Build your repertoire and be prepared to walk away In the past few weeks, 3 writers have come to me with projects that I gave notes on at least a year ago. It’s not that they have been busy working on other stories it’s that they are lost in the trees of the forest and they can step away from their greatest idea ever. 1) One writer (has a good concept, but is a bad writer and he insists his vision needs to be on the page – (read: lot’s of horrible camera direction and notes like ‘suspense goes here.’ ) 2) One writer, started with 2 books, adapted them into 2 scripts and now is working on a pilot of the same story. 3) One writer, a former colleague whom I gave notes to a few years ago, has JUST written to thank me, unable to make his script work he has gone through various iterations of book, script, series and now finally has settled on a graphic novel that he feels best suits the material because he found a collaborator to help solidify what he couldn't put in words. About the same time, the old article (from 2009) where Oscar-nominated writer, Josh Olson, claimed ‘I will not read your [f’ing] script,’ resurfaced on my feed. I re-read it and while I don’t believe in not helping others up the ladder – he does make some good points. One is this, “…most screenwriters start off as such because they have (what they think is) a good idea for a movie…” To be fair, there are a lot of good ideas out there. As I’ve said before, most screenplays fail because they fall short on the execution of the promise of the premise. So what happens is, this ‘good idea’ leads them to pick up a book on screenwriting and kludge a word template and by the time they get a grasp on story and screenplay craft, they are so thick into visions of how they want to see their idea unfold that they can’t convey it on the page as clearly as it has rooted in their brain. Another that rings true is this note on a synopsis he was asked to read: “What I was handed was, essentially, a barely coherent list of events, some connected, some not so much. Characters wander around aimlessly, do things for no reason, vanish, reappear, get arrested for unnamed crimes, and make wild, life-altering decisions for no reason. Half a paragraph is devoted to describing the smell and texture of a piece of food, but the climactic central event of the film is glossed over in a sentence. The death of the hero is not even mentioned. One sentence describes a scene he's in, the next describes people showing up at his funeral. I could go on, but I won't. This is the sort of thing that would earn you a D minus in any Freshman Comp class.” If a writer is lucky and already has a knack for telling an engaging story they skip the above. None of my numbers, 1,2, or 3 were this lucky, although each in his own way is humble, respectful and TRYING to learn. This is where another of Josh’s points rings true: “It rarely takes more than a page to recognize that you're in the presence of someone who can write, but it only takes a sentence to know you're dealing with someone who can't. (By the way, here's a simple way to find out if you're a writer. If you disagree with that statement, you're not a writer. Because, you see, writers are also readers.)” So what is the right answer for a professional writer to give someone with a decent idea but is no where near the experience required to write something that stands a chance at being produced? Walk away. Not forever, but long enough. What I mean by this is, in each of these cases of mine above (and I know of countless others) I see the writers bleeding over the same story for years – and they will likely die right with the story unless they write something else. They are so close to their vision that they won’t even be happy if they hired someone to write it for them, and god forbid if a studio picks it up and the executives, cast and crew are able to do their jobs and in doing so the writer’s vision is not what he has been bleeding for. It’s the stuff heart attacks, therapy and lawsuits are made of. To become an experienced writer, you need to walk away long enough to write other things. This will enable you to do 2 very key things: 1) Figure out if you are a hobbyist or truly have what it takes to be a writer for your job 2) By writing a new story, with new challenges and new characters, you will gain a fresh perspective for how to see the forest through the trees of blood-stained pages and this next time around you will be able to apply your honed skill that enables your baby to grow up and get off of your desk into a productive environment. The bonus is, when you are engaged in a conversation with a manager or producer and they ask, “what else you have?” You’ll have an answer. Take a long walk, enjoy the sights, it may even spark a new idea.
Screenwriting : Today's Wish and Creative Tip by Laurie Ashbourne
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Excellent advice. The more one writes, the better one becomes. Just know that it won't happen overnight. Thanks, Laurie.
