Tag Archives: Screenwriting

Writing Prompt #82

Posted in Writing Prompt by

If you’re looking for more inspiration, as you may already be aware, I have a few Pinterest boards you might like.  I enjoy Pinterest.  Enjoy may not be the right word with some 10,000 pins.

There’s just so much out there.  And the funny thing is, I feel as if I’ve only scratched the surface.

I love the visual, which is probably why I was drawn to screenwriting.  I like to find images that represent what I see in my head when I’m writing, so if you’re like me, browse through some of my boards and see if you can find that specific image for your piece.  Although side note, don’t get stuck in the pin-hole I sometimes find myself in…

This week’s Writing Prompt is an image that I have been drawn to use for some time, what do you think?

TheGirlinRed

Are you feeling the urge to join me in this week’s challenge?

Happy Writing!

Writing Prompt #81

Posted in Writing Prompt by

I had planned on sharing another Writing Prompt today, but then I saw this image and a very particular idea popped in my head.

What does it say to you?

RainyDayinAvignon

I’d love for you all to join me in the weekly Writing Prompt Challenge.  To find an image that speaks to you (there have been 80 (whew) others so far), click on the Writing Prompt tag or use the search bar, and write away!

Happy Writing!

*And side note, May the Fourth be with you! 😉

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #18

Posted in Posts, Writing Prompt by

First off, I am thrilled to share the work of simplysimplymeblog, who accepted the Writing Prompt Challenge.

Remember, any time you’re inspired, please share what you create.  You can either post it here in the comments, or on your own page, just be sure to link the post or my site so I know it’s out there. 🙂

YellowBrickRoadA scenery so beautiful, that has become lost over time, it hides many stories of those who walked it’s path. Maybe it was of lovers, who enjoyed it’s peace and serenity, creating memories to share with those to come. Or of those who were parted by destiny, yet met here to maintain their promises, or of those who revisited in remembrance of lost lovers. The secrets it withholds shall be tied within its ageing beauty, as the old marks fade, the new emerge.

The secrets shall remain undisclosed, the mysteries unwritten, the abandoned scape still echoes the laughter and whispers of those who have gone …

~

Thank you again, Sobia for sharing your words!

I only wrote one flash fiction piece this week, because as I stated in a recent post, I was trying to make the deadline I set for myself for the rewrite of my pilot.  I almost made it.

StandingInTheLight

The Chase

He knew from the moment they had met that he would eventually find himself here – standing in a cell the other had once occupied. They had been playing a game of cat and mouse for years, years beyond comprehension, so it was no wonder one of them had eventually found themselves in such a place. He had lost track of the other sometime in the Victorian era, this must have been where he disappeared. There had been rumor of the man who did not age; he was the inspiration for a number of myths and tales, because he had the unlucky fortune of being caught. It was discovering the source of those stories that had brought him here.

The world continued to move forward, yet this place held the remnants of the world it had once been a part of. It still smelled and felt like it had hundreds of years ago, when it was new. He stood in the center of it, feeling the warmth of the setting sun streaming in upon his face, and smiled to himself. There in the stone, a set of markings had been painstakingly carved. The game was on, again.

~

I’d also like to share a little snippet of the fanfic I wrote the other day at work.  It’s a WIP.  It hasn’t been edited or rewritten yet, so please forgive any errors.  For those of you unfamiliar with this topic, I am not exaggerating, nor am I ashamed/embarrassed to admit, when I say, “I am obsessed with (the video game series) Dragon Age.”  One slow day at work, I just randomly started writing fan fiction.  30,000+ words later…yeah.  It’s one of my goals to write for the series, in any shape or form.  Just putting that out there.

If you’re interested in reading what I’ve written so far, chapters one and two are available under the “Scribbles” heading.  There’s some adult content in chapter 2, so you’ll have to click a link to a site that confirms you’re of age. 😉  It was my first attempt at writing, oh, let’s call it what it is, smut.  It was so much fun!  Don’t worry, the following is smut free.

DA2WardenMageTo be a mage was to be a bit of a show off. While we cast spells, we are alight with magic. We flash with a rainbow of colors, imbued with powers from the Fade. We twirl our staves in a great display. For any mage, their staff is an extension of themselves. It helps to focus our hits, it directs with greater accuracy, but it also needs to bear quite a burden. I knew with each passing fight, I was not only developing new skills, but I was also capable of more than I had been before.

