Sunday Picture Post 26 / Tip: Deadline
photo credit: mattbellphoto
SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: DEADLINE
Deadline — sounds looming!
In the dictionary, it says that a deadline is the perimeter that when prisoners pass, they may be shot by the guards.
Creating boundaries for yourself is a good idea. Limits help to inform you of where you are and where you can go. As a writer, you might get fired by an employer for not submitting a project on time, otherwise, no one will shoot you if you pass your deadline.
Whether on a paid job or writing for your own personal gratification, if there is no one at your back to crack the whip, you should give yourself a specific date that you want to be finished with the project.
As exemplified in my Write a Screenplay in One Month exercise, only one person was actually able to finish a screenplay in one month, but the rest of us, by having a deadline, wrote much more than we would have without the deadline.
Give yourself writing deadlines, even if you never want to sell a screenplay and never intend to show it to anyone or don’t have a boss harassing you because deadlines help to motivate you and structure your time.
Achieving something is better than nothing.
The sooner you complete one project, the sooner you get can to the next project.
With the experience of each project, you improve.
Set a date with your destiny!
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUNDAY PICTURE POST
For The Sunday Picture Post, we flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday, I post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, using the image above, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
Write a Screenplay in One Month: Week Four
by Jaden
photo credit: Bob Jagendorf
If we writers were hot air balloons, the above image would be a perfect representation of us, unique in style and at different stages of flight, but all with the same goal: to get off the ground!
Each week, I dread coming back here to report on my writing status, postponing to the last minute, and even wanting to fudge the truth because I didn’t do as well as I would have liked.
In four more days, we shall be at the end of the month.
Between work and my personal life, it has been a difficult month for me to find the time and spirit to write.
Time is always short and our personal lives are always full; these are elements with which we must always contend, therefore we cannot use them to excuse us from not finishing our tasks.
You must expect the unexpected, and as Lynda Barry writes in her twisted illustrated novel Cruddy, when possible, be the unexpected.
In the past week, I have written 11 more pages, bringing me to 51 pages, leaving 39 pages left to be written. Falling behind on my writing schedule has been upsetting for me and I am embarrassed to have to admit it.
Inversely, I may not have reached 90 pages yet, but I am getting close. Had I not challenged myself at all, I would not have anything. Keeping at the same pace I am now, I will have a complete first draft of a script within a month and a half! Now, that’s not so bad, is it?
Per the comments section, Muzz appears to be the Champion du Mois who powered through August, took off in flight, and wrote a script in one month — congratulations Muzz! To make it official and win your prize Muzz, please register your script with WGA or Copyright before sending it to me by August 31st, midnight in Hollywood, Pacific Standard Time. You may continue to work on your script and edit through September and resubmit a polished version by October 1st for your free script coverage.
How long it takes us to get off the ground is less important than the view once we are up in the sky. May you all soar to great heights.
Thanks for your participation and support.
FLASHBACK: Week Zero, Week One, Week Two, Week Three
For some gooey inspirational stuff, check out my article posted today at FreelanceSwitch:
7 Ways to Turn Miss(ter) Modesty into a World-Class Freelancer
Sunday Picture Post 25
photo credit: brettneilson
For The Sunday Picture Post, we are going to flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday I will post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
Write a Screenplay in One Month: Week Three (Prizes Announced)
by Jaden
In the past week, I forced myself to let go of perfectionism and just write, get the general idea down in words, maybe not the most clever words, but they are there.
I have written an outline, which I am following now.
A big no-no while on a time constraint is my compulsion to edit. This has proven to be my biggest challenge: being able to move forward without revising.
With 15 pages written this past week, I am up to a total of 40 pages, leaving me 11 days to write 50 more pages!
Hopefully, I will have at least 2 more days of bursting inspiration like my first writing day, so that I complete the 90 pages by August 31.
How are you folks doing?
FLASHBACK/FORWARD:
Week Zero, Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four
PS: Sorry, I forgot to include prize details, as I had promised. Here they are.
THE PRIZE
1) A post spotlighting you on Screenwriting for Hollywood. This will be a short biography, photo, and pitch about your story. You may opt out of any or all of these if you want to keep your story private or are too shy for a bio. For your security, you must copyright your script before I post your title or pitch.
2) I will give you my professional opinion of your screenplay in the standard industry coverage format. Click here to see my coverage sample form. This report will be up to 5 pages and includes a rating of the quality and marketability of your script. Additionally, in my analysis, I include valuable suggestions for improvement of your characters, story, and plot points.
