Just thought i'd let y'all know

[chucksker]

im writing a novel

...been workin on it for about 4 months now....

just something ive done as a hobby

its pretty shitty but i enjoy writing it.

im about 75 pages in to a microsoft word document now.....

plan on finishing it this summer sometime....

i will say it's topic is not for everyone...or even most for that matter

its sci-fi and ive really released my inner nerd in it

but ill also take a minute to brag. Its got quite a few interesting sub-plots and themes and stuff....its actually very relatable to where we are now as a country/world despite it being 200 years in the future. I guess ive just let the world around me influence the writing a bit

 

[Red_Alert]

How are the Huskers doing?

 

[chucksker]

rumor has it they hate eachother now??

least thats what you would think readin that thread bout josh mitchell

 

[The Iron Horse]

best of luck, and just so you know, no lie. first draft always sucks, is about doing the second, and third, and fourth and so forth that makes you great. try to write at least every day. know where you want to start and end, that way, if you get writers block, skip that shit and move forward and then work backwards to figure it out. make sure that at some point your antagonist has at least one scene the readers can relate to. I don't care how good your plot is, make sure your protagonist has a character arch. Try to pitch you idea to as many people as you can, and ask them to be brutally honest. Be ready for rejection and being told is no good, just depends how much you believe in your story. Best of luck, and remember, this is a lonely road you embark on, just you and a blank screen staring back at you. challenge it and push through it. Oh, and when proof reading, I find it best to do it out loud. and when the characters speak, I try to act them out too.

 

[HuskerPower52]

That's awesome chuck, I am currently wrighting a movie script. First one ever its a lot harder then I imagined

 

[The Iron Horse]

That's awesome chuck, I am currently wrighting a movie script. First one ever its a lot harder then I imagined

everything I wrote about the novel applies to the movie. DO you know the process about getting an agent?

I would add, start the scene as late as you can. Meaning, you don't have to have the guy walk into the store, no, he is in the store. unless is continuous action. so, if he is in the store, he and he goes to the bathroom, that all can be continues. Also, VERY IMPORTANT, have a key moment or "call to action" moment by page 20, anything after that, the agent might stop reading before it gets to it.

 

[HuskerPower52]

No I dont have a agent. My biggest hurdle I guess you could say is the cinemetography.. That is putting my vishion to paper. I love cinemetography I just dont know if I can put it to paper yet. I am having a lot of fun wrighting it. What tips can you give me The Iron Horse

 

[Tomhusker]

Sounds awesome. I am currently working on a witty response to thread about some dude writing a novel. Not sure how it will turn out, but I enjoy doing it.

Cantaloupe sandwich

 

[HuskerPower52]

Very funny Tom. Also Ironhorse thanks for info

 

[The Iron Horse]

No I dont have a agent. My biggest hurdle I guess you could say is the cinemetography.. That is putting my vishion to paper. I love cinemetography I just dont know if I can put it to paper yet. I am having a lot of fun wrighting it. What tips can you give me The Iron Horse

well first of, forget about cinematography, the DP will take care of that. In fact, if you start off with camera pans left to a medium wide shot, the agent will toss your screenplay away. That's sort of camera command is left for your shooting script.

now, the first thing I would do is this, read as many screenplays as you can. Drew's scritporama website (google it) has tons of screenplays (don't read the shooting script). now, get to know the format. know your sluglines difference between INT. EXT. and I/E and what they mean.

as for your action, well, congrats, cause that is the problem that any first time writer will face. Write in present tense, for example. Michael enters the room. He looks around and sees the GUN on the table. He reaches for it and studies it.

There, I didn't have to write that Michael walked into the room, he looked left and then right, and then saw the gun at the table, then he walked to the table and grabbed the gun with his right hand. Keep it as simple as you can. give brief descriptions. Keep your paragraphs down to 4 lines, if the action takes more than 4 lines, then stop and start a new paragraph. always start the action as late as possible. So nothing like. Michael parks his car in the garage. He closes the garage door and exits his car. He closes the door to his car, and walks to the side door to the house. He enters the room and sees the GUN on the table. as for capitalizing the GUN. when you introduce a prop of importance for the first time write it in all caps. it insinuates importance to the scene. The director and DP will take care of it.


Also, in your action, try to make it as dramatic as you can. NOW, that doesn't mean taking long lines to describe things. what i mean is, lets say your character is hiding, and someone is searching for him. then make it, that the person searching for him, comes within an inch or a second from discovering your protagonist.

Michael enters the bar. The place is a wreck, spiderwebs and dust cover the entire place.

Michael searches for the best place to hide. He looks at the BAR TOP, yeah, only good place to hide. He runs and ducks behind it.

DONALD, mid 30's, enters the bar. He's a big menacing looking brute. He looks around for Michael, not a trace. He walks around the place, finally making his way to the bar. He is inches from discovering Michael. When his cellphone RINGS, Donald picks it up.

DONALD
Okay, I'll meet you there.

Donald leaves the bar.

(where it says, yeah only good place to hide, that's a cue for the actor and director.)

