Nice little article
here. There'll be times when you'll feel like throwing in the towel. Don't! Keep at it. Find that one story. Then work on it. Get that first draft out of the way. And... If that one doesn't go as planned. Get on with the next one. Don't stop writing.
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You don't really need to do any of these things. Read Screenplays. Watch Movies. Read Screenplays.
And more importantly. Write! Write! Write! Write when you can. Set aside a few hours a day. Ideally, every day. If not, set aside a day, or two a week. An evening or two. Work those writing muscles as often as you can. Read as much as possible, and as often as you can! Newspapers. Novels. Comics. Poetry. It all helps! Feed your imagination with as much as you can. Everything and anything! Keep writing. First Act
Get your main character (protagonist) up a tree. Setup the world they live in. What's their life and situation like? What do they need and want as the main character? Give them a problem and a difficult choice that takes them into the second act. What will the consequences be if they do or don't take up the challenge in front of them? Second Act Throw lots and lots of stones and rocks at them. Plenty of obstacles and hurdles that they must overcome as they make their way through the story. Making the right and wrong choices along the way. What, or who is standing in the way of them achieving their goals? Third Act Get them down from the tree. What do they need to overcome, both internally and externally to get them to the end of the story? What have they learned about themselves? Do they have a character arc by the end of the story? How is their life now compared to the start of the story? Is it opposite to how they started out? Screenwriting - where to start?
With the internet, it's a lot easier than you think. If you want to read some awesome screenplays, go here. Then go buy, or rent the movies. See how things compare onscreen, to what's been written on the page. Look at when things occur. How does the story unfold? You don't need to spend large amounts of money! Read Screenplays. Watch Movies. Read Screenplays. Some days writing can be very therapeutic. And a scene will just flow.
Or you'll have one of those moments where you'll figure out how to make a bunch of scenes work together. Then you have those days where you write a bunch of crap! No matter how many times you read through it. It's just not going to work. Then it's back to the drawing board. Not being accountable to anyone.
That's one of the main problems aspiring screenwriters face when it comes to writing on spec. There's no finish line that they have to work towards, or aim at. No one's standing over them making sure that they get the work done. And that is a major problem, if you want to call yourself a screenwriter. Realistically, if you want to call yourself an aspiring screenwriter, then you really need to do the legwork, and come up with the goods. This means, you need to be producing screenplays on a regular basis, and not settling for the first thing that you manage to finish writing. This is not a sprint, this is a marathon. Making yourself accountable. As an aspiring screenwriter, you need to make yourself accountable. One way to do this, is to tell people that you're an aspiring screenwriter. You may get back some silly responses, but once you've told them, you'd better make sure that you're writing something. Otherwise, it's all for naught, when they ask you what you're currently working on, and you tell them that you're not working on anything. Another way of making yourself accountable, is by giving yourself a more concrete deadline to have those projects completed by. And one of the best ways of doing this, is by choosing a reputable screenwriting competition. There are several to choose from, and they all have various entry dates. This will give you a concrete goal, or a number of concrete goals to achieve. Depending on the number of projects you are working on. And the time-frame you've given yourself. You have to make sure that these goals are attainable. That they are realistic. This will come down to a number of factors.
When it comes to my own writing, what I tend to do, is give myself twelve months to complete a number of projects. If you're writing features, realistically, you should probably be aiming for four projects in a year. Certainly, no more than five. Otherwise, you won't have enough time to get any notes back on your work. Quality should always trump quantity. Unless you're planning on working on these projects at a later date. There's no point consistently churning out crap. It's far better to focus on fewer projects, and make sure that you give yourself the best opportunity to make them the best they can be. As an example. Twelve months from now, this screenwriting competition allows the first entries. Figure out what projects you'll be working on through the course of the year. This will vary depending on what you write. The number of features you write in a year will be different to the number of sitcoms, and 1 hour pilots you can write. But the same principle applies. Better to focus on fewer projects, and make them the best they can be. Especially if you're planning on sending them out to be read. What's the point of sending out a crap draft to anyone? This year, I'm working on four projects. Possibly five. But I'll be happy with four. Even three. These are all rewrites, from previous vomit drafts that I coughed up in the last two years. Far too many vomit drafts. They weren't very good! I'm using the competition entry date as the deadline. That's the goal. To have these projects all rewritten by then. This workload is quite achievable in this time-frame. As long as the planet doesn't suffer from an alien invasion between now and then. Which is unlikely, but you never know!
