Your world is ALIVE with story possibilities!

WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR.... and another year of Screenwriting Tips from Wordsmythe.ca.

Let's start at the beginning for those just joining us.One of the most frequently asked questions at my public seminars is “Where do I get my story ideas?” as if there is some magical place or supermarket where more experienced writers find good story ideas on a shelf. Well, I have a secret for you…. the supermarket for stories is called LIFE.

I am honestly not being flip in my response - but challenging you to start looking around you at life itself. Your world is ALIVE with story possibilities…. you just need to train yourself to begin to see them. And that training begins with the actual writing.

Check out this link to see how one writer began to see the possibilities around her. http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

As you struggle to harness the creative energy that compelled you to begin the process of writing - you change it and channel it to where you want it to go. You move from asking yourself what IF or HOW come….. to something far more concrete. You move to I DID, or they DID, or your hero did…. Something - which started a journey for the both of you. And now you just have to see it through to the end.

And as you write and make choices for your characters based on who you think they are - you grow as a person, as a craftsperson and as an imaginative being. You grow to trust the intuitive side of your brain (right) to come up with answers for where the road map side (left) says you have to turn next to keep the momentum of the story moving forward. And as you see more of your inner world of story - you begin to see more of the story possibilities for the outer world too. Each feeds the other, in turn.

The second most frequent question that I hear is, “What makes a good story?” And again, not intending any kind of humor at all - I answer, YOU make a good story. Anything at all can BE a story ! But it is the choices the writer makes in telling the story that give it depth, and humanity and emotion. You, the writer, will determine how much of your own passion and wit and personality you will RISK pouring into your characters and their lives. The more you risk, the greater your chances for outstanding success. Great stories are not created by writers who are afraid to venture into the darkest corners of their (or their characters) psyches. You can’t expect your audience to FEEL big emotions if you aren’t willing to feel them as you WRITE.

As an exercise, watch a movie or read a book that makes you uncomfortable emotionally; not just antsy - but really uncomfortable. Once you’ve finished watching the film all the way through…. Ask yourself why you were so uncomfortable. Try to imagine how the writer felt as she/ he created the scenes that made you squirm the most.

We tell stories for any number of reasons, but the best stories MOVE people to FEEL things. The best stories seduce the viewer / or reader into identifying completely with the world of the main character - their hopes, their dreams and their calamities. You can’t create that unless you LIVE IT as you write.

Check out these LINKS to my own 'story' that I wrote and started shooting right on my own kitchen table over Christmas. There has never been a better time to be a screenwriting. Just start writing now!! AND ENJOY....

The School of Practical Wizardry on You Tube: my tiny mini-series

Chapter ONE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbNz_T7bR38
Chapter TWO - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jM4CnLSafA
Chapter THREE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEkAoooUZU0

See you in 2 weeks for more screenwriting advice. And I hope this helps you make the leap to writing!!

HAPPLY HOLIDAYS - Some LINKS you might enjoy !

My Xmas, Hanukkah & Solstice present to you ALL !!! Some of these sites are GREAT.... some merely interesting. Enjoy and happy reading over the holidays!!


Complications Ensue (Screenwriting) : http://complicationsensue.blogspot.com/

Urban Muse : http://www.urbanmusewriter.com/

The Artful Writer (Screenwriting): http://artfulwriter.com/

Quips & Tips: http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/

Angela Booth: http://www.angelabooth.biz/

Writers on the Rise: http://writersontherise.wordpress.com/

What's it Like? (Screenwriting TV): http://www.lisaklink.com/blog1/

Renegade Writers: http://therenegadewriter.com/

Ken Levine (Screenwriting): http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/

Words on the Page: http://www.freelancedom.com/

Tightrope Walker (Screenwriting TV): http://tightropegirl.livejournal.com/

Query Shark: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

Nathan Bransford: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

Janet Reid Lit Agent: http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/

JOHN AUGUST: http://johnaugust.com/

Kung Fu Monkey (Screenwriting Biz): http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/

Jane Espenson (Screenwriting TV): http://janeespenson.com/

SIX SENTENCES: http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/

Inky Girl: http://www.inkygirl.com/

Write for your Life: http://writeforyourlife.net/

Writer Unboxed: http://writerunboxed.com/

Scriptwriter's Network: http://www.scriptwritersnetwork.org/swn/

Screenwriting Goldmine: http://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/blog

Unknown Screenwriter Blog: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/the-unknown-screenwriter

Websites for Writers: http://www.websitesforwriters.net/submit-a-site

Cinema Autopsy: http://blog.cinemaautopsy.com/

I know I should really go over my script for typos and grammar and junk - but I hate that stuff!

(IF YOU HAVEN'T BECOME A FAN AT Wordsmythe.ca .....facebook - SIGN UP FOR A BRAND NEW SERIES OF Writers Tips & Clips..... discussions at http://wordsmythe.ca )

I soooo totally know what you mean. This is not my strong suit either! I mean, I love talking structure and plot and character; but when it comes to what I call 'housekeeping', I cringe!

I suppose this is as good a time as any to let people know that I draw the line at that kind of stuff in my critiques too. I won't check it for you - and I certainly won't detail it in my reports. I 'story edit' not copy or text edit. Big difference! Although, if it's really bad I will advise you to consult a grammar or punctuation guide.

Fortunately for us, there are people who actually groove on this kind of thing. I have a dear friend who LOVES it (go figure!). She really takes delight in helping people figure out the exact phrasing and punctuation to make their story shine. A good copy EDITOR is worth every penny you spend. So if this is not your first love - get someone on your team who relishes it!

That's because as much as you and I really dislike having to do this stuff; it's IMPORTANT. Not doing it can really harm the overall first impression of your script. And you know what they say - 'You only get one chance to make a first impression.'

Producers are generally really busy people; but they DO want to find a GREAT SCRIPT. But like most of us, they won't wade through poor formatting, or stupid grammatical errors to find the story. IF you don't care enough to shine the shoes on your project - how can you expect them to care enough to read it? For a busy producer, a script littered with bad grammar, poor syntax and misspellings is usually only worth the trouble to recycle it.

Don't give them that reason when it is so easy (relatively speaking) to rob them of that excuse to toss your script. DO your HOUSEKEEPING. It makes you look professional, and caring and SMART! And in the end, it doesn't really matter if you hired someone else to do it. You were smart enough to do THAT and caring enough to do it too!

I hope this helps. I wish you luck with your screenwriting. And I really look forward to really your perfectly formatted and beautifully spelled script!!