TIME waits for no man - nor woman either, for that matter!

Another year is set to unscroll right before our eyes; the count-down is beginning. It’s a long-standing habit of mine to find some quiet time between Christmas and New Years to assess the year that has past. What worked; what didn’t. What do I wish I had done that I never started and conversely… What did I START that I wished I hadn’t!

Who was it that said an ‘unexamined life is not worth living?” I wouldn’t quite go that far - but it’s worth pausing a moment to acknowledge the joy we find in life. And, the first step to changing what does NOT work in your life is to acknowledge that, as well. If you meant to spend time writing this year and didn’t - maybe it’s time.

At www.Wordsmythe.ca I find tremendous joy in both writing scripts and in helping adults, teachers and even kids around the world figure out how movie stories work. It’s so cool to explain the basics of structure, show a film clip and then watch the ‘light’ go on in someone’s eyes as they start piecing together their own movie idea from the info I've just given them!

It’s really neat to listen to a student explain their story idea, and then watch as they begin to storyboard it right in front of my eyes. Writing stories for film is just so thrilling… but it’s work too. If you’re thinking of beginning your screenwriting career with a feature-length film (roughly 120 pages); don’t let the page count scare you though. EVERY single writer, famous or not so famous, stood exactly where you stand now - KNOWING NOTHING, but wanting to LEARN. Not knowing how doesn’t have to be a life sentence; you just have to tackle the learning in a way that works for you.

Find movies that have inspired you on DvD; then find the LINKS pages at www.Wordsmythe.ca (or Simplyscripts or others). Do this with several films you love and start to see the connection between the word-on-the-page and the finished movie images. Find books to read on screenwriting; read lots of them and then STOP and start figuring out how your movie idea might look IF it were a movie right now.

Take a course, IF that’s the way your brain works. Check out my ScriptTips on Twitter & subscribe. But most of all - DO IT. The movie in your head that you want to write is going to be way more FUN than anything you’ll see this year on TV. So go for it; make it happen this year. Don’t WAIT.

I do hope this helps motivate you to TRY. And of course, I’d love to see your work. Drop me a line at www.Wordsmythe.ca .

IF you can TALK, you can WRITE - WHY take a writing course!

My dad always says this, writing’s not so special - IF you can talk you can write!

You’re dad’s actually right! I say that too - fairly often! But, biggest difference between talkers and writers; especially screenwriters, is whether you actually possess the determination to STOP talking and force yourself to sit down and write.

I assure you all - we (as homo sapiens) KNOW how stories work! We've 
been telling each other stories for 60,000 - 70,000 maybe even 100,000 
years. If you look at the cave art in places like Chauvet - it was ancient people trying to VISUALIZE for their audience the thrilling wild org hunt they just witnessed…Or something like that. We are still doing that today with motion pictures.

What writing classes or seminars do is first of all give you a language or terminology for telling stories. It’s hard to talk to someone else about your writing unless you have a common language or terminology - so classes can provide some formal names for 
different portions of story craft. Words like protagonist, 3 act structure 
and opening scene - montages... that kind of stuff.

The other thing that a formal writing class can do for you is help organize what you already know from years of telling your own stories to friends, 
classmates and acquaintances. So classes can GIVE you terminology for what you DO. And can help you SEE the inherent structure in the stories you’ve already been telling out loud.

AND FINALLY, organized writing classes may help you put your BUM IN THE CHAIR in front of a computer and put your ideas on paper. Classes aren’t for everyone; but they can provide some useful tools for starting the journey or even stoking the fire for putting ideas on paper when you’re not sure how to pursue your goals.

I hope this helps. AND, if you DO decide to put your ideas on the page - I'd love to help..... Wordsmythe.ca I’d love to read your work!

Your movie starts with the VERY FIRST image on the screen!

The power of image is demonstrated over and over again in film as we use our minds to scroll back over movies that have affected us deeply. Whether it is the famous dying words of Citizen Kane - ‘Rosebud’ that sets the story in motion. Or the loop-de-loops of the flying bug at the beginning of ‘Men in Black’ or the shelf of toys at the opening of Monsters Inc. Each image starts us on our journey with the hero/heroine -leading us into their world.

In the case of Monsters Inc, the shelf loaded with toys is a red herring. It’s put there to lull you into believing you’re inhabiting a human world. A safe world, a world where nothing scary can happen; AND then, POW. In minutes you’ve been up-ended into a world that isn’t human at all - a MONSTER world that actually preys on our most vulnerable element - our children.

