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

Tips and Advice?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 2345>
Author
Message
ABEAR111 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 27 Jun 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 942
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ABEAR111 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2006 at 10:56am
Originally posted by Hairy Lime Hairy Lime wrote:

Originally posted by Chris Messineo Chris Messineo wrote:

I think another important thing to remember is to try and be unique within your genre/subject assignment. There are about 20 other writers given the same starting point and I the last thing you want is to writing the same basic story as 2 or 3 other people in your heat.
Dammit, Chris. That's golden advice ... not something to be shared with noobs.


Gotta think big.   My mind is in constant fast -forward  -- great for coming up with ideas and outlines on short notice, but bad for leaving too much ground unturned in the process.  Trying to slow it down. 
Back to Top
Chris Messineo View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 867
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris Messineo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2006 at 11:18am
Originally posted by Hairy Lime Hairy Lime wrote:

]Dammit, Chris. That's golden advice ... not something to be shared with noobs.

What can I say, I like helping the underdogs.

Hopefully, no one in my heat is reading these threads.

Chris

p.s. MisterWrite, that is the most unusual writing metaphor I ever heard.
    
    

Edited by Chris Messineo - 23 Jul 2006 at 11:20am
Back to Top
trike View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular


Joined: 22 Jul 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 173
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trike Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jul 2006 at 5:46am
Originally posted by MisterWrite MisterWrite wrote:

I'm gonna find my hook. And once I get it, I'm gonna knock it out in one go. That's how I normally work with shorts. To me, it's like masturbating - if you spend too long on it, you'll lose interest very quickly. And it may take a while before you re-find your momentum. The only problem is that you can potentially leave a very large mess at the end of it. And it could take a while to clean up.



Coming Soon: Writer's Viagra, complete with moist towelette.

Doug
Back to Top
ABEAR111 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 27 Jun 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 942
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ABEAR111 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 10:17am
Originally posted by joeld42 joeld42 wrote:

Anyone who has done this before have any tips and advice for us newbies about what to do and what to avoid? Do you write one short and revise it over the week or write a few and go with the best? How do you deal with a uninspiring genre/topic? What do you wish you had done differently?
 
Thanks!
Joel
 
I have a tip.  When you finish, do not be in a rush to send your script in.  After you finish, read through your script several times and eliminate all of the typos.  Concentrate on spelling and grammar and punctuation.  After you have it all perfect - read it again because you have missed something - a period where a question mark should be - a comma - something.  Then let someone else proof it.  The thing is this, you do not want anything in your script that will "take the reader out of the moment."  Any mechanical thing that is not perfect is a a distraction.  (see?)  If the judge pulls her attention away from your script because you misspelled something, you might just not get her back.
Back to Top
Chris Messineo View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 867
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris Messineo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 10:24am
Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

I have a tip.  When you finish, do not be in a rush to send your script in.  After you finish, read through your script several times and eliminate all of the typos.  Concentrate on spelling and grammar and punctuation.  After you have it all perfect - read it again because you have missed something - a period where a question mark should be - a comma - something.  Then let someone else proof it.  The thing is this, you do not want anything in your script that will "take the reader out of the moment."  Any mechanical thing that is not perfect is a a distraction.  (see?)  If the judge pulls her attention away from your script because you misspelled something, you might just not get her back.
Great advice.
 
It amazes me how many people don't take the time to proof their own work.
 
Chris
Back to Top
ABEAR111 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 27 Jun 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 942
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ABEAR111 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 10:29am
Originally posted by MisterWrite MisterWrite wrote:

I'm gonna find my hook. And once I get it, I'm gonna knock it out in one go. That's how I normally work with shorts. To me, it's like masturbating - if you spend too long on it, you'll lose interest very quickly. And it may take a while before you re-find your momentum. The only problem is that you can potentially leave a very large mess at the end of it. And it could take a while to clean up.

 
How did I miss this one???  Perhaps you should change from MisterWrite to MisterQuick!
Back to Top
trike View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular


Joined: 22 Jul 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 173
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trike Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 11:45am
Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

Originally posted by MisterWrite MisterWrite wrote:

I'm gonna find my hook. And once I get it, I'm gonna knock it out in one go. That's how I normally work with shorts. To me, it's like masturbating - if you spend too long on it, you'll lose interest very quickly. And it may take a while before you re-find your momentum. The only problem is that you can potentially leave a very large mess at the end of it. And it could take a while to clean up.

 
How did I miss this one???  Perhaps you should change from MisterWrite to MisterQuick!


Or MisterWriteNow.

Doug
Back to Top
ABEAR111 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt


Joined: 27 Jun 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 942
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ABEAR111 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 11:47am
Originally posted by trike trike wrote:

Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

Originally posted by MisterWrite MisterWrite wrote:

I'm gonna find my hook. And once I get it, I'm gonna knock it out in one go. That's how I normally work with shorts. To me, it's like masturbating - if you spend too long on it, you'll lose interest very quickly. And it may take a while before you re-find your momentum. The only problem is that you can potentially leave a very large mess at the end of it. And it could take a while to clean up.

 
How did I miss this one???  Perhaps you should change from MisterWrite to MisterQuick!


Or MisterWriteNow.

Doug
 
Or MisterHurryupI'mlosinginterest
Back to Top
jadeph View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 01 Jul 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 91
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jadeph Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 3:43pm
Does anybody know if Final Draft has a word count feature and if it does where do you find it?
 
Thanks,
Joan
Back to Top
joeld42 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular


Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 204
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote joeld42 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jul 2006 at 8:55pm

Final draft word count:

Tools -> Report -> Statistics Report

I'm not sure what you'd use it for. Prose is usually counted in number of words, screenplays are always counted in pages since the format is pretty standardized.

 
Joel
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 2345>

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 0.172 seconds.