Writing.

[Jonny]

ITT we discuss it. I have absolutely no experience in writing anything ever, except for some essays at school, but my brain is filled with loads of really good ideas I want to write down. By writing, I mean like scripts, stories and so on.

So discuss. Have you written anything of value? Or wanted to? Or can give me pointers?

[Jude]

I've written some excellent research reviews

[thedeadwalk!]

I was inspired by Hababi's New Year's posting* about writing another script that I wrote a short short. It's nearly three and a half pages and has no dialogue. It's a start.

It's hard for me as well to sit down and think through my ideas, but that's the first step. I'd also recommend a screenwriting book that goes over format and what makes for a good script, as in how to convey your story visually and sink in your hooks to get them interested. Until then, try outlining your idea.

Also, some writing software, like Celtx, that's formatted for scripts. That could help motivate you to write more.

*http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16994844&postcount=18773

[Jonny]

Thanks dude. I have a rough outline of my amazing movie in my head, nowhere near the complete thing, but it's just something I want to do.

[Tillius]

I've written several screenplays, all that I've seen as garbage and gotten rid of except for two, and then one that I sold to a guy for $1000(not much, but it wasn't a great script).
It's a pain in the *** sometimes because sometimes the ideas come to me faster than I can type them out.
But in the long run it's a fun process and for me a great stress reliever.

[CarnageFairy]

Yeah, most of the time a few sentences come to me and I just jot them down on whatever's around. Sometimes when I'm writing a paper for school I get into a mode where I just know exactly which words to put down. It's the closest I've ever been to meditation.

[planewreck]

I wanted to write a script for a short movie so I wrote a short story first to lay out the overall scheme of events and then started an outline to pad out events / situations / character interactions. Maybe drop in a line of dialogue or two just to get a feel of where that conversation would go. This has helped me immensely, a lot more than just throwing myself into a script with an idea and no real undertanding of what happens to get there.

[Tillius]

Yeah that was my biggest mistake when I first started writing was that I would only have a basic idea and then just start writing and get stuck for massive amounts of time and then just find myself forcing it, which is what made most of them bad.

This thread actually reminds me that I'm supposed to be writing a short for this guy to help him out. Gotta get on that tonight.

[iliketoplaydrums10111]

I wrote a damn good research paper on the exorcist last semester, argueing that the movie tried to persuade its viewers to catholicism

aced that bitch

[fingers mccoy]

had a job writing short stories for primary school english exams that was awesome

[iarescientists]

i took a creative writing course in high school that was good for me i guess. i've always been interested in the creative process, but i'm really not a fan of actually putting my ideas to paper, because i get impatient when my ideas don't pan out as well as i'd like them to.

also this semester my english teacher recommended i submit some of my papers to some contests and asked me permission to use my writings for examples in future classes so that sort of got me interested in the whole thing again, but i think i lack the patience to allow a good idea to really grow in my mind.

[Rocksta71]

I write alot.

[Fapper]

I frequently write. I'm still in high school, and I'm taking a creative writing class (which honestly hasn't really progressed my abilities, other than practice). I plan on pursuing a career in editing, or write books on the side of a different career, as a hobby. I'm open to giving any advice you need, or even helping you write anything, whether it be a creative story, a poem, an essay, whatever.

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

I'm planning on writing a few stories. I'll never start.

[JohnXDoe3]

i've written some poetry (usually dark), short stories for children (a great way to "practice" writing) and one finished screenplay and one unfinished. i also journal and write CD reviews (don't know if that is "writing" but i have well over 100 reviews at the reviews site on my former "Staff" account and a few alts)

i don't consider writing fun, but more a hobby that interests me. the reason screenwriting interests me is i love film for one thing, and for another i have no talent or education to write novels or tell stories in another medium

i think a lot of it comes down to how you understand the work / craft of w/e it is you're doing. i don't understand how to write a novel. its so big and detailed and imaginary, so to speak. i see it as overwhelming. but writing in the screenplay format, whether for a full length feature or tv show of some sort makes sense to me

i like that i don't feel responsible for the whole thing, and understanding the writer in film is just the first person in a long process that oft times discards the writer for other creative voices in the project. actors, the director, other writers, set designers, costumes, the list goes on. the screenwriter draws but the blueprint. the finished work is done by others. so that relieves the tension and burden for me of it having to be "good," so to speak. because i've seen bad movies with good scripts and good movies with mediocre ones. so writing a screenplay, once centered, is a very relaxed thing for me. or has been thus far

plus its just a hobby and i have no professional ambitions so....

