Write Fatboy Write

I just watched a movie called RUN FATBOY RUN.  It stars Simon Pegg as  Dennis Doyle, a slacker type who tries to win back his almost ex-wife by entering a marathon.  He tries to go from a zero to a hero in a matter of weeks, battling several offbeat elements along the way.  One of those elements, is his ex's current love named Whit, played by Hank Azaria.  This fellow is an arrogant, wealthy business type who taunts Simon's character with words that make him insecure about the race, and about his place in the world.

One of the things he mentions to Simon, is THE WALL.  In the world of sports, the wall is that moment of truth when the physical pains of the race or the game battle with the mental stamina of the contestant or the team.  In the case of Simon, the Wall was the point in the race when he had to decide whether or not he could overcome the pain from the 20 or so miles he had run so far and the injury he had incurred, to finish the race and win back his son and girlfriend.  In other words, could his mental strength beat his physical weakness.

Now, I am not going to tell you what happens in the film, that would be wrong.  The film was enjoyable and I do recommend it for its comedic approach and its cast of characters.  I enjoyed its sense of humor and its storyline.  But what I truly appreciate from this film, and the reason I am using it for this article,  is the motivational concept of the wall.  I found that the wall analogy could be applied to anyone who is trying to accomplish any goal.

For an aspiring screenwriter like myself, and for someone who I assume the reader of this artcicle is, the wall blocking their success as a screenwriter can come in one of three ways:

1.  Starting a script:  Beginning a script is a challenge that can defeat many people before they even start their careers.  The wall in this case can be coming up with the idea for a script, or it could be where to begin the story, or it it could be that one piece of dialogue that just won't go anywhere.  It is up to the writer of such things to push down the wall and write no matter what, because if they don't continue to write, they are not going to get to the next wall.
2. Finishing the script:  This can be the biggest challenge for any writer.  Getting the thing going is tough, sure, but if the idea is incomplete or a writer can't figure out how they want the characters to evolve, or what they should say or do to get to that point, the story can go stale, stagnant, and eventually the writer can just give up and put their incomplete script on the shelves with the other half dozen scripts that hit the wall.  Its up to the writer at this point to analyze their reasons for writing this thing in the first place and to visualize the results that they can achieve by completing the script.
3. Selling the script:  This is the wall that sucks the life out of a writer.  They have entered the race, they have run 25 miles with a twisted nipple, and they can finally see the finish line, but they are so exhausted from the trip so far, that they just can't seem to push through to the end.  This is the wall that keeps talented writers from being successful writers.  The wall represents fear and axiety about the business of selling a script, and symbolizes the impression of the business that has been sold to all of us for so long; the idea that it is nearly impossible to cross that line and enter the world of writing for film or television, or stage.  It is up to the writer at this point to see how far they have come, and to remember why it was they started this race in the first place.  Once they see what a successful sale can do for a writer, knocking down that final wall should be easier than getting past the first one.

Poor analogies, perhaps, but they make sense, don't they?  You decide to enter the race, but you barely get past the starting gate.  You finally start to run, and perhaps you make it halfway, but you realise how far you have to go to complete the task, so you begin to doubt your abilities.  You eventually realize that you have the talent, you run 99% of the race, but you give up just before the finish line because you have been told all of these years that only a small percentage of runners make it to the finish line.  Well, my fellow creative soul, if you have trained for the race, and you believe in yourself, and you put forth the effort, why not finish the race that you have entered.

If you get a chance, and you enjoy a silly romantic comedy, check out RUN FATBOY RUN.  When you are done, use this character to motivate you to finish your own marathon; start a script, finish that script and get it sold.  Its only 26 miles to the finish, but look at how many other runners have made it before you!
>the dayscribber<

