Writing Warm-Ups are Actually Helpful, so I've Heard...

So this week we had to start working on the first 8-10 pages of Act I. Now remember, a script should be 120 pages, that is 120 minutes, but now, most are less than 120, and the few that are over 120 are exceptions i.e Lord of the Rings. Remember this when you write your script...

Hey, that's just how Hollywood rolls.

I will admit, I was a bit hesitant, nervous, and of course, I plainly stared at the screen for the first few days. You know, the usual.

But the one thing that I would constantly do was think: How am I going to start this? Do I want a flashback? Do I want to start with v.o? How do I want to start my story?! [insert pulling hair here.]


A complete headache!

Then I remembered...

A few months back I read Plot and Structure by Scott Bell, and he said that one should always start the day with a 10-minute writing warm-up, you know, to get things going.   Now his warm-up seems generic(to me), so what I did was changed it a bit to fit around my 8-10 pages with something like:

Today I want to start with....

and the following day:

Today I want to describe this scene with_____________ because _________

And the day after with:

Today for this particular scene I want to express __________ and want Emma to be seen as _______


Believe me, this warm-up helped me when an hour or two later, I had to sit down and start typing my script.


It's like I knew what I wanted and all I had to do was fill the pages with words.

So far I think this was a good start. Now, I just hope it gets better.

Oh, and try morning, afternoon, or evening writing warm-ups before writing your story, or continuing where you left off. Who knows what might it help you with... and remember tweak it a bit to fit your needs.

Till next time.

My Thoughts on...

So this was the last week in my Script Analysis and Criticism class, and you know what? I learned so much from it!

I learned that no matter the length of a script, or who wrote it, if there is no clear Act I: inciting incident, that sets off the key incident, that would then move the story to  plot point I, then the rest of the Acts would definitely not work.

Oh the ways of screenwriting.

This of course I was able to see through reading Rob Zombies script, House of 1000 Corpses. Frankly I had a very hard time reading this...

But now I am able to detect the inciting incidents, key incidents, plot point I, mid point (around page 60 or 60 minutes into the movie), plot point II, and finally the ending...

Boy... that was a mouthful.

I realize that what I now know will definitely be an advantage for me when it comes to not only reading other writer scripts, but when I write my own as well.

This new knowledge will also help me when I start writing my comic script...

Now For...


Tomorrow I begin my class on Film Screenwriting and Story Boarding...

YUP! I shall be using Toon Boom... sure I know that some of my classmates will see it as a waste of time and you know what, that's fine...

After all everyone has a right to have their own opinions on the matter...

But I see this with an open mind and also as a way to expand my skills...

Hmm...

I might just be a hungry writer that likes to learn from anything that is giving to me. 

Till Next Time

The Week in a Post and Something Else

So this week I started my Script Analysis and Criticism class; I had to read three scripts: The Princess Bride, Taxi Driver, and The Sweet Hereafter.

The Sweet Hereafter was for this week's class discussion, which was something else. I haven't seen the movie, so it was an interesting read since it jumps from one event to another. I will not lie to you, there were times when I was reading that I would get SO confused. 

I did do some research on the movie though, and it was well received actually, so that was a surprised for me. Am I going to watch the movie?

Well, no. It wasn't one of those, "OMG! I have to see it" type of script. Then again, we all have different tastes .

Now the reason for the three scripts was because I then had to choose between Taxi Driver and The Princess Bride for this week's analyzing assignment.


And I chose........

 Yeah, I went with The Princess Bride and loved it! In fact, I rented the movie through Amazon.com, which is a great resource when I can't wait for Netflix, plus the price was decent.

The funny thing is that I just recently stumbled upon Amazon's Video on Demand!

Since when has it been there?

Anyways, the assignment was fun to do and I was exposed to a different way of looking at a script. Actually, I don't think I would mind analyzing scripts as a freelancer later on!





Now for the Something Else


So I finally had time to read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (I'm halfway through the book!!!!!!) while I was working earlier today, and as I was reading... I don't think I would've been able to deal with Spider the way Fat Charlie did! and then there was Spider just came and turned Fat Charlie's life upside down. Gosh... what a drag! came to mind.


I'm a Neil Gaiman fan, it can't be helped!

Have a wonderful week.





Till Next Time

Sometimes You Need a Second Take...

During the month of December I pitched my story to the Creative Writing Masters of Fine Arts (CWMFA) Thesis Committee. They are the ones that say whether your story is a go, or if you need to tweak it, or if you just need to come up with something entirely different.

In other words they were the ones who said if the story was good enough or not.

Unfortunately during the beginning of January I was told my pitch wasn't approved, that it was missing something, but I sort of knew that too.... 

Flashback

After I finally got my bachelor's degree I didn't know what I wanted to do next. Like many other recent graduates I was at a lost, especially in this economy, so I started to focus a lot more on my writing... and the words of of my 5th grade teacher and from one of my English professors came to mind, "You should consider English or writing for a Masters..." and "Eva should just become a writer, she has the potential to do it."

I was hesitant at first. Am I good enough? I asked myself quite often, even though I knew that there were readers out there who liked my storytelling. But like all writers, I wasn't confident...

But when I found out that my sister was getting her Masters in Architecture... well that  made me want to go after one as well. Only that this time it was going to be something I wanted (not like my bachelors), so writing was the first thing that came to mind.

I wanted a Masters in Creative Writing. I wanted to write.

Now I should know that things never go as planned, and that's what happened. I stumbled upon the school I am in right now, but when I asked for information I was informed that this school was for the entertainment business. Sure I was hesitant at first, but I went for it in the end. After all, I wanted to write my own comics someday.

So here was another dilemma, I didn't have an idea for a script in mind... In fact writing for movies, television, games, and even animation had never crossed my mind!

I had entered the UNKNOWN.

But the unknown might be what I'm good at. Well that's what I've noticed recently....

Present

So after finding out my pitch was rejected I started to question myself. I wanted to know what I did wrong. What I didn't understand.

With the help of my instructor I was able to see my mistake(s). You can say I had an AHA moment (one of many actually) and I rewrote my entire story paradigm; I changed my entire idea and created something a bit different. Something I was confident in...

So earlier today I was informed that my pitch was approved. The best news EVER!

This is when I realized that it's not that it's not good enough, it's just that it CAN be better...

So no matter how crazy it is.

 Or how many times you might be rejected. 

Don't give up but find out how it can become what it HAS to be...

Because in the end,  there are times in life when you need a second take.

Till Next Time