Also your dialogue. DO NOT USE EXCLAMATION MARKS. Agents will throw your script away. you can give general directions between parenthesis under the characters name. for example

MICHAEL
(mocking tone)
This gun is gonna make my year.
(back to normal tone)
I have to make a plan.
(beat)
Okay, I know.

TYPE OKAY, not OK, or 'K. Again, read as many as you can, and write every day. Your first draft will suck, know that. Everyone's first draft will suck. Is going back for more where you get better. Try not to go over 120 pages and no less than 90 (rule of thumb, 1 page usually equals 1 minute).

 

[HuskerPower52]

Wow that helps a lot Thanks a ton

 

[HuskerPower52]

How did you gain all of this knowledge

 

[Brasky]

im writing a novel

...been workin on it for about 4 months now....

just something ive done as a hobby

its pretty shitty but i enjoy writing it.

im about 75 pages in to a microsoft word document now.....

plan on finishing it this summer sometime....

i will say it's topic is not for everyone...or even most for that matter

its sci-fi and ive really released my inner nerd in it

but ill also take a minute to brag. Its got quite a few interesting sub-plots and themes and stuff....its actually very relatable to where we are now as a country/world despite it being 200 years in the future. I guess ive just let the world around me influence the writing a bit

 

[The Iron Horse]

How did you gain all of this knowledge

I don't want to be a blowhard, douche bag, but I rather not get into too much about my job. I am happy to help though with any questions you may have. Just in case, I cannot read your screenplay. But I have a great deal of experience with screenplays and some with novels.

I would recommend reading William Goldman's Adventures in Screenwriting. there's is a lot of information out there, forums, books, blogs and such.

Is like anything else, how much are you willing to put into it, is how much you get back. Look, you may spend two years on your screenplay and not get a single agent to reply to any of your inquiry letters. that's okay, battle through it, just say, then I will write another one. ask yourself, is this something I really care about? find people to be brutally honest with you about your work. Be prepared for someone to tell you, this is no good.

Also, extremely important, proofread out loud. you will catch more mistakes that way. and try to act out the voices of your characters. it will make the dialogue sound smoother.

Don't give bit characters name. for example, our hero, Michael goes to the mall, and a Mall cop asks him to leave.

INT. MALL- FOOD COURT - DAY

Michael enters the Mall, through the food court. Blood is running down his nose and ears. Michael is dazed, he stumbles around, knocking down a couple of chairs.

A Mall Cop, male, in his late 20's, walks over to Michael, grabs a hold of him, stopping him from knocking down any more chairs.

MALL COP
Sir, Sir, I have to ask you to leave.

MICHAEL
(groggy)
Okay, I'm gone.

Not.

RANDY JOHNSON, late 20's, a big guy, ex football player, had an injured leg. He walks around with a limp that gets stiff with the winter days. He's a mall cop, wears a blue uniform with a taser and handcuffs.

He spots Michael, and limps his way to him. Randy is trying his best, but is so hard for him with his injured leg. A man has faced so much pain in one lifetime. At night he cries himself to sleep thinking of what could had been, and what it is. Dreams escape man, man surrenders.

None of that. Your Mall Cop shows up once, then he is just a Mall Cop.

 

[The Iron Horse]

shit, this is very important.

you have three acts in your screenplay.

First is exposition, where we meet our hero, and our villain or conflict. Something has to happen that calls your hero into action.

So Michael is a dentist, who happens to be vigilante by night. One night out on patrol a gang kills his wife, Michael was a witness. He vows revenge. Okay, the act of his wife getting kill is your call to action. Make sure it happens no latter than page 20.

Then, act 2 is your hero getting into all kinds of stuff. He buys weapons, he finds out who killed his wife, he meets a new love interest. at the end of act two, your hero has to hit a low, and when its bad, make it worst. make his situation as bad as possible. think of Batman Begins. Bruce Wayne is left trapped in his mansion as it burns around and the bad guys are ready to destroy the entire city he loves. So our hero Michael has been shot, he is bleeding badly, the love interest has been kidnapped and the cops are after Michael to arrest him.

Act 3, your resolution. Michael gets arrested and treated for his wounds. the cop in charge of arresting Michael has a talk with him, and lets him escape. Michael gets some guns and hunts down the bad guys and kills them all. Now, the main bad guy must get his comeuppings in a truly harsh way, hopefully worst than the pain he has cause. So the main bad guy raped and kill Michael's wife. the bad guy must get his legs cut off, and his arm broken, Michael finally kills him.

 

[corn train]

Lol what the f Pants

 

[corn train]

You're like the cot damn movie whisperer Iron Horse

 

[The Iron Horse]

You're like the cot damn movie whisperer Iron Horse

ah...cot? and movie whisperer? is that good or bad?

 

[corn train]

ah...cot? and movie whisperer? is that good or bad?

Cot as in hoopslang for God

Not bad, props

 

[The Iron Horse]

Cot as in hoopslang for God

Not bad, props

Oh, thank you. I just try to help, writing a screenplay or a novel ain't easy.