A Big Moment

Hey. Being an aspiring writer who is unpublished means a lot of things. First and foremost however, it means that you still have to prove yourself to others. That is understood. For someone like myself, who has kept his writings to himself for many many years, showing a completed work to someone else is a big deal. And that big deal is about to happen for me.
I have been working on a spec script for a current TV show. I actually finished a draft of this well over a week ago, but have been revising it ever since. Today, I decided it was time to print up a copy and show that copy to a couple of people in my family. So I plopped myself down and began to rewrite and tweak, rewrite and tweak. At 5:30 tonight I decided that enough was enough, and that for the benefit of someone reading it, this thing was done, at least for now. The details that I would have been tweaking would have been things that they don't know about anyway. The story is there, the plot points are clear, and the format is pretty accurate. I haven't given it to them yet, because I want to look at it and see my work in printed form. I want to step back and look at how I went from concept, to story, to rewrite, to printed form in just three weeks, and how having this thing printed and then being shown is the first step towards making this a real thing.
I printed it and punched holes in it. I didn't bind it with brads, but used a three ring notebook instead. I know this isn't correct, but its OK because it presents to them a professional looking piece of work.
The things I want to point out have to do with format. The first thing that I had trouble with was continuation of dialogue when it is split into two pages. I know you are supposed to write the words "more" and then write "continued" on the next page, but I didn't know how to format my software to do such things. But I read today on a web site that as a spec script writer, you should not worry about footers, so I used the continued part and left out the "more" foter. That seemed presentable for the moment.
The second thing I noticed was that I had a lot of parenthetical notations, which I am told an amateur should not use. I did find, however, that when I read over the script, the parentheticals seemed legit, and that I didn't use to many of them. I am wondering what too many is and whether or not it is OK to use a few of them when they fit, even as a novice.
I also read that as a spec writer you shouldn't use to much musical suggestions. I broke that rule right away, first thing in the script. Why not break a rule right away and give the reader a sense of your creativity, without doing anything to extreme. I wrote two other mentions of music, but left out the songs.I am not sure what songs to use, but I know its where music would fit
Anyway, i will probably ask these questions on another of my writings, maybe at Dayscribber's Screenwriting Journey.
Perhaps I can get some answers in relation to these questions and this will help myself and anyone else on this journey.
A quick update; I just read my printed version of the script and objectively, i thought it was pretty good. i found a few typos which aen't major and I found a few bits of dialogue to be sub par, but overall, I actually enjoyed the script. I am now ready to show it to my family I anticipate their response. This is a big moment for me, and I wanted to share it here with you, the zero viewers of my new blog! Hey, when I am published, and more people read this, it may be an accurate journal that can be used to encourage the continued pursuit of success for other budding writers. Peace.
>the dayscribber<

Taking My Own Advice

I recently posted on one of my other ramblings that the best way for a writer to start his/her day is to get up and type something, immediately, regardless of the content. I used to get up, have a banana, maybe even some light breakfast, nothing too substantial. I would then type a bunch, but I would constantly be thinking of more food. So I increased the amount of food I would eat, including heavy amounts of oatmeal and fruit. The logic was that a writer writes better on a full stomach versus writing on an empty or partially empty stomach. This method worked some of the times, so I stuck with it for a while. But it also had a tendency to make me more tired than full, so it wasn't the best idea all of the time.
I then read somewhere on the web that in order to get the ball rolling properly, one should get up, and be productive right away; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. So I decided to alter my habits a bit and give this method a try.
Today, I got up and went immediately in to my office. I pulled up a screenplay that I'd been dabbling with for over a week, and added an extra page or two. It was great. I was hungry but the reward would eventually come.
On this other post, I mentioned how the true goal of the writer, isn't necessarily the completed work, but the reward that he gives himself for completing that work. Does that logic sound silly? It works. The reward in many cases can make the wait worthwhile.
For example, I love food. There are not very many greater rewards to me than a filling meal or a tasty dessert. Today, because of my early effort,I rewarded myself with a large breakfast, a glass of juice, and a cup of coffee(another treat that I don't have everyday.)
I ate, I am full, and I am downstairs, on my computer; riding the same tide that I created this morning when I got up and wrote right away. The feeling I take from this experience is simple: practice what you preach if the advice is worth while, start each day by being productive, and reward each level of your productivity with something that you enjoy. Peace and production to you. I'll let you know how this process works out for me.

the dayscribber

You never forget your first.

The title explains it all. Today was the first time that I have posted an actual screenplay in a place where someone else can read it. Now that I have this blog, a Wordpress page about screenwriting, and an actual writing available for viewing, I feel that I have truly taken the first necessary steps towards a productive journey into the world of screenwriting.

The screenplay that I "published" was the first thing that I technically wrote on this computer. I had downloaded a template for Office that would allow me to properly format screenplays. So I started writing, with no particular plot in mind. I just wanted to get a feel for the template. The story sort of developed on its own, and over time,I tweaked it into a 7 page short.

The story is basically about a writer in his 70's and his barking dog. The plot thickens after a heated discussion with his newspaper boy. Part sci-fi I suppose, the story can be interpreted in any number of ways. After reading it a few times, I found it to be somewhat allegorical, at least in terms of man's relationship with the world he thought he knew. I'm not gonna say any more about it for now.

If you would like to read it, here is the link to the story known as, "OLD NEWS."

Please let me know truthfully what you think of it. If it sucks, I would like to know. If you think it can go somewhere, tell me where!

INT. NEW JERSEY HOUSEHOLD - PRESENT TENSE

FADE IN:

THE DAYSCRIBBER sits at the kitchen table, his LAPTOP once again anticipating each new word. He is trying to add to his already extensive list of articles on screenwriting. In actuality, he has only written one other; the introduction to his blog.

He contemplates the CONTENT of what this article is going to incorporate. His mind is blank; his thoughts DISSOLVE TO-

WRITING ACTUALLY

In the diverse world of screenwriting, it appears that there are three distinct personalities:

1. THE PART TIMERS - are those who dabble but never take it too seriously.
   
2. THE CONFIDENT AMATEURS - are those who have great ideas and have decided to take it seriously, but who haven't learned the entire craft just yet.
   