You can learn a lot from
watching movies & reading screenplays. BLADE Quinn. I'm gettin' a little tired of choppin' you up. Thought I might try fire for a change. Are you introducing us to the world your main characters inhabit in those opening pages?
Are you setting up the tone and genre straight away? What does this have to do with screenwriting and storytelling? If you have to ask. Energy! Emotion! Enthusiasm! Are you really putting everything you've got into that idea of yours? Are you really making that story the best it can be? Make that story you're writing the best it can be! Writing is rewriting! Never heard such nonsense!
What I've come to learn is, this is complete nonsense. More often than not you'll read this type of nonsense in text books. Written by those that have never written anything, or had anything produced in any way, shape, or form. So they write these how to books on how to break into the business. As if there's some secret formula, there's not, by the way. The only thing that matters when I read a script, is the STORY. This is what matters! Is it INTERESTING? Is it ENTERTAINING? Do I care about these characters, and their journey through this story? Is this a story that I'd enjoy watching on the small or big screen? And I've read a number of scripts this month that I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed! And you know what, a bunch of them had we see, and camera angles in them. The only thing that mattered was the story. Did I find what's written on the page enjoyable? Everything you write on the page is some form of directing. Keep writing! Getting an idea's one thing.
But is it a movie idea? Does it fit the medium? It may work better as a novel, stage-play, or TV pilot. It may not work at all in any medium, because it's just not a very good idea! If the idea's viable, the fun starts when you try and turn this wonderful idea into a full-blown story. Coming up with story ideas, interesting characters and situations, and creating plot points that will help move/push your characters through the story, from A-to-B-to-C. This is the hard part. Fleshing out the story, and working out what's going to happen as the story unfolds based off this wonderful idea.
Getting feedback and notes, and figuring out what needs improving. Writing is rewriting! Actually, you can apply this to anything creative. Never bore your intended audience. Because they'll lose interest, and won't stick around. As an example, I'm currently reading through a first draft, a vomit draft. And this thing is boring. It's mind numbingly boring. NOTHING IS HAPPENING! IT'S BORING. It's so slow, I'm actually finding that I'm checking the internet quite regularly. That's not good! The crux of the story hasn't happened yet, and I'm on page sixty-eight. Nothing remotely interesting has occurred. Where is the main antagonist of the story? The event that is mentioned in the logline, hasn't happened yet. And this thing is is over one-hundred pages long. And, I wrote this thing. When you find your own work boring, that's a big problem. It's a major issue. NEVER BORE THE READER.
NEVER SEND THE READER TO SLEEP! It's no secret that if you want to get better at something then you need to practice and practice. And the more you practice, the better you should get. This isn't always true, many will practice, and reach a plateau. They'll reach a certain level of competency, and they just won't go any further. No matter how much time and effort they put in, they just won't get to the next level. This is very true when it comes to writing. But you can increase the odds if you actually learn to focus, rather than spreading yourself thin over far too many projects in any given year, or time period.
