As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ve given you writing exercises if you need some motivations to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked lots of different kinds of writers.
This week, as this series of Writing Exercises comes to a close, it’s time to think about the person behind the typewriter- yourself.
In the film Sideways, Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) loves a particular kind of wine, Pinot Noir. When someone asks him why he is so passionate about this specific variety he answers with a wonderful description of the wine.
In describing the wine, he is actually describing himself.
Maya: “You know, can I ask you a personal question, Miles?”
Miles: “Sure.”
Maya: “Why are you so in to Pinot?”
Miles: (he laughs softly) Maya: “I mean, it’s like a thing with you.”
Miles: [continues laughing softly]
Miles Raymond: “Uh, I don’t know, I don’t know. Um, it’s a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It’s uh, it’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s, you know, it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it’s neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact, it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot’s potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and… ancient on the planet.”
Imagine you love or admire a particular kind of:
Describe one of these items in such a way that you could be describing what is special, unique, interesting, unusual, under-appreciated or unexpected about yourself.
Really put passion into your choice and description.
Now choose another item. Pretend you are very shy and must sell the object to someone you love but who hasn’t noticed you.
Use your description and sales pitch about the item to explain why you are a uniquely lovable person.
Only talk about the special qualities of the specific item. Never mention yourself.
Talking about one thing and describing something else is a great way to explore a character.
This technique builds interest and emotional intimacy. How would your main character describe him or her self by describing something else?
Speaking of the director, Alexander Payne…
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. It’s going to be a while before I post the next series of these, so your feedback would be incredibly helpful.
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises to perform, if you’re keen to either get some practise, or need some motivations to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for plenty of other people.
This week, it’s time to see what kind of person you are in a time of crisis…
Look in a thesaurus for synonyms of the word “crisis.” Here is what I found:
Disaster, Catastrophe, Devastation, Cataclysm, Misfortune, Fiasco, Risky, Dangerous, Extreme Emergency, Flop, Accident, Extremity, Calamity, Setback, Debacle, Threat. Mishap, Failure, Tough Trial, Test, Hazard, Challenge, Stumbling Block, Pickle, Misfortune, Impasse, Obstruction, Obstacle, Turning point, Watershed Moment, Tragedy, Ruin, Destruction, Impending Doom
What kind of personal situation does each one of those words bring to mind?
List a personal life experience that matches each one of these words.
Quickly write how you got yourself into each difficulty defined by the list of the words. What did you do to bring about each situation?
How did each situation plague or torment you? How did it engage your fear or make you afraid? How did you get yourself out of each situation or circumstance?
Now make a list of the story events in your film that would fit each one of those descriptions. List a situation in your story that matches each word.
Could you create new story events to match one or more of these words?
What does your character do to get him or her self into each crisis situation?
How does each situation plague or torment your character?
How does your character get him or her self out of each situation?
How does each situation reverse or change your character’s expectations or assumptions?
Use this list to spark new ideas leading up to your climax.
Frankly, these are things many action filmmakers should be reminded of. a recent counterexample is the new mad max film:
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, it’s time to see yourself through others…
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
This week we’re taking a breather from Writing Exercises. Instead, I wanted to share a really interesting video essay. As you know, I believe genre is meaningless, Heretic that I am, but Patrick H Willems has created a great video essay praising those filmmakers who started out making horror films with an absurd comedic edge to them, and crafted some of the most interesting blockbusters in recent years. Not necessarily full of screenwriting advice, but it’s a good reminder of how important it is that you remember what kind of tone and atmosphere you are aiming to evoke to those reading your screenplay:
]]>As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises to perform, if you’re keen to either get some practise, or need some motivations to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for plenty of other people.
This week, it’s time to push yourself to the limits…
Search the web for photos. There are lots of sites that showcase a variety of photographic work. Find a photo of an interesting or odd-looking person.
Select one situation/set-up/ circumstance from each of the following three lists:
List One
(a) At a high profile reception for a VIP you’ve been dying to meet
(b) At a funeral home
(c) In a public restroom or toilet
(d) Backstage in a large lecture hall or conference room before you are scheduled to speak at a meeting crucial to your career
Now you have a location. Next, write a scene in which the person in the photo approaches you.
This person makes a confession to you.
List Two
(a) Has wrecked your car
(b) Is having an affair with your father
(c) Reports that you are fired from your job
(d) Has accidentally killed your beloved pet
Quickly describe the scene, describe your reaction and write the conversation between you.
