Any writers?

[CLPM]

Yo,

 

I'm aspiring to be a professional screenwriter/director or novelist. I love creating realities and stories that are close to my heart.

 

Who else is with me?

 

Anyone here write? Like creating stories?

[starhawk]

Yo,

 

I'm aspiring to be a professional screenwriter/director or novelist. I love creating realities and stories that are close to my heart.

 

Who else is with me?

 

Anyone here write? Like creating stories?

umm that is how i make a living. It gives me a headache.

[Encephalon]

That is how I am trying to make a living and it already gives me a headache.

[Cat Pillar]

I wanted to be a novelist when I was kid. Spent all my free time writing in class...even got in trouble for it a couple of times.

 

Gave it up because I ended up hating everything I wrote.

[Encephalon]

Yo,

 

I'm aspiring to be a professional screenwriter/director or novelist. I love creating realities and stories that are close to my heart.

 

Who else is with me?

 

Anyone here write? Like creating stories?

 

I guess you've already discovered that there's an entire industry devoted to publishing books on how to write screenplays. got any favorites?

 

I love my copy of "The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters" by Karl Iglesias. It's NOT a how-to book, but a look into the actual day-to-day lifestyle of a Hollywood writers. If your answer to "A day in the life of a Taobum" post differs substantially from what these writers do with their day, then there are serious course corrections to be made.

 

How do you organize your 4 hours of daily writing time? Cheers.

[ATMA]

LeonBasin. He writes.

 

 

Also the best book on screenwriting I've read is called 'The way of the screenwriter' I highly recommend it.

I've written a feature length script. Finished the second draft.

I entered the bluecat screenwriting competition and didn't win the 50 grand.

 

Ommmmmmm.

[suninmyeyes]

I am writing a story these days and me and my mate are cocreating an off beat graphic novel/story .

I am enjoying it and doing it becouse she suggested it and it sounded like fun , but my heart and mind is mostly in spiritual really so I am being very slow with writing . Got dictaphone now , so that is new fatser way of recording ideas.

Edited December 9, 2011 by suninmyeyes

[Encephalon]

LeonBasin. He writes.

 

 

Also the best book on screenwriting I've read is called 'The way of the screenwriter' I highly recommend it.

I've written a feature length script. Finished the second draft.

I entered the bluecat screenwriting competition and didn't win the 50 grand.

 

Ommmmmmm.

 

I think I'll take your advice and get a copy from Amazon for $5. The Table of Contents looks a lot like Michael Hague's formula, with "The Way" as an emphasis.

I just inherited 100 screenplays from my ex-girlfriend, who decided to move back to Maharishi University without them, so I'm trying to discipline my reading campaign and include 2 screenplays a week.

 

I have found my nei kung/meditation practice has deepened my imagination and visualization abilities so i think this will pay off in the writing department. My greatest burden - STILL! - is actually sitting down and writing and being sure to separate writing from editing.

 

Always on the lookout for websites where we can download script pdfs. Let me know if you find them? They come and go fast.

Thanks/

[DalTheJigsaw123]

I write a little bit.

 

http://www.leonbasin.net

 

If you care to check it out.

I have written half screen plays, short-stories, poetry and currently working on a novel.

Acted in a few films too.

[DalTheJigsaw123]

LeonBasin. He writes.

 

 

Also the best book on screenwriting I've read is called 'The way of the screenwriter' I highly recommend it.

I've written a feature length script. Finished the second draft.

I entered the bluecat screenwriting competition and didn't win the 50 grand.

 

Ommmmmmm.

 

Thanks for that!

[DalTheJigsaw123]

I think I'll take your advice and get a copy from Amazon for $5. The Table of Contents looks a lot like Michael Hague's formula, with "The Way" as an emphasis.

I just inherited 100 screenplays from my ex-girlfriend, who decided to move back to Maharishi University without them, so I'm trying to discipline my reading campaign and include 2 screenplays a week.

 

I have found my nei kung/meditation practice has deepened my imagination and visualization abilities so i think this will pay off in the writing department. My greatest burden - STILL! - is actually sitting down and writing and being sure to separate writing from editing.

 

Always on the lookout for websites where we can download script pdfs. Let me know if you find them? They come and go fast.

Thanks/

 

Check out Scribd.com and 4shared.com and then google is your other friend.:0)

[thelerner]

I write a bit. I have some stories in my Personal Discussion site here. I have a couple of Threads there, its the Misc Stories one. On Meetup.com I found a local writers group that meets up every week to review and write short stories based on prompts. Its a lot of fun, much like doing improve.

