If you have ever made an attempt at writing a screenplay you will know that it usually takes a lot of time.
Writer’s don’t have the luxury of thinking their ideas onto the page magically. Because of this, we must write them down manually which takes a considerably larger effort and time commitment to complete.
In this post, I really wanted to help you elevate what I call the “vomit draft.” You don’t have to settle for a sub par script just because it is your first draft. Here are a few tips that might help you to outdo your last script and make for telling better stories that not packed full of predictable cliches and unoriginal ideas.
As a writer, it is imperative that you have a voice or style that is unique to you. Without it, you are going to sound like someone else and you will quickly be found to be unoriginal.
A great way to help you in developing your own writing style is to do writing exercises. These are not just a quick five-minute warm-up before you get into your “actual writing.” Writing exercises is like physical fitness, you need to do it daily. When you stop practicing or “flexing” those “creative muscles” you will begin to get weak in that department.
So of my favorite exercises is the free write. This is an exercise that involves you sitting down for a set period of time and writing non-stop. It is an endurance game to see if you can keep your creative flow going without stopping to think.
I got to put together a graphic carousel for my side project fictarive that gives a great overview of what a free write is.
Another great exercise that I plan to spend a lot more time implementing into my routine was one I learned from Corey Mandel in this video:
Corey Mandel – Transcribe Other Screenplays (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9EWSabhSyM&list=PLx1dbpyku8V0jaXZfZm6t8zUKP_IX6P8y)
“For Your Consideration Screenplays”
The idea of transcribing other writer’s screenplays is not a plagiarism tactic, it is an exercise only meant for you to set habits that will shape who you are as a writer. Think of it as your trainer and you are in a class where they are teaching you their techniques. When you set out on your own you will be able to adapt those skills to your own voice.
Like Corey mentions in the video, you should vary it up with multiple writers so that you are not mimicking a writer but are becoming inspired by a number of writers.
If you need to find screenplays open up google and search for “for your consideration screenplays” or some kind of variation of that. You will be delivered a number of websites, hosted by the studios with links to download the screenplays that were submitted for Oscar consideration. Are these sites legit? You bet your boots they are, they are usually hosted by the studio to house all of their assets for submissions during the award season. I’ve been collecting screenplays like this for the past decade and my library has grown to a pretty decent size.
“For Your Consideration Screenplays”
Maybe this is not so much something you deal with, but for me slowing down sometimes brings a massive halt to the process. Learning how to write faster is not all that difficult, but being able to write faster AND better is where the rubber meets the road.
One way I like to be prepared so that I can speed through a first draft or even a rewrite is to have a clear direction of where I am going. I achieve this by creating an outline. It is called many different names, but they are all pretty much the same thing–
The story outline, or story map, or guide or to plot out your story.
The essence of whatever you want to call it is to help guide where the story plans on going before you start in on your “fade in,” or “INT…”
Some styles to research are.
Story Map
Story Circle (created by Dan Harmon)
Story Clock (same as Dan Harmon but Seth Whoorly’s version)
The next thing to do and arguably just as important is to make an escalation list. The idea behind escalations comes from an approach of focusing on make each event harder for the character then the last one. This idea does veer slightly from the approach of rising and falling action. The main point here is to keep the reader turning the page. If your events keep getting easier for your character, the reader is likely to get bored really fast. This usually results in the pages closing and the script never being read to the end.
This is often time much harder for new writers but you need to get to the point that you can easily become a traitor to your characters. You want them to fear you. The worst thing you can do to your character is to become their best friend.
A friend of mine would tell me that when you have writer’s block an easy way to get past it is by asking a simple question. “What is the last thing that you want to happen to your character? Make that happen.” It is the element of escalations. If it makes it harder for your character to achieve their goal it will naturally make conflict. Conflict will keep your story interesting.
So, drag your character’s through hell. They will hate you for it, but they aren’t real and you are the one with the “best screenplay” award, not them.
If you don't know what is going to happen next for your character, then chance are your readers won't be expecting what happens next either...and they'll keep reading.
These tools are not the end-all but will definitely help you strengthen those writing muscles and help you to write screenplays that are unpredictable. If you focus on improving in small increments over a longer period of time, it will be like traveling on a slight incline. When you look back you will see how far you have climbed and be surprised.
A final thought for writing with unpredictable outcomes is this: If you don’t know what is going to happen next for your character, then chance are your readers won’t be expecting what happens next either…and they’ll keep reading.
Make it a page-turner.