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WILLIAM H. BONNEY You know, Sir, I do admire you, and I sure would like to touch the gun that's gonna kill Billy the Kid. The first draft is nothing more than a starting point, so be wrong as fast as you can. Everyone who tells me they don’t have time to write, I just say, ‘One scene a night for three months, and you’ll have a movie—you can even use the weekends.’ It’s possible to be a writer if you want to be a writer, even without all the time in the world….After doing the dishes, instead of turning on the television or reading a book or going to the movies, write one scene. Whatever you do write one scene. - Bruce Joel Rubin IMPERATOR FURIOSA Out here, everything hurts. You wanna get through this? Do as I say. Now pick up what you can and run. It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all. So many components to juggle.
Theme. Plot. Concept. Story. Structure. Characters. Dialogue. A structural approach to screenwriting requires patience and discipline, but the rewards are great. You might find if you spend three weeks hammering out your story, the actual screenwriting will take only a week. The most ordinary word, when put into place, suddenly acquires brilliance. That is the brilliance with which your images must shine. Correcting punctuation and grammar.
Sentence construction, and how the story is laid out on the page. While the above is important, this is not rewriting. You might well smile with relief on finishing that first draft. But don't be fooled. You have plenty of work ahead in getting that script up to scratch. Firstly. Don't be frightened of getting some feedback on that story you've just finished. Ideally from some trusted sources. Or at the very least, from people who write themselves, and know something about creating story. A lot of writers shy away from getting feedback because they're worried about being told that what they've written isn't very good. But that's the point. You need to know what's working and what's not. Secondly. Once you've received feedback, put that finished script and the notes away for a while. Two weeks. Three weeks. A month. Several months. A year! Step away from it. Step back. Put it out of your mind. Forget about it. Thirdly. Be productive while stepping away from this newly finished project. Start work on the next project that's been bugging you. Make some notes. Come up with some new ideas. Characters. Scenes. Write an outline for this new project. You could even write the first draft. Fourthly. Once you feel you've been away long enough, go back to the project. Read through the notes you've received. Then read through the script. See what works, and what isn't. A boring first act? Perhaps the second act is dragging? Characters that don't appear to be doing anything? Just because someone has mentioned something, doesn't mean it's right. It doesn't mean it's wrong either. Consider writing a new draft based on feedback that you like. Then consider writing another draft based on the feedback that you're not too keen on. Who knows? You might find that you like that draft. Fifthly. Take a break. Re-energize those creative juices. Then repeat the process. You need to be constantly writing to be in this. Because if you're not, someone else will be! You can’t just ask someone who’s never met you to read your script. When you walk up to a total stranger with a 110-page screenplay in your hand, shove it at them and say, “Would you please read my script?” it’s like asking a stranger, “Hi, you don’t know me, but would you help me move this weekend?” You’re asking for five hours of somebody’s time – time to read it, to prepare notes, and the time they’ll spend with you over the phone trying to talk you off the ledge. When it comes to connecting with others who are in a position to help you, you should look at it this way: It’s an imposition to be asked for a favour, but it’s flattering to be asked for advice. INDIANA Get back to Cairo. Get us some transport to England. Boat, plane, anything. Meet me at Omar's. Be ready for me. I'm going after that truck. SALLAH How? INDIANA I don't know, I'm making this up as I go! |
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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