From the category archives:

Screenwriting

Tales From the Script

June 17, 2010

I finally had a chance to see Tales From the Script last night. Every screenwriter should check out this documentary. It features interviews with forty-four screenwriters -- including William Goldman, Frank Darabont, Steven de Souza, and Shane Black -- who discuss the film industry, the development process, and the ups and downs that come with [...]

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Using music to get in a writing mood

June 10, 2010

It takes being in the right mood to write a powerful scene, and music is the one thing that always puts me in that mood. Not just any music, but music that has already made it onto the big screen.
What better way to put yourself in the perfect mood to imagine vivid and intense [...]

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Creating multi-layered characters

June 9, 2010

I don't usually share material I created for a work-in-progress, but I think some writers might find this example useful. It's part of an in-depth character study I wrote while working through Holly Lisle's downloadable "Create a Character" course (which you can get through her web site for under $10). Along with dozens of techniques [...]

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Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer

June 7, 2010

Screenwriters, check out this funny and clever video. It makes fun of almost every movie trailer cliche ever used.

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How to form a daily writing habit

May 26, 2010

In my quest to become a better writer, I've taken classes, read dozens of how-to books, kept a journal, and joined local and online writing groups. After all this time, I've learned there is one habit that will improve your writing more than any other:
Write every day.
It seems so simple, yet any writer knows it's [...]

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Giving yourself the freedom to fail

May 13, 2010

Fear of failure is something that keeps many people from writing. They dream of being published but hold back because they're afraid their writing isn't good enough. They worry other people will read it and think it sucks.
Sometimes this fear is enough to stop a writer from sending her manuscript out to agents and publishers. [...]

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How to direct your script without camera angles

November 9, 2009

As screenwriters, we're constantly told to "think in film" -- to imagine each scene unfolding in our mind as if it's being played out on the big screen. To complicate that sagely advice, we're also told not to use camera angles or shot descriptions in our scripts.
So what can you do?
Simple: skip the camera directions [...]

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Generating creative story ideas

November 3, 2009

At one time or another, every writer searches her heart and mind for a great story idea and comes up short. The muse is silent. The motivation is gone. The driving force that compels her to write just isn't there.
At this point, the writer has two options. One: wallow in self-pity, bemoan the situation and [...]

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Having the discipline to write every day

May 20, 2009

Every writer has her own style and approaches writing differently. Some write in an office while others write at the corner coffee shop. Some have time to write non-stop for hours each day, while others can squeeze in only an hour here and there. Some have a strict routine while others take up their pen [...]

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