There's so much information available about writing, but a lot of it is shallow, ill-informed, or repetitive. Fortunately, now and again you come across those rare nuggets that not only inspire you and redirect you, but catalyze a complete paradigm shift. Has that ever happened to you? If so, I would love for you to share that quote, advice or lesson on this thread, as well as how it impacted you, so that others can learn and be inspired too. I'll start:
DON'T GET IT RIGHT, GET IT WRITTEN!
I love this because it's so simple yet it changed my process. I have a problem with perfectionism and over-analyzing in my writing, and embracing this advice freed me from being overly self-critical, especially in the crucial first draft.
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I have two.
Stories are about people.
There are no rules.
The second has freed me. I let the story drive the structure and form. I refuse to change a story to make it conform to some arbitrary rule.
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How successful has Rule #2 been?
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Start the scene later than you think you need to and end it earlier than you think you need to.
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That the comedy comes from a character with a goal they are ill-equipped to achieve yet determined to in the face of other characters with desires that block or complicate the main character's journey to that goal.
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Greatest lesson was learning that nobody wants to read anyone's script. So the screenplay has to be readable and fun.
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"Show, don't tell."
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Focus on the action!
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@Ben Off the top of my head, “Select a few moments but give a lifetime.” & “Story is about mastering the art not second guessing the market place.”
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Show and tell! Both is better.
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"Stay off Reddit screenwriting." :)
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Write fast.
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Never be afraid to hurt your characters.
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Don’t limit your creativity by only writing what you know; write what interests you.
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More of a personal decision I came to over time: if your characters don't act true to themselves, you'll lose the audience's belief in them.
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Everything needs to be earned on the page. Nothing can just happen. Nothing can be taken for granted. If something happens in act it has to be set up in a previous act. It all has to exist in your script.
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Don't make your characters do what you want. Let them do what they want.
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Just write it even if it's rubbish because you can't edit or re-draft a blank page.
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Write economically so a fifth grader could read and understand it.
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I dig this rule:
Write a "story,' not a 'situation.' If you can replace the lead with any other character and your supposed story still makes sence, you describe a situation. "The events of the story should uniquely test traits specific to the protagonist."
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Remember that while it is YOUR script, you're writing it for THEIR entertainment.
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Another one I forgot. “Surrender to write from instinct.”
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It wasn't necessarily a rule. In a class in film school we were watching a German film about a boy that was Jewish and managed to end up in a Nazi youth camp. There was a scene where all the other children were watching a movie that was slap stick comedy. All the children were laughing. Our professor paused the movie on a shot of the children. He pointed out that they were all bearing their teeth as they laughed. Then, our professor said to think of all other animals that bear their teeth and the reason for it. He then warped our minds by asking why we think humans laugh and experience enjoyment and at the same time bear our teeth when we see others suffering. I have never been the same.
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Rule #3. Take any advice from any aspiring screenwriter with a big grain of salt.
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Ben, the best tip I've seen thus far in this screenwriting/TV writing journey is: "The people who read your scripts come first. Turn them on...and you've got a chance."
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The best screenwriting advice I ever received goes for all writing: if you cry when you write the story, so will the reader; if you laugh when you right the story, so will the reader.
Russel Williams: I'm sure this was profound when the Prof, did this to make a point. However, there are reasons why humans bare (not bear) their teeth. Maybe because in the depths of tragedy is comedy?Ask the Geeks....ask Chaplin, who once said "life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but comedy in long-shot". Whether we call it irony, "black" humor, gallows humor, or, my favorite, the "aw shit" moment, or the "fuck the bonus moment," there are times we must laugh or commit suicide. Stalin, I believe, said," one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." Truly callousness to suffering is the worst form of torture of another. It produces what psychs call "malignant trauma" described as "I begged, but no one came." It is the only emotional pathology for which there is neither cure, nor comfort; it is the abyss once realized.
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Keep it simple; your reader shouldn't get confused at any point and everything should be easy to follow.
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Stay away from all these amateurish screenwriting forums if your intent is to go pro.
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When I was an assistant to an Exec Producer, I would ask the writers, "What's the best piece of advice you can give to anyone who wants to be a writer?" They all said the same thing: "Structure!" --- "Know structure!"
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As cliché as it sounds, "show, don't tell".
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I understand you, Ben. I also often had problems with writing. This is especially true for essays and term papers. I just don't have the writing skills and talent. Therefore, the only way out for me was to seek help from one well-known writing service, the review of which I read on this site https://www.topwritersreview.com/reviews/acad-write/ and immediately contacted the manager. I submitted the terms of reference and two days later I received a finished high-quality essay. Editing was not needed, because everything was done perfectly and in accordance with my requirements.
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It`s interesting!
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To expand on the "show don't tell", extend this to how characters communicate with each other or how their true feelings are betrayed to the audience with non-verbal cues.
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I have other tips - more like quotes - I'd like to share:
"Everything begins with the impulse to tell a story. This is not a luxury, but an essential part of our genetic makeup. We need stories. They give us a context; they locate us within ourselves, our society, and our global village." ~Richard J. Krevolin~
"Don’t second-guess yourself too much; find what interests you, and you’ll rarely stray too far from an interesting story." ~J. Michael Straczynski~
"Man cannot survive without a reason for living, a personal narrative that provides him with meaning." ~Viktor Frankl~
"Everyone knows how to write. This is what you will discover. Everyone you talk to about your script will have a suggestion, comment, or better idea for you. Then they will tell you about their brilliant idea for a screenplay. There's a big difference between saying you're going to write the script and actually doing it." ~Syd Field~
"Our culture reflects back what is true. It doesn't always reflect it back reliably. It can distort things." ~Craig Mazin~
"I try my best to live by the principle that if you're going to be telling a story that you didn't live, tell it with as much respect as you can for the people who did live it." ~Craig Mazin~
"Drama is a code of maturity. The focal point is the moment of change, the impact, when a person breaks free of habits and weaknesses and ghosts from his past and transforms to a richer and fuller self." ~John Truby~
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I did a course on screenplay writing sometime back and there was one lesson regarding the writing process which stuck with me: "Action moves the story forward, "Dialogue reveals character."
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C.S. Lewis said: Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please will you do my job for me.”