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Golden Bee posted:Screenwriting books are a great way to avoid reading screenplays, or writing screenplays. If you read 3-4, you can sidestep a writing career entirely. Haha. Very true. I have read so many of those damned things. All they do is feed anxiety and doubt, if you don't already have a product to apply their wisdom to. Great Horny Toads! fucked around with this message at May 1, 2013 around 13:47 |
| # ? May 1, 2013 13:28 |
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| # ? May 20, 2013 03:51 |
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Otcho posted:Hey guys, I like reading books on screenwriting when I'm not screenwriting. I normally read Syd Field's Screenwriting when I'm stuck. Everyone keeps saying that Robert McKee's Story is pretty good, but I don't see it.
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| # ? May 6, 2013 15:31 |
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I want to share a story about the hardest and fastest rule of screenwriting and writing in general: Finish what you start. So much easier said than done, isn't it? So much doubt and neurosis to wrestle with, so many ways to procrastinate. You're told over and over again to just keep writing, just keep plugging away, because that's the only way you'll be a better writer. They tell you to make outlines and index cards to avoid blocks, but mostly they tell you to just write. And sometimes, or even most times, you can't. Because something about what you're doing doesn't work. Maybe you don't know why, or in a different kind of hell, maybe you DO know why but you don't know how to fix the problem. That was my situation. I've been working on this screenplay for eighteen months. That's right: for almost two years this bitch has tortured me. When I write, I have the film playing in my head, and when I run up into a potential plot hole or problem, the film breaks, and I stop work to resolve it because that inner critic of mine won't shut the gently caress up and let me finish the goddamned fight. In this case the inner critic kept coming back to one core issue: My base concept was great, my characters were awesome, but the motivations driving each character's actions were convoluted to all hell, leading to long stretches of dialogue that had to explain "Okay, here's why X is doing this, and Y responds this way because of Z." I didn't know how to salvage this. Mostly I avoided the problem by going to the movies, listening to music, watching TV, playing video games, bullshitting with other goons, and anything that wasn't work-related, hoping that I'd have some sort of "Eureka!" moment and be able to start wailing on my keyboard again. When I was actively working on my story problem, I would write all sorts of backstory notes and outlines to try and make sense of my character's actions and decisions, and maybe find a simpler motivation for her that wouldn't need as much exposition. I'd make small gains as a result; half a page here, a few lines there. Mostly though there was a lot of rejiggering (a mortal sin, I know, mostly I was killing time and trying to scratch that itch to write), as well as solving lesser problems by creating new ones, all of them a result of this seemingly systemic failure of over-convolution. I can't tell you how I managed to put all that aside and go back on the attack, inner critic be damned. Well, I can, but it wouldn't be anything of use. Basically, when you spend two years playing certain scenes and beats of the story out in your head, when you spend all that time listening to music that reaches highs and evokes feelings that you know drat well your story could hit, when you've got friends and family who support you and genuinely look forward to anything you have to show them and you just feel embarrassed that this awesome story you have doesn't exist on paper, well, you get angry. Eventually you get angry enough and you force your way through. In my case I figured "Okay, I'll finish this, get it registered, show it around, and it won't be great or even good, but I'm friends with people who know what they're talking about and they can help me get it there." I crack my knuckles, and I go to it, writing, agonizing, forcing square pegs into round holes. I'm up to what I'm hoping are the last 30 pages of the script, I've got one of my characters delivering a monologue, and out of nowhere he drops the simplified motivation that I've been goddamn looking for this whole time. Like it LITERALLY just gets typed without my realizing it. I saw it on the screen, jumped out of my seat and did the Snoopy dance for a solid minute. Unable to suffer inconsistency, I go back for one final round of retrofits, for better or worse. I only end up shaving off about a page and a half. When I send out my work for critique I'm sure I'll get a lot of notes about the amount of expositional dialogue in this thing. Still, everything feels as breezy as it should, and I'm really proud of what I'm writing again. Mind you, I'm still not done. But I feel like the light's finally at the end of the tunnel and I'm confident I'll have this fucker wrapped up by tomorrow. Finish what you start, guys. It may not solve all your problems (and few people will recommend you solve them the way I did), but you never know; the answer may just be waiting for you to type it out.
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| # ? May 7, 2013 04:47 |
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18 months? Jeez, I'm getting antsy because I'm at the four month mark with my current one.DivisionPost posted:Unable to suffer inconsistency, I go back for one final round of retrofits, for better or worse. I only end up shaving off about a page and a half. When I send out my work for critique I'm sure I'll get a lot of notes about the amount of expositional dialogue in this thing. Still, everything feels as breezy as it should, and I'm really proud of what I'm writing again. Mind you, I'm still not done. But I feel like the light's finally at the end of the tunnel and I'm confident I'll have this fucker wrapped up by tomorrow. I know this one well. "There's issues with it but I feel like I did the best I could with it and gently caress it because I'm almost finished and it feels so good" Take two weeks away from it. You won't because I didn't when others told me the same thing. Time away should give you fresh eyes and you should be jumping at the bit to fix the big issues you notice. Or maybe you'll realize you took it as far as you can and move onto a new project. It happens. And don't get too precious with your story/characters. Some of my best work has come from deviating from the first thing I conjured up.