so far as the actual creativity, i appreciate the format of a screenplay. you don't need to be literary in particular to write in the screenplay format, just literate. its a cut and dry exercise. when you write "scenes" its descriptive, not literary. and much of the p's&q's of the work is simply knowing where to set your margins, indent, bold, and highlight. unlike the author who has to write something like "It was a quiet night in the northern hills, the wind swept lightly across the trees and Jack found himself back where he had been a million times before. Not back to his childhood or youth, but when he was married, a little older, and a little wiser...." and on and on it goes. its just confusing to me.

but in film i can do the same thing this way

EXT. THE NORTHERN HILLS - NIGHT

We see JACK standing on a hilltop, appearing deep in thought and breathing deeply.


its that simple. the actor, based on what has come before and what comes after and HIS understanding of the character and dialogue will fill in the blanks. blanks i could not fill in myself because as a writer i would simply get lost. like i said, a screenplay is a blueprint, not the whole

i think a lot of writers who write for screen large and small get stuck because they don't understand their role as writer properly. it also keeps many from just getting started. you are not writing a film, you are drawing map. a map of people, places, and things, as they say

another good thing is the dialogue. in novels and other medium like stage it can get very wordy and sort of...poetic. in film it can be the same way. but often times if you pay attention the best dialogue is made of the simplest and most mundane sort of language imaginable. the dialogue has to make sense for its characters and to move the story along and explain the story somewhat. and tell us something about the characters. but its often a common language in film, not one of art. film reflects real life often times. or at least the characters reflect real people. and the dialogue should reflect this. so writing something in film such as "you can stick that piece of paper up your arse you ****ing cun.t".....well, delivered by the right actor in the right story at the right time and filmed well, that sort of thing has won screenwriters oscars lol

so thats how i understand it. and thats why i do it as a hobby and creative outlet. its not rocket science, the screenwriting medium. and its what i understand my own way. i think thats half the battle

the other half and often the hardest half is just doing it. because after all otherwise its just a blank piece of paper :(

EDIT: oh, and it can be pretty hard. saying "i understand it my own way" does not mean its any easier. just that i can do it

[Seafroggys]

I've written several erotic short stories. I've been considering maybe selling them to publishers for like $50 a pop or something, but haven't really looked into it.

[JohnXDoe3]

bet they're worth at least $100 a "pop"

[Tillius]

I'm thinking of taking a break from screenplays for awhile and maybe trying a novel. Maybe.

[JohnXDoe3]

man a novel sounds so....daunting :(

i'd prolly end up like Poe

[Tillius]

Well there's one that I've had on my mind for a number of years, but I've been working on how to word the imagery so that it's not just bland descriptions and I think I've finally gotten it down.

[Phalanx]

had a job writing short stories for primary school english exams that was awesome

That really would be an awesome job. Why'd you drop it?

[JohnXDoe3]

Well there's one that I've had on my mind for a number of years, but I've been working on how to word the imagery so that it's not just bland descriptions and I think I've finally gotten it down.
well good luck there. these things often take time. as you know many have spent years or decades writing good / great novels. i just don't see how they do it. i honestly do think it would drive me crazy

[Tillius]

I guess we'll see how it goes.:)
Maybe I'll even let you read it.
Maybe.

[JohnXDoe3]

oic....

hmm....plagiarism. now there is something i could get into >_>

[Tillius]

:eek:

Nevermind you bastard. You really let me down.:(

[JohnXDoe3]

oh boo hoo

pfft...write a book about it :p

[Tillius]

I.....I just might. :angry:

[fatkidzonmopedz]

people always tell me i need to be a writer, i dont really agree though.

[fingers mccoy]

That really would be an awesome job. Why'd you drop it?

just had to focus a little more on my studies eventually

it was great tho i'd definitely take it up again if my uni life simmered down a little

not that i absolutely did not have the time or anything i just cba really

[Pop music sucks]

When I truly want to write something; I tend to visualize it as motion, having watched so many movies throughout the years and reading a fair amount.

