The What and The Why: Taking Inventory in Summer 2014: Part 2

As if I needed to say more, right? Well, yeah. Kinda.

It's a funny thing the way my mind works (and my grammar too; one post I'm "Stilted McGee" and the next I just let it run). Anyway, Monday I posted about my fierce intentionality to live well based on knowing that life has eternal meaning and significance, regardless of what I do with it. That assurance, of course, comes from Christ and my deeply held belief that we are all part of his ongoing, eternal narrative of redemption.

I still hold to that truth as I type this, but I think I did myself a disservice in my last post. Here's the deal: On Monday,  I said I was not very good at executing my plans or staying on task and reaching my goals.

Truth is, I feel that way sometimes. And sometimes it is, in fact, true.

But not always.

The What and The Why: Taking Inventory in Summer 2014

Each month, I try to take an inventory of what I am doing and why. Most folks don't need to do this, but I do. I require the pause--the respite from life's busy-ness--to recalibrate, to refocus, to keep my heart and mind in check. But between you and me, I'm not very good at it.

My intentionality is not always affective. Sometimes it just reminds me of how many things I've ineptly tried to integrate (or juggle)--Home, Faith, Family, Friends, Wealth, Health, Hobbies, Novels, Blogs, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Articles and on and on...

Why I Write About More Than Recovery

If you've been following the blog for any amount of time, you know that I write a fair amount of content about recovery from addiction (see here, here, and a wealth of links, here). That's become my "thing". As well it should. All my studies of "branding" and "focus" tell me that recovery from addiction should be that aspect of existence about which I write so that folks who come to my "social platform" know what they are getting.

But I've had a hard go of focusing. I write reviews, updates on my books, random life musings, and thoughts on Scripture. I even write about toys from time to time. Conventional wisdom rallies against this sort of thing, and the data does not lie. My "social reach" has extended very little since 2012. I try to cover too much. People come here because they want to read about...yeah, that's the problem. They don't know; maybe I don't either.

But here's the deal. This blog is called "Living Life Loving Christ", and that is no singular endeavor. Life is multi-faceted; life is not about a brand (no matter what culture continues to tell us). A human life has its moments of reflection, of confession, of silliness, and of self-indulgence. And dear readers, I mean to live life. 

But the truth is that my doing so does have a singular focus, a narrowness. It's loving Christ. Oh how I want my life to exhibit a love for Christ! I want people to see my name and think, "that dude loves Jesus" (and I want that to be true). Granted, the blog does not always accomplish this; neither does life itself. And inasmuch as I'm guarded and mindful about what I post, I try to provide some vulnerable insights. I try to provide a holistic picture of a person living life and loving Christ while doing so. Maybe I do; probably I don't. Either way, that's the goal. 

So that's why I lack focus. That's the reason my brand consistently fails the litmus tests. For me life is more than recovery. Life is art. Life is disappointment. Life is joy. Life is love, and for me that love is Christ. 

How bout you? 

On the Ancient Art of Characters "Coming to Life"

The power of the below experience has lost none of its potency. I find it as true today as it's ever been.

My fellow writers, enjoy.

The below content was originally posted at my prior blog, Stunk's Stage
on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 at 8:26 am.