So, if you’re engaged in the act of creating a screenplay, I ask you; what IS the first image that flashes onto the screen at fade up? Will it land us exactly in the middle of the world in which the story takes place? Or, will it simply be used to lure us in and have the rug pulled out from under our feet moments later.

The act of writing is all about making choices and that first image is only one in a long series of story choices that will shape your audiences reaction to the film you’re crafting. So give it some serious thought as to how you will use that first image. Is it bait? Or is it a straight forward spring board into your story. Does it set the tone, the mood or the era for us? What does that first image accomplish?

The same is true of how we (as the audience) encounter your hero/heroine for the first time. In Monsters Inc, the first time we see James P. Sullivan (Sully) he’s sleeping. Nothing could be more innocent than that. The writer’s are telling us that Sully is as innocent and likable as the little children he spends every night scaring into tears.

Those first moments are important. Use them knowingly and with care; from them springs your story!

I hope this helps. And good luck with your writing. I can’t wait to read the result!

How do I make a character, who's kind of shy, show his emotions?

Writing really is the study of human beings and how they express 
themselves. Every opportunity you can - EXAMINE (like a being from 
another world) how the humans that surround you express the vast array 
of emotions that color our daily lives.

You’re right, some people are withheld - 
the merest lift of an eyebrow says volumes about what's going on in 
their heads. Other are like fireworks displays - about everything; 
love, hate, happiness, boredom it all gets colored with some 
incredible display of emotion. The films that affect us the most are 
the films where the writer has created a VISUAL language that relays 
even the tiniest detail of a characters INNER landscape (emotional 
landscape) to us, the audience.

So, give some thought to the multitude of NON VERBAL bits of 
communication that are peppered throughout your day... your child 
opens it's arms wide for a hug when you come home; but doesn't SAY 
anything. Your boss merely crooks a finger in your direction and 
disappears into her office. You know you've been summoned. At a chai 
shop, a handsome fellow merely meets your eyes over the lip of his 
cup, which mostly hides his smile of acknowledgment.... you TELL ME 
what that means!!

Start cataloging in your mind the various ways people SHOW 
us every day what they're thinking... instead of using words. Do this for a 
month and you will be on your way to understanding one of the key 
elements of screenwriting. Show - don't TELL what the characters are 
thinking.

I hope this helps. And I do wish you luck with your screenplay . Let me know when you’ve completed your script. I’d love to read your work!

I want to write something completely different; not the same old 3 ACT structure!

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That desire to create something different is going to serve you well in the writing process; hang on tight to that.

But first, let’s consider a couple of questions. WHO IS YOUR INTENDED AUDIENCE for this film? Are you thinking yours would be an ‘art house’ crowd? Maybe you’re planning an experimental film? Or are you hoping for a mainstream distribution deal? The closer your intended audience is to the mainstream, the more thoroughly your story should be grounded in the standard 3 act structure; beginning, middle and end (or resolution).

Next, let’s look at your bias against the 3 act structure. It IS true some really terrible movies have been created within the context of this format. But WOW, what about the really inventive films that have also adhered to it? Films like Shakespeare in Love, Being John Malkovich, Juno, The Fall, American Beauty are all firmly grounded in the 3 act structure too. What gives?

Many beginning screenwriters lay some really BAD MOVIES at the feet of the 3 act structure. But writing screenplays is a lot like writing sonnets (you know, Shakespeare - iambic pentameter) in that it’s a strict format that can produce some absolutely timeless writing… like Shakespeare’s “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer Day.” Or the really horrible piece I wrote my sophomore year in college. I had the format down pat, but Shakespeare would have rolled over in his grave.

Great sonnets, like great screenplays, challenge writers to search for a completely fresh aspect on a timeless theme - and then test their inventiveness in pouring their story idea into a ‘jug’ of specific proportions. The bad movies you’ve seen aren’t a result of the 3 act structure - but a result of the lack of skill or persistence on the part of the writer.

I hope this helps. And I do wish you luck with your screenplay - and let me know when you’ve completed your script. I’d love to read your work!

Writing, and espcially SCRENNWRITNG is all about making choices!

CHAPTER ONE of the Screenwriting Essentials Online Tutorial & workbook discuss STORY CONCEPT and idea.

From the very first IMAGE you see on the screen you are telling your audience what to expect in this visual journey they are about to embark upon with you. That first image is the first step on the journey. I always say that writing is about choices and your choices for telling your story start with that very first image. Make sure you're clear about what you're saying.