I've got a few ideas I think about every few days. But if the story is intricate and precarious to interject tangents from nowhere, I create an outline of what will happen, then I fill in the gaps and put it into motion.

Like for instance a book I'm writing at the moment. I've only got 13 pages so far and I've got much more planned, my outline alone is 4,280 words long, and it's not even finished yet. I just need to visualize the nuances of certain characters and how they would act upon past events, other characters, problems for them, how they would solve it.

[fatkidzonmopedz]

i want to write a book called "glass sandwich". to me it means life is like a glass sandwich. you take a big bite out of life, and you just end up in pain and feeling dumb, like its a waste of time.

[stevensonmat2]

i want to write a book called "glass sandwich". to me it means life is like a glass sandwich. you take a big bite out of life, and you just end up in pain and feeling dumb, like its a waste of time.

I think it'd be better if you used an analogy that wasn't completely inane.

[honourosis]

i want to write a book called "glass sandwich". to me it means life is like a glass sandwich. you take a big bite out of life, and you just end up in pain and feeling dumb, like its a waste of time.

:lol: shits deep brah

[fatkidzonmopedz]

I think it'd be better if you used an analogy that wasn't completely inane.

it isnt completely inane. i can understand how you see it that way, but the way it relates to my life, its like any time i try and get anything out of it or i take too big a step, it blows up in my face. i basically plan on writing a semi autobiography like hunter s thompson.

if you ate a glass sandwich it would hurt and ud feel dumb u no it

[honourosis]

personally i don't eat glass sandwiches im trying to watch my weight

[Mr. Ron]

I like to write short stories.

[fatkidzonmopedz]

they're pretty good.

but all jokes aside i am a good writer. it may not show in my posts but thats cuz theyre posts. all my writings and short stories have gotten 1st place ribbons and A+'s.

[little_eiffel]

i wrote a bunch of short stories in high school and college. i thought i was going to be a writer. *laughs hysterically* now i just write the random story, poem, song, or journal for therapy.

the most important thing to do is to journal. it's practice. a lot of the **** you put on paper in form of a story should probably just stay in your journals so you can be a better judge of your progression of thoughts and feelings. you may have an idea about something one day, and be really excited about it. but then you read it a few weeks later and it's total maudlin poo.

write poems that pay attention to syllabic structure and not just rhyming. don't use cliche phrases unless you plan on twisting them. be logical even in the realm of your free form experiments. know your grammar before you start bending the rules or else you'll come off sounding like the village idiot. been there, done that. believe in what you're writing. be genuine. don't ramble. show, don't tell.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I've written a few things I'm proud of.

One was a one act play that I wrote for my drama class in grade 11. While it was acted out, I had the whole class, including the teacher, laughing hysterically for the ~10 minute duration.

I also helped a friend write a two page monologue that he used to get into a comedy program at the college he's at now. I'm sure he could've done it without me, but we wrote it together, and it turned out rather well.

I'm also in the process of writing a full length movie with another friend, and we're about 35 pages in. We haven't been writing in traditional movie script format, so I don't know how long it would be like that. We probably have about half an hour of movie.

For that play I wrote, I pretty much put it off to the last minute when I was under extreme pressure to finish it. I couldn't come up with an idea until a couple of days before it was due. I'm not sure if it was the pressure, but once I had the idea, I banged out the script in no time.

The monolgue, we got high and sat down and brainstormed for a little while, then we just started writing once we had the basic idea. We were able to play off each other, adding to each other's jokes and such, and we got it done fairly quickly.

This movie, however, has been a long time in the making. We've been discussing plots, creating characters, etc, for about two years. We've completely scrapped ideas that we had worked on for a long time because we decided there were better ways to go about it. We're kind of at a stand still right now, though. We need to figure out the right way to move the story forward. We have a pretty good idea of where it's going, we just aren't entirely sure how to get there.

[Tillius]

they're pretty good.

but all jokes aside i am a good writer. it may not show in my posts but thats cuz theyre posts. all my writings and short stories have gotten 1st place ribbons and A+'s.

Proof that you're probably not.

Most good writers I don't think ever refer to themselves as good writers.