Runaways

By C.J. Stunkard

I know of few greater joys a writer can experience than having a character run away with the script. It’s truly a joy, witnessing a being you’ve essentially created take the idea or thought you have given them and just embrace it, demanding valuable page space to make their point or express themselves. This could take the form of the character doing something unexpected or simply redirecting a conversation. Regardless, the character’s actions alter and change a scene from what one originally expected into something new–something that’s usually more organic (and, thus, more entertaining and engaging); and I love experiencing this. It’s exciting.
I had a character named BRUCE pull this on me last night, while I was working on my latest script. I was intending to have him respond quickly to a person’s ignorant remark, but his correction quickly became an explanation and analysis of something else–it became a true outgrowth of something building up in him that I had not realized, and it was exhilarating to type. I hadn’t expected this to happen, and I assume readers (or viewers, should it come to that) will not either.
I love when this happens, when my little plans for my little characters in my little story turn out to be broader, larger, and deeper than I had intended. Sometimes, I wonder if God gets a similar type of joy from us. I certainly don’t think anything we do “surprises” God; but oftentimes we surprise ourselves, and I wonder if he finds great joy in that, in our discovery of the depth and insight that he has given us, which we had previously never recognized nor thought possible.
This latest script, as I continually reference it, has been really up-and-down. I’ve been horrible at making the time to work on it; but when I have, I’ve always been encouraged (except that first night, when I wrote drivel of the most hackneyed and banal type [but it's good that I did, because my reaction to the dull nature of those initial pages led to something much more interesting] ). I have resigned myself to the idea that I will need a 15-day extension into April to finish, but I’ll do it; and I’m looking forward to all the e-mails I’m going to get saying, “I don’t get this.” (actually, upon a momentary reflection, I’m not looking forward to that at all…maybe I don’t want feedback on this one. =)

A Budding Romance

Several weeks ago, I received feedback on my second novel, To Retreat From Romance. 

I knew that I would have some mixed responses, but I did not expect them to be as varied as they were. While some folks loved one subplot, others thought it unmotivated (or non-existent). Whereas one reader found certain elements to be a great part of the story, another loathed them. Different attitudes informed diametrically opposed responses regarding not only the content but the tone as well.  I was reminded of my review of Real Men Don’t Text and felt that perhaps I was guilty of all the things I previously critiqued.

Random Thoughts of a Disorganized Writer

Life has a way of escaping from us. One moment we have our paths outlined. We have our goals, our 5-year plans, and our action steps and priority items for the coming week. The next seeming moment--or at least the next moment we think on these things--we are behind in nearly every area, we've become lost on this tangent or that sidebar, and we have to reassess everything. We need to reset our priorities, recalibrate our goals, and redefine our boundaries and expectations.

Funny how much the process of achieving anything is dependent on constant vigilance of the process itself, rather than the act in question. If someone had told me a central aspect of writing was taking time each week to organize and plan before sitting to actually put words to the page, I never would have believed them. Now that I am "in the thick of it"; I don't know how successful writers achieve anything without this facet of their workload.

Using Old Notes to infuse New Ideas

If you've been at your writing craft for any amount of time, you have likely produced an inordinate amount of notes--notes on this idea or that location, on some intriguing character or a great maguffin or plot. You've probably had more false starts than a pee-wee-football offensive line and a hundred great moves in your playbook that have never been seen by another set of human eyes.

Do you know what that means?

Be my Reader, Editor, and More!

I'm excited. Really excited.

I am going to release another book in the next twelve months, a young adult novel entitled, To Retreat from Romance. I am happy with the preliminary drafts, and I look forward to making it the best novel it can be.

But I cannot do it alone. The truth is that I need help to do it; real help, not affirmation from "yes men" and cheerleaders but strong feedback from people who like what they know and know what they like. I am building an amazing team of committed readers to help me refine and proofread this latest novel. And guess what, I want you to join that team! Yes, you! Especially, you!

Here's the deal: 

An Old Blog...Revisited.

Finding your old writings can be scary, especially if you are me. Last night I spent three hours crawling through old blog post from the site I ran from 2007 - 2009, and I was shocked by what I found--not due to how badly I wrote or silly I seemed but, rather, due to the similarity of my syntax and tone then and now.

This makes me wonder, "have I grown as a writer? Have I grown as a person?" 

5 Great Christmas Gifts for Artists

Artists need our help; they need the help of fans, and they need the help of other artists. If a handful of small artists have given you a gift through their work, why not give them a little something in return this holiday. Here's 5 ways to give your favorite artists a treat this December (and 3 of the ways are free, so no excuses!)

Five Times to Write When You've Got No Time

When I started my new job, I knew that my writing time was going to be significantly reduced. The first week I was scrambling to fit twenty minutes or so into each day. Yeah, it was like that. Fortunately, as time has passed, I've begun to carve an hour here and there on the regular, and my wife has been exceedingly gracious with me during the evenings at home.  Nonetheless, I still hunt for minutes here and there to polish a blog post or jot down notes, and below I've provided 5 really great times I've found to fit in a few worthwhile words.

