Tag Archives: Screenwriting Tips

My 100th Post

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100I can’t believe it…100.  Have I really had so much to say?!

I didn’t have any expectations when I started this blog, because I really had no idea what I was doing.  The only thing I did know was I needed a plan of what I was going to talk about.  I’m a writer who always thought she should be a teacher, but I don’t want to be lumped into one of those “if you can’t do, teach” sort of people yet, because I am just starting out. 😉  So here we are.  I share what I learn along the journey into “the business”, share a little of myself and my passions, and hopefully am useful to those of you who have decided to follow my ramblings.

I get a thrill each time I see that little orange icon at the top of my screen informing me of a new follower, comment, or like, and I appreciate every single one!  So thank you to all of you who have decided to spend some time with me.

So, on that note, and since I’m finally back on track, I’ll share a little about how I’m moving forward.  Besides the rewrite (this should now require some sort of expletive attached to it), and the possibility of writing for a new animated series (if it gets picked up – keep your fingers crossed), I’ve been working on my portfolio (which is why that blasted rewrite has been plaguing me).  For my fellow screenwriters, this is an absolute must.  Screenwriting coach, Lee Jessup, listed the following as a well rounded portfolio:

  • 2-3 “ready” scripts
  • 1 TV pilot or web series
  • 5 fleshed out like-genre ideas
  • 2 outside your genre ideas

Here’s a more in depth post about this topic and branding if you’re interested.  I’ve been able to get all of this in order, except for a viable option for a television pilot.  I sort of had this vague notion of something I wanted to do about powerful women throughout history, but about a week ago I had an idea for a comedy, and then one for a sort of fantasy based drama.  That one still needs tweaking.  And then they both need writing, or some outlining, which I suck at, by the way.  So there’s that.  From there, I need to start attacking my list of potential agents and industry people.  That’s a whole new level of stress-inducing madness just waiting to be explored.  *For those of you who have taken part of this process, I’d love some advice or feedback.  Please and thank you.

As for the blog, since I decided to start sharing images for writing prompts, I’ve collected a stockpile of articles to share, and I’d like to branch out a little in what I post, I just don’t know what that means exactly yet.  So stay tuned.

I suppose that’s enough rambling for now.  I’m going to try out a new writer’s group tonight and see what comes of it, so wish me luck.

I wish you all the best everyone!  And thanks again!  Let the journey continue.

The Business of Rewriting

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EditingAs I embark on yet another rewrite, and hopefully the last, on my first screenplay, I’ve been reviewing all the notes I’ve taken on rewriting (from books, articles, webinars) and thought I’d share a few things that should be relevant for all writers.  We’ve all heard it, and I’ve said it a time or two here, that all writing is rewriting.

First off, there should be a distinction made between editing and rewriting.  Editing is working with that final draft to make it great (and ready).  Rewriting is improving each element within your story; characters, dialogue, scenes, using the right words for impact, etc.  According to Dictionary.com – Editing means:

1. to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.)
2. to collect, prepare, and arrange materials for publication
3. to revise or correct

Whereas Rewriting means:

1. to write in a different form or manner
2. to write again

So we will first rewrite, then edit.  Unless you’re like me, who loves to edit while they write.  Don’t follow my lead.  The first draft should be all the things you hope your story will be.  You should write it from the heart, because the subsequent drafts will be from the head.  The first draft should be free of restrictions, over-thinking, and self-censorship.  You should be carefree and wide-eyed, because it might be the last time you feel that way for the rest of this story.

One of the first lessons I learned in regards to rewriting is to remember “your vision”.  Sometimes while writing our vision gets lost.  Rewriting is the time to get reacquainted with it.  Remember why you wanted to tell this story.  Look for holes, problems with story or structure, forgotten characters (I did this once.  I had a character in the first half of a screenplay who I forgot to use later.  Oh yea, they must have been really interesting.), and logic.  Logic is one of my favorite rewriting techniques, “What would really happen?”  Trying to force a situation to get our characters where we want may make it read false.  How our characters (and people in general) would really respond in any situation is a great way to judge if our story is reading true, and might actually solve some problems we’ve run into.