 

She's not on the bums much anymore but one old member, Yael has become a professional writer. Making a living writing is quite a challenge. I know a few people who have had there books published and unless you're a star in the field, there's not much money in it.

 

So to some extent you have to do it for the love of it. I recommend An Artists Way by Julia Cameron. She sees writing as almost a religious calling.

[Encephalon]

I write a bit. I have some stories in my Personal Discussion site here. I have a couple of Threads there, its the Misc Stories one. On Meetup.com I found a local writers group that meets up every week to review and write short stories based on prompts. Its a lot of fun, much like doing improve.

 

She's not on the bums much anymore but one old member, Yael has become a professional writer. Making a living writing is quite a challenge. I know a few people who have had there books published and unless you're a star in the field, there's not much money in it.

 

So to some extent you have to do it for the love of it. I recommend An Artists Way by Julia Cameron. She sees writing as almost a religious calling.

 

I've heard it said repeatedly by published authors and many screenwriters that doing it for any reason other than for the love of it is a recipe for failure. I am heartened by two realities; one, that the film industry is desperate for good stores (which explains why so much crap gets produced), and two, the world is brimming with people talented enough to make their living as writers, but most simply don't finish their projects. As an alkie, pud-whacking procrastinator I sure do understand that. But, I live in LA, have all the time and resources I need, and a critical impulse to transmute a useless social science degree into a dozen marketable stories, so I guess I'm fortunate.

 

I've heard it said that our job is to decipher our gifts, turn our gifts into skills, and work like hell to turn those skills loose on your goals.

 

I sure wish someone could've told me 30 years ago that I'd be a terrific sheetmetal mechanic. This aspiring artist shit is a lot of work, and risky too.

 

I do wanna make some cash, though.

[CLPM]

I haven't read many books. Just enough to know the basics.

 

I think the most important thing for any writer is life experience, because writing without life experience is like writing without ink. Unfortunately I don't have too much of that .

 

Looking for a break into the film industry here I can hopefully pitch a few scripts. Struggles though, because the films I love aren't really made too much anymore.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

 

I sure wish someone could've told me 30 years ago that I'd be a terrific sheetmetal mechanic. This aspiring artist shit is a lot of work, and risky too.

 

 

 

Making a living involving anything to do with metal is a life to be avoided.

[Sloppy Zhang]

I'm told, from the novelist perspective, that writing to get money is not a good idea, because even if you get published, that ain't a guarantee. Stores like Barnes and Noble, when they pick up books, have to buy the same books for ALL of their stores. So if your book is a regional story or something like that, or only has a niche market that isn't going to do well nationwide, you might not get picked up. The upside is that if you do get picked up, your book is instantly everywhere that the store is!!!

 

 

As for screenwriting, this is what a teacher in high school told be about it:

 

There are two ways to go about writing something- you can write something that's never been done before, or you can write something that's been done before. The reason why so many crappy movies get made with the same characters and predictable plots is because they are guaranteed sellers. They're going to get at least a certain amount of money no matter what. Of course, the trap with that kind of thinking is eventually it's going to get stale. But hey, who's thinking about that?

 

If you do something new and off beat, you're probably going to be more likely to be picked up by an indie production group. Of course, that means less money, so your idea better be cheap to produce

 

 

Anyway, I went in to college and took several writing classes, as I wanted to be a writer. Still have good ideas and jot them down every once in a while, but I don't work on projects like I used to.

 

It really is a craft. There is such a thing as good writing. A great story written poorly is just a tragedy. My advice is to learn how to write.

 

One of my professors told me she had a friend who worked at a publishing company in New York. The woman would read novel subscription on her iPad on her way home from work in the train. Which means that if your story isn't good enough to keep someone's attention when their attention is already divided between reading+train+end of the day+ could be surfing other websites, you've already got yourself in a hole.

 

I try to have that framework in mind when I write. Which goes back to the writing as a craft idea- you've got to build it, literally word for word, all the way up. Each word has to hook your reader and keep them following your story. As soon as you detach them, you're running the risk that you'll just get rejected.

 

 

But I think like encephalon put it, a lot of people just quit. It really is work. Sometimes it's not the one with the best story that's successful- it's the person with the FINISHED story out there. Twilight sucked, but it was a finished product that could be marketed towards a target audience.