I was stronger and my mana drained at a lesser rate than it had even a few weeks earlier. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I outgrew my current staff, but while in the Temple of Sacred Ashes nearly overwhelmed by heretics and creatures of every variety, I cringed upon hearing a sound every mage must dismay at hearing.

I twirled, casting spell after spell, some deadlier than others, when I felt my staff shudder, and in the strange silence that follows any flurry of spellcasting, the inevitable groan of the staff splintering under its current burden. I cringed. Many of the senior mages in the Circle still had the same staff they passed their Harrowing with. As I was quickly learning with my ever-expanding cache of spells, I wouldn’t be so lucky.

As we had finally found a moment’s reprieve, I sat in silence, despondent at the state of what I regarded as an ally, or an old friend. We had been through quite a bit together, and I would be sad to put her to rest.  I gently traced my fingertips along the fragmented edge, thinking back on the journey we had undertaken so far, and how we had arrived at such a strange place, a hidden temple, a ruin.

~

*A special thank you to rooster82 at DeviantArt for the stunning mage Warden, Devene Amell.

A Screenwriter’s Technical Execution Checklist

Posted in Tips by

HelpfulTipsThe final checklist in this series from Wordplayer.com  looks at the technical aspect of screenwriting aka format.  For those new to the craft or just unfamiliar, screenplays have a particular format that doesn’t resemble other writing.

Here’s a flirty(?) example from my script, Fate(s).  It’s receiving a polish next month, and I’ve just found two things I want to change…note to self…

FormatExample

As you can see, there’s a lot of white page.  After reading or writing a few, you’ll quickly notice when something is off in someone else’s.  *Side note, even full length features vary from TV scripts.

Screenwriters, and the Hollywood set, use terminology that is also specific to screenwriting, so before you decide to embark on creating your first screenplay, be sure to study up to have a better understanding of what goes into this style of writing.  I suppose that is a good lead-in for a post on terminology.

Social media with its limited characters, and texting in a new form of shorthand, have done nothing to help the writer.  Plus, the illiterate form most texts and updates take now just drive me crazy.  How hard is it to put in a comma or a period or just spell out a simple word?!  Seriously.  It makes me feel old.  I don’t like it.  That being said, as writers hoping to be professionals, we have to separate ourselves from all that and know the rules in order to break them.

  1. Is it properly formatted?
  2. Proper spelling and punctuation?  Sentence fragments okay.
  3. Is there a discernible three-act structure?
  4. Are all scenes needed?
  5. Screenplay descriptions should direct the reader’s mind’s eye, not the director’s camera.
  6. Begin the screenplay as far into the story as possible.
  7. Begin a scene as late as possible, end it as early as possible.  A screenplay is like a piece of string that you can cut up and tie together — the trick is to tell the entire story using as little string as possible.
  8. In other words: Use cuts.
  9. Visual, Aural, Verbal — in that order.  The expression of someone who has just been shot is best; the sound of the bullet slamming into him is second best; the person saying, “I’ve been shot” is only third best.
  10. What is the hook, the inciting incident?  You’ve got 10 pages to grab an audience. *There is talk that you now have to grab attention within 3 pgs.
  11. Allude to the essential points two or even three times.  Or hit the key point very hard.  Don’t be obtuse.
  12. Repetition of locale.  It helps to establish the atmosphere of the film, and allows audience to “get comfortable”.
  13. Repetition and echoes can be used to tag secondary characters.  Dangerous technique to use with leads.
  14. Not all scenes have to run five pages of dialogue and/or action.  In a good screenplay, there are lots of two-inch scenes.  Sequences build pace.
  15. Small details add reality.  Has the subject matter been thoroughly researched?
  16. Every single line must either advance the plot, get a laugh, reveal a character trait, or do a combination of two — or in the best case, all three — at once.
  17. No false plot points; no backtracking.  It’s dangerous to mislead an audience; they will feel cheated if important actions are taken based on information that has not been provided, or turns out to be false.
  18. Silent solution; tell your story with pictures. *This is the whole idea of screenplays and the phrase, “Show don’t tell”.
  19. No more than 125 pages, no less than 110…or the first impression will be of a script that “needs to be cut” or “needs to be fleshed out”.  *Romantic comedies are generally 90 mins which equals 90 pgs.  The bigger concern is the bigger script, especially, from what I’ve read, for new writers.  It shows a lack of editing capability.  Just FYI.
  20. Don’t number the scenes of a selling script.  MOREs and CONTINUEDs are optional.

