CHOICES define you as a screenwriter and your MAIN CHARACTER too!

Writing & especially screenwriting is ALL about making choices! The choices your main character will make will define them in the audience's eye.... and you as a writer, as well.

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 FEEL in this visual journey they are about to embark upon. 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.

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 batter 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 script; you create choices that make that clear.

There is a power and a responsibility in every story choice you make as a screenwriter. 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!

Your movie story 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.

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!

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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!

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This book grew out of my desire to pass along to my own daughter a step-by-step guide on how to make her own first film. It's small enough to fit in a pocket or back pack; but full of important information on ALL the steps involved in the process of creating your first film.

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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You always hear more experienced writers saying you should 'write what you know'.... what does that mean?

Write what you know is probably the oldest piece of advice there is for aspiring writers. But just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s BAD… or necessarily good either. Here’s my take on what it means.

Writing what you know doesn’t mean that if you janitor at night to pay the bills while you learn the craft of writing that you only ever get to write movies about janitors. What I do believe ‘writing what you know’ refers to is what you 'know' emotionally.

Screenplays are driven by the ups and downs of the main characters quest. The ups and downs refer to both the storyline (or action) but also your heroine/hero’s emotions. And this is where many new writers come up short. They often side-step tackling the really BIG EMOTIONS. Oh sure, we see death scenes, sex scenes, pillage scenes, car chases & death from car chases - but what we don’t see is REAL, GENUINE heart-felt emotions that arise from these events.

Often, the new writer doesn’t show us the ‘FALLOUT’ from these events in our hero’s life. And yet, it’s exactly that exploration of emotional subtext that makes film REAL to us the audience. It’s that bond of shared emotional experience that connects us to the heroine/hero in the end. So, ‘write what you know’ means write from a place of emotional honesty. Either take the risk to write from your very own place of emotional experience. Or take the time to understand and EMPATHIZE with someone who has lived the experience you are going to write about.

LIVE it, (the emotion you’re writing about); FEEL it if you’re hoping to write it and ultimately convince an audience to believe it and then WRITE it. We all have a 6th sense concerning emotional honesty… discover yours, and write from that place for compelling screenplays. That’s my take on what the phrase - write what you know - is really advocating to new writers.

I hope this 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 don't know how many screenplays I've started; but can't ever get to the words 'The End.' HELP!

Writing screenplays is one of the easiest jobs you'll ever do; and one of the HARDEST. It's easy, because you get fired up by this fantastic idea that you know will be killer on the screen, and that enthusiasm makes you just jump right in and start typing.

And screenwriting's hard because you run out of that 'start up' energy often long before you get to those famous words - The End. That 'sticking point' is the exact spot where real writers show their mettle; or true grit. But they don't survive on pure grit alone; real writers have a whole arsenal of tricks up their sleeves. The most important tool they use is PLANNING.

Sounds kind of mundane, doesn't it? Planning - kind of like birth control. Can't we just 'be' in the moment and jump into this thing, honey? WE CAN.... and many do. But I don't any more, after many, many late nights spent staring at the computer screen and a script that I had loved six months before and now loathed because I couldn't seem to tinker away all it's flaws. Screenwriting has taught me patience and the ability to control that 'start up' enthusiasm.

I urge all of my students to create a number of tools while the novelty of their movie idea still has them panting to write. It's then, when you're desperate to get at your computer and really type, that you really should rein in your excitement about writing and answer some really important questions.

Like: Who's your main character? What is it they want? What gets in the way of them acquiring it or achieving their goal? How badly do they want what they seek? Who are the important people in their life and how do those relationships complicate their quest? Take these questions and create a logline, a 5 page treatment and a working title and you're on your way. Throw in the opening and closing scenes for each of the 3 acts and you should be ready for nearly any thing!

Once you've got this material firmly in hand, you're ready to unleash the creative hounds and hit the keyboard running. With planning, and careful conservation of that 'start up' energy you may find yourself at 'The End' before you know it!

I hope this helps. I wish you luck with your screenplay. And let me know when you finish it; I'd love to read your work!

Are ADAPTATIONS easier than regular screenplays? I found a FANTASTIC BOOK in a bargain bin; and want to write a screenplay from it.

Adaptations are to screenplays as unicycles are to bicycling.  The vehicles have similar characteristics, but it also takes a rare set of skills to master the unicycle with any panache. Ditto adaptations.  A couple of great adaptations that you might READ and then watch is The Hours (Michael Cunningham) and  Wit  (Emma Thompson adapted from a play).

Here's some quick pros & cons concerning adaptations.  PRO:  You don't have to make up the story - it's ALL there.  CON: In fact, that's the rub with adaptations, especially from novels. There's often TOO MUCH story.  Novels sprawl, like Mexico City, they take up and infinite amount of space, just because they can.  Especially some of the genre novels, like family sagas or historical fiction (Ken Follet - World Without End almost was).  It's practically genetic that these babies clock in at 500 pages or more.  Whereas, screenplays are more like Venice; self-contained and restricted to a very particular area because of limitations put on their size.

PRO:  Producers often like the idea of adaptations because they feel the book or comic book brings with it an automatic audience and it's popularity is a harbinger for the film's eventual success.  CON:  If yo loved the book and thought it would make a great screenplay - there's a chance other screenwriters thought so too.  If you're talking about a best seller; the rights will NOT be easy.  Some agent is going to want some serious coinage for the rights to a best seller or even a mediocre seller if it comes from a big publisher.

What about the rights? Well, I always advise, WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE.  So if you are deeply, deeply smitten; then break down the story, make your story choices and start writing.  I also always say 'No writing experience is ever wasted.'  At least yo will learn just how challenging in it's own way an adaptation can be for a screenwriter.  At the very least, by the end of it, you'll have a 'spec'  adaptation for your writing portfolio.  But beware, on the way to completion if you fall madly, madly in love with the script and cannot live unless you acquire the rights to your bestseller - here's hoping you win the lotto.  Because without the rights, no producer will probably touch it.

I hope that helps.  And I do wish you luck with your adaptation - let me know when the screenplay is completed.  I'd love to read your work!