Cool, I was hoping I didn'ty miss something.

Dec, as I said, I am interested.  Let's talk.

Quoted from Zack Yeah. Doesn't everyone? Cornetto, Of course the screenname is a hint at my explosive diaarea! I thought that was obviouse. Horror!? Haha. I'm much more into dramedys. Hahahahahaha. ~Zack~

Ah! I see.  Then it was the BLOOD, GUTS, BOOBS underneath that led me astray.

How serious am I?

Well, when I went to film school at age 30 in 2000 I had delusions of grandeur about: making millions of dollars, living in Hollywood, having A-list access and having a harem of 22 year old blondes with basketball sized tits at my disposal......What was I talking about? Oh yeah. So I took film school really seriously (because I stood to gain the world) which was a  shame because I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I'd been less uptight and just enjoyed the journey rather than fretting over the destination.

Anyway, fast forward to 2009 I'm 39, I'm living in the suburbs with my wife and kids and I have a day job in the community health sector. My goal is to write a feature length script when I find the time, which is hard at the moment because I'm working, studying and raising a family of three. But my studies will be finished in three weeks then I'll turn some of my attention to writing. But I'm not a believer in writing for the sake of writing. I've found that whenever I've done that my scripts have seemed really forced and uninspired because that’s how I felt when I wrote them. So all in all it’ll be nice if I write a feature but I won’t be shattered if I don’t.

As for making it in the business. It's not something I see happening for me.

Quoted from George Willson And suddenly the entire discussion comes back to me...a discussion I'm not eager to rehash. I believe the conclusion to that discussion was that I don't like a lot of shows on TV, so I choose not to watch them as opposed to boycotting the network that made them. And it's also a fair point that the interest in such a thing is primarily from those who have the motivation to write to begin with. Where this idea would differ from what decadence has posted is that it uses a real subject someone has asked for at one point as opposed to something random. However, I'm not advocating an immediate start to this either as there remains enough opposition to it that it seems kind of pointless.

I seem to remember that there was some interest in this George, I for one was very keen, in fact am sure you were going to get something off the ground in July/August.

I still would be very interested in a OMC, I think it is an extremely worthwhile exercise.

I traveled the world for a few decades, mostly in Asia, where thousands of foreigners roamed from country to country, from beach to beach, looking for freedom and wisdom with not much physical to share with each other but our experiences of adventures in these foreign lands. We all knew that most of these stories were impregnated with fiction and fantasy, but that wasn't the point. The point was to tell a great story and fill the late hours into the night with color and imagination. I enjoyed story telling as well as listening to them.

A few years ago I found myself living in the Alps where no one speaks English, so to entertain myself I wrote down some of my lifelong experiences on my computer with no intentions of being a writer, nor did I have any sort of dream to become famous, sell, or make my stories public. They were just a release, an exercise, a trip into memory.

Then , somehow a fictional story/movie started to develop in my head and I wrote down the bits that popped into my mind over a few month's time and poof! I had a direction. Took some format tips off the internet and did my best.

I found SS one day googling, and posted my script a few months ago. I knew it was lacking, as it was my first, never took a course, never read a book, and never read a script.  But I was hoping for some help in taming my baby towards perfection.

Months went by without a single comment. Disappointing. I realize now that SS is a give and take, and though I did read scripts here, I surely was not in position to comment, correct, or in any way sound knowledgeable or credible, so I didn't join any threads, though I wanted to.

I did accept the "no comments" on my script as a big Comment of Rejection, meaning the script was not worthy to be commented on. So, I dug deeper, read more scripts, and spent day after day honing, cutting, re-writing, and slowly the seriousness of WANTING to be a serious writer emerged.

A few weeks ago I finally took the nerve to try and comment on another's short script, but I think I may have blown it, as I never heard back from them.

I comprehend the mathematical odds of completing the cycle from idea to Academy Award are next to impossible, so I don't waste my time with it. I am still rewriting my first script, everyday, and I will continue, until I like it. I think it's fantastic!

Enter.

I wouldn't assume anything by the fact no-one has read your script.

It's just that we don't tend to review scripts unless the person has made themselves known.

Don't worry about your reviews. You'll improve over time anyway. Just articulate your thoughts as best you can about what you liked and didn't like about the story, characters whatever.

Speaking of serious writers. Why do you think it is that guys like Aaron Sorkin, David Chase and people of that Ilk don't seem come to sites like this? I also wonder if any of those types of guys read screenwriting how to books.

Chris,

That was such a funny opening post - especially the basketballs.. ahem. On the brightside, you got to spend time doing what you love, and now you've gained so much more with your wife and family. Btw, that was some really good advice/commentary re: looking to the destination, and not enjoying the journey. 39? That's plenty of time for the dream, minus the basketballs of course, 'cos I imagine you would have no balls yourself if you included them in the vision now

Oh, and I wonder if those guys do just lurk occasionally. I mean, checking out the 'competition' and all!! Ok, maybe they don't!

Enter,

Welcome! I am going to do some Asian travelling for a few months from November, so you helped whet my appetite for it further. Any tips to the virgin traveller? Oh, and what were you favourite places, etc?

What was your script?

Andrew

As I said in my introductory post a couple of days ago, I am fairly new to this sort of forum/site. I have only been on a few, so I cannot speak from vast experience. One site I was on I left pretty sharpish when I realised that the oldest person there, besides me, was about 15!