While screenplay structure is fairly precise, there are a number of tricks to learn that help draw the readers eye down the page and, subsequently, turning pages.  This comes with knowledge and practice.  I’m experimenting with some new things in my pilot, so I guess we’ll see how that works out.

Also, I need to research (and then update) no# 13.  I’ve never heard the term “echo” in regards to screenwriting.  If you know, please share!

I hope you found this series useful!  I’ll try to get back on track with sharing useful/helpful tips…I’ve been bad recently.

Happy Writing!

A Screenwriter’s Character Checklist

Posted in Tips by

CharacterStreetSignOn Tuesday I posted a concept checklist for screenwriters from the writing/producing team at Scheherazade Productions.  Their website is Worplayer.com.  As promised, here is Part II on Character.

Screenwriting varies greatly from novel writing, but many of the items lend themselves to both sides of the spectrum and are good to keep in mind when developing your characters and story.

The checklist is broken into three parts (the third section deals with technical execution), and is intended to help Hollywood readers find great scripts.  For writers, it’s a resource to utilize to get past the gatekeepers by creating unforgettable characters and worlds.

  1. Are the parts castable?  Does the film have roles stars will want to play?
  2. Action and humor should emanate from the characters, and not just thrown in for the sake of a laugh.  Comedy which violates the integrity of the characters or oversteps the reality-world of the film may get a laugh, but it will ultimately unravel the picture.
  3. Audiences want to see characters who care deeply about something — especially other characters.
  4. Is there one scene where the emotional conflict of the main character comes to a crisis point?
  5. A character’s entrance should be indicative of the characters’s traits.  The first impression of a character is important.
  6. Lead characters must be sympathetic — people we care about and want to root for.
  7. What are the characters wants and needs?  What is the lead character’s dramatic need?  Needs should be strong, definite, and clearly communicated to the audience.
  8. What does the audience want for the characters?  It’s all right to be either for or against a particular character — the only unacceptable emotion is indifference.
  9. Concerning characters and action: a person is what s/he does, not necessarily what s/he says.
  10. On character faults: characters should be “this but also that” complex.  Characters with doubts and faults are more believable, and more interesting.  Heroes who have done wrong and villains with noble motives are better than characters who are straight black and white.
  11. Characters can be understood in terms of “what is their greatest fear?”
  12. Character traits should be independent of the character’s role.  i.e. A banker who fiddles with his gold watch is memorable, but cliche; a banker who breeds dogs is a somehow more acceptable detail.
  13. Character conflicts should be both internal and external.  Characters should struggle with themselves, and with others.
  14. Character POVs need to be distinctive within an individual screenplay.  Characters should not all think the same.  Each character needs to have a definite point of view in order to act, and not just react.
  15. Distinguish characters by their speech patterns: word choice, sentence patterns; revealed background, level of intelligence.
  16. “Character superior” sequences (where the character acts on information the audience does not have) usually don’t work for very long — the audience gets lost.  On the other hand, when the audience is in a “superior” position — the audience knows something that the characters do not — it almost always works.  (NOTE: This does not mean the audience should be able to predict the plot!)
  17. Run each character through as many emotions as possible — love, hate, laugh, cry, revenge.
  18. Characters must change.  What is the character’s arc?
  19. The reality of the screenplay world is defined by what the reader knows of it, and the reader gains that knowledge from the characters.  Unrealistic character actions imply an unrealistic world; fully-designed characters convey the sense of a realistic world.
  20. Is the lead involved with the story throughout?  Do they control the outcome of the story?

I hope you find this checklist useful!  It definitely gives us a number of things to consider.

Happy Writing!