[JohnXDoe3]

This movie, however, has been a long time in the making. We've been discussing plots, creating characters, etc, for about two years. We've completely scrapped ideas that we had worked on for a long time because we decided there were better ways to go about it. We're kind of at a stand still right now, though. We need to figure out the right way to move the story forward. We have a pretty good idea of where it's going, we just aren't entirely sure how to get there.
just have everyone die in a zombie apocalypse

works like a charm :)

[Spaceman Spiff]

just have everyone die in a zombie apocalypse

works like a charm :)

They already did. :eek:

[Strum]

over 5 years ago a friend and I wrote a 270 page script, it was like I am legend and The Happening put together. We were both pissed off when we watched the happening. not because it was bad but because it stole our idea and completly ****ed it up.

apparently i'm a good writer, I recieved high destinctions for all my writing projects at film school. (6 months full time and i get my diploma)

written a few short films for competitions but i always rushed them and didn't give them the fine detail they needed. so I never got any call backs.

I have 3 feature film concepts atm. One is a scifi, the second is a drama and the third is a crime flick. It's funny that i have great ideas in these genres because horror has always been my favourite.

lastly the project that has taken my interest is actually a book that I read over 12 years ago called Davo's Little Something, it's a 80's revenge story set in Sydney. awesome book http://www.robertgbarrett.com.au/books/davos_little_something.htm

[thedeadwalk!]

over 5 years ago a friend and I wrote a 270 page script, it was like I am legend and The Happening put together.
Please tell me you have Plant-Men. Or Man-Plants.

[Strum]

lol!@

no it wasnt to do with the plants it was the virus that enduces depression and suicide and also people escaping from the city to the inner country.

Virus Stages..

1. depression and suicide, violent behavior

2. white patches form on the skin

3. Body becomes stripped of fat, the infected become agile and fast. resorting back to natural instinct.

our movie was called Pethmore (a fictitious town) a group of survivors flee the city to find refuge in the smaller populated country towns.

[thedeadwalk!]

I guess that's good, too.

[Strum]

a 60's interrogation computer meets a 12 year old boy who introduces it to the internet. (biggest problem is the concept is too much like cybernet :()

this has been the biggest problem so far. I have a great journey in my head and it is nothing like terminator but the moment i start writing i just cant get cybernet out of my head

[thedeadwalk!]

I have an idea where a deadly new food poisoning pandemic is about to hit the world and only one man has an idea how to stop it...and only one other man has the courage to tell the other one man his idea's going to kill the world. The two expert nutritionists, one, an admired veteran, and the other, a discredited rebel in the field, intellectually dual over controversial nutritional and biological data, with the fate of Earth in the balance!

Oh, these two nutritionists are played by Nicolas Cage and Jeff Goldblum. The audience won't know who to believe and will be on the edge of their seat the whole time. It'll be a white-knuckle, gripping, and educational, thrill-ride. Tongue-in-cheek, of course.

[Strum]

was the poisoning pandemic caused by a cult of Breatharians?

[xtal]

a 60's interrogation computer meets a 12 year old boy who introduces it to the internet. are there gratuitous sex scenes

[thedeadwalk!]

was the poisoning pandemic caused by a cult of Breatharians?
I hadn't thought of an evil plot behind the pandemic, just like a salmonella super-virus or something. The Breatharians would provide a good human enemy for more concrete opposition, and maybe perhaps a joining of forces by the former adversarial nutritionists? It's gold!

[Strum]

have you ever seen this?

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=pm57_ur4TM8

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

I actually wrote a short story in 9th grade with a very similar premise to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Of course, it was only years later did I find out about the Fitzgerald story, and now that movie came out as well. I was kind of pissed off, but it made me laugh.

[thedeadwalk!]

have you ever seen this?

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=pm57_ur4TM8
No, and, only watching with the sound off, I'm pretty interested.

It looks distinctly Australian, and I'm not just saying that because of the koala.

