Quoted from Pale Yellow Enjoying reading this thread. New to discussion boards...new to screenwriting...and just trying to be like a sponge and soak up some of this knowledge. I am quick with ideas. I have learned if I want to write, I need to venture somewhere without wifi! As a beginner, would anyone have advice as what to write while learning: shorts or features? I enjoyed the OWC as a first shot. I wish there were more weekly challenges as I tend to do better when I have a deadline it seems. I've been wanting to write for some time, and finally I am. At this very moment ...watching The Rite so gonna scoot...Happy Weekend to all!

My first advice is to write whatever you feel like and whenever you feel like.

Also to note:

As far as screenwriting goes I think that writing shorts helps people to get a handle on some of the structure as well as get in the habit of churning out stories.

Besides that, just write what you know, write what you are inspired to learn and read read read and live live live.

Don't take yourself too seriously and don't think that your help isn't required just because you're new. The opposite is true. We need you!!! And lots of feedback!!!!

Sandra

It seems that Remnant has been picked up for production, but the director wants some structural changes to it, so I'll be working on that for the next few days.

I've had some pretty bad experiences with people wanting to produce my stuff in the past, so I hope that things will work out this time around.

Rereading something of mine I just finished, and thank God I caught this. This is what I wrote:

"Gangsters struggle to shoot at him, afraid to expose themselves."

There's probably more than one things wrong with that sentence, but at least one part is worth a laugh.

It's actually snowing here. Looks cool. Pretty big flakes. Must be global warming.

Sent off a revised draft of Remnant to the director. With the structural changes he wanted and the necessity of taking the page count to 5, the tone changed slightly. But I hope it still packs the same punch.

More Remnant revisions in store for me, but it's going in a good direction. Production of it is pretty much a done deal, because they're casting this weekend.

I'm also rebuilding my website from the ground up, which is another big project. I originally meant to just update the CMS, but I screwed it up so bad that I lost everything.  But it actually isn't such a bad thing, because the old one was really old and clunky.

And I'm revising Icarus, the short I've been developing with thr director for a few months now. And I'm planning to continue my work with the pilot that's half done as well.

So I guess I can honestly say that I'm doing stuff.

Although I've mainly managed to waste two days modding my phone and computer to indicate my unbelievable Star Trek nerddom, I still completed a major rewrite of Remnant and sent it off to the director.

I guess it's back to building the website.

Quoted from Pii Although I've mainly managed to waste two days modding my phone and computer to indicate my unbelievable Star Trek nerddom, I still completed a major rewrite of Remnant and sent it off to the director. I guess it's back to building the website.

You are golden, Henrik! Seriously, you are in The Field of Dreams. Please though--

Do rest some. You need to do that and it's better for you in the long run.

Sandra

Finally, after months of thinking about it, I bought myself a really cracking writing keyboard. It's almost a joy to type on this.

Really excited about the imminent relaunch of Voice Over, even though the call for contributors didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped. I'm especially enthusiastic about the possibility of making an ePub version of the thing. Expect a pilot issue in the next couple of months.

Meanwhile, progress on Remnant is still going on, even though it's been tough going. But we're making progress, so it's not that bad.

I had an opportunity to pitch some stuff to a Finnish production company, but they were looking for completed feature scripts and I've only written shorts, teleplays and pilots. I guess it's time I wrote one...

Henrik,

Thanks for this thread and all the best with Remnant.

Whilst I don't yet call myself a writer (working on that) I want to have a moan, about a writing issue, and this seems like a good place.

I haven't always known what I would like to do with my writing, still so much to learn, yet right now I know I want to revise my last OWC script, then turn to my first OWC. At the same time I have started on a comedy feature which I want to have up and running for a two day writing course I have signed up for in February. So what's the problem?

My computer has died and needs fixing. The engineers are waiting for a "part". So annoying.

I have an iPad and it does have writing software on it. It was useful for the OWC, but all the drafts I need to revise are on the computer.

In the meantime I have time to review here and am also going through Movie Poet scripts to get credits for future competitions, but I really want to be writing.

Oh well, at least I have a plan.

Moan now finished.

You just reminded me...pick up a flash drive and an external HD. Moan to back up your moan...I hate to get ready to write, only to discover your most recent work is on another computer. I use the desktop sometimes but mostly my laptop. I'm going to get a flash drive and another external ...back up is soooo important.

Reef mate, get a pen and a writing pad and get into it!

Seriously, writing by hand is the only way I can get anything done! If I sit at the computer I get distracted and start surfing da net.

I can hand write anywhere, anytime! And the best part of it is it cuts down on revision, even reduces it to zero - if I write for a week, then copy on computer, I can edit as I go, sometimes having thought of new stuff for scenes in that time.

I have handwritten all my shorts and features the last 2 years. Trouble is, I have notebooks all over the place, with stuff not in chronological order, and unfinished stuff too!

Currently 99 pages into my next feature. Still a couple pages to go but I expect to finish it within the next week. Finally!!

I've gotta say the experience of writing it has changed the way I'll write future scripts. I've had an absolute surplus of ideas for this thing, which resulted in seventeen pages worth of treatment/notes. A lot of that content didn't make it into the script, even entire subplots and characters. Once I got to writing the damn thing, it got hard to find the story amongst the notes so the script itself has ended up covered in notes at this point.

The next script, I'd definitely like to take the time to trim and organize my notes so that everything that's written down makes it to the script.

Hey stevie, fair point.

I also have a handful of note pads around and they were in use today. However, I prefer them for ideas, scenes, thoughts, rather than the formatted scene.

I hate it when I havea good idea, in my opinion, but don't have the chance to write it down. When I do remember later, it is never quite the same.

But my problem now is revising existing scripts and they sit on that damn computer. Just glad I didn't lose them... that's until the computer mechanics tell me they've cocked up! I wouldn't put it past them, but that's another story.

The batteries are recharging well after the Clone Wife fresh draft.
All the requests for that have been filled and followed up.

Now it's the question of which story to put to script next.
I have a few different directions I can go.

1) I can round out the fantasy kids adventure rom/com fairy tale vibe.
    I have a straight up fairy tale adventure with tweens I can write.
    That trilogy could present a strong portfolio to managers.
    Granted, it pigeon holes me a bit, but it's a good wheelhouse for me.
    But I'm concerned it might be too close to the other scripts to stretch myself.

2) Write a completely different kind of story.
    A historical drama adventure based on true events.
    That would demonstrate my ability to write a variety of genres.
    But managers typically want to see genre strength over diversity.
    This would challenge me more than the traditional fairy tale, I believe.

3) Take on a spec assignment being offered to me by a feature producer.
    If I can get excited about a rewrite, he'll take it through the studio system.
    That could fast track some things, but be a smaller percentage of the sale.
    However, learning to take on these kinds of jobs is a good career builder.
    But it could take some finagling to generate excite about a rewrite.

So, decisions decisions.
Thoughts are welcome.

Regards,
E.D.