Screenwriter-to-Screenwriter.com » how to write character

Q&A: On Screenplay Beats: Examples of Beats in Scenes

Monica — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:13:19 +0000

Dennis L. writes: I’m a screenwriting neophyte and if you could, please, give an example of a scene outline? I think I’m over-thinking what constitutes how a “beat” should read in a scene.

This comment is in reference to my article on the types of screenplay beats.

Monica says: Okay, so let’s discuss how a “beat,” or emotional [...]

Trusting Your Gut: Writing Passion vs. Structure

Monica — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:39:03 +0000

I’m visiting with one of my best friends now whose son, my godson, tragically died in October. This is a part of why I haven’t been writing since that time. I’ve also been trying to prioritize my own creative writing, but I’ve not had an easy time getting those pages in, either. It’s cold and [...]

Inside Out vs. Outside In

Monica — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:13:02 +0000

The great debate: character to story or concept to character. Face it: you’re either one or the other. If you think you’re both at the same time, I’d really love to hear from you and learn how you do it, because it seems to me there’s a huge canyon in between and I’m waiting for [...]

We Write to our Weaknesses

Monica — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:01:56 +0000

I’m still in the stage wherein every time I embark upon a new project, I’m teaching myself something about the technical process of writing and also about the human experience. I think the greatest gift a writer can give is in illuminating the human experience in a fresh or unique way, and in the experience [...]

Write the Movies You Really Want To See

Monica — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:13:43 +0000

This is intended as a follow up post to Write What You Love.

Okay. This might sound ridiculous, but bear with me. Say a magic genie appeared tonight before you fell asleep, Shazam!, and gave you a magic ticket to the best movie ever the following day, what movie would you want to see? If it [...]

If It Doesn’t Buy You Something, Take It Out

Monica — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:13:28 +0000

The more I write and the more I read, I find I return to this mantra again and again: If it doesn’t buy you something, take it out.

Screenplay beats to me are a commodity. You have to buy the beats in the beginning of your story to cash them in later on in the [...]

Screenplay Openings: Most Beginnings Are Overwritten

Monica — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:13:59 +0000

This article follows up on Screenplay: The Importance of the First Five Pages.

In the last batch of scripts I read for one of the screenwriting competitions, I would say about 30% of the screenplays had beginnings that were overwritten. It’s not uncommon. In several cases, the real story didn’t start to pick up until [...]

Screenplay: The Importance of the First Five Pages

Monica — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:13:11 +0000

The opening five pages of your screenplay give me a ton of information about the breadth and scope of your project. As with the opening of a novel or any other literary work, the opening of your screenplay should be a microcosm of the world of your script. It’s the first taste – but as [...]

Look at it from the Reader’s Perspective…

Monica — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:17:01 +0000

I just got through another big push of scripts. There were a handful of recommends, but overall many of them were dismal. When writing, just get the words down on the page. Get through that first draft. But, then rewrite. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

As you get closer to the time you’re going to send [...]

The Scoop on Line Edits

Monica — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:13:17 +0000

A lot of writers really get all bent out of shape and neurotic about the level of control with the words on the page. In most cases, I look at this as a writer who’s inner critic has run amok. This is one of the many ways to self sabotage.

There was one girl in [...]