Quantity There is a limit to the amount you can write in any given period of time. Let's say for arguments sake, that you set yourself writing goals for a year. These goals that you want to achieve will be dependent on what other commitments you have outside of writing. Whether or not you have a family, work full-time, or part-time. All these factors will impede the amount of time you have to write. So what should you do? Should you try and write as much as you can, or should you focus on a small number of projects? The reason I'm bringing this up, is because I have a habit of writing far too much, and this causes me to lose focus, and not put in enough time and energy into developing a project that I've finished. As an example, I wrote nine screenplays last year, and the year before that, I wrote nine screenplays. I'll tell you first hand, that's far too many projects. Writing this much exhausts your imagination, and creative juices, and leaves you no time to develop anything in that given year. There just isn't enough time to develop, and improve a project. And by doing this, and I'll be honest, 99.99 percent of what I wrote was terrible. Some of those projects are workable, and have potential to be developed, but the quality suffered big time. Because I didn't put the time in. Developing a feature project will take a lot of time and energy, and many drafts. Thinking that a vomit draft is acceptable is wrong. It's never acceptable! Quality From my own personal experience, I would say, and this is dependent on what other commitments you have outside of writing, that you should be aiming for three projects, possibly four in any given year. If you're writing features. I can't really put a figure out there for TV pilots, and sitcoms, but the number should be low enough so that it enables you time to get feedback and notes on them. So that you can rework, and develop them through the course of a year. By doing this, you will hopefully give yourself the chance to put a lot more time and effort into the project. Three feature projects will give you roughly four months to work on each of them. Four feature projects will give you roughly three months to work on each of them. Knock out that first draft, and then get feedback and notes on it. And while you're waiting for those notes, start work on your next project. Having three projects that you've rewritten, will be a lot better than having six shoddy first-drafts of six projects that you've put no real effort or work into. Be realistic in the amount of time you have available through the year, and then set yourself some realistic goals that you can achieve.
Quality should always trump quantity. Make that screenplay the best it can be. Give yourself the best shot. Whether you're entering it into a competition, or sending it out to people to read. Best of luck for 2015. Keep coming up with those ideas. Keep writing! As a writer, ideas should be coming to you from everywhere.
Scenes, characters, situations that people find themselves in. You should be seeing these things on a regular basis, and writing them down. And if that scene, character, and situation is something that holds your interest. That is when you should consider expanding it, and developing it in to a story. You may well ask, where do I find such ideas? If you are a writer, you shouldn't really be asking this question. Read books, comics, novels, poetry, magazines, news articles in papers, the internet. When you overhear a conversation, or while in a conversation. Something may well spark that light-bulb. Watch movies, TV shows. Ideas are all around you. That's why should carry a little notepad around with you in order to write them down, and if they stick with you, you'll probably end up using them in a story. You see something that interests you while out walking. A burned out car, a battered bike. A homeless guy carrying some bedding. There are endless ideas for stories everywhere. Maybe you look up at the sky one night and see a meteor shower, or flickering lights. What are they? Where are they going? Is there an idea (concept) here for a workable story? The hard part is figuring out which of these ideas and concepts is workable. Some ideas just aren't workable, while many are. If you really are a writer, this is not the question you should be asking. There are no shortcuts. Best of luck with finding those allusive ideas. I wrote this way back on the 14th February 2012 for Trigger Street Labs, after I was awarded reviewer of the month.