 

 

Basically:

 

1) Learn to write

2) Learn who you're writing for

3) Know how to market your shit

Edited December 12, 2011 by Sloppy Zhang

[Encephalon]

I'm told, from the novelist perspective, that writing to get money is not a good idea, because even if you get published, that ain't a guarantee. Stores like Barnes and Noble, when they pick up books, have to buy the same books for ALL of their stores. So if your book is a regional story or something like that, or only has a niche market that isn't going to do well nationwide, you might not get picked up. The upside is that if you do get picked up, your book is instantly everywhere that the store is!!!

 

 

As for screenwriting, this is what a teacher in high school told be about it:

 

There are two ways to go about writing something- you can write something that's never been done before, or you can write something that's been done before. The reason why so many crappy movies get made with the same characters and predictable plots is because they are guaranteed sellers. They're going to get at least a certain amount of money no matter what. Of course, the trap with that kind of thinking is eventually it's going to get stale. But hey, who's thinking about that?

 

If you do something new and off beat, you're probably going to be more likely to be picked up by an indie production group. Of course, that means less money, so your idea better be cheap to produce

 

 

Anyway, I went in to college and took several writing classes, as I wanted to be a writer. Still have good ideas and jot them down every once in a while, but I don't work on projects like I used to.

 

It really is a craft. There is such a thing as good writing. A great story written poorly is just a tragedy. My advice is to learn how to write.

 

One of my professors told me she had a friend who worked at a publishing company in New York. The woman would read novel subscription on her iPad on her way home from work in the train. Which means that if your story isn't good enough to keep someone's attention when their attention is already divided between reading+train+end of the day+ could be surfing other websites, you've already got yourself in a hole.

 

I try to have that framework in mind when I write. Which goes back to the writing as a craft idea- you've got to build it, literally word for word, all the way up. Each word has to hook your reader and keep them following your story. As soon as you detach them, you're running the risk that you'll just get rejected.

 

 

But I think like encephalon put it, a lot of people just quit. It really is work. Sometimes it's not the one with the best story that's successful- it's the person with the FINISHED story out there. Twilight sucked, but it was a finished product that could be marketed towards a target audience.

 

 

Basically:

 

1) Learn to write

2) Learn who you're writing for

3) Know how to market your shit

 

In the world of Hollywood screenwriting, getting your script past the reader is a tremendous hurdle, because there are so many of them out there. "I read (the script)to the first typo," is how one script exec put it. They're basically looking for a reason to put it down and pick another one off the pile.

 

Here's my library of How-To screenwriting books. I'm not buying anymore, now that I think about it, except for possibly the one aforementioned.

 

Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 ways to make it great willian akers ******

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters Kar Iglesias ******

Writing Screenplays That Sell Michael Hauge ****

The Screenwriter's Workbook by syd Field *****

Story by Robert McKee *****

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell ***

Writing Treatments that Sell by Atchity and Wong ****

How NOT to Write a Screenplay by denny Flinn ***

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson scott card **

Building Believeable Characters by Marc McCutcheon ***

The Writers Journey by Chris Vogler ******

Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell *****

The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons: Buddhist Themes in Modern Fantasy by David Loy and Linda Goodhew (I'm reading this now- my favorite contemporary Buddhist scholar)

Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help us find ourselves and transform Our World by Carol Pearson *****

Book on CD- The Heroes 2 Journeys" Live workshop by Michael Hauge and Chris Vogler *****

Book on CD- "Screenwriting For Hollywood" workshop by Michael Hauge *****

 

I really dug the archetype analysis. The message of Vogler (who formulated Campbell's material for screenwriters), and Pearson is that if you can identify the archetype of each main character in your story, your characters will be strong and authentic. Vogler also does a magnificent job of describing what makes a story worth telling.

[Encephalon]

I'm told, from the novelist perspective, that writing to get money is not a good idea, because even if you get published, that ain't a guarantee. Stores like Barnes and Noble, when they pick up books, have to buy the same books for ALL of their stores. So if your book is a regional story or something like that, or only has a niche market that isn't going to do well nationwide, you might not get picked up. The upside is that if you do get picked up, your book is instantly everywhere that the store is!!!

 

 

As for screenwriting, this is what a teacher in high school told be about it:

 

There are two ways to go about writing something- you can write something that's never been done before, or you can write something that's been done before. The reason why so many crappy movies get made with the same characters and predictable plots is because they are guaranteed sellers. They're going to get at least a certain amount of money no matter what. Of course, the trap with that kind of thinking is eventually it's going to get stale. But hey, who's thinking about that?

