die" folder here.

Who is with us?!! Speak now!!! Ha-rumph! Ha-rumph!!!

Jeff

[scottmyers]

halberlin, I've posted on the blog about the idea of making a public declaration or commitment, how that can act as a strong motivator to get actual writing done. There's the GOAL element (for people who are goal oriented) and there's also the SHAME element (for people who really hate to feel public scorn, even if it's self-perceived).

You might get more takers if you make it 5 pages per day. When doing actual page-writing of a first draft, my goal has always been 5 pages (generally 2-3 scenes). Often I'll stop before finishing the last scene so the next day, I can start right in, finish off that scene, then I build up some momentum.

[echenry]

Halberlin, 10 pages a day is too high a standard. The ONLY way that would work is if one were writing 1st drafts EVERYDAY. What about outlining? Playing with new ideas? Polishing existing drafts?

My point is there are MANY ways to be working real hard and not coming up with 10 pages a day. Hence, I ascribe to the Scott the Reader goal of coming 1 HOUR a day to your screenwriting career everyday. Be it 1st drafting, outlining, polishing, marketing...

1 hour a day commitment is a working man's way of pursuing the dream. The guy who coined that axiom is named Scott the Reader. And he's brilliant as all get-up. And he gives professional script notes at a VERY reasonable price too... Blogosphere-wise Scott the Reader lives here:

alligatorsinahelicopter.blogspot.com/

Now if you can crack 10 pages a day -- EVERYDAY, more power to ya; you're a screenwriting God! I just think in all practicality it's not realistic.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[Hal Berlin]

Points well taken; 5 is a much better goal. So I renamed it. We have one taker, we'll need at least five to make this doable.

E.C: I agree with everything you've said here, this would only be for people (like myself) who have a project or a notion or whatever that they'd like to commit to 5 pages a day on. Personally, I don't find that working by the hour helps: better to have an actual goal to structure your day around. But that's wholly personal.

[attatt]

I wish I could work like that. I tend to agonize over everything too much, dont put out 5 pages in a day unless I am really trucking.

[mscherer]

Gee, sure would like to join in, however, I commute 75 miles one way to work: get up at 4am -- arrive at work around 5:30am -- depending on the meetng schedule will arrive home around 4pm. Not much time left over for daily writing.

I do 95% of my writing on weekends. Off to Panera Bread at 6:30am (Saturday) or 7:30am (Sunday) and write until 11:45am. My wife is a sweetheart for allowing me to do this and gives me approximately 9.5 hrs. of writing time each week.

For all of you who do write every night -- I am very, very envious.

Keep Writing!

[violet]

I'm in! I'm currently writing 1,700 words a day for my novel, and I do need something to get me to screen-write on a daily basis too! I'd do five pages a day. Heck, I'd try ten too. Shoot for the moon, right?

[oz]

You know, Violet, I could always hit 10 per day, sometimes 20 with novels but scripts, for some reason are slower. Five per day is more reasonable. Probably because you really have to condense. Visualize then conceptualize and while you can throw all of it in with novels, you have to process it all first with a script THEN find the best way to put it on the paper attempting to utilize minimalistic verbiage and creating realistic dialogue all the while being structured as hell because of the page constraints!

We're all mad!!

[Hal Berlin]

Oz, I'm not sure if you're in on this. If you are, we're at 4, if not, still at three. I think five or six is a good starting number -- if we get to that, I could set up a listhost, or we could do it right here in a thread.

[Jeff Messerman]

If you like, Hal, I can also open up a folder here on the board specifically for the lunatic, er, I mean, the 5 pages a day splinter group of the Club! Just let me know how you wish to progress and I'm all over it!

Jeff

[oz]

Sorry, Hal. Chest-deep in a rewrite. Have an entire Act II torn apart and dissecting and putting back together with all sorts of new pieces and parts. Just don't know how it would work since I'm at any given stage on any given day (dissecting/putting back together) but thanks for the offer!

You all tear it up!

[ZZ]

Not to be a naysayer, but I am of the opinion that striving for X pages a day is actually counter-productive.

If the unit X were a measurement of time, I think that all who conform to this 'ad-hoc society,' would find that it is less stressful and produces better quality writing.

Sometimes, when I am simply trying to hit a page count, I find myself grasping at straws -- "it might not work, but gee, I'll feel good about myself if I can just get to page 70..."

That doesn't work, and then, you end up spending more time rewriting your measuring stick junk.

I am down to write X amount of time each day however.

Best,

ZZ

[Jeff Messerman]

Ey Double Z,

Daily page counts are merely one of many tools in the shed we can use to get material on the page. Personally I've done both daily page quotas and time quotas and the results are usually the same.

If it's in the cards that one is going to write a steaming pile of manure on a given day, then that's the way it's going to be, quotas or not.

Public humiliation, er, I mean, peer support is a big factor in this as well! ;D

But, of course, it may not be for everyone.

Jeff