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Drafting, editing, submitting - What works?

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linfin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote linfin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 7:18pm
For my first script I immediately had an idea and worked off that, brainstorming a few different ideas for the resolution. 

My second script I spent most of Saturday brainstorming (the prompt felt a little harder, and I wanted to do something very fun)and then holed up Sunday afternoon at a coffeeshop to draft and edit. 

I mostly write the story and then go back to edit it down. I cut descriptions first, or I rewrite them to make them shorter. 

I try not to outline too much, but create the story as I write. It's such a short page count, I don't think my usual MO would help a lot. 

I definitely focus on characters first. 


Edited by linfin - 12 Dec 2017 at 7:19pm
C1 | SSPC | Group 16 (Spy) |

The Cut-Out

C2 | SSPC | Group 16 (Mystery) |
OMPHALOS
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Random Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 7:41pm
Originally posted by thesaura73<div>That's interesting, because I didn't think about object actually being central (for me, in round 1 it happens to bring people together because it was a rom com, but in there it is an object of desire; and in round 2 it serves a different function because it's a thriller, and it's definitely not desired)! For the thriller I can now see how it could have gone a different way (it was really hard for me to think of alternate concepts for round 2, so will keep this in mind!).</div>[/QUOTE thesaura73
That's interesting, because I didn't think about object actually being central (for me, in round 1 it happens to bring people together because it was a rom com, but in there it is an object of desire; and in round 2 it serves a different function because it's a thriller, and it's definitely not desired)! For the thriller I can now see how it could have gone a different way (it was really hard for me to think of alternate concepts for round 2, so will keep this in mind!).
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Oddly enough not wanting an object also makes it an object of desire; everyone is thinking about it, for whatever reason, even if it's just to chuck it into the volcano from a perch where the ambient air temperature is probably high enough to use a lead thermometer. 

In some cases someone wants it, someone else wants to keep it from them, or everyone wants it, or nobody wants it, but it's still in their thoughts for whatever reason; without it the story comes apart.  There


Oddly enough not wanting an object also makes it an object of desire; everyone is thinking about it, for whatever reason, even if it's just to chuck it into the volcano from a perch where the ambient air temperature is probably high enough to use a lead thermometer. 

In some cases someone wants it, someone else wants to keep it from them, or everyone wants it, or nobody wants it, but it's still in their thoughts for whatever reason; without it the story comes apart.  There are probably exceptions, but I couldn't think of one right away.  I haven't seen a prompt yet that couldn't be rolled around the object; some of them are harder than others to stay in genre though.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thesaura73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 9:04pm
Originally posted by Random Random wrote:

Oddly enough not wanting an object also makes it an object of desire; everyone is thinking about it, for whatever reason, even if it's just to chuck it into the volcano from a perch where the ambient air temperature is probably high enough to use a lead thermometer. 

In some cases someone wants it, someone else wants to keep it from them, or everyone wants it, or nobody wants it, but it's still in their thoughts for whatever reason; without it the story comes apart.  There are probably exceptions, but I couldn't think of one right away.  I haven't seen a prompt yet that couldn't be rolled around the object; some of them are harder than others to stay in genre though.

That's true! In my thriller, it's part of the resolution, not the conflict.
SC R1 - Hothouse Flowers (Mystery)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vernacula Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 9:12pm
Originally posted by thesaura73 thesaura73 wrote:

 
That's interesting, because I didn't think about object actually being central (for me, in round 1 it happens to bring people together because it was a rom com, but in there it is an object of desire; and in round 2 it serves a different function because it's a thriller, and it's definitely not desired)! For the thriller I can now see how it could have gone a different way (it was really hard for me to think of alternate concepts for round 2, so will keep this in mind!).


Well, in the brief it's treated as more of a gimmick or game than something that moves the story forward. I don't know why the rules say that it must be included if it's only quickly mentioned or stuck in somewhere. I've seen many people score high barely mentioning the object. I'd prefer a third prompt that presents a challenge to the story, but I must say the lack of focus on the object makes things easier much of the time (like when I had to fit a plunger into my fairytale set in a boxing ring!).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Random Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2017 at 9:26pm
Originally posted by Vernacula Vernacula wrote:

(like when I had to fit a plunger into my fairytale set in a boxing ring!).


You had trouble with that?  No wonder you got bit.

I do some days wonder what kind of pharmaceutical assistance the authors of those challenge enlist in coming up with their prompts.  Originally I thought they were sadistic fiends, then I realized this was insulting to fiendish sadists and was forced to apologize.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thesaura73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2017 at 12:03am
Originally posted by Vernacula Vernacula wrote:

Originally posted by thesaura73 thesaura73 wrote:

 
That's interesting, because I didn't think about object actually being central (for me, in round 1 it happens to bring people together because it was a rom com, but in there it is an object of desire; and in round 2 it serves a different function because it's a thriller, and it's definitely not desired)! For the thriller I can now see how it could have gone a different way (it was really hard for me to think of alternate concepts for round 2, so will keep this in mind!).


Well, in the brief it's treated as more of a gimmick or game than something that moves the story forward. I don't know why the rules say that it must be included if it's only quickly mentioned or stuck in somewhere. I've seen many people score high barely mentioning the object. I'd prefer a third prompt that presents a challenge to the story, but I must say the lack of focus on the object makes things easier much of the time (like when I had to fit a plunger into my fairytale set in a boxing ring!).