 

If you do something new and off beat, you're probably going to be more likely to be picked up by an indie production group. Of course, that means less money, so your idea better be cheap to produce

 

 

Anyway, I went in to college and took several writing classes, as I wanted to be a writer. Still have good ideas and jot them down every once in a while, but I don't work on projects like I used to.

 

It really is a craft. There is such a thing as good writing. A great story written poorly is just a tragedy. My advice is to learn how to write.

 

One of my professors told me she had a friend who worked at a publishing company in New York. The woman would read novel subscription on her iPad on her way home from work in the train. Which means that if your story isn't good enough to keep someone's attention when their attention is already divided between reading+train+end of the day+ could be surfing other websites, you've already got yourself in a hole.

 

I try to have that framework in mind when I write. Which goes back to the writing as a craft idea- you've got to build it, literally word for word, all the way up. Each word has to hook your reader and keep them following your story. As soon as you detach them, you're running the risk that you'll just get rejected.

 

 

But I think like encephalon put it, a lot of people just quit. It really is work. Sometimes it's not the one with the best story that's successful- it's the person with the FINISHED story out there. Twilight sucked, but it was a finished product that could be marketed towards a target audience.

 

 

Basically:

 

1) Learn to write

2) Learn who you're writing for

3) Know how to market your shit

 

In the world of Hollywood screenwriting, getting your script past the reader is a tremendous hurdle, because there are so many of them out there. "I read (the script)to the first typo," is how one script exec put it. They're basically looking for a reason to put it down and pick another one off the pile.

 

Here's my library of How-To screenwriting books. I'm not buying anymore, now that I think about it, except for possibly the one aforementioned.

 

Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 ways to make it great willian akers ******

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters Kar Iglesias ******

Writing Screenplays That Sell Michael Hauge ****

The Screenwriter's Workbook by syd Field *****

Story by Robert McKee *****

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell ***

Writing Treatments that Sell by Atchity and Wong ****

How NOT to Write a Screenplay by denny Flinn ***

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson scott card **

Building Believeable Characters by Marc McCutcheon ***

The Writers Journey by Chris Vogler ******

Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell *****

The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons: Buddhist Themes in Modern Fantasy by David Loy and Linda Goodhew (I'm reading this now- my favorite contemporary Buddhist scholar)

Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help us find ourselves and transform Our World by Carol Pearson *****

Book on CD- The Heroes 2 Journeys" Live workshop by Michael Hauge and Chris Vogler *****

Book on CD- "Screenwriting For Hollywood" workshop by Michael Hauge *****

 

I really dug the archetype analysis. The message of Vogler (who formulated Campbell's material for screenwriters), and Pearson is that if you can identify the archetype of each main character in your story, your characters will be strong and authentic. Vogler also does a magnificent job of describing what makes a story worth telling.

[DalTheJigsaw123]

Making a living involving anything to do with metal is a life to be avoided.

 

That was great!

[Everything]

Yo,

 

I'm aspiring to be a professional screenwriter/director or novelist. I love creating realities and stories that are close to my heart.

 

Who else is with me?

 

Anyone here write? Like creating stories?

Don't put such a small expactation on the outcome of following your passion. screenwriter/director or novelist is a spoken word that has its definition constantly changing. You cannot chase after such an illusion, it will lead nowhere. Allow this life to suprise you and feel gratitude for the mystery of what the future holds for you. Follow your passion in the moment, not in the future. Only from the present moment will you realize the present moment you desire it to be. Everything you possibly need and want will come to you. If you feel the passion to write a story right now, then do so.

 

You already are professional screenwriter/director or novelist if you choose to believe so. The more you allow yourself to be who you are as you believe it and go with the flow, the quicker this believe will become self-sustaining. Up to a point where you can hardly change the fact that you are a screenwriter/director or novelist. Do you really want to be a professional screenwriter/director or novelist? If so, then why do you not choose to be one right now? What is stopping you from doing this?

 

As I said, I don't think people want to be a "professional something". People want to serve humanity most of all. You want to write stories and share your imagination with the people of this world. Everything you need to do that will come you if you allow yourself to do it. Even if it might seem like you're taking a long road, it will actually be a shortcut that strengthens your feet. Allow yourself to be suprised and not put such detailed and abstract expactations on your future. Your conscious mind is not designed to endure such a horrible stress of working out all the details for creating the future exactly the way you want it to be. If you allow life to suprise you, you will find that the way it did came to you is equal if not much better then your limited expectations of the future.

