On Writing : Writing by Linda Ogbue

Hey Linda Ogbue great to meet you! I understand what you mean, and thanks for sharing! I love to discover other characters journeys as well as the hero's. Take Lord of The Rings for example, Samwise being with Frodo literally meant if he hadn't been there, would Frodo have succeeded? I doubt it, even Frodo himself says it as they near Mordor. What films do you produce? I'd love to know more.

Nice to meet you, Linda. I get what you mean. I'm a meticulous outliner, doing multiple outline drafts before I begin writing. However, once I am writing scenes, my adherence to the outline can be fluid. If the characters lead me in a certain direction, or an idea strikes me, I'll go with it. But for me to be that fluid, I need and outline. To me, screenwriting is a lot like jazz. You need a structure, what is written, in order to improvise.

How do I respond to each of my respondent without starting a new conversation?

Oh! Still in it.

To @Phil Bridge- I've been producing documentaries. Just looking into feature films now, but I still have fellow producers pulling me on one hand to partner more docs, and another pulling to produce a group feature film. Working on both in the prepro stage presently. And thanks for your response.

To Matthew Parvin - wow! I just thought to type @ and your name appeared. Figured it now.

Thanks for your response. I do appreciate structure and jot down ideas that come to mind. The outlines simply take their time to come, if at all they do, untill I've begun writing my story.

Once upon a time in an exam hall, I spent over 30 minutes thinking about an outline for an essay topic, but nothing came to mind. I managed to scribble somethings for the sake of following the rule, but scribbled nonsense as far as I know. Then scared that I might get nothing done before the bell went off having wasted much time already, I started writing my essay instinctively as I am good at, and did a beautiful job on it as testified by the result.

Just knowing the structure of the 3 acts and the elements within them is just sufficient in my mind to guide my writing. And then creating stories that aren't just about building a hero but about other things novel and capable of capturing interest in the audience.

I hope you get me.

Linda Ogbue thanks so much. Wow, sounds really interesting. Looks like you're getting the hang of using the @ at the start of people's names. Don't worry, it took me a while to work it out too! I'm sure if you end up looking for writers, there is no end of exceptional writing talent on this site.

@Phil - LOL! But doesn't seem to work all the time, like now.

No p, I'll get the hang of everything soon. Thanks.

Linda Ogbue, I'm a novelist and comic book/graphic novel writer, not a screenwriter. I started out in the novel world writing tie-in novels (and have continued to do so, in between original novels) to properties such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Spider-Man, CSI, NCIS, Narcos, etc. In those cases, an outline is a requirement, because it has to be approved by the intellectual-property rights holder before work can begin, and then it has to be fairly strictly adhered to. I've carried the habit of writing outlines to my original work, but I look at the outline as a roadmap for a long trip. It shows me my beginning point, my end point, and various points of interest along the way. But as I'm traveling, if something else catches my eye--the World's Largest Ball of String!--I can make a side trip and visit it, and I know that I won't lose my way because I still have the map. It's obviously not for everyone, but for many writers an outline can be a huge help without being overly confining. It's all in how you use it.

And I agree with you about the standard hero's journey. That also has its uses, but it's not the only way to tell a story--and it leaves out potential stories about lots of other people.

@Jeffrey - you're right. I've actually been talking about my novels all along.

The feature film I'm prepping presently required my writing a treatment after we'd brainstormed on the idea, which I've done and passed on to the designated writers for a full screenplay. I understand it's a different ball game for a screenplay. I had an instructor who wrung it into my ears and even approved my treatment before the designated writers took over with writing the full script.

Thanks.

My goodness! Getting these responses from formidable writers like you guys Jeffrey J. Mariotte Phil Bridge Matthew Parvin further buttresses my instructor's stance on outlines. I'm awed and more than convinced.

It's how I was trained from childhood to write though. So, If I could list out outlines before my subsequent books, I would, and I'll try.

I hope my instructor isn't here to eye his stubborn student saying- I told you so. Lol!

Thanks again.

Linda Ogbue well Linda, we aim to please! It's a great community here, and I see lots of people boosting each other up, whether it's offering advice, pointers, assistance of varying types, or just words of encouragement and friendliness, so you are in good company!

We have some writing education here on Stage 32. Please reach out to edu@stage32.com for more information on how we can help you with your goals.

I'm so glad you posted this, Linda. I love outside of the box thinking when it comes to creativity. And thanks to you, I think I've figured out how to respond to people directly, too in my posts. So far, I've only been "hearting" comments. LOL