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Fantastic read Laurie. Thank you. I have a passion story I 'had' been writing for years ... a passion for me. Not a Romance :) I finally put it down. Guess what? It's still sitting there. Since then, I've written 3 scripts. One is in final draft now and is the one I will submit but, until I put down the story I was just 'dying' to tell, I'd made no progress. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the stories I'm telling now. I would love to watch them on the big screen. That's why I write them. The thing is, I'm not attached to them. They're stories. They're what I want to watch but, to me, they're still just stories. You buy it. You can do what you want with it. I've got bunches and when I run out ... why I'll just think up some more :) That passion project though, that's me trying to convey a message that means something to me. It's not just entertainment to me. And for this reason, I'm not sure it will ever be written in its entirety. No matter ... by letting go, I was finally able to just write, write for fun, write for income, write, write, write :)
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Perfect, Shelly! It's amazing how it works. I'm glad you're so prolific!
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Same article came up in my feed to Laurie, I even posted it. Very helpful advice and wisdom to grow on. I found I needed to diversify my writing to stay creative. I was hitting a dry spot with one hour drama concepts. What did I do? I wrote my first two sitcoms and my first short screenplay. It sparked an idea for a one hour drama so I am back to that. Always be writing, no matter what it is!
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Let this line from Laurie sink in: "(By the way, here's a simple way to find out if you're a writer. If you disagree with that statement, you're not a writer. Because, you see, writers are also readers.)”*" Great statement, Laurie!!
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Great advice. Often when I finish a draft of one project I put it aside and work on something else so I can come back and read it with fresher eyes!
Hey Jim -- I've been pondering that, but it's really not my goal. Who knows? Maybe when I hit a hundred of these I'm sure I'll do something with it (I'm close) Just don't know what or how much time I'll have. I'm currently ghostwriting 2 books and 2 screenplays plus all of my own productions and work. So we'll see!
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@Patricia Z - I totally get what you're saying but, when you mention "The Science of Writing", I take that to mean the Structure? I labor over my structure. I also use structuring software like "Save the Cat!" because without the structure, you have a story 'idea', not a story. Still, writing script after script, for me, is vastly easier mainly because I'm so very emotionally attached to my passion project. My other scripts entertain me no end or I wouldn't bother writing them. I'll still work on that passion project of mine but, in the meantime, I can have the fun of story telling WHILE hopefully making a living. Now this is just my personal method but I do know that many writers would not have had the success they've experienced unless they gutted out that story they were so very passionately in love with. :)
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Patricia, what you say is true but the reality is these passion projects tend to blind us if we don't walk away and by working on something else we learn how to better our craft, which is what you are talking about. A lot of people get in this because of a passion project and struggle for a very long time only to give up. By working on another project you strengthen your abiltiy to understand what makes a produceable script and that can be applied to the first project, and for some they may come to the realization they don't have what it takes -- saving years of struggle. It is very true that there are a lot of good ideas out there but most fail in the execution of the craft of a produceable script, experience is the best way to make a good idea one that is executed properly.
I agree with both, Patricia and you Laurie. I believe that we can use a passion project as a jumpstart to our journey into screenwriting. I also believe that we need to write stories that can only come from us. Some of my favorite screenplays are stories that in some small or big way have a real personal connection with me, from my childhood years, my teenage years, my adult years and my middle age years. You just can't escape it. When the characters in a story make an emotional connection with an audience, the story itself with be stronger and more impacting. The same has to happen to the writer. My humble opinion, my dear fellow writers and artists.
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Great post. Also, if you have a lot of screenplays under your belt more people are willing to read them because they will assume that you know the business and how to write for it. That is when your chances of success will go way up. Unfortunately for most people they will quit writing screenplays long before they reach that point. When I started out my goal was to write 12 feature film scripts and if I didn’t sell one by then I would give up.
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Dan, please don't give up, my friend. You got this.
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Jorge. Thanks but I did reach my goal. I have written 27 screenplays and four are currently in various stages of production.
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Love the post. I feel like you just described me. While every script gets better, there's a little uncertainty. Thanks for sharing. It was truly helpful.
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You are the man, Dan. I gotta get my game on to reach your numbers. 3 more years. I'll keep you posted. How about it?
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I finally decided to put all of the scraps of paper, napkins and post it notes of ideas into a bullet journal and realized I have over 85 novel, short story and screenplay ideas. I've actually written 3 novels and adapted one over the last year into a mini-series. I wrote a show bible and the pilot for the 12 show mini-series. I have to put things down and write a bit on other ideas and then come back.
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@ Steven. I got an agent and sold scripts and written them for hire and after every screenplay I write there is a little uncertainty. For some of us I don't think that ever goes away.