In the middle of the conversation, someone else arrives and insists that:
List Three
(a) You are a thief and are about to be arrested
(b) You are a long-lost relative
(c) You are infected with a highly contagious virus
(d) Your name was just drawn and you won a fabulous prize but you must go and collect it immediately!
Finish the now three-way conversation. What happens? Write as quickly as you can.
It is helpful to put a character off balance when creating conflict.
Forced conversations inappropriate for the setting help to do that. So does more than one urgent or unsettling matter competing for the character’s attention.
Reversals in tone that take a scene from comic to tragic are also very effective.
Make conflict fresh and lively by finding ways to keep your main character disturbed and forced out of his or her comfort zone.
Make a list of ways to push your character into uncomfortable or panic inducing situations.
Make a list of comic, crazy, disturbing, odd or uncomfortable confrontations for your character.
Lord of the Rings is all about characters being forced out of their comfort zone. There’s a lot that writers can learn from the screenplays for the trilogy:
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, it’s time to see what you’re really made of…
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises to perform, if you’re keen to either get some practise, or need some motivations to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for plenty of other people.
This week, it’s time to put the past behind you…
Imagine walking down a street and seeing a billboard that has your name on it. Underneath your name it says, “Please forgive me.”
Someone who has hurt you deeply has signed the message. Who is that person? What would you have to do in order to forgive this person?
Don’t write down what the other person would have to do. Write down what you would have to do.
Forgiveness is an action. It is not an emotion.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean that what happened was okay, justified or explainable.
Forgiveness means letting go of the ill will and festering anger or resentment toward something or someone in the past.
In order to forgive we have to see the situation as a whole, and not just from our wounded perspective. What would you have to do to be more objective about what happened?
What would you have to do to rise above your hurt and see the situation more expansively or more completely. List these actions and observations.
Rarely is someone entirely blameless in a situation. How was your mere proximity a contributing factor? How did your just being there complicate or trigger something for the one who hurt you? How did your presence or actions ignite the other person’s fear?
Remember, fear is not rational. It may not have been reasonable that you ignited the person’s fear. Fear is not reasonable.
Fear causes people to make trouble and act against everyone’s best interests. Fear draws people down toward their Dark Side. Fear makes people feel weak. Fear makes people act on their worst instincts.
What would you have to do to understand the effect of the other person’s fear in the situation?
List these actions and observations about the other person’s fear and write about their responses.
Forgiveness also requires that we remember and cherish the positive and let go of the rest.
Dig deep. What about the relationship or situation was most positive? Even if the relationship or situation was overwhelmingly bad, there must be one tiny moment that was positive. Find that one glimmer of human connection.
What was of most value about the person or the relationship? Only people we value have the power to hurt us emotionally. What about the person was good or potentially good. What did you value in them. List these qualities.
The last piece of the puzzle is making some kind of generous communication.
This doesn’t mean writing a letter that outlines your grievance, assigns blame to the other person and says, “I forgive you.”
Forgiveness means telling the person how much they meant to you and wishing them well in their lives. It means relinquishing your hurt feelings and replacing them with a generosity of spirit.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean putting up with abuse or a toxic relationship. It means closing a chapter of the past, moving forward and not wishing the other person harm or ill.
Hate is not the opposite of love. Hate is a continuing passionate connection with someone. Forgiving the person who hurt you severs that passionate but toxic connection once and for all.
The best definition of a lack of forgiveness is: Drinking a glass of poison and waiting for the other person to die. Bitterness, resentment or ill will only poisons the one who holds onto it and drinks from it.
Again, it bears repeating: Forgiveness is an action. It is not an emotion.
Forgiveness does not mean that what happened was okay, excusable or acceptable.
Forgiveness means letting go of ill will and festering resentment about a past circumstance, situation or person you cannot change.
How hard would it be for you to forgive the person who hurt you? What are the obstacles to your forgiveness?
Write about your situation and your obstacles for forgiveness. Explore this issue as thoroughly and completely as you can. Be as specific as you can.
Next, do this exercise for your character. Who does your character need to forgive? Write down what your character would have to do. Go through the above process for your character.
Make forgiveness as hard on your character as it would be on you. Write an action list for your character.
Can your character forgive? If not, how does this lack of forgiveness poison his or her life?
Whilst not directly about forgiveness, it is important to remember that emotional disconnect can damage your film both on the page and in front of the camera:
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, we’ll be getting uncomfortable…
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
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This year’s frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars, The Shape of Water, is released in UK cinemas today. Though I’m yet to see it, I’ve heard nothing but good things about this unconventional love story, directed by Guillermo Del Toro.