3. THE PROFESSIONALS - are those who have good ideas, have learned the craft, have mastered their techniques, and have been optioned, published or hired on as a staff writers.

I was a part timer for most of my life. I have recently become a confident amateur who writes constantly and performs lots of research. I NOW STRIVE TO BE A PROFESSIONAL.

This blog aims to document my journey towards becoming a professional, but it may also be a useful resource for the other confident amateurs who also strive to be professionals. If you are a part timer looking to take it to the next level, may the words on these pages have just as much significance for you.

As a part-timer, I didn't have the confidence to publish, so I just dabbled. Sure, I had a few good concepts and a few half written scripts, but then I lost interest. When I lost interest, my work suffered and eventually, I stopped writing. I settled in to the real world and became content with the mediocrity of a non-creative career. But I was never really totally content.

When I became unemployed, that interest reemerged. I found that because I had more time on my hands, I could allow myself to be creative, and I decided to take the craft of creative writing more seriously. I have now become, because of great amounts of research and consistent levels of productive writing, the person who feels that they REALLY CAN write for film or television. I have decided, because of who I've become, that I want to be the person who sees their talent, learns the craft, and then carefully applies that knowledge to their talents. I now strive to be a PROFESSIONAL SCREENWRITER. I want to write, I want to write well, and in order to do that, I need to write often.

So, I opened a blog, and now, I'm actually writing, for others to see.

I've read numerous articles and blogs discussing the formats of screenwriting, the ways to get into the industry, the success and failure rates, and the surprise stories that inspire even the most doubtful of souls. The advice that seems to crop of most often, the one suggestion that almost every professional scribber will offer, is to write; plain and simple. Write and write often.
Sure you can come up with ideas and they should be coming at you from all angles if you plan on writing, but if they aren't written down, if you re not transforming the ideas in your mind into stories on paper, then these ideas can and almost always will be forgotten. They may still exist in memory, but they won't feel the same as when you were first inspired. So, the first advice I have accepted is to write it down, write it often, and then keep writing more. The more that I have written, the more concise my style has become, and the more confident I have begun to feel.

The problem with a person who lacks the confidence needed in this industry, is that they may have difficulties in sharing their work with others. I for one, always shrouded my writings in mystery; hording them to myself like some sort of word junkie trapped in a post apocalyptic world where only information gets you by. But what I have learned is that trapped stories are like caged birds; they can't fly themselves to Hollywood.
Stories that are trapped, go unread by objective readers. These stories can not be critiqued and therefore may not get tweaked. Tweaking a story encourages the search for perfection. And perfection, which may be an unattainable goal, is still a major goal of a writer. When you perfect a story as much as you feel you possibly can, then you will feel confident in shopping it around. And in order to achieve that perfection, you must tweak it over and over again, until you are satisfied.
This leads me to the second most suggested advice I have heard: SCREENWRITING IS REWRITING. If you don't rewrite, you aren't done, and half-ass written scripts are rough drafts. When you are trying to get your work noticed, rough drafts are not the drafts that will get you in the door. This is why it is important to REWRITE your works, sometimes several times, removing unwanted blemishes from the body of your story; creating something that you are willing to share with others.

As you share, you will get feedback and as you get feedback, you can tweak and alter and your writings. Objective criticism of your own work is just as essential as another persons opinions, so re-read your work and correct what you find to be correctable. Write, rewrite, share, accept criticism, and rewrite; these are the key ingredients that I have learned so far. It is these ingredients that when mixed together, seem to provide professional writers a recipe for their success.

I start out this writing, and this blog, with only one piece of advice pertaining specifically to screenwriting. That one piece of advice, is to read screenplays. Read them whenever you have time, and critique them as you read them. Find mistakes, admire beautifully crafted visuals, and most of all, learn format. Find films that you have seen and know well, and see how words on paper were transformed into visuals on a big screen. I learned to play music not by reading music, but by listening to songs that I liked and playing along to them. In theory, this is what I suggest; learn how to write by example, not just by reading textbooks that express terms and explain structure. Structure, I find, can be learned by looking at things already built. Read and see first what something should look like, then go and study the key elements; these terms will make more sense when you can apply them visually in your mind. As you read more and more screenplays, both classics and rubbish, you will see what a successful screenplay should look like, and this will help you realize what to look for when rewriting your own works.

That is what this blog is going to be about; sharing some of what I learn along the way, accepting constructive criticism, and utilizing available resources to benefit my growth as a writer and perhaps to offer insight that may benefit your own success. That's it for now. I gladly accept comments, suggestions, critiques and compliments. I'm gonna try and update this frequently, and share information that may be relevant to the experience of growing as a screenwriter. Thanks for stopping by; may you find success as a PROFESSIONAL SCREENWRITER!

TIPS TO TAKE OR LEAVE FROM THIS ARTICLE: Write everyday, be objective with your work, rewrite and then rewrite some more, share your work when you've become comfortable sharing, accept and utilize constructive criticism, learn the craft, and read lots and lots of screenplays of films you know and from shows you have seen. FADE OUT-