Random thoughts on my review process. I've been asked to write a few words on my review process, so here goes. Not sure how much more I can add that hasn't been said. But I'll give it a try. Before I start a review, I'll usually copy and paste the title, log line, genre, length of the piece into my word processor before I start making notes. I'll make notes in my word processor as I read. First thing I look at is the page length of the piece and how that corresponds to the genre. Usually the page count can be an indicator of problems, especially if it's heading past the 120 mark. Not always, but usually. The process I go through can vary, sometimes I'll read the first five, ten pages and make notes on them first. Personally I think those opening pages are extremely important. As a writer, I really believe that your main hurdle is the reader. They are the gate keepers, if you can crack those first ten, fifteen pages and draw the reader in, then you have a good chance of keeping them glued to their seats and reading your piece all the way to the end. Other times I'll jump straight in and make page by page notes all the way to the end. Not every page, but as many as possible. I'll try and give examples of things that didn't sit well with me. Perhaps a slugline, action or description could be better written. An action or piece of dialogue that could be better conveyed to the reader. I'll try and show the writer possible ways of doing it. Maybe it's right, maybe it's wrong. But at least by doing so, it's been brought to the attention of the writer. I'll try and point out spelling mistakes if I can and where they are. That's one of the good things about getting feedback. As a writer, you can get extremely close to your work and fail to see the wood for the trees. So having someone else read through it and point out mistakes and problems with it is extremely valuable. Such as plot holes, underdeveloped characters, too many characters etc. Sometimes I'll give myself a challenge and review a very long screenplay. I won't however do this all at once. I'll look at the page length and then I'll divide it into blocks. So if I'm short on time, and I have a 120 page screenplay or more. I'll read through blocks of 30 pages and make notes and so on, until I'm finished. That way, you're not rushing through it. When getting feedback from people, I really appreciate the following:
If while reading I come across these types of things and others, I'll make a note of it. I remember I had a very useful review from someone who suggested I take the last Act of one of my screenplays and use it as the first Act as the first two acts were pretty darn slow. Hopefully I'll get around to rewriting that one at some point. To sum up. I make notes as I read, referencing page numbers and then I try and sum up the best I can what worked and what didn't work at the end. The one thing I've noticed, is that I'm quite harsh when it comes to reviewing. I don't do this to be mean as I normally spend a good 3, 4, and on occasions 5 hours reading and writing up my reviews. I hope the above is useful to some degree. As someone who writes myself, you have to remember as a writer that you're in charge of the world that you're creating on the page. It's up to you as to what you use and discard. However, if you have several people pointing out the same things, which is something I tend to look for in reviews of my own work. Then there's probably a problem that needs addressing. Keep writing! N.B. I think that reading and doing reviews is one of the best ways to learn about the writing process. As well as the actual writing! Hope that makes sense. Write, write, write. There’s no magic formula for writing a great script. Where do you get them? Where do they come from? Ideas for a story can pretty much come from anywhere, and at any time.
As an example. One of my latest screenplays came about from several ideas that had been gestating in the back of my mind for quite a long time. I'd come across this photo, or drawing of all these balls of light floating through a forest or something, and it had sparked my imagination. I decided these balls of light were going to be will-o'-the-wisps, and that I'd have this old guy chasing after them with a butterfly net, and that he'd take them home with him. Great scene I thought, but what the heck am I going to do with it? So I ended up having this scene in my head for months, and had no idea what to do with it. Then one day I was out cycling, and came across some canal boats, and thought that'd be a great location. What if this old guy that collects these wisps lives on a canal boat? So I scribbled that down in my notepad. But I still had nowhere to take this character, or location. So this character and location sat inside my head while I tried to wrangle and develop some kind of scenario, and story. While out walking in a public park I came across this wooden statue, and got the distinct impression that its eyes were following me around as I took in the sights. Wow! I thought, if I were a kid, I'd probably be a little spooked by that. So I scribbled that down in my notepad. But I still had no idea what I was going to do with this scene where this old guy is chasing after wisps that had been stuck in my subconscious and imagination for quite a long time. Then one day, while I was pondering, why not have this statue that's located in this park, right next to this canal path? That might work. So I scribbled that down, but I still didn't have much of a story, and no lead character, or characters. One day I was reading through The Magic Canvas which you can read on here, and decided that I'd borrow a few ideas from it, and started to formulate, and work out this new story. And that's when I came up with The Statue In The Park. Which you can read on here as well. I sort of cheated a little by doing that. But I enjoyed throwing all these ideas on the page, and then trying to figure out how this story would unfold. Ideas can hit you at any time. You might be walking past a billboard with a fascinating picture or drawing that sparks your imagination, and you get another idea or two. Just remember to scribble them down as soon as possible. You never know when that one great idea might slap you in the face. What if?
