Читать книгу Mind Your Business - Michele Wallerstein - Страница 11

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES 2

There are many reasons people believe that they can become, or already are, writers. Sometimes their friends and/or relatives tell them that they are great storytellers. Perhaps they are avid readers, or they love movies or television. There are those who feel they have an important story to tell, and many, many people believe that writing is an easy gig that brings in lots of money.

Then there are all of those who go to the movies or watch television and say to themselves and anyone else who will listen, “I can write better than ‘that’.” They may write to entertain themselves and others. They write to make money, or they write because they have ideas that they feel they must share. They write to express their feelings or to hide them. The reasons go on for miles.

Whatever the impetus, the result is the same: All writers want to share their stories with others. Writers want their stories to be seen, read, or heard. Accomplishing that goal can be a great challenge. Choosing your medium is crucial. Trying to make up your mind whether to tell your story as a novel, TV sitcom, or drama, or as a screenplay, short story, poem, or a play will be one of your most important life decisions. I've often read projects that were in the wrong medium, and thus failed to see the light of day.

The expression, “Follow your gut,” applies to the type of writing you choose as well as the business aspects of your creative life. With that said I must advise you to try different types of writing to find your comfort level.

Your first big surprise will be that you cannot simply sit down and write a great script. No one can and that's the truth. Believe it. I know that you want to argue with me on this, but don't. Even if you have a great story or wonderful action sequences, your first script is practice. You will need to see if you can figure out the three-act structure, and if your characters are flat or alive. You will need to learn the difference between a good plot and a humdrum one. There are a multitude of things you will need to learn about the narrative process before you begin to put words on paper.

You will need to acquire a great deal of knowledge about form and substance, and about style and imagery, before you even begin to write that first script. You will need to learn how so many things that comprise a great screenplay must fall together to make it work. You can do this by attending film school, taking individual classes and lots of writing seminars, and learning from all of those kind and patient professional writers who might be willing to spend their time with you. Film schools can give you a head start on the process, as will many writing seminars, books, and CDs. Just be sure these courses are given by people who are excellent in their fields. If you are going to use a consultant, check out his or her qualifications thoroughly. There are many great books and videos on the subject of screenwriting and even great screenwriting magazines. Read, research, and study everything you can get your hands on.

Subscribe to good writers’ magazines like Creative Screenwriting; go to the The Writer's Store in Westwood if you are lucky enough to live in or near the Los Angeles area. Go online and get information about other magazines and writers’ books. There are zillions of them. Go to every lecture and seminar that you can get to. Listen, ask questions and learn, learn, learn.

Okay, now, let's say you've decided to write a screenplay. It's time to proceed to the next step: writing your first script. This is a monumental task.

First you need to find a story that:

a. you want to tell;

b. has not already been told in exactly this way;

c. has an enormous amount of people all over the world who will be interested in seeing it (not just your relatives);

d. is a story about which you know something; and

e. is a story that has some truth and underlying meaning to it.

Not as easy as you thought, right? Let's keep going.

Now that you have an idea (story) and some characters in your mind that will make the story work, you may begin. The process will be much slower than you thought it would be. You might find that the characters don't seem to make sense, the pacing may seem all wrong, the comedy (or drama) falls flat, and you will forget why you thought this was such a good idea in the first place. Don't let those things stop you. Writing involves a great deal of rewriting and a great deal of thought. Continue with the work until the screenplay is complete; then put it down for two weeks, pick it up, and read it straight through. Whether you hate it or think that it's the best writing in the world, now rewrite it again and then again.

After all of this time-consuming work, once you feel that you have completed this first, fabulous script, you need to acknowledge to yourself that this was just a learning process. Your first script should probably never see the light of day. You may want to have a close family member read it, but that's all, no one else. No one writes a great first script – but don't let it deter you from moving forward. If you can't follow this advice you may want to give it to a professional screenplay consultant (script doctor) who will be able to judge the work in a constructive way.

If you are serious about being a screenwriter, start your second script right away. I promise that it will be much better than the first one. As a screenplay consultant I watch my clients improve their writing with each new draft, after receiving my notes. When you are close to a project it is often difficult to see it objectively.

The most successful writer I ever represented as an agent came to me after having written eighteen original screenplays and three novels. He said, “The first eighteen were awful. I'll never show them to anyone.” The screenplay that he did give me was wonderful and I sold it to Disney Studios within a month for $750,000. That was the beginning of a young writer's career that was like riding a rocket.

It may not be necessary for you to write eighteen screenplays, but my point is that it takes a lot of time, practice, and dedication to become a good writer.

I cannot explain to you about “creative juices” “writer's block” “down time,” “being dry,” or “being on a roll.” You will feel them, or not. This is a field of dedication and self-motivation. It's up to you to sit down and do the work. There is no glamour when you are alone in a room with a computer and silence. The glamour, excitement, and big bucks come later after you have learned your craft and made that first and second sale.

You need tenacity to make it as a writer. There is no other way to become successful in this field than to hang in and continue to write and write and write.

Something must take place in your mind, heart, and brain if you are to become a great writer. You need the combination of your life experiences, daydreams, imaginings, and hopes. You will need to call upon your moments of despair and elation as well as all of the emotions you have felt throughout your life. It will help to remember the conflicts and feelings of people you know as well as your own. All of these events will give life to the characters that you create, make them real, and make them resonate with truth. Even wacky comedies and horror pictures need to have some underlying meaning to them to make them special enough to produce.

I also recommend that you get out of the house and experience life as much as possible. Travel, meet people, and see new sights and cities. Taste new foods, hear new music — use these resources for your work. The knowledge you will gain will make a tremendous difference between you and others who wish to be writers. Great scripts have honesty in their characters. The all-important character arc and the theme of your piece must speak to the human condition. This will set you apart from the average new writer.

Okay, now you've taken those classes, learned the basics, purchased the proper computer and screenplay-formatting program, and you have finished your first screenplay. It's time to look within yourself to see whether this is still the career that you choose. If it is, then it is time to go back and do it again.

When you begin your next script, you will have so much more to give it than that first one or second one. I believe that if you have chosen a genre that you love, you should write the next one in that same genre. Conversely, if that first genre wasn't a good fit, then try another. To perfect your area you need to keep going until you find it. Whatever genre you feel comfortable with is the one you need to work on again.

EXERCISES

1. Write a one-act play.

2. Using the same plot, write it as a short story.

3. Use that idea as the basis for a screenplay.

4. Rewrite that screenplay three times.

5. Buy a book on screenwriting and read it twice.

6. Work out five to ten different story ideas for your next projects.

7. Sign up to hear a professional writer speak.