Screenwriting : What's the best piece of screenwriting advice you've ever received? by Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique

"Write something great that I haven't read before."

I think that's like the mantra of everybody looking for a story. That line is definitely on the top of my wall board, and guides every sentence that I write.

Best fortunes to you, Phillip!

Harlan Ellison, “Don’t be afraid to go there,” and Michael Hague, “Where are you in the script?”

Just finish it!

The best screenwriting advice came from a novelist who told me: "Fiction is compelling only to the degree it raises questions and delays answers."

The best advise I got came from my Agent who told me to try and attach Directors to some of my screenplays.

"Give up". Someone once looked me in my eyes and said that to me. I looked them right back and said "No.", Those two words awoke the fire of defiance within me. Daring myself to fail so that they can say I told you so.

Years later I've won several contests and will be meeting with producers later this year. Next year I plan to have my first sale and representation. I will make it happen.

From Craig Mazin (writer of "Identity Thief", "Hang Over 3" and many other films) you can do whatever you want, it is your film until someone buys it. Following formula and copying the ways of others is a recipe for failure because we already have those people. We don't need to come to you to get a copy.

That a screenwriter's job is to write something that will SELL - not only to the public but to those who must invest in the product. That's the really hard part - because you feel you're having to give in to the "market" instead of writing what inspires you personally. I end up writing for myself first, then rewriting for the market, knowing that way I'm preserving the truth underneath it all.

Never be afraid to hurt your characters.

In his book, 'Story' McKee's discussion about arcing every scene and ending every scene with a hook - that combo is how you write page-turners.

Phil Parker I have been trying to master that.

Phil, I've never read McKee. By "arcing every scene" do you mean something like: problem > conflict > escalating conflict > crisis > resolution/hook? Or something else?

Quit. I should have listened to him.

"You don't get good at it, until you've written at least ten."

Less is more, show don't tell. Start the scene as late as possible and end as early as possible.

Owen Mowatt- that is good advice. If you write one and then spend ten years trying to sell the first one, you won't evolve and grow much as a writer. The more you do it the better you get at it- and that means more- not just writing the same one for ten years.

Eric Christopherson - I highly recommend getting the audio version of McKee's book and taking long walks, or long road trips through the desert (nothing to look at lol). It is excellent in so many ways. It's not a nuts-and-bolts book like many screenwriting tomes. It's a mix of theory, philosophy, and storytelling. Besides, McKee reads it himself (audio version) and his voice captivates you. As for 'arcing' - he can best describe it, but in short, it's about having the energy of the scene change from positive to negative, or v-v, from beginning to end in order to give a sense of development and forward movement. He walks you through a film or two to show how it works. Brilliant stuff.

Seek out producers over managers or agents- they are usually much more willing to read your work. And if you’re working with a producer, your answer is always “sure no problem” no matter how much you don’t want to revise your script. Don’t treat your work as precious, because it’s not.

From a reader (script coverage) when I asked how I could make my script producible: walk away from it for a while (I did); eliminate most of the characters in the beginning (I was trying to introduce everyone at once), and make the break-up real (add real conflict). Then from Save the Cat, the beat sheet.

Actually, the beat sheet has worked great with my stories. I was having problems with conflict--I was focused too much on showing background and things like shopping trips which did not in any way advance my story. Once I understood the beats, I was able to craft a well-paced story. Put together with the advice of the reader, the beat sheet gave me a structure (like the framing of a house) to tightly construct the conflict in the script. And, yes, I stick fairly closely to the page numbers that Snyder recommended, and the stories have substance.

As far as formulas go, anything that is constructed has formulas--houses, skyscrapers, cars, planes--whether people articulate those formulas or not. Even artists use "formulas" in their work.

My stories are completely original--I've been living with the characters since the early 1990s, and they were well-developed. The beat sheet helped me tell the stories these characters deserved.

All your characters talk like you. DON'T DO THAT.

No, the reader didn't comment on the beats at all. I happened across Save the Cat at Barnes and Noble, and since I had heard about it, I bought it. Between the reader and the book, I was able to change my mindset in order to learn how to write a producible script and a producible franchise.

Owen Mowatt, while very true that someone could write 20 and still not be good- I'm interested who was "award nominated" with their first? And are we talking big awards? "First" is relative. First produced and first written are sometimes two very different things.

Comparison of screenplay paradigms - beat outlines. http://dramatica.com/resources/assets/Dramatica_paradigms-0707.pdf

The best advice I heard was about ageism and to keep writing those scripts no matter what your age is.

Owen , it doesn't disprove anything. You misunderstood my point. Here I'll rephrase it - try and pay attention this time- the more you do it the better you get at it. Now do you understand the point? I'm sorry if the person who gave the advice didn't make it clear enough for you to understand.

Why not?

Here's another perspective: when the first screenplay in my franchise gets produced, it will the first story I wrote as a script. However, that script has been rewritten so many times that I have lost track of the number. So, in one sense, it is the first script I wrote, but in another sense, it's the umpteenth script I wrote. Anyone who aspires towards being a published/produced writer should understand that, unless one is a natural-born writer (few and far between), success comes only with writing and writing or with rewriting and rewriting.

Way back when, as I started developing my writing skills in general, I was told it takes writing a million words before a writer becomes good at it. I found that to be true.

Erik Jacobsen- LOL

Thanks Patricia! I'm glad you agree! (and get it) Yeesh.

Recently had a friend, well, maybe not, tell me that since I was 56 no one would ever want to invest in my scripts. I was over the hill and should give it up. Just don't have the urge to talk to him anymore. Who needs enemies?