Del Toro is well known for his love of movie monsters, and since his films feature so many fantastical creatures, he always does his best to make sure they evoke sympathy. His Monsters are often more human than the other characters in his films. It’s a trick he learned from classics like King Kong and Frankenstein. In yet another excellent video essay from Patrick H Willems, whose work we’ve shared here before, this underappreciated form of characterization is covered in more detail:
Even if your “monster” is more like the Xenomorph from the Alien movies, and less of a sympathy-evoking character like the Fishman in The Shape of Water, it’s important to treat your otherworldly antagonist with the same amount of respect you’d give a human antagonist.
If you’re on Pinterest, why not follow my Pinterest board full of useful writing advice? It will be updated weekly, so you can keep track if you ever need an excellent video essay or some relevant advice about problems you are facing. You can always drop me a line at [email protected] with the subject “Ask Laurie” and I will do my best to answer it. I might even include it in an upcoming edition of Writing Advice Wednesday!
]]>As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises need a jump start for new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked a variety of writers
This week, it’s time to think visually!
Does your story have a powerful central image? What picture sums up your story in a single frame? Do you have a visual theme that recurs throughout your screenplay?
It is a good idea to analyze the images in your story. Do they have a consistent motif? How do the images reflect or symbolize the interior action or theme of the story?
How can you use these images to build richer, more interesting detail into your story? How can you use these images to strengthen the visual events in each of your scenes?
For example, in The Terminator, the central visual theme is man vs. machine.
The story opens with machines hunting down humans in the future. Next, we see an image of a large machine in the present and the Terminator materializes nearby. Then the Terminator confiscates and roars off on a huge motorcycle he steals from a biker in a bar.
This theme of man vs. machine plays out through the story.
The main character’s roommate is killed because she is hooked up to a machine (listening to a Walkman) and doesn’t hear the Terminator entering the house.
The Terminator discovers the main character’s whereabouts by a message left on an answering machine.
In the end, a giant stamping machine kills the Terminator.
All these story events add to and reinforce the story’s visual theme.
Can you find a powerful central image in your film? A unified visual motif is much more powerful than a variety of unrelated images.
Find a central image and make a mini poster to remind yourself of your visual theme.
Find ways to use a variation on your visual theme in all the choices, objects and details of your story.
When you think of visuals, think about how they become a part of your screenplay well beyond the page. Director Edgar Wright certainly does!
Just press play as below. This is a brilliant video essay worth checking out)
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, it’s time to take responsibility…
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
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As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises to perform, if you’re keen to either get some practise, or need some motivations to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for plenty of other people.
This week, it’s time to put stop writing and start reading!
Viewing a movie is vastly different than reading a script. If you aren’t in the habit of collecting and studying screenplays, cultivate that habit now. You will gain a wealth of useful and practical knowledge from reading good scripts.
Learn what keeps you eagerly turning the pages and anxious to learn what happens next.
Discover how other writers develop a sense of place and time.
Absorb the different ways conflict is generated.
Notice how character is constructed and maintained on the page.
See how another writer builds pace and rhythm in a story.
Most bookstores have a section on film. Many contemporary screenplays are now published in book form. Be careful, however, some of the scripts published in books are not in the proper form for submission or production. They are formatted to fit conveniently or attractively within the pages of a book.
You can also find a number of scripts online. The following sites offer downloads of produced screenplays for educational purposes. Most of these sites link to other databases so you may find duplications among them. There are a wide variety of scripts to download.
Drew’s Script-o-rama is one of first sites to offer scripts to download. It has a very comprehensive listing.
Script Crawler is the largest online source of scripts from produced movies. Many titles feature several different drafts of a script.
Simply Scripts offers scripts for movies, television shows, anime, radio plays, musicals and stage plays.
Internet Script Database is another good source.
Screenplay 451 is a Danish site that provides frequent updates of scripts from recent movie releases.
The best way to study a screenplay is to retype it, page by page.
Purchase or download a favorite script.
View the film (starting and stopping it) as you retype the script.
This seems like a very tedious assignment but it will yield gold to repay your patience and diligence.
There is simply no better way to understand how a screenplay is put together. It is time well spent and will elevate your understanding and appreciation of structure and craft.
You can break this assignment into three pieces. Type the first act. Type the second act. Type the third act.
As you retype the film you will immerse yourself in the story and will put yourself in the original writer’s frame of mind.
