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

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 [...]

Subject Matter: Sci-Fi Writers Beware

Monica — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:13:13 +0000

Science fiction is complicated to write. You have to create a believable world that is rich and full of detail with no breaks in logic in a limited pagecount, hit the genre conventions and then write a smart story on top of that. Also, it can’t be something we’ve seen before – it has to [...]

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 [...]

What Happened to the Inciting Incident?

Monica — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:13:31 +0000

You’d be surprised – I have been – but a very high number of scripts I’m reading don’t have inciting incidents. I am getting to page 15, page 20, page 30, and there’s really no defined story. I would say that this is in about 25% of the scripts I’m reading. Obviously, these scripts are [...]

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 [...]

Screenwriting Basics: The Importance of Tone

Monica — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:13:12 +0000

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, [...]

What, Technically, is a “Beat” in a Screenplay?

Monica — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:50:18 +0000

A writer friend of mine emailed asking me to better describe what is a screenwriting “beat.” Here’s the skinny.

This is actually a point of confusion for many people, and I recall it was very confusing to me when I started at film school because there are actually three kinds of beats, but people just use [...]

Screenplay Genre and Structure: Why the Beat Sheet?

Monica — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:55:00 +0000

The beat sheet is the best way to learn about screenplay structure, genre conventions and how to structure your script when you’re starting to outline.

A beat sheet is basically what you should create for yourself as an outline before going to page, however even before you start beating out your own script it is [...]

Romantic Comedy Beat Sheet: The Wedding Planner

Monica — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:25:57 +0000

Here is a breakdown I did on The Wedding Planner. First of all, I love this movie (love you, Shankman!). I think it’s funny, romantic, really charming and well written (go, Pam and Mike!). It is also very well structured, so it’s a good one to study.

What is of notice is the [...]

The Screenplay Competition “Do Nots”

Monica — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:05:48 +0000

The basic “do nots” before you send your script to a competition. The following is a very basic list of items that do not impress me as a competition reader and, more often than not, will get your script a resounding pass. If your script contains any of these points, consider rewriting before submitting [...]