Turn off the “continued” at the top and bottom of every page option. It’s in the preferences menu.
Read moreSHOULD I DIRECT THE OPENING CREDITS ON THE PAGE?
USEFUL CONFESSIONS #7
Subtext and misdirection will magically appear in your first draft when you change your mind about your plot halfway through. Exploit the crap out of them.
Read moreSETTLING IN FOR THE BACKSTORY
Backstory mostly doesn’t matter. It’s just information used to interpret other information, none of which is dramatic.
Read moreOBSCURE SONGS IN DESCRIPTION LINES
This is especially true for jazz and classical music aficionados. The chances that you will run into a reader for whom your soundtrack choices are meaningful are close to zero.
Read moreHOW YOUR SPEC SCRIPT IS LIKE OKCUPID
After reading this blog yesterday, a ringing indictment of the messages received by okcupid users, it occurred to me that online dating is very much like going through a pile of spec scripts. After the 500th “Hi, tell me about yourself.” message, you just check out. If you want to get a reply to your…
Read moreLIE YOUR WAY TO BETTER DIALOGUE
Think about when you tell the truth. The circumstances under which you wouldn’t bother to polish it up even a little bit. Think about when you lie. The reasons you lie. The person you’re lying to. You can ramp up your dialogue by finding the relative drama on a sliding scale of truth in a…
Read morefootybedsheets: “40% of Afghanistan’s skateboarders are female.100 % of those are tough as nails. ” Source: @Skateistan Here is that awesome plot you were looking for.
Read moreJOHN AUGUST’S HOW TO WRITE A SCENE – ANNOTATED
Read it in pdf at http://johnaugust.com/2014/how-to-write-a-scene-in-two-pages with gratitude to freelanceanthem
Read moreDON’T GIVE IT AWAY
I was just reading a spec script, and a great thing happened. I was intrigued by an idea it proposed at the inciting incident. I thought to myself, “This question is going to get me all the way to the end, still guessing.” And in the very next scene, it was answered. Why? WHY? Creating…
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