Screenwriting Tips... You Hack

Psst… check it out. I’m running a little competition over on the main Screenwriting Tips site:

http://screenwritingtips.blcklst.com/2012/05/win-a-copy-of-screenwriting-tips-the-book/

Click on over if you’d like the chance to win a free copy of the Screenwriting Tips book. It’s super easy, and you might get free stuff!

And while you’re there, consider subscribing to the main site by RSS or email. I sometimes post things there that don’t appear here on Tumblr.

(Which is not to say that I don’t love all you Tumblrites dearly. I do. You feel that? That’s me digitally hugging all of you at once. Ah, the magic of the internet.)

Want to make your script funnier? Double down on jokes. Go through and look for existing funny lines that could be followed by a second joke — a witty comeback, an unexpected turn, or a sly comment on the first joke.

When they think you’re going to go left, go right. When they think the scene’s going to end, keep it going. And when they think the protagonist is going to be okay, make sure she’s really, really not.

Hey, how about those thousand tips? That is officially a lot of tips.

It feels like I’ve won some sort of award — like I should use this opportunity to thank everyone who helped me get to this point. Franklin Leonard and Scott Myers, for welcoming me into the Black List fold. Will Akers, for being a fan of this blog when almost nobody was. My publishers at Focal Press, who liked this blog enough to turn it into a book.

Most importantly, I’d like to thank all of YOU — my charming, wonderful, stunningly beautiful/ruggedly handsome readers. Without you I couldn’t have kept this train going, day after day, for nearly three years.

But after 1000 tips, it’s time for a small break. So I’ll be taking a week off.

This is not a hiatus. This is merely a short intake of breath. I’ll be back with daily tips before you know it — not to mention all of the other exciting things I have planned for the future of this blog.

So stay tuned. And in the meantime, you can find me blathering away on Twitter, or you can buy my book (composed of 90% new content not available online) from Amazon or your local bookstore.

See you back here in a week for Tip #1001. Scheherazade would approve.

If you write from the heart, you’ll never run out of ideas. If you aim for masterpieces, at least you’ll learn from the failures. And if you never give up, there’s no way you can lose.

You’ve come this far. Now the future is up to you.

All you have to do is write it.

Whenever you get the chance to split up your ensemble cast, it’s easy to decide who goes with who: separate the characters who like and support each other, combine the ones who conflict with and challenge each other.

Your scenes can always be shorter. In late, out early. Less linking and explanation, more forging ahead and letting the action tell the story.

The story starts when the script starts. There is no grace period, no prologue, no “getting to know the characters” time. Start the story on Page One.

Sometimes humor undercuts meaningful, emotional scenes; other times, it enhances them. Your job is to know which is which. Hint: if it’s a major turning point, maybe ease up on the jokes.

Writing a scene every movie-goer has seen 100 times before? E.g. ‘team leader explains the tactical situation’, ‘best friend gives confused protagonist advice on her relationship’, ‘frightened character investigates the basement armed only with a flashlight’. Mix your version up; be deliberately different. Make their 101st time a surprise.

Keep every piece of information that goes into the planning of your script. Don’t delete old notes, even if you’ve changed your mind and aren’t planning to use them any more. You might need to refer back to them one day — say, when your Act Two starts falling apart.

Think about your characters’ “triggers”. What’s the one thing you could say to them that would instantly penetrate their defenses and make them angry or upset?

Trust your training. If your writing instincts are telling you something, there’s probably a good reason for it. (Unless what they’re telling you is “Write a ten page exposition scene”.)

If you’re having trouble “seeing” your characters, try fake-casting your own film. You may find you strive harder and write better when imagining, say, Angelina Jolie playing the role of your protagonist.

If two characters have an unresolved hatred, rivalry or misunderstanding, don’t let them ignore it. Keep throwing them together until the subtext becomes text and the background becomes plot.

How to come up with ideas for set-pieces: tell friends or family your basic logline, then ask them, “So what would you expect to see in a movie with that concept?” Often they’ll have great suggestions that feel obvious in hindsight.

Remember the thing that most inspired you to write this concept in the first place (another movie, a book, an experience you had, etc.). That’s your touchstone. Keep it close and refer to it often.

Don’t be afraid of the words that come out during the first draft. You’ll never create a startling metaphor or beautiful turn of phrase if you’re self-censoring from the start.

Are you sure your plot is actually saying the same thing as your theme? A theme of ‘violence solves nothing’ is somewhat undercut if your protagonist spends the whole script shooting people.

You don’t always have to guide the reader from one scene to the other with dialogue (“Let’s move out”, “See you there”, etc.). Better to end a scene on a low point than on a cliché.