Once you decide what the overarching umbrella theme of your story is, then make sure that theme is abundantly clear within the A story and the protagonist’s character arc, but also present within the B stories and the other character arcs. I was told once to write out the theme on a post it and […]
Archive | July, 2009
Theme: Barri Evins and “Personal Thematic”
I attended a CineStory retreat last summer in Idyllwild where Barri Evins conducted a three day seminar on “personal thematic.” Barri is amazing, a true inspiration, and if you ever have the chance to work with her in any way, you must do so. The experience will be absolutely transformative. They say that writers have […]
The Screenwriting Reading List: The Must-Have Books That Will Help You Write Better
Here is my basic reading list for screenwriters. I have included a brief paragraph in each instance as to what specifically I got from each of these books and how they can help you. Of course, each of us learns differently, but I would consider all of these books must-haves for your personal library. The […]
Scriptapalooza Television Writing Competition OPENS
From the people at Scriptapalooza: Hey all you TV writers, this is your chance to change the way you watch TV! Scriptapalooza TV has seen major success in their 10 years… 2 writers won Emmys, numerous writers have gotten agents, managers and meetings. The four categories include existing 1 hour shows like True Blood and […]
Do Your Homework: Watch AFI’s Top 100 List Films
By Monica on July 7, 2009 in Beat Sheet, Character, Genre, Location, Logical World, Process, Story, Theme, Tone, Uncategorized
If you’re writing screenplays, it’s very important to know the field. You should be watching movies in the theatre now and also studying previously released films. Here is a wonderful basic list of the great movies, which you should see to have a basic understanding of our industry. In addition, you should endeavor to watch […]
Screenwriting Basics: The Importance of Tone
Tone is an excellent tool with which to underscore the genre of your screenplay. For me as a reader, both the genre and tone should be abundantly clear from page one. If it’s not abundantly clear by page two, you’re likely in trouble. I use “tone” to this end, as defined by Merriam-Webster.com: “general character, […]
Screenwriting Basics: The Importance of Theme
By Monica on July 6, 2009 in Character, Process, Screenwriting Competitions, Story, Theme, Uncategorized
A reader asked me to write something about theme, as it is possibly the most nebulous component of good writing and yet arguably the most important. Theme, to me, is the soul of the piece. It’s a part of the unspoken meaning to each of the scenes that is continually omnipresent. Most scripts I read […]
Shouts Out to my Readers!
I just wanted to send grateful acknowledgment to my readers both here in the US and abroad in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, Russia, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Indonesia and Japan. My baby blog is still new and growing every day, but I always love seeing […]
Screenwriting Punctuation for Dummies
I’m a stickler for proper English grammar. I get really annoyed when people justify their horrible grammar with excuses, as though it’s snobby to use subject-verb agreement. It’s not. It’s our language. If you want use English to a professional end, you should have a level of mastery. I’ll admit it: my skin crawls when […]
Breaking Story: The Six Major Beats
Generally, when people begin the outline process or look more specifically at the structure of any given script, they look closely at the six beats. In film school, it was explained to us that these are the major “tent pole” story points – the major points of story upon which you hang the rest of […]
Breaking Story: The 8 Sequences
I’ve asked my friend Sharon to write a short article about how she outlines, because she plots from character as opposed to story. I wanted to provide you with an alternative means of breaking story and beginning the outline. Ultimately, every writer must find the process that best taps their natural gifts. Here’s what Sharon […]
Screenplay Plotting: Where’s the B Story?
Many of the scripts I’m reading at the competition level are very unsophisticated in the plotting of their B stories. Many don’t have B stories at all. Your A story may be well plotted and the characters may be clearly and succinctly drawn, however, if there aren’t interesting B stories dense with subtext that inform […]
Writing is Rewriting: You Have To Do the Work
For me as a reader, I can tell you that most scripts I read are a sparkling, resounding, operatic voice calling out from the heavens, “PASS!” There’s just nothing in them. Sometimes I wonder why that writer actually wanted to invest the time. What they thought was so interesting in their little project as to […]