 

It matters not if you become an astronaut or a baker. Those circumstances don't describe you, you describe them

Edited December 12, 2011 by Everything

[CLPM]

As I said, I don't think people want to be a "professional something". People want to serve humanity most of all. You want to write stories and share your imagination with the people of this world. Everything you need to do that will come you if you allow yourself to do it. Even if it might seem like you're taking a long road, it will actually be a shortcut that strengthens your feet. Allow yourself to be suprised and not put such detailed and abstract expactations on your future. Your conscious mind is not designed to endure such a horrible stress of working out all the details for creating the future exactly the way you want it to be. If you allow life to suprise you, you will find that the way it did came to you is equal if not much better then your limited expectations of the future.

 

This really moved me.

 

I can't explain why, it just did. Writing or 'art' has always been about showing my visions and my realities to people so they could be moved too.

 

We tend to take the pleasure away from the moment all too often.

 

Do you really want to be a professional screenwriter/director or novelist? If so, then why do you not choose to be one right now? What is stopping you from doing this?

 

This I can answer. I can't be a director now because I don't have the funds to buy my own camera, let alone fund a film. And nobody is going to provide funds to an unproven 19 year old. In this aspect, it takes time to be recognised by others. That is the sad truth.

Edited December 12, 2011 by CLPM

[Encephalon]

This really moved me.

 

I can't explain why, it just did. Writing or 'art' has always been about showing my visions and my realities to people so they could be moved too.

 

We tend to take the pleasure away from the moment all too often.

 

This I can answer. I can't be a director now because I don't have the funds to buy my own camera, let alone fund a film. And nobody is going to provide funds to an unproven 19 year old. In this aspect, it takes time to be recognised by others. That is the sad truth.

 

I would invite you to examine whether this truth is a truly sad one. All the successful people in the entertainment industry, from top screenwriters to directors, took at least a decade, and closer to two, to get where they are. Before that they were banging out educations, waiting on tables, working on student film projects, etc. Small incremental steps toward the goal is the path to mastery of any art form. At 19, you've got all the time in the world (a full-scale European financial meltdown notwithstanding!).

 

I guess as an Englishman you're familiar with the life of Scotsman William Wallace. did you see and like the movie "Braveheart"? If you did, I will happily mail you my copy of the screenplay.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I picked up Screenwriting From the Soul: Letters to an Aspiring Screenwriter about a year ago and it made me want to write a screen play. I came up with a basic premise and a few conversations and characters, but I've been mostly got stumped on the build ups and "raising the stakes" and plot weavings and stuff. That's the stuff I try to think of now and really what separates poets from screenwriters and novelists I think.

 

Any suggestions, tricks, or techniques for that?

[Encephalon]

I picked up Screenwriting From the Soul: Letters to an Aspiring Screenwriter about a year ago and it made me want to write a screen play. I came up with a basic premise and a few conversations and characters, but I've been mostly got stumped on the build ups and "raising the stakes" and plot weavings and stuff. That's the stuff I try to think of now and really what separates poets from screenwriters and novelists I think.

 

Any suggestions, tricks, or techniques for that?

 

Part of that is being prepared when the Muse starts downloading ideas, but the Muse has her own schedule, as you may know. The template upon which you attach all of your ideas is the story arc. If you're not up to reading "Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell then at least get a copy of "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers" by Chris Vogler, where he breaks down Campbell's original work for screenwriters. It's "The Odyssey" told a thousand different ways, starting with the...

 

Ordinary world

Call to Adventure

Refusal of the Call

Meeting the Mentor

Crossing the First threshold

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Ordeal

Reward (seizing the sword)

The Road Back

Resurrection

Return with the Elixir

 

PS - I am more convinced than ever that the single greatest means of welcoming the Muse (increasing creativityand imagination) is consistent Taoist meditation and nei kung. There just doesn't seem to be anything close in terms of supercharging your subconscious and overall nervous system.

Edited December 16, 2011 by Encephalon

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Thanks. That is a good start for sure. I did read Campbell's "Power of Myth" so I know what you mean about the recurring myth sequence, though that list seems more detailed than I remember, and definitely helps lay down the plot.