Wednesday, June 15, 2011
What's the Greenest Way to Watch a Movie?
The Writing Week (Vol. 4) part 180 - Best Approach to a Writers Group Meeting
At its core, the League is a writers group. Sure, we have this blog and other outreach efforts. When all is said and done, though, our primary focus is to serve each other as writers.
To that end, we meet once a month in a set place (Jen's apartment) on a set date (second Tuesday of the month). Anyone who plans on submitting something for feedback gives a two week notice (this is informal, but appreciated) so that we can coordinate how many things we'll have to cover. Pages should be in hand ideally a week before the meeting, but certainly no later than the Friday morning before we gather. We read. We take notes. And on that Tuesday, we meet.
A writers group meeting can be all business, part fun, or any combination that works best for the people involved. Recently, we've been eating and sipping beer or wine during the meeting. None of this detracts from the ideas and comments; rather, it makes the evening a bit more casual, a bit more informal, and allows for an open discussion of the work. Before meeting at the apartment, we used to take over the conference room in my office. That worked to a degree, but on nights when there was a lot of material, people would get a bit restless. The less formal approach has served to keep our attention when there are numerous projects on the table.
Last night, we met for the first time in abut a month. My Medieval revenge spec was the only discussion item. I had prepped the group via an email that the script was a very obvious work in progress. The character relationships and dialogue were (and still are) in need of great work. But I refrained from giving specifics or highlighting my other concerns. I wanted to hear what they had to say and see if they picked up on anything I hadn't, or if some of the areas I found problematic were not too bothersome to them. They touched on everything I thought they would.
In a meeting, it can be all too easy to get caught up in the small details. "This line of dialogue doesn't work" or "I don't think they would say it this way." These smaller edits and points are all valid, but when a script isn't really working, they can detract from the attention the larger picture needs. Luckily, last night, everyone was prepared to help me look at the forest, and ignore the individual trees for the most part. That's what I needed, and that's what the group gave me.
The discussion quickly revealed a key device - which leads to a third act battle - and a supporting character that were both not working. Other scenes and arcs were falling flat, and the titular character wasn't holding her own. What else happened during the talk? A solution presented itself to me. I threw it out there for the group, and everyone took to it pretty readily. Implementing it will mean a major rewrite, nearly a page one new draft, but that's fine. I'll lose a lot, but I'll gain even more. The group showed me that the above mentioned device and character were getting in the way of the more important elements, and I ave no problems about losing them in favor of something much, much stronger.
There's no right way to run a meeting. It should be what you and your group members need it to be. Some groups are massive and meet whenever a few people are free. Some are smaller (we are now six) and meet regularly. Some meet only when there are pages (we just stick to our schedule, regardless). Some have food and drink; some cut right to business then cut loose. Whatever works for you is fine, but I believe that the writer whose work is up for discussion must lead the session by determining and clarifying what kind of feedback he or she wants. If you're curious as to what is working and what isn't, maybe consider refraining from stating specifically the beats you're worried about. If you know something is wrong and you want to figure out how to address that, then open with that - or better yet, mention it in the email that contains your pages. Either way, remember that the focus of the meeting, or at least that portion of it, is on your work and helping make it as strong as it can be. Come prepared with questions, but be ready to listen to all feedback, whether you agree with it or not. The time is yours; use it well.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Logline Central - Tips from ScriptShadow
We're going to change up Logline Central a bit this time. Typically, these posts feature a logline posted to Done Deal Pro, which I then analyze (for better or for worse). Many of them are not actually loglines.
Today, though, I ask you to take a look at a recent ScriptShadow special post, which features examples of both good and bad loglines, as well as some helpful instructions on how to craft a successful logline for your script.
Monday, June 06, 2011
The Writing Week (Vol. 4) part 179 - Editing your Script
Fade Out. The first draft of your script is done. All printed out. Look at it. So pretty... Now what?
For a lot of writers, that first draft is a prized possession not to be messed with. It's been a labor of love, and now it's perfect. Only, it's not really. It takes a lot of time (and a lot of scripts) to realize that the first draft is usually far from ready to see the light of day. Unless you're William Goldman, pre-planning your entire script to the point that you can churn out three perfect pages per day, you will most likely face a rewrite of that draft. And of the draft after that. And the one after that. The real trick is setting your game plan for those rewrites.
About a week ago, I finished the first pass at my Medieval spec. Even as I was writing, I knew that it required some major attention in a few key places. I pushed through, though, and printed the sucker out a week ago Saturday. Typically, I'll spend the next three days after printing reading over the script, marking edits and places where I need to come back for more extensive rewrites. Smaller edits don't require marking pages; but for instances where I need to revise dialogue, cut a scene, or invest more time and effort, I'll jot the page number down on the title page. Some title pages will wind up with 30 to 50 page numbers recorded. Of course, the level of further attention per page will vary, but none of those are considered simple, quick edits. (Depending on what I know needs attention, I'll also scribble notes to myself on the title page; "Look at the relationship between [characters] X and Y," or, "Is his motivation consistent throughout?")
Once I've completed the read-through, I'll spend the following day doing the small edits. Mostly, these are word cuts or changes, dialogue tweaking where I already know what I want to change the line to, and other simple fixes. (This is also the stage I just finished yesterday.) Then, the real work begins. Scenes need to be reworked or rejiggered. Characters are removed or added. Backstories are fleshed out. In short, this is a larger rewrite. And that's what I'm embarking upon now.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Site Alert - Various Grants and Writing Opportunities
As I troll around the interwebs, I periodically come across sites that I think you, dear readers, might benefit from. Not all these will be relevant to you, but perhaps at least a few will be helpful or interesting.
