Screenwriting : Personal education by Craig D Griffiths

Somewhat. I try to keep up with writing, but my tastes have ventured into the realm of directing as well as writing.

Over the years I believe I've read 'most everything written 'bout screenwriting to date - most of the newer stuff is just a re-hash and repeat of earlier stuff. The more I become involved with production (directing & editing), the more I find to learn. I realized that I'm learning addicted. I'll quit when I die or when I know everything there is about everything.

Almost never. Like Doug Nelson said, it's mostly re-hash.

I do watch/read stuff by producers and directors who are talking about the "biz."

I find the more I learn about the other things that go into producing something, the more I improve as a writer.

Not so much on the "writing" end - storytelling, structure, plot, etc. - but about how to take notes better, how to "read" between the lines when someone is expressing their thoughts about my stories, how to ask better questions to get to the root of issues and come up with solutions.

Pretty much all the things - besides actually writing - that make great writers enduring writers.

If that makes sense. :)

I read blogs, read articles, and watch videos about screenwriting daily. I know some of it, but some of it is new.

Mostly focused on workshops, already applied one by November and getting materials/script ready for the one in March...reading I don't do much now (beside scripts)...I don't watch "how to" videos...

When you're a beginning writer reading/watching anything you can get your hands on is a must, because you don't know anything. I've found that as you progress you'll find yourself saying, "Well, I know that already" more and more frequently.

Thanks everyone. I still read screenplays as a source of education. My wife made me thin out my pile of screenplays on the bedside table. I am left with my beloved Dark Knight scripts. Everything else is in the office.

I am an avid podcast listener. So as soon as they drop I am on them. I find that a lot of blogs are lists because Google indexes them well. It is getting harder to find interesting stuff. Much of the content is aimed at beginners (I am guilty of this). I think that is because once we move away from the basics, it all becomes style and personal preference.

Thanks again.

I often watch a lot of Film Courage youtube channel. It’s a school per se. I read screenplays, usually after seeing the film. I read a lot of literary books and I find myself ravished when succumbing into something fresh and new. I’ve recently found a book (suggested by Jeff Kitchen on Film Courage) that fulfilled me with nuances of human psychology and different archetypes. I found this book amazing and I reccomend it to all, not only screenwriters. Its title: “The wisdom of the Enneagram” by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson. It’s a fantastic tool to use for character’s arch.

Enjoy!

I've read a few books on screenwriting and I occasionally watch interviews with screenwriters. Really depends on if I have a question about something.

I tend to binge now and then, usually by reading books. I ignore most blog posts out there as they are often clickbait and very superficial, or worse still, written by people with no real experience to backup their advice.

As mentioned, it's powerful to wind back to the classic teachings behind storytelling and the history of filmmaking.

Last night I binged the series “the movies that made us”. Most production stories. But there are still things to learn for screenwriting.

I tend to agree with the mood that blogs are a waste of time. They are there to show adverts mostly.

Writing is such a dark art that many don’t understand it. It is also so small that quality content is hard to find.