I primarily write screenplays, so I have a lot of rewriting tips specifically designed for screenwriting which I can share in another post.  I wanted to keep this one a little more broad and offer some sites with helpful tips.  Many I’ve referred to myself.  LitReactor is great.  If you haven’t discovered them yet, take a look.  Use the search bar for editing or rewriting tips and you’ll come across articles like, How To Break Up With Your First Draft, Writing Sentences With Impact, or 5 Steps to a Successful Digital Rewrite, in addition to a great many other articles.  The Write Life has articles about 25 Editing Tips, or Write Better Stories By Asking These Questions.  This may be part one in a series, because there is a lot of information out there.

So, if I find anything else, I’ll pass it along.  I hope you’re all having a great and productive week!

How To Survive The Writing Highs & Lows

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TypewriterFontWriterWriters are a misunderstood bunch.  To the outside world, one might think our lives are spent wistfully daydreaming the day away.  That we spend our time living in imaginary worlds, not staring blindly at a blinking cursor on a white screen for long stretches of time while we try to find the exact right words for every single word we want to put down, or the time spent learning and honing our craft, or the mental (and sometimes physical) obstacles we need to hurdle to finish a piece, in addition to all the other things we’ve learned we need to do in order to write professionally along the way.  Writing can sometimes be an exhausting pursuit.

After last week’s admission of current shortcomings, I discovered that I sometimes follow a pattern.  What’s nice about this “light bulb” moment is that I can now use it to my advantage.  Being aware of the non-productive periods can help me lessen them in the future.  All of life is a learning curve.  Sometimes we are made to repeat certain instances until we come to an understanding, learn the lesson, and stop repeating them.  I’ve written about the marathon-style sprints I’ve been on and I’ve written about the dry spells.  There is no more or less passion during either of these times, but there is an ease in which the flow occurs.  This is something that “other” people will not understand.

So, as I decided to stop the madness and get back to work, I had a bit of a serendipitous moment when I found this article entitled, How the Ups and Downs of Writing Can Improve Your Craft.  Again, from The Write Life (who are quickly becoming my go-to site).  The third bullet point in the lows is exactly where I’ve been – finding out what has brought me down and fixing it…the only way I know how – Get back to writing.  I’ve reassessed some of my goals and am making some imaginary deadlines to get me focused again.

I’m not sure where I read it, but I have it on my board, a mantra of sorts that I’ve had to get back into the habit of repeating:

Discipline, Focus, Positive Energy

It is one of my goals to remain positive.  It may sound strange, but I’ve seen a few things that suggest that positivity is a choice.  It’s easy to fall prey to depressing thoughts, or feelings of inadequacy, and I would prefer not to, not anymore.  This recent low has reminded me of that.  So I suppose there’s good in that.

I wish you all the best in your writing endeavors and lots of positive thoughts!

Good luck!

A Little Writing Help

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TypewriterFontWriter

I’m feeling sort of negative today.  A few things have compounded leaving me a little sour.  So rather than give into those feelings or give them any power, I’ve decided to be helpful.  My blog is supposed to be about writing, romance, and fantasy, in addition to the journey of becoming an established writer, so maybe this week I’ll pursue some of those other avenues in the hopes that it will lighten my mood.  Maybe I’ve been too serious, too focused on one goal…maybe I should cut loose, at least a little. :\

I came across this interesting article that deciphers the various questions you might be asked in a creative meeting whether with film executives or publishers, such as “Why this character?”, “Why this story?”, “Why now?”.  If you’re struggling with a particular story, asking yourself some of these questions might help you resolve those issues, or might reiterate to yourself why you were inspired to write this story in the first place.  Also, within each question topic are further tips to explore.  I’ll give ’em a look, and pass on the details.  If you beat me to it, please share.

Then there’s The Write Life.  You may have noticed I reference them, occasionally.  I follow them on Facebook and find a lot of useful tips and offerings.  They recently posted an article about 20 Inspiring Pinterest Boards.  As you are all probably aware by now, I love Pinterest.  I’ve been doing the whole cork board thing for years, and really wish I would’ve come up with this idea.  (That would’ve been one way to supplement my lifestyle.)  I’m currently going through the boards suggested to see which would be helpful.  This idea alone has inspired me to search out more useful tips to share on my boards, so look for those new additions soon.

I hope you’re all having a productive week and I wish you all the best!