What if? What if? Keep writing. Keep working your creative muscles. Push through those difficult scenes. Even if they don't read all that well on the page. They can always be moved around on the page. Deleted. And rewritten. Nothing is set in stone. It's just words on a page. WRITING IS REWRITING!
So, you've finally reached that last page. That last line, those final words of your precious baby. And on finishing that last sentence of action or final line of dialogue, you finally type FADE OUT. At last you can breathe out, a sigh of relief as you take in what you've accomplished. Wipe away the sweat, and clear your mind of the angst and frustration that's built up while you've been plugging away, as you take in what you've achieved. You've actually done it, you've written a screenplay.
It's finished, done and dusted. Those precious hours that have accumulated into weeks, months, even years where you've been toiling away in order to reach this joyous and wondrous occasion. You've finally completed the damn script. Or have you? This is the thing. As a writer, you probably haven't finished. You're probably not even close to finishing that project that you think is completed. Writing and finishing that first draft of a project is only the start of a long and sometimes, and more often than not, a very long and arduous process and journey. Never be fooled into thinking that this is a sprint and the minute you stop typing, that you've finished. Because, in all honesty, you probably haven't. This is a marathon and not a sprint. Leaving it on your hard drive or hiding it away in a drawer. Doing the above is second-nature, you've finished it, now you have to protect it and hide it away from prying eyes. This thing you've written is perfect, and why shouldn't it be? You've given blood, sweat and tears to this thing, quite often found yourself banging your head against a brick wall while trying to make a scene work or make the story flow more smoothly. Trying to figure out the best way to break the story. Will the story be better served if this scene goes here, rather than here? If I remove this character, will it make any real difference to the overall story? You'll be damned if you're going to show this thing to anyone. So you hide it away. In fear that people might end up telling you that you haven't quite nailed the story yet and there's plenty more work to be done. Let's be honest, who are these people, what do they know, and how could they possibly help you improve this story that you think you've finished? This story that you think is perfect. And that's it. No matter how badly you've convinced yourself that what you've written is a masterpiece, chances are, it probably isn't. There's a good chance that you're going to need several pairs of eyes on it and a fresh perspective and point of view as to what is and what isn't working. This thing is going to need several more drafts. And getting people to read through your precious baby and give their opinions on it is the best way to do this. No matter what the outcome, there will be those that tell you that what you've written is fantastic, while there will be others that tell you that it still needs work. Lots of work. Why do you need notes? A fresh pair of eyes on a project will help point out things that the writer has missed. A writer can get too close to their work and can quite easily fail to see the obvious flaws in it. It's only natural to become overprotective of your own work, but this can also mean failing to see what isn't working. Hopefully, with enough eyes on your project, these areas of concern and problem areas will be pointed out and even possible ways of fixing them might even be suggested. Once your baby is finished, where should you go for notes & feedback? There are plenty of places online where writers can go for free feedback and notes. That's right, free feedback and notes. Places like Trigger Street Labs, a peer review site, a community for screenwriters. Here you can give notes on other writers' work while getting feedback on your own. And the only thing it'll cost you is some free time. Reacting to notes and feedback. Anger. Frustration. Anger. Frustration.