Writing Prompt #80

Posted in Writing Prompt by

I set the deadline to complete the rewrite of my pilot for the 30th, which is only a couple of days away.  Because of this, I haven’t written anything else, except a bit of fanfic when I’m at work.  Actually, I’ve written quite a bit of that – 3,000 words.  It’s been slow.

I was debating on which image to share this week…I was drawn to a few.  I decided on this one:

StandingInTheLight

Are you inspired?  Happy Writing!

*Photo by Alina Orel

A Screenwriter’s Concept Checklist

Posted in Tips by

I’ve been slowly going from room to room, computer folder to folder, spring cleaning.  I hate clutter.

HelpfulTipsI came across an old save from a website called Wordplayer.com created by the screenwriter/producer team of Scheherazade Productions, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.  They wrote Aladdin and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, among many others.  Considering the success of those films alone, it’s fair to say their advice is worth listening to.

The checklist was created to help Hollywood readers find scripts worthy of moving beyond the elusive gates.  There are three sections total, and I will share the other two as well.  The following are the 20 items readers should keep in mind in regards to “concept” and “plot”, and for writers it’s a resource to understand what may make or break the success of your script getting seen by those with the power to jump start your career.

  1. Imagine the trailer.  Is the concept marketable?
  2. Is the premise naturally intriguing — or just average, demanding perfect execution?
  3. Who is the target audience?
  4. Does your story deal with the most important events in the lives of your characters?
  5. If you’re writing about a fantasy-come-true, turn it quickly into a nightmare-that-won’t-end.
  6. Does the screenplay create questions: Will he find out the truth? Did she do it? Will they fall in love?  Has a strong “need to know” hook been built into the story?
  7. Is the concept original?
  8. Is there a goal?  Is there pacing?  Does it build?
  9. Begin with a punch, end with a flurry.
  10. Is it funny, scary, or thrilling?  All three?
  11. What does the story have that the audience can’t get from real life?
  12. What’s at stake?  Does the concept create the potential for the characters lives to be changed?
  13. What are the obstacles?  Is there sufficient challenge for our heroes?
  14. What is the screenplay trying to say, and is it worth trying to say it?
  15. Does the story transport the audience?
  16. Is the screenplay predicable?  There should be surprises and reversals within the major plot, and also within individual scenes.
  17. Once the parameters of the film’s reality are established, they must not be violated.  Limitations call for interesting solutions.
  18. Is there a decisive, inevitable, set-up ending that is nonetheless unexpected?
  19. Is it believable?
  20. Is there a strong emotion — heart — at the center of the story?  Avoid mean-spirited storylines.

It’s always said that you need to know the rules to break them, so these are just a few, or 20, things to keep in mind when you’re developing and writing your story.  This checklist was created with the screenwriter in mind, but all writers should have an understanding of who their audience is, stakes, obstacles, etc.

Wishing you all the best!  Happy Writing!

Writing Prompt #79

Posted in Writing Prompt by

As many of you are aware by now, I have a “thing” for lost worlds, history, etc. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to ruins and abandoned places and things.

Forget the obvious.  What does this image say to you?

YellowBrickRoad

Are you inspired to join me in this week’s Writing Prompt Challenge?

Happy Writing!

Quote Monday (on a Tuesday)

Posted in Posts, Quotes by

I’m not really sure what happened to last week.  I was here.  I was up and mobile, but somehow, my computer remained in a dormant state.  The room which houses it remained dark and almost imperceptible – like that thing you see out of the corner of your eye, and yet when you turn to view it fully, it disappears.  My office was sort of like that, evidently.

And here I am, starting the new week off a day late.  Sheesh.  I think there’s an actual medical term for the state of permanent behind-ness.  If there’s not, there will be one soon, and Marek will be somewhere embedded within that 10-syllable phrase with a picture beside it of me rolling my eyes.  Maybe it will be slightly blurred from me shaking my head…I sometimes like to think it’s Fate’s way of keeping me out of harm’s way.  Eh, it’s as good an explanation as any, I suppose.

YourJourney

Along our journey, we may find it hard not to compare our lives with other, sometimes more successful, or more put together, counterparts.  In turn, there are those who may not grasp what it is we’re chasing.  The above quote is a great reminder that we each have our own path (but may be a little late in getting there).

