On Writing what you want …
jaqofspades: In talking about his high school venture into what was essentially fanfic which he successfully sold at school until called to see the Principal, and also his general lifelong love of horror: “What I don’t understand, Stevie,” she said, “is why you’d write junk like this in the first place. You’re talented. Why do…
Read moreBaaaaad Protagonists
Protags work when, even if they are awful, they are RELATABLE. There must be something about them, despite the things they do of which WE CANNOT APPROVE, we UNDERSTAND (and this is the important part) because we have had THE SAME EMOTIONS. It’s tricky, and you have to show it to sell it by demonstrating…
Read moreWhen You Open With a Shock
Do: Create interest in your characters first Don’t: Think we will care about your pg 1 bloodbath because it’s so out there and extreme. WE DON’T KNOW THESE CHARACTERS. There is NO CONTEXT therefore IT IS MEANINGLESS which makes it BORING You want a nice hearty handshake from a story’s first page, not a naked…
Read moreWhat makes a script “fresh” and “organic”?
writerlyn: writerlyn: Basil and really good olive oil. Shit I pressed post too soon, but this is too funny to not keep like this. Fresh and Organic are tossed around a lot, but basically all they mean is something GOOD. Basically, make it something they hadn’t seen before. Make us care, without resorting to tired…
Read moreA dog is barking…
No. A dog BARKS. It’s such a picky thing, but readers read present progressive as wrong, because that’s how it’s taught. It’s bad screenplay grammar.
Read moreWit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply calisthenics with words. Dorothy Parker, The Art of Fiction No. 13 (via theparisreview) Dorothy Parker explains why quippy screenplay dialogue is exhausting.
Read morepeter-pans-booty-shorts: oldshrewsburyian: deadcatwithaflamethrower: peter-pans-booty-shorts: So while doing some pirate research for the play I’m writing I stumbled upon one of the most amazing things I’ve ever read. In the 5th century A.D. there was a Scandinavian princess called Alwilda who’s father tried to set her up to marry Alf, the Prince of Denmark. Alwilda wasn’t…
Read moreImages Have Story Meaning
Spec scripts are talky. They just are. But film tells stories with pictures. Help yourself. As you go through the day, observe and collect stories that tell themselves without words. A girl texts as her friend watches her with secret longing. Do you know how much better that is than a conversation between Friend and another…
Read moreScenes I Have Had Enough Of
Getting the kids out the door in the morning on pg 1 Arbitrarily mean boss fires protag on pg 3 Ambitious girlfriend dumps protag on pg 4 Protag spills coffee in lap while driving on pg 5 Super: Twenty Years Later on pg 9 The protag decides to win a contest on page 10 Slutty…
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