2 Writing Opportunities

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So I’ve come across two writing opportunities that I’d like to share:

1.  NBC is casting a net to find new comedy writers.  Here’s the link.

2. Disney ABC Creative Talent Development is looking for scenes for their talent showcase.  You can find more info on their Facebook page, and because I couldn’t find a proper link, here’s a screenshot of the details.

ABCshowcaseI’ll keep my eyes and ears open for any other opportunities!

Good luck!

A Screenwriter No-No

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I had to share this.  And just to forewarn you, it’s painful.  One of the first rules of etiquette in this industry (or any), don’t abuse your contacts.  This should almost go without saying.  I understand the excitement that goes along with finding someone who can help you with your career (I’ve talked about this before), but this is not how to go about it.  If this writer had done any research on how to network, how to maintain relationships, and how to take any amount of criticism, this may have been someone he could have contacted again in the future, but now he’ll be lucky if he’s not blackballed from the entire industry.  It’s a small world and people talk.  All I can say is wow.

Enjoy!

Why producers will not read your script – shocking case study from one exec.

Have a great week everyone!

A Little Screenwriting Help

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TypewriterFontWriterSometimes I have to question my sanity.  As writers, it’s something we probably do more often than we should.  I recently watched the documentary, “Tales from the Script”, which is available on Netflix, and I highly recommend it to any aspiring screenwriter.  Which is why I was again forced to reevaluate my sanity.  There was one comment that has stuck with me, it was something to the effect that “if you can do anything else, do it”.  That’s when it was reiterated to me that I can’t.  I love screenwriting.  It’s my calling.  And I hope all of you have found yours.

If you can quit, then quit. If you can’t quit, you’re a writer. – R.A. Salvatore

I’ve tried my hand at poetry, and just for kicks and giggles, maybe I’ll post some one day.  They’re terrible.  Which is probably why I’ve never tried to write any more beyond my angsty teenage years.  I wrote a few short stories, and I’d be willing to try again, I’m just not sure when.  I wrote a one-act play that I really liked, but I feel that was a one-hit wonder moment.  I’ve never written song lyrics, but I’m actually going to give that a try this year.  I have this interesting opening line that I’d like to explore.  I actually finished a novel (based on one of my screenplays) and have another, that one that I started in my youth that was too advanced for my adolescent mind, that still needs to be finished, but now am thinking could be a screenplay…I’m satisfied knowing I’ve at least tried other avenues, and have found the medium that works best for me.

I’m pretty sure it all started with my love of film.  I see my stories like a movie in my head.  I used to get buried in the details of description when I was trying to be a novelist, the only form of writing I thought there was, and screenwriting allows me to get my story out quickly.  So for those of you who are following a similar path, I’ve attached this article on how to improve your screenwriting descriptions, and if you can ignore the off-putting color of the page, there’s some wonderful advice.  I made lots of notes.

I’m keeping this one short and sweet.  I’m not going to rant or ramble, as I have to get back to the many things I have lingering…

WritersEcard

Have a great week!

Happy Endings

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HappyilyEverAfterOkay, so just a forewarning, this might be a bit of a rant.  And this should be titled “Satisfying Endings”.  I finally finished Dexter (thank you, Netflix) and (no spoilers) was extremely disappointed with the ending.  After 8 seasons, I expected better, and although I haven’t read the books, so I’m not sure how the author ended his series, I was mad at the tv writers for not giving the fans a more satisfying ending.  You have to stay true to the character, and after some time recollecting on Dexter as a character, I don’t think his character arc found justice in the end.  This made me reconsider endings of other shows and movies and I couldn’t think of one that ended in such a way that I was left so angry and resentful.  I even voiced aloud that I would never watch that final episode again.  The distaste caused me to start rewatching earlier seasons to give me the love back.  Even Game of Thrones, which has the power to shock and surprise me (I just started reading the first book), has left me hopeful, since there are still more episodes (and another book) in the works.  So all this made me think about my own endings.

I’m an 80s girl with a love for all things princess (thank you, Disney).  So I love a happy ending, but I want it to be warranted – that’s come with age.  I also love foreign films.  They tend to be more honest.  They might not end the way we want, but most of the time you’re still satisfied, or at least understand that life doesn’t always work out the way we expect or hope.  This is the blessing about variety.  The whole point of film is escape (documentaries aside).  I enjoy becoming invested in a story, walking in a character’s shoes sometimes so different from my own, and escaping into another world, and depending on my mood, there’s a movie that can fulfill those expectations.  *Obviously, novels work the same way.  I’m a screenwriter, so I tend to refer to films more often.