That's true. For some reason it felt easier to make it part of the action than just try and place it in the scene, for both rounds...I think I'd get way off track if I had built an outline and then in the course of writing tried figuring out where to put the surfboard (though now I can see I could have just as easily just placed it in the scene, as becomes obvious in what I ended up writing)! Not sure what I would have done with a plunger in a fairy tale! Probably Cinderella-type story opening with her sadly plunging a toilet....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JeffreyHowe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2017 at 12:16am
I let it rattle around in my head while I sleep Friday night, start spinning it out Saturday, polish it Sunday. Usually while I'm doing other things so I'm not staring at the words until they look hopelessly wrong (or deceptively right). 

This time I was taking a mini-vacation in Chicago with my family, so I did all but the ending Saturday night in the hotel, threw the ending on before breakfast Sunday, tossed it to a friend who beta reads for me in these things before we went to see Blue Man Group (he does the prose stuff and I return the favor) Sunday afternoon and then tweaked it from his observations after we flew home Sunday night.

One Jedi mind trick I often pull on myself is to do the more standard triple-space before scene headings when I'm working initially. Then I drop them down to the NYC double-space when I'm done. The extra lines give me a little buffer if I don't stop to think about it.Tongue
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thesaura73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2017 at 9:15am
Originally posted by JeffreyHowe JeffreyHowe wrote:

I let it rattle around in my head while I sleep Friday night, start spinning it out Saturday, polish it Sunday. Usually while I'm doing other things so I'm not staring at the words until they look hopelessly wrong (or deceptively right). 

This time I was taking a mini-vacation in Chicago with my family, so I did all but the ending Saturday night in the hotel, threw the ending on before breakfast Sunday, tossed it to a friend who beta reads for me in these things before we went to see Blue Man Group (he does the prose stuff and I return the favor) Sunday afternoon and then tweaked it from his observations after we flew home Sunday night.

One Jedi mind trick I often pull on myself is to do the more standard triple-space before scene headings when I'm working initially. Then I drop them down to the NYC double-space when I'm done. The extra lines give me a little buffer if I don't stop to think about it.Tongue

Can't imagine doing this while on a vacation! I'm a big procrastinator but also try to make weekends just total "enjoying being at home" time (except for standing commitment Sunday mornings and occasional evening stuff). I slept on an idea on Friday, wrote out beats Saturday morning (after researching thrillers, charging stations and surfboards), made breakfast and did chores, came back and wrote it all out, loafed for a few hours, did some polishing, then loafed some more. Then polished a bit on Sunday. Round 1 was similar except I did all the beats and writing in the morning, then after loafing tried writing a completely new idea (mistake).

How does triple-spacing get you closer or further from the 5 pages? Is it more cutting down after you reset to double-spacing? The outline plus the header reminder has gotten me under 6 pages each time. But think like Cheerio and others, my writing is pretty thorough in the draft so that I'm not doing much other than cutting excess at the end. Round 1 feedback about the rom com not telegraphing romance straight off made me more aware of trying to play up or pick out moments that support the genre more, too.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JeffreyHowe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2017 at 9:57am
Originally posted by thesaura73 thesaura73 wrote:

Originally posted by JeffreyHowe JeffreyHowe wrote:


One Jedi mind trick I often pull on myself is to do the more standard triple-space before scene headings when I'm working initially. Then I drop them down to the NYC double-space when I'm done. The extra lines give me a little buffer if I don't stop to think about it.Tongue


How does triple-spacing get you closer or further from the 5 pages? Is it more cutting down after you reset to double-spacing? The outline plus the header reminder has gotten me under 6 pages each time. But think like Cheerio and others, my writing is pretty thorough in the draft so that I'm not doing much other than cutting excess at the end. Round 1 feedback about the rom com not telegraphing romance straight off made me more aware of trying to play up or pick out moments that support the genre more, too.

The cutting-down to double frees up a line for every scene, yes. It's cheesy but it works for me. 

In longer shorts or in features I sketch out the story first--or I'm adapting from something of my own in the first place, so it's already sketched out. In a five page, especially with a time limit, it's all in my head in a relatively plastic state anyway, so I draft internally and second draft on the page, if that makes any sense.

I used to write novels. My first screenplay was supposed to just be an outline for a novel, because that approach made outlining sound fun. For better or worse, that colors my approach. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thesaura73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2017 at 10:05am
Originally posted by JeffreyHowe JeffreyHowe wrote:

The cutting-down to double frees up a line for every scene, yes. It's cheesy but it works for me. 

In longer shorts or in features I sketch out the story first--or I'm adapting from something of my own in the first place, so it's already sketched out. In a five page, especially with a time limit, it's all in my head in a relatively plastic state anyway, so I draft internally and second draft on the page, if that makes any sense.

I used to write novels. My first screenplay was supposed to just be an outline for a novel, because that approach made outlining sound fun. For better or worse, that colors my approach. 

Not cheesy...I'm just spatially challenged! I've written three full-length SPs using the Syd Field method, but seems pretty outdated now that I am trying to get back into writing (if I remember correctly, the workbook points to writing a shooting script, not a spec script). And I got into screenwriting from prose because of my plotting weakness (thought working in a different format would force me to work more on plotting). Which it did, but this competition has gotten the same results so much faster! Working in 5 pages has been really helpful for me and makes me want to go back to my old SPs and rewrite.


Edited by thesaura73 - 13 Dec 2017 at 10:06am
SC R1 - Hothouse Flowers (Mystery)
SS Ch1 - A Curated Experience (Suspense)
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