How I Fight the Pride I Hate

In Stronghold, I wrote about slaying lust, but I didn't touch on pride. Frankly, I don't even want to consider it. Fighting pride in my soul...I don't even know where I'd begin. I suppose I would start with me (how appropriate). Perhaps the battle would be just the two of us--the Old Self that clings to life in the soul despite the ground that the Holy Spirit gains through sanctification versus the New Self that craves said sanctification like water. Maybe that old C.J. is a saboteur or a lone terrorist burning the fields of peace or laying desolation to cities of solitude. Then again, were I to write that book, I don't know how I would end it (and I won't compare it to Stronghold, for I don't want to spoil that climax for anyone who has not read it).

Losing the Name Game

One of the universal criticisms of Stronghold is the over abundance of complex names. The point is well taken. Stronghold contains over thirty named characters and nearly all of their names fall into one of two categories: either they are an original amalgamation of Greek and Hebrew, or they are distinctly non-Anglo names drawn from various parts of the world. While my intentions in doing this and including the number of characters I did were valid from a storytelling perspective, my execution failed.

The Long Game and the Tortoise

Playing the long game is hard. Doing so successfully requires patience, endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance despite unending obstacles and little encouragement. This, however, is the game of the self-publishing author. I write this not as someone who has already won a long game but one who is still at the beginning of it.

I have released one novel, Stronghold, and I am closing in on six months of release. I'm looking toward year-end and still being in the red. For those not familiar with accounting shorthand, "in the red" means that my income has not exceeded my expenses; I still have not recouped all of my investment on the book.

I should note, however, that in actuality those investments were not made on a single text but on the start of a publishing company and a career. And that's the whole rub of this post. When I consider that fact, then the amount that I have made is substantially more encouraging. If I'm starting to build something larger than a single release, I can afford to be in the red for two years; most businesses are (which is why so many close up shop in that time).

I do not say this to brag, for believe me I have very little about which to brag. I have sold fewer copies in nearly 6 months than some of my peers from Biola university sold in their first week of publication. But success in any venture should not be based on comparing oneself to others so much as enduring and completing  project oneself.

This is the necessary mantra for the self-publisher who wants to play the long game, for doing so is akin to the tortoise running the race one slow step at a time. I have never once heard that old story told with the tortoise paying mind to the hare. Not once. In each incarnation, the reptile is focused on his finishing the race, regardless of the rabbit ahead of him. Of course, the tortoise will also have a very different experience, and he should expect and accept that.

For the writing tortoise, he (or she) may not have a five week whirlwind blog tour, but he may have an interview here or there. The tortoise may also not sell 1000 books in his first week of release, but he may sell ten in week-one, five in week-two, none in week-three and twenty in week-four. This type of cycle may repeat itself month after month after month, and he may never find himself on the bestseller list.

But while book one is still finding its audience, book two is being written. While book two is being revised and prepare for release, book three is under way, and when book two is made available, book three is being edited while book four is just waiting in the pressure cooker. This is the long game, the game self publishers play, the game few will win, especially in our current society where the hare is always seen as the ideal model.

The hare releases one book with more money, more time, more effort, and more energy than the tortoise even has in the queue. The hare does great sales for the first week, but the work, which was produced at a breakneck pace without an editor or second glance, begins to trickle. Because sales do not result in meeting the hare's expectation, he doesn't bother again. The Hare goes to sleep; he may eventually awaken and continue toward the finish line...or he may not.

Friends, I will be honest, after the release of Stronghold, despite all my desire to be a tortoise, my emotional response was that of the hare. Oh how disheartened I was! How frustrated! I was ready to stop. But enough people kept reminding me that just because my emotions resembled a hare, my will resembles the tortoise. For this reason, I have stayed committed to the long game. Novel number two was a big dud, abondoned until further notice after it's first draft, but novel number three is looking pretty good during revisions, and novel number four is about to be written. By the end of 2013, I will have four drafts of full novels completed, and one released. It may be another 18 months before one gets released, then again it could be six months, the point is, I'm not ready to give up the race just yet.

