December 2010
31 posts
Screenwriting Tip #497
We’ve all seen ‘the mentor turns out to be the villain’ a thousand times, and it was never that good to begin with. If you don’t have a truly original take on it, don’t use it.
Screenwriting Tip #496
You’re finished with rewriting when there’s nothing left to cut. If your script keeps getting longer with every draft, you’re doing it wrong.
Screenwriting Tip #495
Never interrupt a writer to ask how their work is going. You’ll either get a surly look or way more information than you wanted.
Screenwriting Tip #494
How to tell if you’re lying to yourself: you think things like “I’ll just write myself out of this plot hole”, or “If I just keep writing, the characters will tell me what happens next”.
Screenwriting Tip #493
When writing a vitally important piece of information (e.g. the gun under the bed, the love note slipped into the wrong jacket) into a large paragraph of action, it might be a good idea to bold it. Your script readers will thank you.
Screenwriting Tip #492
You don’t have to keep reminding us who the secondary characters are, e.g. ‘the pilot Gregory’, or ‘his best friend Janice’. Do it once when they’re introduced, then maybe once more if they return to the main plot after a long time away.
Screenwriting Tip #491
Trust me, every joke involving a man in a Santa costume has already been done. There is nothing new to add to the genre.
P.S. Merry Xmas and happy holidays to you all. I hope you find some time to write amidst all the festivities.
Screenwriting Tip #490
Everybody should have a backstory. Not everybody should have a backstory that conveniently ties into the main plot.
Screenwriting Tip #489
It’s fine to write your teenage protagonist as disaffected and rebellious. It’s probably not fine to write her as a psychotic little monster.
Screenwriting Tip #488
You can hide exposition inside an argument. In a fight, two friends or lovers are likely to use intimate knowledge against each other. That way you get back-story that looks like drama.
Screenwriting Tip #487
Don’t kill the story with detail. When it comes to your most emotional scenes, description needs to get the hell out of the way and let the dialogue do its job.
Screenwriting Tip #486
Most people do not act rationally under pressure. Remember this — it’s one of your biggest sources of drama.
Screenwriting Tip #485
Generating ideas is easy: open a blank document and write down everything you can think of that you personally enjoy in other people’s writing. Use screenplays, novels or any other kind of fiction. Be as specific as you like.
Now read over the list. Maybe mix and match a few entries. You’ll be amazed how many new ideas hit you.
Screenwriting Tip #484
When developing a character, it can help to think in terms of ‘fear triggers’ and ‘courage triggers’. In other words, what would make this character curl up whimpering in a corner? And on the other hand, what brings out the very best in her?
Screenwriting Tip #483
Yes, sometimes coincidence is required to move a story along. But you could at least make some attempt to hide, explain or misdirect away from the coincidence.
Screenwriting Tip #482
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A man wakes up in the morning, brushes his teeth, has breakfast on the way to work— Wait, except before that he gets a call from his girlfriend… Well, she’s not really his girlfriend any more. They’re kind of going through a rough patch. But what he doesn’t know is that she’s cheating on him with her boss...
Screenwriting Tip #481
A good idea is absolutely worthless… until you hammer it into a good script.
Screenwriting Tip #480
How do you know when to stop rewriting? Ask yourself:
A) Is it getting better with each draft?
B) Do I still care?
If you answered in the negative for either question, it’s time to step away and reevaluate.
Screenwriting Tip #479
The only thing worse than research scenes (typing in search terms! Scribbling notes! Can you feel the drama?) are research scenes with explanatory voiceover.
Screenwriting Tip #478
Please, can we have fewer long, tedious ‘riffing’ scenes in comedies? They’re a momentum-suck, and usually they just suck.
Screenwriting Tip #477
Horror doesn’t need to target the mind, or even the heart. Horror needs to target the hairs on the back of the neck.
Screenwriting Tip #476
If you decide to stay up late into the night, bleary-eyed and incoherent, in order to hammer out a draft at the last minute… don’t send it straight away. Sleep on it, then send it in the morning after one final check. Trust me on this.
Screenwriting Tip #475
The most obvious sign of a professional writer? Beautiful action lines. You know — cadence, musicality and thoughtful word choice. If you suck at this, practise writing short stories or flash fiction in your spare time.
Screenwriting Tip #474
If ‘write what scares you’ doesn’t work, write what makes you angry.
Fumblr
As you may have noticed, Tumblr has been down for the last few days. Consequently, I’ve been unable to deliver your daily dose of screenwriting snark.
Sorry about that. Everything seems to be working now, though. You’ll notice I’ve posted two new tips below.
Rest assured, our vengeance will be swift and terrible. As we speak, a crack team of flying monkeys is winging their way...
Screenwriting Tip #473
If you’re going to lift your narrative structure from mythology, don’t choose character names that ‘cleverly’ allude to characters from the myth. We can figure it out on our own, thanks.
Screenwriting Tip #472
When picking a writing partner, avoid enablers. Choose someone who will genuinely challenge your ideas.
Screenwriting Tip #471
Action before dialogue. If there’s a way for a character to act instead of talk, write it.
Screenwriting Tip #470
Don’t piss off your spouse/partner. Besides your manager, they’re the only person in the world who is willing to read more than one draft of the same script.
Screenwriting Tip #469
Doing rewrites? Pick your fights. If you go into bat against every little note you disagree with, you’ll have no ammunition left when they suggest changing the protagonist into a wise-cracking CG mongoose.
Screenwriting Tip #468
Watch your favorite movie at least once a year to remind yourself why you’re doing this.