Heyo Stage32! New guy here, small time guy with big time dreams of being a screenwriter. I'm looking forward to making some friend and having a place to chat about the craft!
Ya know what? Let me be real here. I'm almost 30, it's almost the new year.
I've loved stories since I was a kid. I was a horrible little liar, making up things to make life seem grand and adventurous, but I'm dyslexic and I never really saw writing as a real career. I've always thought it's something 99% of people can't make a living at, and have never had the sheer magnitude of confidence to think that I could do any different. But I've always loved stories. I got into Role Playing Games, (D&D etc) and love crafting epic adventures and thoughtful characters, and just seeing how the story plays out, and for a while that was enough.
I never knew what I wanted to do for a living. My dad's a computer programmer, my sister too, my mother (now passed) was also a computer gal before becoming a homemaker, so I always sort of figured I'd end up doing something with computers. Well I hated school. More specifically I hated the people in school. I wanted professionalism before I even knew what professionalism was. High School was the worst, no one thought in High School. So I went to a trade school instead of a college. Earned myself a couple of AAS degrees in audio/visual editing and 3d animation, something with computers, but still something creative. The best of both worlds.
Then I promptly discovered no one cares about AAS degrees. So I bummed around, got a contract job herding cats for some software/hardware testing firm. And then I broke my leg, spent about a week in the hospital. First and only time I've spent in a hospital (that I can remember at least). Realized, I really didn't like what I was doing with my life. So packed up, moved to LA, been here for little over six months. Got myself an internship 'cause I don't like being idle, signed up for CSUN's Screenwriting program, and have been voraciously consuming any and all information I can get on screenwriting. Read: Robert McKee's Story, Save the Cat, The Anatomy of Story, plus a few others I can't really recommend. Read all kinds of screenplays (those I can get online anyway), even written up some Coverages as part of keeping busy. Drawn up a half-dozen outlines for various things from feature films to animated series.
Big dream? I'd love to work with Warner Brothers on their DC movies. I love those characters, and am a diehard fan of the DC comics universe.
Small dream: I'd like someone who I can ask how this all works. I hate the idea of wasted effort, and if I'm being honest, I am not sure I know what the finished product is supposed to look like.
Maybe I can be of some help for your small dream Sean. I will send you an invite, and feel free to ask me questions that you need to have answered. Regards,Willem.
This is a great place to have your questions answered and to help keep you motivated and inspired. Happy to help.
Welcome, Sean.
Welcome Sean. If you find someone connected who will give you the time and look over a script, recognize how rare that is and don't wear out your welcome. You'll find out quickly, it's extremely rare. Good luck.
Welcome, Sean!
Well Sean, that was some intro. Welcome to L.A. and to Stage 32. I would never recommend "Save the Cat". I would recommend the "Screenwriters Bible", it will give you a solid foundation on formatting. I would also suggest WriterDuet. It is a free online application for writing screenplays. Another piece of advise is to take one of those outlines and just write the damn script. If you want to be a screenwriter, you have to be someone who has written a script. If a feature length seems too daunting, then start with a short.