Recently I participated in a 'COLD READING' night and then my script was critiqued by a panel of judges...

The overall verdict was that I was a smart writer and the script had real promise but no 'heart'. What does that mean?

First of all, congratulations are in order! #1 - You finished a script. #2 - You risked submitting it to a 'cold read.' Wow, that's fabulous. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a 'cold read' is a gathering where a group of actors meet, are handed a script and within about 30 minutes are acting it out. Often it's just the opening act of a feature length screenplay that's read. And it's one of the scariest and most exhilarating rides on the planet. Hearing your words come out of an actor's mouth is one of the BEST WAYS to gauge the effectiveness of your dialogue and pacing of your writing.

And as you found out, a cold reading can also reveal some of the weaknesses of your script that might have slipped by some of your other critiques. From the comments you received it sounds as if you might have been shanghaied by the LEFT side of your brain while you were writing. As many of you know, who follow this screenwriting blog, I believe any really good story (but especially screenplays) are a balancing act between RIGHT brain creativity and LEFT brain structure.

Really well plotted thrillers and heist movies delight us with the mastery of the turns and twists of their plot (left brain). But if they contain heart-wrenching scenes of loss and betrayal - those deeply rooted emotions come from the right brain. Right brain function is all about universality. Check out Jill Bolte Taylor's fabulous and passionate TED talk http://www.ted.com/index/php/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

which gives a beautiful & passionate explanation of the relationship between the TWO brain hemispheres and the impact on us as individuals.

What's probably missing in your script is that moment (s) where the camera focuses on the hero/heroine and we get to SEE their pain/reaction/ emotional response to whatever is happening to them. We need emotional connection to the main character to actually care enough to plow through the next two hours of their life with them. EARLY on in your script give us an emotional LINK to your heroine/hero and then reinforce the connection periodically throughout the film. Those EMOTIONAL ties will keep us cheering your character through to the bitter or sweet finale of the film.

I hope this helps. And I do wish you luck with your screenplay. Let me know when you've completed the rewrite.... 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!

Older writers are always telling new ones -WRITE what you know.... what the heck 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.  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...  you only ever get to write about janitors.  What I do believe 'writing what you know' refers to is emotional honesty.

Screenplays are driven by the ups and downs of the main character's quest.  The ups and downs refers to both the storyline (action) but the heroine/heroes emotions too.  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 - but what we don't see is REAL, GENUINE gut-wrenching emotions that arise from these events.

Often, the new writer doesn't show us the 'fallout' from these events in our hero's life - when its exactly that exploration of emotional subtext to events that makes film REAL to us the audience. It's that bond of shared emotional experience that connects us to the quest of the hero/heroine in the end.  So, 'write what you know' means writing 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 really understand and empathize with someone who has lived the experience you are going to write about.

LIVE it, (the emotion) and FEEL it, if you're hope to write it and ultimately convince your audience to believe it... and then WRITE it; put that emotion on the page.  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 - and hey, let me know when you've completed it. I'd love to read your work!