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 […]
Tag Archives | Theme
Subject Matter: Don’t Write About Writers or Hollywood, Please
By Monica on July 21, 2009 in Character, Genre, Logical World, Process, Story, Subject Matter, Theme, Uncategorized
Today I’ve read a couple of stories about Hollywood aspirings – aspiring writers, directors, actors, etc. In this reading season I’ve probably read a number of these kinds of scripts. Please, people, no. Don’t do it. Ninety nine times out of one hundred, your life as an aspiring writer isn’t interesting enough to warrant a […]
How to Craft Theme
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]