But one thing I would prefer is that we don't go down the road of telling people that they can't post scripts if they are not absolutely correctly formatted. I think that, if someone does post scripts that aren't laid out to the proper guidelines, then advice and encouragement should be given. Tips on how to do it, pointers to pdf scripts they can read on SS, suggestions to join scripped or download Celtx, that sort of thing.

I have met a kind of person on other forums who - even though they have achieved little or nothing themselves - will pontificate on formatting in the most unpleasant way. In one case a new member had posted a partial script. This looked fine to me - but he had not started it with "Fade In". He was ripped merciously to shreds in the most impolite way for the infraction - and when he responded that he did not want to use the term - was told that he would never get anywhere as a writer, because Producers would only read scripts that started with this.

Now, I have never had my work produced, so who am I to talk. But I have met/communicated with directors, producers, agents, script editors and the like. Not once has any ever told me that my scripts were incorrectly laid out - in fact a BBC script editor once said it was a relief to meet someone who knew how a script should look as it was rare in her job!

But I was still criticised by these same people on this site for the way a few pages of script I'd uploaded (as an example of my work) looked. They told me that if I didn't do it their way, I would never get anywhere.

I am old enough to ignore this kind of thing (and simply left the site), but what if I had been a newbie, unsure of himself and his work? This could have ended any potential I might have had, just for the sake of a (Contd).

Anyway, I suppose what I am saying is that yes - we should be serious in our desire to become professional screenwriters if that is our aim (I know I am) - but perhaps it would benefit us all if SS did not become too serious as an entity, and retained some elements of fun and enjoyment. I rather like this site (admittedly having been on it for only three days!), and it would be a shame if it started reflecting it's initials and ended up becoming a place for only the Pure and True Believers of The Cause.

I hope this makes sense!

Quoted from Takeshi Speaking of serious writers. Why do you think it is that guys like Aaron Sorkin, David Chase and people of that Ilk don't seem come to sites like this?

How do you know we...I mean they...don't!!!

In the UK there is a TV writer called James Moran. He had a blog and connected with people directly via it and Twitter. He wrote the film "Severance" and also for TV shows like "Doctor Who" and "Primeval".

Then he was involved in "Torchwood" series three, in which a well loved character was killed off. He found himself being targetted, as the only writer who they could access, by angry and obsessed fans - and they were really vile to him.

He has since withdrawn from contact with the Public, and ironically one comment made on a DW fan site was that, while what happened was wrong, it was his own fault for making himself so easily available to fans!

If pro writers do appear on sites like SS, I suspect they would do so under assumed names (other than their usernames), so that they wouldn't encounter problems like this. So who knows who anyone of us might be in reality...

Quoted from enter A few weeks ago I finally took the nerve to try and comment on another's short script, but I think I may have blown it, as I never heard back from them.

Hey Enter,

Welcome to the boards. I don't think you blew it at all I just think you commented on a script where the writer is not around - that happens a lot. It can be tricky to know who's around and who's not - especially for newcomers. While it's no guarantee, if there's a nickname (in parenthesis) next to the author's name, it usually indicates that the author is - at least - a member here.

Anyways, good luck with future reviews and your script.

Cheers
Rob

Quoted from mcornetto Ah! I see.  Then it was the BLOOD, GUTS, BOOBS underneath that led me astray.

Silly boy. Get your mind out of the gutter. Haha

~Zack~

Quoted from Niles_Crane If pro writers do appear on sites like SS, I suspect they would do so under assumed names (other than their usernames), so that they wouldn't encounter problems like this. So who knows who anyone of us might be in reality...

I'd say they'd hide because of people bothering them for help or whatever or on the reverse people would be overly critical of that person.

By the way I dislike your avatar because everyday I am forced to see hundreds of girls with those huge glasses and find it annoying. A few years ago those huge glasses were comedic and props and now they are the style.

Quoted from Takeshi How serious am I? Well, when I went to film school at age 30 in 2000 I had delusions of grandeur about: making millions of dollars, living in Hollywood, having A-list access and having a harem of 22 year old blondes with basketball sized tits at my disposal......What was I talking about? Oh yeah. So I took film school really seriously (because I stood to gain the world) which was a  shame because I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I'd been less uptight and just enjoyed the journey rather than fretting over the destination. Anyway, fast forward to 2009 I'm 39, I'm living in the suburbs with my wife and kids and I have a day job in the community health sector. My goal is to write a feature length script when I find the time, which is hard at the moment because I'm working, studying and raising a family of three. But my studies will be finished in three weeks then I'll turn some of my attention to writing. But I'm not a believer in writing for the sake of writing. I've found that whenever I've done that my scripts have seemed really forced and uninspired because that’s how I felt when I wrote them. So all in all it’ll be nice if I write a feature but I won’t be shattered if I don’t. As for making it in the business. It's not something I see happening for me.

Nice story, Chris. Sounds a bit like myself, apart from the fim school and the fact you follow the Pies.
Um, I've always wondered about Lightning Ridge. Do you live there? Is there suburbs there?
See the Doggies rolled the Cats last night. Interesting cos if they beat you next week, you'll play us first up. I'd be happy with that.  cheers

regarding the topic of the thread, this Q&A with Robert McKee might shed some light on you and your writing habits/skills.


http://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1250887607/