NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > GENERAL DISCUSSION > Screenwriting Bar & Lounge
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Newbie Terror
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Newbie Terror

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
TeaWithWolves View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 12 Jul 2018
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Points: 460
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TeaWithWolves Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Newbie Terror
    Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 4:38am
Any other newbies out there slightly terrified?
I've never written a screenplay before but always wanted to, so I thought this would be a good way to push me into it. Now I'm bricking it LOL

Do any veterans have any advice? (I've signed up to WritersDuet) Also, is beta reading the same as flash fic?
Back to Top
Talespinner View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 09 Jul 2018
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 479
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Talespinner Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 5:18am
Originally posted by TeaWithWolves TeaWithWolves wrote:

{..}

Also, is beta reading the same as flash fic?

A beta reader is someone who reads your stuff and gives crits to help you get the bugs out of the writing - errors of spelling, grammar etc, and bits that make no sense, etc. Here at NYCM we swap peer reviews, so we're beta readers for each other. Everyone makes mistakes, and this helps ensure mistakes don't get to our audience.

Flash fiction has many definitions. Simplest is, "a story in 1000 words or less." For some, it's an art form in itself, For others it's a way to learn to write fiction with focus and concise expression. For others, with the use of random prompts, it's an ideas generator.

Hope this helps, and good luck.


Edited by Talespinner - 11 Oct 2018 at 5:22am
Ch3 NC story SF/hospice/armband
Ending; Happy?
Back to Top
TeaWithWolves View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 12 Jul 2018
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Points: 460
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TeaWithWolves Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 5:21am
Originally posted by Talespinner Talespinner wrote:

Originally posted by TeaWithWolves TeaWithWolves wrote:

{..}

Also, is beta reading the same as flash fic?

A beta reader is someone who reads your stuff and gives crits to help you get the bugs out of the writing - errors of spelling, grammar etc, and bits that make no sense, etc. Here at NYCM we swap peer reviews, so we're beta readers for each other. Everyone makes mistakes, and this helps ensure mistakes don't get to our audience.

Flash fiction has many definitions. Simplest is, "a story in 1000 words or less."

Hi thanks!
Sorry I meant is it done the same as in the flash fic challenge LOL Like do we have a beta spreadsheet and stuff?


Edited by TeaWithWolves - 11 Oct 2018 at 5:21am
Back to Top
Talespinner View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 09 Jul 2018
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 479
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Talespinner Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 5:24am
Similar ideas but check the rules for diffs in the details. I do flash, dunno about screenwriting.

Pat
Ch3 NC story SF/hospice/armband
Ending; Happy?
Back to Top
steph9289 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jan 2016
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Status: Offline
Points: 8966
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote steph9289 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 8:22am
Originally posted by TeaWithWolves TeaWithWolves wrote:

Any other newbies out there slightly terrified?
I've never written a screenplay before but always wanted to, so I thought this would be a good way to push me into it. Now I'm bricking it LOL

Do any veterans have any advice? (I've signed up to WritersDuet) Also, is beta reading the same as flash fic?

Personally, I prefer Amazon Storywriter (though I've never tried WritersDuet, so can't offer my opinion there). It's simple to use and easily exports to a PDF.

The main advice is to only write what the audience can SEE and HEAR. You can't really get away with getting inside the characters' heads. 

I will look for the Beta Spreadsheet from earlier this year. It's exactly the same process as Flash! Though fewer people participate in Screenplay for some reason.

Good luck this weekend! :)
#amrevising
Back to Top
Joni View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2017
Status: Offline
Points: 1840
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Joni Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 11:04am
Originally posted by TeaWithWolves TeaWithWolves wrote:

Any other newbies out there slightly terrified?
I've never written a screenplay before but always wanted to, so I thought this would be a good way to push me into it. Now I'm bricking it LOL


I did it for the exact same reason last year. Did horribly on first round, learned a ton, scored a few points on second. Then I was hooked, started writing on my own, joined in on the screenplay challenge and managed to even score an hm on final round. I don't know that there's any place better to jump in and learn and force yourself to do it than this place. The forum alone will teach you so much! Good luck, and most importantly, have fun with it! 
Back to Top
Zblugg View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 25 Apr 2017
Location: Cantley, Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 4256
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Zblugg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 11:10am
Started last year with the Screenwriting Challenge (12 pages in 5 days, then 8 in 3, then 5 in 1). First screenplay ever, also my first Crime Caper ever, and pounded a 2nd place out. Then bowed out of the competition with a round 2 honorable mention.

