Writers are verbal people. We make everything into words. EVERYTHING. When you write your script, you have to turn that off and think in images. How can you communicate a character trait? Put them in a situation they have to react to, then we see who they are. End blaaaaaaah blaaaah now. Conversations are for…
Read moreNotes from a Screenreader: Old News
Notes from a Screenreader: Old News nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. How long ago did you write your script? Does it show? It is impossible to stay convincingly up to the minute with technology and pop culture in a script, but it is possible to blow the dust off by doing a careful…
Read moreNotes from a Screenreader: Why Now?
Notes from a Screenreader: Why Now? nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. To perform well in a competition, your script has to be able to answer the critical question, “Why now?” Successful, readable scripts hinge on an event, the outcome of which has the power to change the life of the protagonist. A showdown,…
Read moreNotes from a Screenreader: Writing IKEA Style
Notes from a Screenreader: Writing IKEA Style nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. A script, ideally, is one of those 300 square foot IKEA show apartments with every nook and cranny made useful two or three times over. Static placeholder scenes stick out like a farmhouse table. Written to clarify the writer’s thoughts on…
Read moreNotes from a Screenreader: Your Tenth Idea
Notes from a Screenreader: Your Tenth Idea nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. No amount of technique can make up for a weak story. Weak stories are bland and predictable; they treat familiar themes and conflicts in familiar ways. They feel recycled. A fresh and original take on your story does 75% of the…
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