You should not be either.

Theology for Writers 101

I try to live holistically. My faith is the core of my personhood and identity, and it informs everything else: my thoughts, attitudes, and actions. As Christian, I approach all of life through a Christological lens. How does this act reflect Christ?  Does this feeling align with Christ's? Would Christ approve of this behavior? Do others see Christ in this? I ask these questions often throughout the day.

With this in mind, I often consider my writing an act of worship. As I use the talent that God has given me, as I communicate the truth with sincerity, and as I seek to make Him more beautiful through such action, I believe that I am in a state of worship no different than when I sing to him on a Sunday Morning (and I SING, albeit poorly).

As I've been working more with serious fiction in the last 2 years (my goodness has it been so long), I've come to a very poignant realization that has not only informed my deep love for God but also deepened my lament for humanity's ills.

You see, writers have a distinct advantage in their study and understanding of God, for we're both creators. Not only that, but we're both creators who develop immense love for our creation, and when that creation experiences evil, we feel it.

My fellow authors will know what I mean. At times, when we write, our characters take a certain "life of their own"; their personalities and worldviews begin to inform the next event in the story. Sure, we are putting the words to paper, but in a sense, the choices the characters make are their own--they are choices we may not have wanted for them but were inevitable based on the world around them and their inherent flaws and failures when engaging it. Our characters act in ways we wish they didn't, but sometimes that the truth.

Furthermore, when those poor choices result in their harm, we are pained again.  Yet we know that for the good for the story--for its most true telling--the darkness must be shown real, the pain must be severe, the plight must be felt. We lament for our characters in this, not in an unhealthy way (at least for most us) but in a way that says, "I wish the story didn't have to go" or "I can't put them (or myself or the audience) through this."

But we do. We allow it.

And we do so in the name of truth, goodness, and beauty, to allow the story of our characters to be bold and honest. I believe that this phenomenon we writers experience--that, indeed, we must embrace for our integrity to remain intact--is at the very least an echo of God's own experience.

And be assured, echoes can be heard at a distance. God's experience with us real, sentient beings, pillaging the backdrop of this world that he designed from his infinite wisdom, must give him greater grief than we could imagine. How could it do not?  Rarely do the evils of fictional villains outmatch the weightier sins of mankind. And let's not forget our thought-lives also--theatres of carnality, violence, and hatred that we all too often endure without pause (and, now, in our present age, such mental evil is, in many instances, believed not only private and innocuous but, dare I say, sacred). Yet God sees. And he endures.

Do you not see the patience he must possess to bear with us in our seemingly endless depravity? As a writer I feel for my characters, but they are few and my knowledge of them finite. Their world is a picture, and yet the evil in it vexes me, demanding my attention and calling for remedy. Is not God's position exponentially greater? Oh how he endures the sordid tale of human history! How gracious he must be to directly intervene into it, providing a hope and a better way--the most excellent way--through Jesus Christ. How slow to anger he truly is. How merciful to withhold his justice, if even for one more day.

Because friends, I believe, yes I believe wholeheartedly, that like all authors, the Lord will set this story to its climax, and the highest beauty, the most profound justice, and the most eloquent truth will all be felt at the tip of his pen when he closes the book on this present age and begins the long awaited ever after.

By his grace and for his glory, I look toward it with great anticipation. I hope many of you do as well.

This is how my faith informs my writing. This is how my writing informs my theology. This is my worship, and I cannot help but praise God while I do it.

The Bottom Line to My Writing Choices

So, Nanowrimo is coming. It's only weeks away. I am wrestling with two ideas, trying to decide which one to engage for the 30-day whirlwind. The more personal of the two is winning. It'll be good to write it--cathartic, really. Of course, I think that also means it's going to be the easier idea, and I don't know if I want to do what's easier.

