When are you finished writing your screenplay? This is one of the most common quandaries for all writers, which often has them pacing circles around the kitchen in the wee hours of the night. The pros usually write and rewrite and revise up until, well, the last possible second before it’s contractually due. Often times, they scribble itsy bitsy revisions well past the deadline, much to the chagrin of the exec in charge. Note: Best not to give the guy paying you agita with a late draft. It’s a bit more nebulous for the aspiring writer. Sure, you can set yourself goals, but at the end of the day, it’s pie in the sky, right? I’ve seen many a wannabe scribe take six weeks, six months or even six years to complete a script. (Yes, six years. Don’t laugh. It could happen to you.) And like Ford Pintos, many scripts are just abandoned. Once you’re swirling around the dark bowels of the second act trying to figure out just how to get a stripper with a heart of gold plausibly through Yale law, you might get stuck, lost, and realize it’d be easier for you to go to law school than finish your script. I think the best rule of thumb for knowing when you’re done is when you start rewriting what you already rewrote and then change it back to what you originally had written. You get there, put the pen down and step away from the pad. After all, writing is subjective. There is no correct answer. No X = 3.14. Just make the script the best it can be today. Then send it out. And start another one.
Writer's Block - Be Gone
Ah, ye olde writer’s block. The oft regaled mental condition that has caused many a writer to drink, caffeinate, dust, vacuum, cut off various body parts and say sayonara to the world. If Pfizer could come up with a pill for it, I’m sure they would. But they haven’t. Lest we are left to contend with this bitch on our own. Where does it come from? How do we make it go away? Well, ever stop to think that the drinking and caffeinating and Zolofting we do to contend with the issue might be part of the problem? Not to mention the sugar and Splenda and dairy et al with which we self-doctor our concoctions. First things first, clear the mind. Eat a vegetable. Do a cleanse. Put down the Diet Coke. Go for a run. Close Facebook. Meditate. Next, put your ass in the chair. Silly as it may seem, if you don’t make time for writing, it ain’t going to happen. I don’t care how many times you circle your kitchen contemplating an inciting incident. Sit down and face the blank page. Third, make sure you know where you’re going. If you don’t know what your hero wants, you’ll get lost in the middle. If you don’t know what he needs, you’ll get lost everywhere. Get clear on the answers to those two questions and you’ll have a fair compass to guide you through most storms. And lastly, know that not everything is within your control. Eek! A difficult pill to swallow, pardon the expression, for we writers who think everything we type is. After all, it’s just us, a screen and a keypad. Or is it? If creativity is the spawn of God, Source, Universe, The Big Kahuna, then perhaps there’s a force greater than us wielding the pen. And it may have its own way of doing things. So don’t force it. Instead, listen. The words will come, especially if you’re not high on Chai.
How do I get an agent?
This is probably the most commonly asked question by aspiring screenwriters. After all, you can’t get work as a screenwriter without an agent, but no agent wants to represent you unless you have work. So how do you do it? The first thing is to write a great script! No easy task, mind you. But know that great scripts do stand out. To agents, producers, directors, actors, studio execs. Hell, to every busboy in the greater Los Angeles area. And word travels fast. So learn the craft, write a great story, rewrite it till your blue in the face, then send it out. To who? Anyone you know who has a connection to agents in Hollywood. It could be your Aunt Martha’s dentist in Poughkeepsie who has a son-in-law who is sleeping with a girl whose roommate is an assistant to Tori Spelling. Remember people aren’t always crazy about being asked to help, but often take a fancy to being asked for advice. So ever so politely inquire if they have the bandwith to tell you what they think of your script. If they think it’s good, then ask if there’s someone they know at an agency that might like to read it. More often than not they do. In the perfect world, they’ll want to play some part in the project as well. Thank them profusely for sending it over and go with God. That’s it? That’s it. Sure, you can do the requisite follow-up with the agents, but don’t hock ‘em. They have 80 other scripts on their desk to read, and chances are the folks who sent those probably know someone who slept with someone too.
Welcome to Screenwriter School
Welcome! I'm happy to announce that I will be teaching my own screenwriting workshops in Atlanta starting in January. Guest lecturing for groups and colleges the last few years has enabled me the opportunity to build a fun and engaging course that offers an entertaining window into what I have learned writing for DreamWorks, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Fox and more. When I was growing up I had a great teacher unlock my passion for the craft of writing and I love being able to do the same for my students. The lessons shared and movies discussed will help all writers, novice and expert, know how to create great characters, tell great stories and make their screenplays salable. Check us out on Facebook and be sure to follow us on Twitter. Hope to see you there!