Don’t let the naysayers derail you from what you truly want to do.  Dream big!

Have a great week!

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #17

Posted in Writing Prompt by

I present to you my works of flash fiction.  My escape into free writing.  I don’t think too much, I don’t edit too much, and I don’t give myself too much time.  I hope you like ’em.

HandshakeThe Deal

It’s a common misconception that only the desperate seek me out. The greedy, the vain, the shallow, the scared, the lonely, and even the righteous have found their way to my door. Take a look at the world around you. Do you truly believe that all those people you envy got where they are on their own merit? No, my dear. Actually, that is quite laughable. And before you say a word, let me ponder what category you fit into and what it is you think you want.

Another misconception – the price. It’s never the same. So worry not that you may need x-amount of dollars, or a first born. My stocks are full and money hardly has its uses where I’m from. No, I will know the exact payment to accept from you.

You’re sweating. You’re worried. You should be. You have but mere moments to retreat. You won’t. I suppose it is the desperate that seek me out. They think they have no alternative. They lack the capacity for hard work, perseverance, mediocrity. That is why you are sitting here yourself…your own shortcomings. So let us strike the deal, and in the blink of an eye you will have all you ever dreamed of. I can’t wait to meet you again, to hear if it was worth it.

*The following Writing Prompt is a line of dialogue I included in #75 with the above image.  It was a two-fer.  As I had no image for it, I put the line in bold lettering, but it barely shows up, so it’s underlined as well.

Solidarity

We stood on the battlements side by side as we had every day for the past three years. It was going to be a beautiful day. The sun was still low on the horizon, but the sky was clear and the air was crisp. I turned my face skyward and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath hoping to smell the lavender planted in the garden, or the citrus trees that lined the path. The image of my love flashed once before my eyes, as it usually did, a bewitching smile upon the most alluring lips. Had I not looked down, it could be mistaken for any other day.

“Is this one of those times you want me to lie to protect your delicate emotions?” My queen asked slyly. She stood tall with her hands behind her back, her chin defiantly jutted outward, and yet there was that gleam in her eye. She was a clever one, and it was one of the reasons I had stood by her. I unsheathed my sword and stretched my arm, feeling the weight of it. I lowered my gaze to the imposing army marching through the valley. I replied with my own air of nonchalance, “Seems as good a time as any.”

HandsWaiting

He sat alone in “their place”. The tentacles of dread weaving their destructive way through his mind. It didn’t stop there. The tingling continued down his spine, while it’s icy touch lingered around his heart. She had never been late, even when he expected her to be. After the many long months of separation, he was certain he would have found her running across the field in the hopes she would be running into his open arms. He stared out to the horizon for what felt like hours, trusting that one of those dots would grow larger and take her form. No such luck.

He did not fidget. He sat immobilized with the thoughts of the unknown. What if she did not return? How would he find her? He didn’t even know where she had been. What would he do…without her? His body felt heavy, crushed under the weight of the despair that had quickly materialized. Why did he not give her more credit? Clearly she had been able to take care of herself all this time. He swallowed back the lump that threatened to choke him, when he felt her warm touch. His whole body went slack with a relief that was almost as crushing.

Signal-PromptThe Signal

It was quiet, quieter than I expected. Without the engines humming, the normal sounds of operation, or even the sounds of life, it was as if we were walking into a crypt. Perhaps we were. The emergency lights gave off an eerie red glow, while some overhead lights flickered, each played with our vision equally. I swear I could see things moving in the shadows, but I knew it to be a trick of the imagination. We decided to split up, search the vessel for survivors and what may have happened to silence an entire ship and her crew.

I decided to head to the command deck in the hopes of retrieving the captain’s journal and the flight logs. The team would search the rest of this level before we headed further into the belly of the ship together. As I ascended the ladder that would allow me access to the upper deck, I called back in a harsh whisper, “If I need you I’ll give you a signal.” My companions all looked up with inquisitive eyes. “What signal?” “I’ll imitate the scream of a terrified little girl.” To that I received obligatory snorts and the shaking of heads. I winked once and continued upward.

~

I’d love to read what you create, so don’t forget to share!  Take a look through the Writing Prompts and see what inspires you.  Happy Writing!