3) If you receive a “RECOMMEND” rating on my coverage, I will do what I can to get your script in the right hands.
WHO IS IN THE RUNNING FOR THE PRIZE?
Muzz — You are the only person I see completing your script this month who has left a comment each week; way to go! You are eligible for the prize if you reach 90 pages and have an ending by August 31, 2008.
Ellen Wilson — Currently working on a novel, Ellen has participated each week. Ellen, if and when you choose a month within 2008, you are eligible for the prize upon completion of your 90-page script within a one month period. I will accept an adaptation of your novel or new script idea.
t.sterling — As you have also participated, but not began writing, if you choose a month in 2008, you qualify for the prize.
Adam — I know your computer crashed and that you wanted to participate, so if you want to start in a new month, I will accept you.
Ellen, Adam, & t.sterling — If you decide to write a script in one month, here are your rules:
1) Choose a month.
2) Go to Week Zero and leave a comment of the month you have selected.
3) Each week, report your progress under Week One, Week Two, and so on.
4) At the end of the month, submit your screenplay of 90 to 120 pages for the prize.
Please do not submit a script that has been worked on outside of your selected month in 2008; liars will get the curse. My time is precious to me and each prize will cost me a full day’s work; when you’re making millions… Tsk. Tsk.
Thanks for participating. Keep writing!
Sunday Picture Post 24 / How to be Funny
photo credit: Chris(sy) W
For The Sunday Picture Post, we are going to flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday I will post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
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SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: HOW TO BE FUNNY
The line between what is funny and what is offensive is almost invisible.
Here you are, making the best jokes of your life, but you either get blank stares, or people shrink away with embarrassment, or you get violent death threats, or the public boycotts your movie.
Why don’t they get your jokes?
It happens to me regularly when I intend to deliver a compliment, or try to explain something, or God forbid, crack a joke and the people completely misunderstand me; the results are disastrous.
My intentions are good; my heart is in the right place; what went wrong?
I figured out one possible reason.
This week, I reread an uplifting and enlightening book I picked up a long time ago, Comedy Writing Step by Step: How to Write and Sell Your Sense of Humor by Gene Perret who wrote jokes for Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller. I highly recommend this book.
The key: SEE, RECOGNIZE, and ACCEPT things as they are.
Anything can be turned into comedy: light bulbs, driveways, obesity, politics, trends, health issues, mother-in-laws, bad dates, and death. The trick is talking about the topic in a way that everyone can relate; you have to get outside of your own head and into those of your target audience.
Perret gives the example of balding.
He said, if you make a joke about balding to a guy who has not noticed he is balding and therefore certainly has not accepted it, he is going to be offended.
Whereas, on the other hand, if you make a joke about balding to someone who has seen and accepted it, you will get a laugh out of him.
When Perret had to attach a medical instrument to his body, but he was too hairy for the tape, his daughter told him to attach it to his head, where there was no hair. That got a laugh out of his whole family during a really tough time because Perret had already seen, recognized, and accepted his hairiness, balding, and health issue.
One-liners in public give you limited time to make your point, so you have to make sure you are coming from a commonly accepted place that everyone can understand.
You have to recognize what your audience sees, recognizes, and accepts, whether it is a creative executive who is reading your script or a drunk girl listening to your spiel at the bar, you must tailor your humor to a common ground that can be understood by someone who is not inside your head, not seeing what you have seen, not knowing what you know.
With writing, you have more time to build up a joke or a story, and you can edit as necessary. The length of a movie or a book allows you more freedom to be different and open a window to a new world. Still people need to be able to relate.
When you are live on the spot, maybe you only have 10 seconds to impress someone, you have to make sure that everyone is following your train of thought. You can’t just throw something out of the dark recesses of your brain and except everyone to know about what you are talking.
Every time I launch some random thought into the air, people assume the absolute opposite of what I intended; they come to a conclusion based on what is inside their head, not mine.
Instead of offending people, you want to relieve the tension of a person’s insecurities and frustrations; the similar things we suffer and enjoy are our common ground.
Laughter is a release of tension.
People who naturally know the common ground are generally well-loved. Understanding what is common ground is what makes a great comedian (or politician, for that matter). If you haven’t yet, check out The Deep Friar who is very good at writing funny things to which we can all relate.
Know your audience.
See, recognize, and accept the reality of what your audience sees, recognizes, and accepts.
Learn more about writing humor:
How To Be Funny: List of Joke Fodder