Today's links are all about work and getting funded.
Gigs:
Freelance Writing Gigs
Grants/Funds:
George Mason University creative writing grants and resources
Funds for Writers
The Awesome Foundation
The Poetry Resource Page
American Journalism Review
http://www.ajr.org/awards1.aspTuesday, May 31, 2011
The Writing Week (Vol. 4) part 178 - First Draft Done! And Now to Scrap It
At long last, the first draft of my Medieval spec is done. It clocked in at just over 96 full pages. And I think it's one of the weakest first drafts I've written in a while.
First drafts can be agony. They can also seem like a joy, until you reread or get notes on them. Then, they seem like agony. They're all about getting the foundation laid. Sometimes, that means writing through a scene you know isn't working or dialogue that isn't doing it's job, simply so you can get to the next beat and hash that out. Once everything is down on paper, it's time to come back with the proverbial red pen and revise the whole thing. That often means scrapping entire sections and starting anew.
As torturous as this might seem, there's some remedy to be had in anticipating all of this. If you put the draft down believing it all to be gold, it's that much more crushing when your nearest and dearest tell you that's not quite the case. On the other hand, trudging through, all the while aware that the pages are far from Oscar worthy, makes it that much easier to see the flaws and - perhaps more importantly - the trick to addressing them.
One of the frequent problems with a first draft - and the very issue that I find myself facing now - is that a writer will often figure important elements, beats, and motivations out while writing the pages. This is great. Except, of course, for the fact that it might mean your protagonist does a seeming about-face half way through the script, when you realize why she's really doing what she's doing. Or what her past is. Or what the secret tool she discovers is, and how it relates to her mission. These realizations are key to a successful story, and you might even think you've nailed them in the outline, but when they come out in the pages... Well, I'd wager it means you have some rewriting to do.
In the case of my Medieval spec, for example, I found myself hung up on a handful of key beats throughout the few weeks I was writing. I wasn't stuck so much because I didn't know what the beats entailed. Rather, the hold up came from the realization that these beats were perfect opportunities to answer or address some crucial character points. Only, though I knew I had to answer them, I didn't know what the answers would be. More than that, the direction I was heading in for each answer deviated from what had come before. To keep the story consistent, I would have to go back and rework earlier beats and dialogue. Not a problem. That's what the first draft is for. Similarly, certain characters were underdeveloped by the end, and other appeared in a way that was too coincidental, giving the script an episodic feel that I have to do away with.
The episodic issue - a common one in early drafts of many of my scripts - is one I still grapple with. A script should flow naturally, one beat coming from the one that preceded it and all tying together into a cohesive whole. Something like HANGOVER 2, which I just saw this weekend, is more episodic feeling. Now they're here. Now they're there. One scene "leads" into the next, but not too organically and is forgotten as soon as the next location is established. Less episodic scripts are more seamless; of course we're here now, because it was set up that this is where the characters had to go and it is only natural that they're there now. No big coincidence or slight of hand to get them there.
I'll wrestle with these key issues this week. Hopefully, they won't be as monumental as I make them out to be. Either way, I have a (barely) 97 page draft of a new script on my desk, and that feels pretty damn good.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Writing Week (Vol. 4) part 177 - How Closely do you have to Adhere to Three-Act Structure?
I nearly finished the first draft of Act Two last night. At this point, the script is 77 pages long. Technically, according to basic structure 101, I am 13 pages short of where I should be.
If you look at introductory guides to screenwriting, the standard structure is as follows: Act One - 30 pages, Act Two - 60 pages (pages 30-90), Act Three - 30 pages (pages 90-120). Of course, this only follows if you're writing a 120 page script. Though 120 is "standard," the trend I've seen is to cut that down closer to 105. For action and horror, that's about what many writers target; anywhere from 90 to 105 is decent length for those genres. Romantic comedies and dramas can be a bit longer. It has been a long time since I've written a 120 page script, and even longer since I set out to do so.
So how do you readjust? An easy way is simply to do it proportionately. For example, if you know you're going to write roughly a 100 pages script, or are targeting that as a final page count, just reduce everything page-wise, keeping the ratio the same. Acts one and three are 25% of the script; act two is 50%. Therefore, you wind up with 25 page acts one and three and a 50 page act two. By this math, assuming I'm targeting 100 pages, I am two pages over where I should be. In the grand scheme of things, that's not bad, especially for a first draft. In reality, I'm actually aiming for a 95 page script - maybe even 90. So, the other solution to maintaining act structure for a shorter script is one I employ a lot: use the structure, until it begins to use you.
Structure should be malleable. Yes, there is a definite, agreed upon industry standard format out there. Know it. Even if you don't use it. But that format is more a guideline and an unbreakable set of rules. If your second act is five pages short, so be it. Any reader, producer, or agent worth their salt will be able to tell when something is stretched or gratuitous. And you know what? That will be the first thing to wind up on the cutting room floor. So screw it. You don't need it, and it doesn't need you.
I also don't follow the structure exactly. I'll aim for the "appropriate" 25 or 30 page first act depending on the final page count, but my third act rarely tops 20 pages these days. It's often closer to 15. I believe that if the first two acts have been successfully written, the ending will come quickly and practically write itself in the process. By the time I'm hitting the climactic final sequences, everything is coming to a head and simply can't sustain much more. There's no room for extra dialogue or exposition or action at that point - it's all been set up, and the proverbial volcano is erupting. No keeping it from overflowing any more.
Granted, I am focusing on action movies now. If you watch some, you'll probably notice that the last 15 or 20 minutes comprise the final showdown. Everything else has been taken care of or lost by then. That's how I like to structure my scripts, too. Dramas and comedies might be slightly different.
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