Plotting and planning randomocity

I'm going to be collaborating with a friend on a screenplay shortly.

It's a project I can't really talk about. I only mention it here to explain what I'm up to with my own projects.

I'm writing a treatment for The Harvester of Faces, just to see if it would work better as a film. I think it would. A "treatment" is where you describe the plot. There are various theories as to what works best in a treatment--some people say four or five pages, others say it should be no more than one--this is what I think, too, as if it's longer than a page it's too complicated. There is not a specific format that should be followed. There are examples all over the Internet if you're curious. Potential backers, studios, networks, etc., want to see a treatment, and you can register it to be protected from plagiarism, too. Potential backers also understand that it's a treatment, so they don't expect to see brilliant character development or high-caliber prose.

Another thing a treatment is good for, is helping you spot places in your story that you need to rethink. I've identified two weaknesses with my own story so far--I need a subplot, and I need something to demonstrate that my protagonist is every inch not somebody you mess with lightly. I think I've got that now, though I need to find a way to integrate the new stuff into the plot so that it still flows like I want it to. I'm going to think about it a little longer and then start over.

Yes, writing treatments is hard. But it's worth it, if only because of all the time it keeps you from wasting later. Even if I go back to working on this project as a novel this will still be helpful.

Anyways, this is what I'm doing while I'm also prepping on this collaborative project. Hopefully, I'll have this treatment knocked into shape in a couple of days, before I have to start giving the project I'm working on with my friend priority.

That's about all I've got going on right now. I haven't been painting or sketching any over the past couple of weeks--I'm spending all my free time writing or prepping for writing these days. About as good as it gets, for me.