Then again, that may be the best thing for me when my writing time and energy is hanging by a thread. I don't know. It's hard to choose where to invest one's energies, and I feel that my walk as a Christian compounds this. I feel that I am accountable for how I spend your time, and why. I also ask questions before starting a project--questions like, "Will this idea/work glorify God?"; "Will my story make him look more desirable?"; "Will I be able to give an answer for why I wrote this instead of the other 50 ideas I had in the pressure cooker?" These are hard questions for me sometimes.

Ultimately, I am unsure if they matter. I think that excellent work glorifies God in its quality, and some of these questions are more of my personal concern than God's. I want to believe that what I am doing honors him. I want to put my time and energy and effort into stories that I think matter in the most important ways. I strive not for the "immortality" of creations that live well beyond my years on earth but for work that carries eternal, kingdom significance. So I ask these types of questions.

But in the end, I keep coming back to the same answers. And they are hauntingly simple.

Tell the truth.
Be honest.
Be real.
Be sincere.
Bear your soul.

If I want to move people, if I want to honor God, if I want to do what's right, then that's what is required of me. The honest truth, from my soul. I may limit my audience in doing so, but I will connect with that audience. I may sit in the darkness longer than I desire, but doing so will make the light appear that much brighter when I share it. And really, that's my whole life, isn't it? Trying to share that light, in whatever way I can.

Here's hoping I use the opportunity that NanoWriMo provides. More updates to come. 

Brain Drain and Missing a Beat

I have a confession to make. My writing has suffered greatly since taking my job. I just don't have the brain-power to dedicate to the craft. I try to spend 30-50 minutes on it at lunch, 4 days a week, plus a day on the weekend or an evening when I get it, but really, if I'm honest, I have been slacking. My brain just doesn't seem to have the capacity. At least not at the keyboard. I can sit in front of a piece of paper and go-go-go with notes-upon-copious-notes on this outline, these characters, or that idea, but sitting at the keyboard and doing the work, well, let's just say that the bulk of that brainpower is going straight to the blog.

I'm tired. I know it. I'm tired, and it takes a toll on me to keep plugging away at, well, whatever. I'm just spent by the time I try to dedicate time to the craft. Even as I type this, I can feel my eyes getting heavy and my mind fading, reaching for things in the background to distract it, trying to go lax on its pumping out new ideas.

And still I'm here, my fingers dancing across the dimly lit alphabet, as my eyes watch words of black find a home against a white wall, proving to me that I'm still doing it. I haven't quit. Not yet. There's hope in that. Hope, and a desperate exhaustion. Even now, I feel like I am reaching for sentences just to bulk up this post.

And that "dancing" my fingers are doing. It's not Fred Astaire. No. It's more like last-man-swaying-at-the-end-of-the-wedding-reception, the type of dancing performed by a person whose body says stop but their heart keeps their limbs limping, not in a great rhythm but enough of one to feel like the music hasn't stopped. And I will tell you this--he's enjoying himself, even if he's ready to stumble back to his chair and take a nap. He's still trying to catch himself from falling or giving into slumber, just for one more song. One more.

Here's hoping that as I get over the initial 90-day learning curve my brain starts to get some of its power back. I have my doubts, but we'll all see how things pan out come November when NaNoWriMo starts. That's gonna be a doozy.

Thanks for hanging in with me despite my incoherent and exhausted ramblings these days. I know Monday was specifically free and loose, but I dug it. Will try to keep pace with the blog schedule and keep 'em coming.
C

5 Things a Writer Must Accept (and expect)

Writing is work, and like any kind of work, writing has aspects that are unfavorable. In fact, they are downright discouraging; and if you want to get the job done, you will need to accept these unwanted results of the trade. I won't sugarcoat them:

1) You need to accept rejection.

When you write, you will be rejected--both by those who read what you write and by those who don't. And you'll be rejected explicitly, to your face, and implicitly, through apathy. It'll happen, and it'll hurt.

2) You need to accept criticism.

