When I’m writing and rewriting something – a script, story, manuscript – it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. Much of the time I get so inside my story that it’s hard for me to step outside of it and think rationally if what I’m trying to construct is working or not, and […]
Tag Archives | screenwriting
The Season of Weird, Chatty Dramedies
By Monica on August 31, 2010 in Audience, Character, Genre, Ideas, Location, Logical World, Process, Story, Subject Matter, Theme, Tone, Uncategorized
I can’t say I totally understand it but this year was definitely the reading season for the Weird, Chatty Dramedy. I’d estimate that approximately 20% of the scripts I read this year involved an ensemble of types sitting around, chatting about various personal issues that were of absolutely no interest to me. Many of these […]
Dunne: The story is the journey for truth. The plot is the road it takes to get there.
By Monica on August 30, 2010 in Books on Screenwriting, Character, Story, Subject Matter, Theme, Uncategorized
I’ve just started reading Peter Dunne’s “Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot” and it’s giving me a lot to think about. Dunne writes in Know Your Story, Know Your Plot, Know the Difference: When we think about great stories, about great movies, we remember first and foremost about whom the story is told. […]
Introduce Your Character to the Reader
By Monica on February 23, 2010 in Character, Genre, Screenwriting Competitions, Screenwriting Resources, Story, Subject Matter, Theme, Tone, Uncategorized
Now that we’re heading back into competition season for 2010, I am going to revisit the most important aspects of the screenplay, and in some cases I will try to link to examples of how they’re done correctly. I just read a pile of scripts and only one of the writers bothered to introduce me […]
Austin Heart of Film Now Accepting Applications
The Austin Heart of Film Festival is now accepting applications for the Screenplay and Teleplay screenwriting competition. Deadline: May 15 – June 1 Click here for more information: http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/new/screenplay
Free Screenplay Story Notes Giveaway to Oscar Picks Winner
I’m offering a free basic story notes package on a screenplay to any reader who can correctly predict the Oscar winners in the following categories: 1. Best Picture 2. Actor in a Leading Role 3. Actor in a Supporting Role 4. Actress in a Leading Role 5. Actress in a Supporting Role 6. Cinematography 7. […]
Another Online Screenwriting Community: Circalit.com
To all you enthusiasts of online screenwriting communities – here’s another one for you. Raoul Tawadey recently emailed me about the launch of his new site, Circalit.com. Raoul writes: I have been working with some fellow screenwriters to setup a website called Circalit, which allows writers to upload their screenplays in a safe and secure […]
Mypdfscripts.com
Cool resource for downloading screenplays http://www.mypdfscripts.com/ Check it out!
Q&A: On Screenplay Beats: Examples of Beats in Scenes
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 […]
Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition Now Open
12th Annual Scriptapalooza International Screenplay Competition Regular Deadline is March 5th www.scriptapalooza.com Why should you submit your script to Scriptapalooza? -Grand Prize: $10,000 -All the reading is done by 90 production companies -Entertainment Weekly Magazine calls us ‘One of the Best’ -We promote the winners, runners-up, finalists and semifinalists for a full year -We are […]
Trusting Your Gut: Writing Passion vs. Structure
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 […]
CineStory: Screenwriting Mentorship at Its Best
CineStory is a non-profit that provides mentorship opportunities for screenwriters. This means they have a collection of working industry professionals (agents, producers, writers) and they offer non-professional screenwriters the opportunity to workshop their screenplays and ask questions in a personalized environment. Pam Pierce is the heart and soul behind CineStory. She started it, I believe, […]
Q&A: All Screenwriting Competitions Are Not Created Equal
Jamie asks: So, I’m just starting to get familiar with the world of screenwriting competitions, and I’m assuming they’re not all created equal. Are there any drawbacks to entering more than one (several even) with the same script? It seems like some contests might require that you don’t submit your script to any other contests? […]
Inside Out vs. Outside In
By Monica on November 14, 2009 in Character, Genre, Ideas, Logical World, Process, Story, Theme, Uncategorized
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 […]
When in a Draft: Re-Read Your Own Pages
I’ve been working on a draft these past couple of weeks, so I have the writing process on my mind. I was chatting with a couple of writer friends the other day and they both said when they’re drafting, they start the writing day by re-reading the previous day’s pages and editing them. This helps […]