His point is that you can be a great writer and a bad screenwriter.

Quoted from Felipe His point is that you can be a great writer and a bad screenwriter.

Hmmm...is that as in a great novelist, but a poor screenwriter, or just a great writer, period, but poor screenwriter?

He wrote, what 5 or 6 screenplays, right?  In other words, he was a paid Pro writer, so someone thought he had something to offer.
Don't get me wrong, I rag on Po writers all the time and say how shitty they are, but they're making money, and right or wrong, good or bad, they're Professionals.

IMO, this thread has little to do with Pro writers, nor should it.

Yeah - the thread's gone off on a tangent somewhat from Dustin's coment about not wanting to review screenplays that are not 'written well' - which is a tad ambiguous in itself.

But in finishing the tangent, early screenwriters were normally just novelists who were asked to write something because they were recognised writers. Screenwriting has become adapted over time to fit the medium it's designed for.

And a great writer? No - I don't think so, just a solid command of the English language is enough to put the words down comprehensibly - story, I agree, is a bit of a different art.

In the end, people will read and comment on what they want to read and comment.

Though I disagree with Dustin's opinions on "lost causes," he has the right to choose what he spends his time on.

My main concern with his attitude is telling people that they have no hope of doing what they love. In reality, the only way they will have no hope in being a writer is if they listen to his opinions. Most people have little hope of being paid writers, not just based on talent, but also based on the odds being staggeringly against us...

I just don't like someone going around telling people who can and can't be a writer when writing is free and "talent" has so much to do with opinion.

Quoted from Felipe In the end, people will read and comment on what they want to read and comment. Though I disagree with Dustin's opinions on "lost causes," he has the right to choose what he spends his time on. My main concern with his attitude is telling people taht they have no hope of doing what they love. In reality, the only way they will have no hope in being a writer is if they listen to his opinions. Most people have little hope of being paid writers, not just based on talent, but also based on the odds being staggeringly against us... I just don't like someone going around telling people who can and can't be a writer when writing is free and "talent" has so much to do with opinion.

+1

Quoted from Dreamscale Hmmm...is that as in a great novelist, but a poor screenwriter, or just a great writer, period, but poor screenwriter?

As in, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

FYI, this is what I was responding to.

Quoted from DustinBowcot People that do not write well are not real writers and they never will be writers. No matter how hard they try they are wasting their time.

Quoted from Forgive But in finishing the tangent, early screenwriters were normally just novelists who were asked to write something because they were recognised writers. Screenwriting has become adapted over time to fit the medium it's designed for.

I'm not sure what you mean about being "adapted over time". The screenplays from the Classic era look quite similar to the ones today. They wrote camera angles a bit differently, that's about the only difference I see. Maybe some of the sluglines were a tad specific for today's standards, but its practically the same format.

With respect to the first part you said, I'm not sure I entirely agree. Most earlier screenwriters were actually playwrights. That's basically what a movie was back in the day, a three act play on screen. Hence the word screen play. Matter of fact, the best came out of playwriting and were not novelists. I can't even think of one screenwriter that came out of writing novels. Okay I'll stop. I rest my case. Point's made

Quoted from Felipe I just don't like someone going around telling people who can and can't be a writer when writing is free and "talent" has so much to do with opinion.

I'm getting a shirt made that reads, "Writing is free and "talent" has so much do with opinion"

Quoted from mcornetto I'm not going to debate it with you. Ask someone who has taught screenwriting which they think is harder to teach.  I think they will agree storytelling is harder to teach than English.  You either have a talent for telling a story or you don't, but pretty much anyone can learn English.

Seems to me that plenty of people try writing stories, but not many use proper English when doing so.

Quoted from Felipe My main concern with his attitude is telling people that they have no hope of doing what they love.

I haven't told anybody that... and why would you be concerned?

I'd be concerned because that's poisonous. That mentality breeds within the mind you feed it to. In the end, it's just a way for writers to feel superior to one another.

The main reason I like the fact that you will only review scripts you deem worthy of your knowledge and time is that you won't be putting these less experienced writers down. For that, I thank you.

Quoted from Felipe I'd be concerned because that's poisonous. That mentality breeds within the mind you feed it to. In the end, it's just a way for writers to feel superior to one another.

LOL. A large dollop of overly dramatic with a dash of neurosis... thanks for sharing.

I always love giving small people a reason to feel big.

Quoted from J.S. I'm not sure what you mean about being "adapted over time".

Well this could be a separate thread in itself, so I'll refer you to:

http://www.screenplayology.com/content-sections/screenplay-style-use/1-1/

--debate aside, it's a fascinating insight.

Quoted from Forgive Well this could be a separate thread in itself, so I'll refer you to: http://www.screenplayology.com/content-sections/screenplay-style-use/1-1/ --debate aside, it's a fascinating insight.

I thought we were already talking about the talkie pictures? Otherwise, there's not much of a difference except how camera angles were written.

EDIT: I guess there is one more difference. They split the script into sequences; (sequence "A", sequence "B", etc.) Supposedly making for an easier read. Which I agree with and kind of like actually. But that's as radical as it gets I'm afraid.

Quoted from Felipe I'd be concerned because that's poisonous. That mentality breeds within the mind you feed it to. In the end, it's just a way for writers to feel superior to one another. The main reason I like the fact that you will only review scripts you deem worthy of your knowledge and time is that you won't be putting these less experienced writers down. For that, I thank you.

Some people come up here and only want to read top notch scripts and are insulted when they read anything less. Then you've got the new kid who is just starting looking to get valuable feedback.

You've got guys who come up here and want to lend their expertise to every script they read.... and then you have those who think they're God's gift to writing and don't want to hear anything other than how great their script is.

thats really what this comes down to. Agendas are just going to clash.