People who don't write will be sure to tell you how, and people who do write will be sure to tell how they would have done it better. They will have the best intentions; and sometimes, more often than you'd like, they will be right. Criticism is a part of the game, because your work is imperfect. That's the reality. Even if you refuse proofreading or editorial help, at some point, if anyone besides you reads your work, you are going to hear how and where you can improve (and that can be a very frustrating thing).

3) You need to accept failure.

I'm really sorry to tell you this, but someone should, and I might as well be that person. In some area of your writing, you will feel like you are a failure. Whether it be your financial remuneration, your social impact, or your personal fulfillment. At some point in time, in some fashion, you will likely feel like you really blew it. You probably didn't, but maybe you did. You may indeed be a complete failure as far as your personal goals are concerned. You may need to own the fact that you set out to sell 100,000 copies and win 3 awards in your first year of publication, and you simply didn't. You failed (inasmuch as those goals are concerned), that's the truth.

4) You need to accept disappointment.
This is somewhat coupled with the (1) and (3), but it deserves it's own number for the sheer fact that the disappointment can run more deeply than the others. Maybe its not the rejection that bothers you; of course The New Yorker was going to decline reviewing your book. Maybe criticism didn't hurt either; maybe you used every bit of it to improve your drafts, and you knew you could not produce a better piece than the one you did. Maybe you sold less than 100 copies, and you don't even have an Amazon.com review, let alone an award, but you didn't need those--you just needed to finish. No, none of that stuff hurt like the fact that you published the book, and life just continued as it always had, and you were still you, despite thinking that "finally doing it" would change something (anything). It's silly that some of us can think that way, but we do, and we can just plain be disappointed about that--in fact, it's a part of the journey for a number of us.

5) You need to accept that writing is real work--toil.

If writing is your hobby, and you are making a go of it, and you are successful, and it feels like you're not even trying, congratulations. I do not know a single person who remotely had a similar experience to yours. Every person I know who is writing like it matters--for revenue or on mission--sees it as work; because it is. Days they don't want to do it, they do it anyway. Days where it goes wonderfully are celebrated, usually because they are the exception, not the rule. The rule is sitting at the keys and getting stuff done and not leaving until you do. That's called toiling, and writing fits the bill.

Now I know this does not feel uplifting or encouraging. This post may in fact have ruined your day (and your dream), but I have great news for you. If you're a writer, chances are I'm not telling you anything new, and you've not only experienced everything I've mentioned but you've also continued writing in spite of it. So, you're in good shape. Or perhaps you haven't experienced this but are going to discount it altogether and write anyway, because that's how it is, that's what you do, and everything I've mentioned isn't going to touch you--and if it does, now you feel ready and you're going to keep writing regardless.

That's the truth and beauty of accepting all the pains I've outlined. They really don't matter, because when you a writer, you write. Rejection, criticism, failure, disappointment, and toil don't scare you, don't deter you, and don't define you. You know what these hardships do? They fuel you, they invigorate you, they ignite you to make their next work that much better. And in time, when the emotional dust settles, you'll take satisfaction in the fact that you've faced the gauntlet and kept going. Most days, that's enough to get back to it.

I have this crazy feeling that's a fair portion of you reading this. So write on, friends.

Write on. 

How to Write When Time is Short

I was recently corresponding with someone who asked how I managed to get the initial draft of my novel done while also working full time. I felt that my response might prove useful to some of you on the verge of diving into your own projects! I've done some slight reformatting for content. Enjoy!

The way to accomplish anything while maintaining the nine-to-five grind is to sacrifice in other areas at home and stay the course day-to-day. If I boil it down to the core, that's all the advice I have.

Frankly, it's like losing weight. You sacrifice foods you love and dedicate yourself to 20 minutes to an hour of intensive training, 5 days a week, 6 if possible. Over time, the efforts compound, and you find your rhythms. You look forward to that part of the day, and you take advantage of it. When you're not on a clock, the 20 minutes turns into 2 hours because you enjoy yourself, and you see real results over the long term.