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| # ? May 7, 2013 12:52 |
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Call Me Charlie posted:I know this one well. Oh, that's what I did with my first draft; I'm on my third now, although technically you can call it draft 2.5 because I got 60 pages into my second draft, realized it wasn't working, detonated it, and started again. (It was that whole process, start to finish, that took me about 18 months, although 6 months for this current draft isn't much better.) Right now I feel like any changes I make runs the risk of accidentally hobbling myself, so rather than tell myself "this thing sucks," it's time for other people to tell me "this thing sucks" so I have a clearer picture of where to take draft 4. EDIT: Of course this runs counter to me being a tinkering jackass with the whole "convoluted backstory" situation, but at least the exposition problem is something I can live with for now. Partly because this is a recurring problem in my work and I want to learn how much of it my readers don't think they need to know or otherwise find clumsy, and partly because, well, guilty as charged, "gently caress it, I'm almost finished." DivisionPost fucked around with this message at May 7, 2013 around 13:45 |
| # ? May 7, 2013 13:36 |
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Would it be possible to put links to the scripts people have posted and the screenwriting websites in the OP? I've just started reading this thread and I've found lots of useful information but I think I've missed a few already - plus it would be easier to read through the scripts other people have posted. On my own script, I've just finished the third draft - I'd like to make it leaner if I can so any comments would be appreciated. The script is called 'Pathologically In Love' Logline: Two stalkers help one another follow the objects of their obsessions. Will they find true happiness? http://www.mediafire.com/view/?h5e8a699fx884g8 edt: Or if anyone adds their script links after this post I'd be happy to read and review - all the ones I've tried to look at must have been deleted since originally posted as I couldn't open them. Silver Newt fucked around with this message at May 12, 2013 around 10:02 |
| # ? May 12, 2013 09:37 |
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Silver Newt posted:On my own script, I've just finished the third draft - I'd like to make it leaner if I can so any comments would be appreciated. I don't know when or if I'll get to it but I like the logline enough to put it in my bin.
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| # ? May 12, 2013 14:01 |
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DivisionPost posted:I don't know when or if I'll get to it but I like the logline enough to put it in my bin. Thanks - is that a good length for a logline? I've never written one before so I didn't know if it should be longer or shorter or include any more about the plot/characters etc.
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| # ? May 12, 2013 15:15 |
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Let's say I have a really good idea for a TV show, good enough that even people who hate me think it's a good idea, but I have neither the talent nor the patience to write a treatment for it. Where can I go from there? Are there some cheap hacks out there (or on here) that, given a rough framework and a couple hundred bucks, will do a decent enough job on a treatment that I can push it?
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| # ? May 12, 2013 15:54 |
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Pudgygiant posted:Let's say I have a really good idea for a TV show, good enough that even people who hate me think it's a good idea, but I have neither the talent nor the patience to write a treatment for it. Where can I go from there? Are there some cheap hacks out there (or on here) that, given a rough framework and a couple hundred bucks, will do a decent enough job on a treatment that I can push it? Unless you've already got 5 hits under your belt and can get a great writer to write it for you, you're better off writing it yourself. Like every creative business, we've all got ideas.
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| # ? May 12, 2013 17:06 |
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Alternatively, bring in an equal writing partner and work side by side with them. Ideas are ten a penny. It's the execution that matters, and I can't see anyone putting in the effort for a few hundred bucks.
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| # ? May 12, 2013 17:19 |
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A gritty historic drama centered around two recent British immigrants to Boston at the start of the American Revolution. Game of Thrones meets The Patriot. Coming to HBO this fall. It practically writes itself. Boom.
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| # ? May 12, 2013 19:00 |
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DivisionPost posted:Oh, that's what I did with my first draft; I'm on my third now, although technically you can call it draft 2.5 because I got 60 pages into my second draft, realized it wasn't working, detonated it, and started again. (It was that whole process, start to finish, that took me about 18 months, although 6 months for this current draft isn't much better.) Right now I feel like any changes I make runs the risk of accidentally hobbling myself, so rather than tell myself "this thing sucks," it's time for other people to tell me "this thing sucks" so I have a clearer picture of where to take draft 4. Glad to hear that. I was afraid you spent 18 months on a first draft and did a second one where you barely changed anything (which was basically me except my total time was 2 months) Seems like you're on a good track. If you need another set of eyes, send me a PM. I've been trying to refine my note giving skills. (Silver Newt, I'm going to read yours) Pudgygiant posted:A gritty historic drama centered around two recent British immigrants to Boston at the start of the American Revolution. Game of Thrones meets The Patriot. Coming to HBO this fall. Psshh, I'm working with some guy on a comedy about Hitler and a time machine. I'd go into more detail but I signed a NDA so just trust me when I say it's gonna be a SMASH hit. Can't wait to get my 50% after we sell it. that scenario was from a real Craigslist posting
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| # ? May 12, 2013 20:04 |
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| # ? May 20, 2013 03:51 |
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Otcho: There are definitely people here who'd write you a framework for a couple hundred bucks, myself included. Someone wants me to write for a book for their musical, and the only up-front work I did was giving them thoughtful facebook feedback. (Most of my work this month is coming to me, which is a welcome change). Golden Bee fucked around with this message at May 13, 2013 around 02:52 |
| # ? May 12, 2013 20:28 |
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