Here’s a resource for more free screenplays:
http://www.indiewire.com/2017/10/screenplays-download-free-eternal-sunshine-lost-in-translation-1201889074/
A brilliant recent screenplay was the adaptation of Arrival (a better Dennis Villeneuve film than Blade Runner 2049)
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, it’s time to look around you…
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises to perform, if you’re keen to either get some practise, or need some motivations to start a new script or novel. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for plenty of other people.
This week, it’s time to put some finish touches to your outline…
Review your notes one last time. (I promise, this is the last time!) Put the finishing touches on your outline.
Does your Act One have two major sequences?
These should show:
Each sequence should have six to eight scenes. The final scene in Act One is a mini-climax, after which your main character cannot retreat and cannot go back.
He or she is compelled to move forward into the second act and deeper into the story.
Does your Act Two have four major sequences? These sequences should show:
1) An action that demonstrates how your character has changed in pursuit of the want or physical goal
2) An action that shows how your character seizes the initiative and comes closer to the want or goal
3) An action that shows how your character is caught in a struggle between the want and the need
4) An action that shows how your character surrenders the want and embraces the need; or, if the story is a tragedy, obtains the want and surrenders the need
Each of the sequences in the second act should have six to eight scenes, each building to a sequence mini- climax.
At the end of both sequences there should be a major turning point:
1) By the end of the second sequence in the second act, your character has stepped forward and takes command of the story
2) After the final scene in the second act, your character has lost what he or she wants, and is at the lowest point possible. Or he or she has obtained the want and finds it empty, hollow or too expensive emotionally to bear. This is the climax of Act Two.
Does your Act Three have one sequence of about seven to nine scenes? Is your final act short, punchy and powerful?
Does the act build to a compelling active crescendo?
In the third act your character embraces the need, finds new courage, finally faces his or her deepest fear and vanquishes the antagonist. Or your main character wins a moral victory.
Sometimes, after embracing the need the character gets the want in a comedic turn- around.
Or, If the story is a tragedy, your character succumbs to the fear and falls decisively to the Dark Side (becoming as bad as or worse than the antagonist) and the story ends in tragedy.
As you finish this week’s assignment you will have finished and polished your outline. Congratulations!
When you think about a crescendo, think beyond the page to how a director will stage your script:
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, it’s time to read something else…
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie
As well as a relevant video essay I’ve found, I’ll be giving you writing exercises that might help kickstart your writinig process. It’s exercises like this that form part of my One Hour Screenwriter course, which will help you write an entire feature film script in 22 weeks. You can purchase it at the shop here. You can also read testimonies here that show my methods have worked for a variety of writers.
This week, it’s time to take put an end to things…
Remember two or three of your all-time favorite films. How did they end? What happened? What was at risk? Who was chasing whom? Why? What was the action like? What happened in the climax? What was the final resolution?
From memory jot down the ending, step-by-step, of two or three films you really enjoyed. Write as quickly as possible and with as much detail as possible.
Now, look at each of those films. Stop and start the last 15 to 20 minutes of each film as you study it carefully.
Write down step-by-step exactly what happened in the final 15 to 20 minutes of each story.
Did the action in the ending of each film match your memory of it? Where did your memory and the actual film differ?
Stop and start the film as you make a list of each action, reaction, and consequence.
How is each scene in the film a chase scene? Who wants what in each scene? Who is blocking whom? How are the characters’ values in conflict in each scene?
What did you learn? How are the endings of the various films similar? How are they different? What makes these endings exciting, thrilling, surprising or suspenseful?
How are the stakes raised at the end of each film? What makes each ending memorable?
How is the character at risk emotionally, physically, spiritually or financially? What is the final sacrifice made? What price does the main character pay? How is the ending resolved quickly?
Now, look at the ending of your screenplay. Can you apply any of the lessons? How can you make your ending more vivid and alive?
Can you raise the stakes? Can you make your main character struggle harder? Can you make the obstacles more interesting and unexpected?
Are there possible alternative endings to your story? Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore. Nothing is set in stone right now.
Give yourself the freedom to change your mind or to try something that leads you in a new direction.
Do some additional stream of consciousness writing about the end of your film.
Patrick Willems loves his favorite film for a unique reason- it’s about nothing!
Let me know what you think of this week’s writing exercise by emailing me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you as we go forward with more of these writing exercises. Next week, it’s time to finish your outline!
Until then, remember- all you need to do is Get Started and Keep Going!
– Laurie