The secret, I think, is to keep things as VISUAL as possible. I scored a 15pts with a silent RomCom, last SSC. That was fun to do! LOL

Ask around. A lot of people on the boards are well versed in the technicals. Better yet, dig in the forums and read topics. Bet you'll find a lot of very useful info!
Back to Top
lisafox10800 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 18 Jul 2016
Location: NJ
Status: Offline
Points: 9440
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote lisafox10800 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2018 at 2:46pm
Welcome! Screenplay is FUN! :) As others have said, it's all about painting a picture for the reader through description and dialogue. No internal thought bubbles - it's only what the viewer can see or hear. (Why a lot of avid readers always think "the book is better" - in screenplay you can't get inside of the character's head unless you show it. Which, from a writing perspective, is an awesome challenge)

GREAT way to up your game in the whole "show don't tell" and in dialogue. (Writing better dialogue is why I signed up for screenplay the first time and, well, now I'm hooked).

One thing to keep in mind with formatting - try to avoid big chunks of text. I think the rule of thumb is no more than five lines per "paragraph" (the technical term is eluding me). 

Oh, and I just converted one of last year's short screenplays to prose. It nets about 1000 words, so pretty similar to flash fiction, but for the screen.

Good luck! :) 
lisafoxiswriting.com
My short story collection, Core Truths, is now available wherever books are sold.
Back to Top
TeaWithWolves View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 12 Jul 2018
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Points: 460
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TeaWithWolves Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Oct 2018 at 5:07am
Originally posted by steph9289 steph9289 wrote:


Personally, I prefer Amazon Storywriter (though I've never tried WritersDuet, so can't offer my opinion there). It's simple to use and easily exports to a PDF.

The main advice is to only write what the audience can SEE and HEAR. You can't really get away with getting inside the characters' heads. 

I will look for the Beta Spreadsheet from earlier this year. It's exactly the same process as Flash! Though fewer people participate in Screenplay for some reason.

Good luck this weekend! :)

WriterDuet can export to PDF, but I'll be sure to check out the Amazon one as you can only have three free screenplays with Duet.

Fab, I'll keep that in mind!

And thank you for bumping up the spreadsheet! One less thing to worry about now LOL

Originally posted by Joni Joni wrote:


I did it for the exact same reason last year. Did horribly on first round, learned a ton, scored a few points on second. Then I was hooked, started writing on my own, joined in on the screenplay challenge and managed to even score an hm on final round. I don't know that there's any place better to jump in and learn and force yourself to do it than this place. The forum alone will teach you so much! Good luck, and most importantly, have fun with it!

I'm hoping I'll be the same, I really want to get into it!

Originally posted by Zblugg Zblugg wrote:


The secret, I think, is to keep things as VISUAL as possible. I scored a 15pts with a silent RomCom, last SSC. That was fun to do! LOL

Ask around. A lot of people on the boards are well versed in the technicals. Better yet, dig in the forums and read topics. Bet you'll find a lot of very useful info!

I'm hoping I don't struggle with the visual, my last flash fic is from the perspective of a blind MC LOL

And thanks, I'll be sure to do some digging!

Originally posted by lisafox10800 lisafox10800 wrote:


GREAT way to up your game in the whole "show don't tell" and in dialogue. (Writing better dialogue is why I signed up for screenplay the first time and, well, now I'm hooked).

One thing to keep in mind with formatting - try to avoid big chunks of text. I think the rule of thumb is no more than five lines per "paragraph" (the technical term is eluding me). 

Oohhh! I never thought about improving dialogue! That'll be great!

And thanks, I'll keep that in mind!
Back to Top
TheSiren View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 12 Oct 2018
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 656
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheSiren Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Oct 2018 at 1:33pm
I've written screenplays, but I have never entered them into a competition. I am pretty nervous to see what will happen! 
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.05
Copyright ©2001-2022 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.230 seconds.