a few random thoughts on telling stories and writing screenplays
This week in my downtime I’ve been mainlining the Scriptnotes Podcast by A-list Hollywood screenwriters John August (Go, Big Fish) and Craig Mazin (Hangovers parts two and three, Identity Thief). I’ve spent a couple of months away for one reason or another, but am now back and am running through the episodes. Caveat emptor, Scriptnotes…Continue Reading “Scriptnotes, a great podcast for screenwriters and those interested in screenwriting”
How to get an agent? Only one foolproof way, I’m afraid. Write a great script. Often writers find questions about how to get an agent pretty difficult to answer. By definition, no-one is an expert. After all, it’s pretty much only happened to us once or twice, max. Plus, unless you have a great story…Continue Reading “How to get an agent”
So. You’ve got your inspiration, your premise, all your characters sorted. Surely now, you can jump into writing the actual damn screenplay? As Shia LaBeouf would say: “No, no, no, no, NO!” Now is the time to outline. Nothing has improved the speed and quality of my writing than learning the importance of creating an…Continue Reading “The Screenwriting Process – Step 4. Outline”
Some people might think that the natural next step after nailing your premise is to put together a plot. And that’s a legitimate way to go. But I find that I’m creating more organic and meaningful plots when I’ve done some work on the characters who will people the narrative beforehand. Why? Because that way…Continue Reading “The Screenwriting Process – Step 3. Characters”