Every artist faces a similar decision making process whether it’s a oil painter, a photographer or you the screenwriter. Visually speaking, you compose each scene - you choose the location (what does it say) to the viewer? You choose the apparel of each actor (to some extent - what does that say?) You choose the WORDS they speak. What is going on beneath the words that actually come out of the actors mouth? Are they saying ‘I LOVE YOU, I love you... while they shower each other with trash from a nearby garbage can?

Now that doesn’t mean that you become a ‘control freak’ as a writer. You leave many, many choices to the director and the actor and the set designer and the locations manager. BUT, WHEN IT”S IMPORTANT to our understanding of the story or the emotional landscape of the heroine/hero you create concrete details in your cinematic story choices that make that clear.

There is a power and a responsibility in every story choice you make as a writer. With proper planning - you can learn to revel in the choosing - not be frozen in place - unable to act; or stymied with indecision.


I hope this helps. And I do wish you luck with your screenplay. Let me know when you’ve completed your script. I’d love to read your work!

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Use it, and all the checklists it provides, to guide you through starting your movie making career today. Check out all the LINKS at the back to expand your knowledge. AND pass the title along to teachers, parents and friends!

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I read somewhere that you encourage your students to make LISTS of STORY IDEAS.

I think what you’re referring to was said in an online discussion group.

A second really common bit of advice for any creative person is to have an ‘Ideas Diary’. This can be as simple as a tiny spiral notebook that fits in your pocket or backpack or can sit by your bedside or your computer. Most likely you’ll find that you ‘hatch’ great story ideas at the oddest moments; just before sleep hits you is fairly common.

And one of the other most common occurrences is just as you are sitting down to really tackle a tough piece of writing. Human beings are escape artists at heart! It takes discipline to put yourself in front of the computer every day that you’re scheduled to write and ‘make’ it happen on the page. Far easier to simply play the story (any story) in your head, scrolling through the action but never really writing it down. It is this discipline that makes writing hard. Everyone has great movie ideas but very few people take the time to acquire the discipline to transform those ideas onto the page.

And that’s where the LIST comes into play. Often, fantastic story ideas come out of that desire NOT to be nailed down to a schedule. USE THAT; in fact learn to use all the tricks your mind will play on you to your advantage. Do take five minutes (not five hours) recording this NEW , great idea in your story diary. But DON’T GET SIDE-TRACKED from your current goal; FINISHING YOUR FIRST DRAFT.

Remember, that is the only one rule in beginning that first draft screenplay; FINISH IT. Everything else is probably fixable in a rewrite. But you really can’t fix, what isn’t on the page. So record all the new story ideas that will come your way, while you’re acquiring the discipline to finish that first great story idea that got you started!


I hope that helps. And I wish you luck with your screenplay. Let me know when you’ve completed your script. I’d love to read your work!

I read all the time writers should SHOW not TELL; but what does it really mean?

Next to ‘write what you know’ SHOW don’t TELL is one of the oldest pieces of advice in screenwriting; and rightly so! Screenwriting is a visual medium - we’re creating pictures with words to tell our story. That eventual translation to film is what makes screenwriting so tricky… and interesting. IF it were only going to remain as words - it would be a novel or a short story.

So the first thing you need to do is figure out what your character’s is feeling in every single scene in which they participate in your story. And then you need to figure out an action - that is true to your character, that SHOWS or telegraphs that feeling. This can sometimes be hard! Let’s try one simple, basic emotion on for size and see what happens.

Anger is a really basic emotion but everyone presents or displays their anger in a different way. One character might blow up, lose their cool, or clobber someone - you get the picture. But these actions are very basic; and if you choose them - you create a very BASIC CHARACTER.

Now, what if INSTEAD of blowing up when provoked to anger - your character CRIES? How does that change our understanding of WHO your character is? Does it make your character more childlike, more female - or does it change the quality of the emotion? Is it not really anger now - but more like FRUSTRATION that your character is displaying?

Are you starting to get the picture? The basic emotion that your character is FEELING is conveyed to the AUDIENCE through ACTION. That is how we 'read' or know what is going on inside your character. After the writers creates the script; then the actor gets involved and adds all kinds of nuance or subtleties to your character. She decides that your character BLOWS UP as you’ve written her - but then GETS THE SHAKES afterwards. How does that embellish our understanding of what the character is feeling? It certainly adds a new dimension to the basic emotion of anger, doesn’t it? This artistic choice by the actor, shows us a different layer or quality of the characters internal world.

I hope that helps. And I wish you luck with your screenplay. Let me know when you’ve completed your script. I’d love to read your work!