The above are common reactions that this reader/writer often encounters. Writers get extremely defensive and start calling readers every name under the sun because they just didn't respond to the material the way the writer was hoping for. Well, from someone who has read a lot of screenplays and given notes, not every reader is going to get, understand or respond to your work the way you hoped. It's just not a very realistic way of looking at things, as with everything, it comes down to taste, mood, and subjectivity at the end of the day. If someone has taken the time to read through your screenplay and give you notes on it, whether for free or paid, this doesn't mean they are going to get or understand what you've written. The way you read, understand and react to your story will not be the same as this person. You need to understand this, people will have their own points of view and opinions. On receiving any feedback & notes, this writer can only offer up this one piece of advice. Put them away somewhere, hide them in a drawer and come back to them at a later date. Ideally, three weeks or more, hopefully this will give you enough time to step away from the project and come back to it with a fresh perspective. And while you've stepped away, concentrate on new projects. Paying for notes. There was a time when this writer/reader would've told you that you shouldn't be paying anyone for notes, no matter how cheap they are, as they are only giving you their opinion on your work. But that point of view has now changed slightly, this writer believes that there's nothing wrong with paying someone for their time. Reading a screenplay and making notes is very time consuming, especially if the reader puts a lot of time and effort into it. So compensating someone for this work and time seems fair. But, that doesn't mean you should be throwing away your money and paying over the odds just to get someone's opinion, because that's all you're getting. Someone's point of view as to how they perceive your work. It's neither right or wrong. As to how much you should be paying, that really comes down to the individual and how much they are willing to pay at the end of the day. There are many people that charge a reasonable sum for this service, while there are others that charge through the roof. It's really up to the writer to do their research and homework, and figure out who is the best fit for their work. Try and get samples of their notes and feedback, find out what genres they specialize in. Are they a good match? And then determine if the benefits will out way the costs of the service. Only you can determine that. Take a look at their credentials and resume.
These are the types of questions you should be asking. And, as already mentioned. Don't get offended if they don't like your work. Everyone will have a different perspective and opinion on what is working and what isn't in your precious baby, that masterpiece that you've written. Good luck & keep writing. Tony Gilroy, one of Hollywood's most sought-after screenwriters, is responsible for The Devil's Advocate, Armageddon and the Bourne films, to name just a few.
Alison Feeney-Hart met the man whose 2007 film Michael Clayton saw him receive Bafta and Oscar nominations for best original screenplay to find out his Top 10 tips for writing a Hollywood blockbuster. Everyone has to start somewhere. I can remember that first screenplay I wrote. It was some kind of superhero mash up, it felt like a good idea at the time. If I'm honest, it had a good kernel of an idea at the heart of it, but it just wasn't very good. Actually, it was pretty atrocious, now that I think about it. I knew nothing about screenwriting and what exactly it involved or how hard it really is when I wrote it. Looking back, I can honestly say that I'm glad I did write it, if it hadn't been for that first attempt. This writer would never have discovered screenwriting. I'm currently typing a screenplay that a wrote two-three years ago into Final Draft. As I've been typing this thing and reading it. I've come to realize that it's absolutely terrible. It has a good idea at the heart of it, but the execution of this thing is somewhat lacking to put it politely. It's basically a big pile of steaming horse manure. Things just happen to the characters for the sake of moving the story forward. It's just bad and if I was giving notes on this thing, I'd be tearing it a new one. The fact that I entered this thing into contests is just ridiculous, not only did it put a dent in my wallet, but I can honestly feel the pain that the reader must've endured while reading this travesty of nonsensical nonsense. What's become apparent as I've been typing this thing, is that a lot of writers come up with some pretty cool ideas, but it's the execution of the story that inevitably lets them down. If you have an idea for something, sit down with it, let it percolate and grow in your subconscious for a while. And hopefully while it's stewing away in your head, you'll come up with more ideas that will help you turn it into an interesting and entertaining story. That someone will hopefully enjoy reading. Don't rush in there and start writing straight away.
There is no sure fire way of writing a screenplay, everyone is different, but the above will certainly help in the creative process. Once all this is done. Then you can knock out that first draft as quickly as possible. The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof, shit detector. Screenwriting -- 'Olympus Has Fallen' Screenwriters Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt.23/3/2013 When it comes to putting in the work during the development process of the script, these guys set a benchmark. 5 YEARS! At Pixar it’s years, literally 5 years, to get the stories right. WOW!
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Welcome to Russell’s website. A storyteller who enjoys writing screenplays for movies. Even though the process is hard. It keeps his imagination working overtime.
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