So far, my own stories are “happily ever after” types.  It’s part of who I am.  I want the girl to get her boy in the end.  I want wrongs to be righted.  There are elements of struggle and tragedy, but mainly, I think there’s enough bad in the world that when you come to one of my movies, eventually, you’ll leave a little happier.  I hope.  Except with my spy story.  Lately I’ve been thinking it should end a little open-ended…maybe everything doesn’t end “happy” but I want it to be satisfying and truthful to my characters.  I say this now, but I love the boy I’m writing as the love interest, so in my heart (and the back of my mind), I’m probably going to write them together…

I recently wrote a blog about a few things I learned while attending an event where a producer talked about the 5 elements of well-being in both life and writing (movies in particular).  What she said was to “end your movie at the peak of audience satisfaction”.  The truth of the story is “the relationship”.  Which relationship is the most important?  And how it’s portrayed is what gives us that satisfaction.  Take Rocky for an example.  In the end, he doesn’t win the fight, but does end in his woman’s arms.  A movie for guys ends with a sort of bait and switch, where the accomplishment becomes secondary to the relationship, but you don’t know that until the end.  What are considered “women’s movies” are all about the relationship.  And it doesn’t have to be strictly the romantic relationship, but whichever relationship is the most important.  We, as the audience, love to watch a character survive, to overcome great obstacles, but it is the moment after, between the hero and their loved one, that completes the story for us.  Of course there are modern-day tragedies, like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that are about achieving the goal without the relationship, but it all depends on the story you’re trying to tell.

I’m no expert.  I just think that as writers we should not force an ending to be something it’s not.  Our characters are the way they are for a reason, and they’ll probably tell us what’s right for them – mine do anyway, most of the time, I just sometimes have cotton in my ears.  As writers, we are the gods of our universe, and we are responsible and free to create the world the way we want it.  So we should exercise that freedom.  I suppose we shouldn’t worry about the audience when we’re writing, for that might skew the process, but you may want to be prepared for some angry fans if it doesn’t end well.  Dexter…

I told you this was a rant, but thanks for letting me get it off my chest.  I don’t really have a tip to solve this dilemma, except to say, do right by your characters…and may they live happily ever after.

Best of luck in your writing endeavors!

How Are Those Resolutions Coming?

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CloversIt’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I suddenly realized it’s going on almost 11 weeks since the New Year and all those resolutions (verbalized, or not), and I decided to reevaluate my “to do list”.  I currently have 18 items on it, some of them have subcategories, some are on-going, but of the 18, I’ve been working through 14 of them.  Not too shabby.  Some days I flounder.  Some days I struggle with my writing.  Some days I feel like all I’ve done is run in circles, but at least I made the list to keep me focused.  It’s like a tether that draws me back to reality.  I bought a monthly wall calendar to keep track of goals and to visualize them.  I created imaginary deadlines, and some more concrete…and yet I still feel like I could have made better progress.  I’ve let too many days pass without doing a thing…at least on the writing front.

I feel like maybe I should cut myself a little slack, but then I think, I can’t slip back into old routines and bad habits.  Maybe I need more (or better) structure.  I applied for a six-month membership giveaway to a local writer’s space that would give me an “office”.  I’m crossing my fingers.  It’s too easy to be sidetracked at home.  This is why I think I should have done more these past 11 weeks.  I felt I was making progress on my first script, until I hit that historical snag.  I switched gears, started working on something else, and then figured out how to solve the first problem.  I started making progress on the other piece, then got the news that I could start writing for “real”.  On an actual show.  So I’ve had to switch gears again.  I better write down all those thoughts.

So how are your resolutions coming?  We’re three months in.  What I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter when you decide to change your outlook, just that you do.  If you’re struggling to make your way, reach out and find the resources that will help you move forward.  The New Year was a great jumping off point, but you don’t have to make those new year resolutions to make things happen for yourself.  So what that it’s March?!  If there are things you want to accomplish, each new day is your new opportunity.  So in this vein, here are a few articles that I hope you’ll find helpful — 1. 50 Ways Writers Can Prepare For the New Year  2. 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump  3. 6 of the Best Pieces of Advice From Successful Writers

Here’s to continuing progress!  Best of luck everyone!