Because I am not always good at seeing distant goals, however, I also developed rewards for myself. 1 minute of writing = 1 penny for my Lego fund, which means if i want to buy that $20 Lord of the Rings Lego Shelob set, I gotta put in 2,000 minutes of writing. It's not the primary motivator, but it is an extra something to give some incentive.

In the first 6 months of developing my writing habits, I also did accountability, wherein every two weeks, I wrote two guys and told them what I accomplished and provided them a time-log. Knowing I had to this helped me on days when I would have preferred not to bother.

In the end, it comes down to your ability to be disciplined with time and energies. I've talked to a number of guys who have "a novel in them", but they won't give up their video games or DVR. Those novels have gone unwritten as a result.

Can't be that simple, right? Well, no. And yes. It's not that simple because good writing takes time, and it can be taxing on your faculties over the long term wherein you're not seeing your Pullitzer or your name on the bestseller list. But it is that simple in terms of accomplishing the work itself. Sure, you will only get from your writing and marketing what you are willing to give to it. That is true and clear, but first thing first is getting the words onto paper, and well, I am living proof that the above-referenced methodology works.

Summer Writing School 2013

 This summer I have been going back to school at the movies. I am seeing brushstrokes and devices in films that not only make the experience more enjoyable but far more interesting and layered. Frankly, all the movies I've seen thus far have run the gamut from bad to excellent, and I have picked a few teachable things from each. I've been very fortunate to have an "escalating" experience, in that each subsequent film I have seen has only gotten better, less the last one. Regardless, they are all bringing different lessons to the table.

Iron Man 3 - Love the ideas behind Iron Man 3...but execution is everything.
Some surprises don't work: if you have strong material to adapt, don't toss it out the window to be "hip".
Pay-off your toys: nothing is worse than showing a bunch of really cool stuff...and then barely showcasing at all. The final battle of Iron Man 3 is the most disappointing climax in a Marvel film since the final battle in Iron Man 2.
Remember your audience: if your core demographic is young boys, don't have your protagonist tell a boy in the film he doesn't need to be an [insert needless obscenity] for feeling sad that his father left. It's irresponsible.

Fast and Furious 6 - For all its faults, the screenplay of Furious 6 (according to the title frame of the film) is one of the better action screenplays of the last few years. If the Avengers is going to be the template for studying how to do a superhero team movie, Furious 6 should be a requisite piece of additional viewing/reading.
Establish the relationships in act 1; invert by act 3: No spoilers, but this flic does it...and well.
Know your strengths; Play to them: If there's anything Justin Lin and company know about the F&F franchise, it's what works: the moral gray and a complete disregard for the real world. These are comic book fair for people who enjoy antiheroes without capes or armor.
It takes VERY LITTLE to make ending conflicts earned: The script for Furious 6 sows its seeds early, waters them with brief but memorable moments, and ends them with satisfying conclusions.

Man of Steel - My full perspective on Man of Steel is elsewhere on the blog, but here's some specifics that I did not highlight in it.
Give minor characters weight: A supporting right hand heavy hitter is worth 50 nameless thugs in an action scene, and a few well-placed lines can make a minor character one worth watching.
Don't be afraid of scale: If big consequences are at stake, then the cost of stopping them should be high.
But Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees: of course, if things get too big and loud and long, many will get bored. Extended destruction without visible consequences feels false.

Wolverine - So close yet so far from being the perfect comic entry to such a loud summer season. 
Ask Yourself: Does my sci-Fi really need this bizarre thing or not? Just because you can fill a story with strange beings doesn't mean you need to. And when you give them powers specifically geared toward solving writing problems, it can feel cheap.
Human drama can and should carry a story. When you lose sight of that in favor of an action-laden final act, it can damage all that came before it. So, if you are making a smaller film, it can stay small and still have weight.
Sometimes saving the kitten means killing the kitten (At least for some troubled antiheroes). For those who don't know, "saving the kitchen" is an industry term for establishing your main character's heroism early in the story. But that can be done in many interesting ways.

There you have it. Looking forward to learning more this fall.