Screenwriting : Screenwriting Tip – Write It Down/Save It by Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for your help Maurice, usually when I create a story I make a spine, it helps me remember.

Hi Maurice, I forget too sometimes, sometimes I just sit down and think, what it was

How are you Billy?

You're welcome, Minh Nguyen. What's a spine?

Hi, Billy Kwack. You could use a small notepad that fits in your pocket, a notebook, your phone, a digital voice recorder, etc.

Hi Maurice, sometimes when I'm trying to sleep and I get thoughts, I'm too tired to get up and write it down. Unless it's a really good idea, I got to get up

What's up Minh

I'm the same way, Billy Kwack. That's why I have a voice recorder app on my phone.

Haha, that’s the truest screenwriter struggle!

Hi Maurice, I always have paper and pen ready

Best tip

It is, Joseph Tonaldo. Sometimes I think "I'll remember it" and forget it. Haha

That's great, Billy Kwack. You never know when you'll get an idea, think of a scene, etc.

Thanks, Namhla Mnyamana.

Ugh, Maurice Vaughan, my ADHD has never felt so seen before. YES. SAVE EVERYTHING. If you're anything like me, you'll forget what you're doing while you're--aaaand I lost it.

Maurice Vaughan Ohhhhh, I’ve had that happen to me too. It can be really frustrating.

But I’m a little silly because I believe in fate, and I like to think that even though at the time you felt like “this is the big idea,” there’s a reason you forgot it… Something even better is on its way. ;)

I’m not worried about you! :)

Love it. I've written ideas down on post-it notes, napkins, even the backs of receipts just to hold onto them.

I don't write down ideas, and I don't worry if I forget them. I believe that if my brain forgets something, it must have been bad, and therefore, I can come up with something better.

I didn't think about it like that, Sanna Peth and Arthur Charpentier. Thanks.

Whatever we can get our hands on, Anthony Moore.

Sorry, but how can a screenwriter forget things? If a writer constantly forgets, then their script will end up with broken cause-and-effect logic. They’ll forget where a character came from, where they were going, and the whole script will turn into nonsense and inconsistencies. A screenwriter must always remember every detail of their story. For example, I remember every little detail of my script — who appears from where, what each character is planning to do, even how they are standing. Otherwise, the script simply won’t hold together.

Hi, Aleksandr Rozhnov. This post isn't about forgetting things about scripts. It's about forgetting things writers come up with (script ideas, scene ideas, etc.).

I don’t know, personally I never forget anything I’ve already come up with. The only case is if I already have a scene written, and along the way I come up with a better solution for it — but at that moment I don’t have access to the script. In that case, I just write it down in notes or somewhere else, and later I change the scene. But to completely forget something I already created, or to invent a scene and then forget how I imagined it — that never happens to me.

But I’ll be honest — I have a good memory. Back in school, I could read a poem a couple of times and already know it by heart.

Well, actually, I don’t really like giving advice, but yes, a small one — I don’t know, it seems better to me. When you try to write things down so you don’t forget, often you can’t write everything, or you forget some things, or it takes too long. I think the best option is a voice recorder. Every phone has one, or you can just buy a recorder. Just like scientists record their research results, you can do the same: if an idea comes to your mind and you don’t want to forget it, just turn on the recorder and speak your idea aloud, then listen to it later. I think it’s much more convenient.

That's great that you never forget anything you came up with, Aleksandr Rozhnov.

I definitely recommend writers use voice recorders or voice recorder apps, Aleksandr Rozhnov.

By the way, another tip for writers, especially screenwriters: use a voice recorder when you write dialogue. You can record the dialogue on a recorder, then listen to it and see if it feels natural. You’ll understand how an actor would read the lines, and whether they fit your scene or not.

Great tip, Aleksandr Rozhnov! Thanks.

Thanks, Maurice,

When I imagine my films, tons of ideas come to me naturally. I push each character and each universe as deep as possible into my imagination. My stories appear very quickly, almost as if the whole script is writing itself and becoming alive inside me. I don’t need to think for hours, and yet when I write my films, the result comes out solid and coherent.

When I say “spine,” I really mean it like the human body: the film unfolds upward, leading to an ending that makes people reflect or allows those who read my stories to truly feel something. Everything is connected. I usually note down the beginning and a few key points, and then the rest of the story naturally builds itself around this spine. I rarely forget my ideas because they link together so quickly and clearly that the whole structure holds on its own.

It’s a very instinctive way of working, but it’s the one that fits me best.

Aleksandr Rozhnov Ever heard the phrase, "Genius is fleeting."? Not everyone has an "Eidetic Memory". I can come up with a dozen great idea and depending on what happens throughout my day, I may remember some or all of them or I may not. Or I may remember that I had a great idea or two but forgot what they were. Writing them down locks them in place. Just because you can't remember an idea, doesn't mean it wasn't great or important. If you forget someone's name does that mean that the person wasn't great or important?

I've written over two dozen scripts. I don't remember every single detail of every one. Heck some, I can't even recall the title, much less the logline, but they've won contest and received awards. Everyone's brain works a bit different. Some people can't remember numbers, some forget what they did the day before. We all just have to use our gifts as best we are able and share them when we can.

If you're like me you forget the fact that you had something to remember !

You're welcome, Minh Nguyen. Thanks for explaining. That's fantastic! Yeah, whatever way fits you best. I have a weird way of outlining my spec scripts, but it fits me best, and it saves me time.

That’s why I always carry a pocket notepad and two pens—as back up!