[Strum]

i seen it at the movies when i was 9 (1987) with my parents.

i'm going to watch it for the first time in 22 years so i can get second sitting value (the sex jokes)

[smith_]

man a novel sounds so....daunting :(

i'd prolly end up like Poe

good luck:)

personally i probably don't have much experience in comparison to other people on here, but i've never had any problems with writing for school or anything. first year university and things havn't changed, still the same results but i think in uni it's more about the structure and discipline, at least so far for me.

i enjoy writing for about 20 minutes. after i get an introduction out, or some ideas on the page, completing the process or finishing ideas becomes really stressful for me. i doubt i'm alone in this, but i do enjoy finishing a paper and feeling good about it, so the overall experience is positive, even if at times it's really a struggle.

all i can suggest if you mean to write a paper or whatever is to keep it simple, don't overextend your writing. whenever i feel stuck or strained to get out a phrase, i simply tell someone what i am trying to say, and often that is the best way to phrase it. maybe it's a personal style or something, i often keep my writing really short and to the point, but maybe it'll help.

[Pop music sucks]

Yes!

Discussion of your ideas with someone that will listen is definitely a boon to solving a block. Then you have to explain what you are doing to the story and they will always ask their own questions.

[Jonny]

YEAH! I finally started it tonight and the first three pages (well, 4, but one is the title page) are done!

[Tillius]

I wanna read them.

[Mr. Ron]

ever write somehting then a book or movie comes out thats really close to what you wrote?

[thedeadwalk!]

Falling Down is close to something I wrote. But, a lot better. That mainly speaks to how bad mine was. Just going through my high school writings I now know I was not as smart as I thought. Reading my notes, I actually suggested changing the hero killing one of his victim's girlfriend to the victim accidentally killing her instead, to teach this guy, who didn't even instigate the problem, a lesson about getting involved or something. I disgust myself.

Also, Shoot 'Em Up was pretty similar to another one. Only, mine wasn't meant to be funny. I stopped writing it because even I, in my own recognized childishness, saw things were getting too outlandish.

I had a very infantile concept of justice which fueled my creativity. It's gone now, thank God.

[Tillius]

ever write somehting then a book or movie comes out thats really close to what you wrote?

I began a vampire story a long time ago that was very similar to Interview With the Vampire. When I saw the movie I was pissed, but I loved it so I got over it.

Also, the movie I'm working on right now...the original story was very much the same as Dexter, and then I saw the show. I've kept some of the elements in it so hopefully people won't view it as so similar when it's finished.

[fingers mccoy]

ever write somehting then a book or movie comes out thats really close to what you wrote?

old testament

[Tillius]

Man I've got a really ****ed up yet awesome story coming to mind for a novel. I might have to start on this soon.

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

I'm planning on writing a story that will either be a short story or a screenplay. Of course, the problem with it is that the subject matter and the content bothers me too much so it makes me not want to write it. But it's easily my best story. Decisions, decisions.

[Jonny]

What's it about?

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

Eh, lots of things. Dehumanization, slavery, prostitution, that kind of thing. Some of my ideas just bother me.

[switched]

it's shaping up to be quite a story!

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

You have no idea.

[Tillius]

My ideas disturb the hell out of me.

[Jamais_Vu]

I want to write a book about a vampire terrorizing a small town with a detective trying to solve figure out who is killing everyone, but I don't know where to start. Then again, it sounds like a stupid idea. Well I want to do something with vampires.

I have so many ideas in my head that I think are good at the time and then end up being so hard to put down on paper.

[switched]

i think the world has enough homoerotic vampire fantasies already

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

My ideas disturb the hell out of me.

Do they ever keep you from writing a story?

[Jamais_Vu]

Ok, in all seriousness I have really been wanting to start writing my own book. The problem with this is that I don't have an idea that I am committed to finishing. Here are a few of my ideas.

1. A mystic entity comes in contact with five random people, which forces causes each person to completely alter their personalities and then go on random killing sprees without getting caught by the police. Day time and night time cause their personalities to change, in which each person questions what is happening to them.

2. A blind wandering swordsman travels across Japan in search for his younger brother who was kidnapped by a legendary warrior.

3. Only one man is left on earth in which he is on the run from women who are sent out to kill him. In the mean time, he encounters several women that are willing to help him in order to save the male gender from becoming extinct. (This is the most ****ed up idea I have ever had.)

4. Barbecue grilling increases smog levels. Will the UN black helicopters be given to the Global Warming police to track down rogue BBQ grillers?

[Dinosawesome]

I've done detailed plans for a teenage fiction novel and I'm ready to write it but I just have to start. Whenever I set aside time to do it I just can't be bothered but whenever I'm somewhere without a pen or keyboard I have an insatiable urge to start it.

My new years res for 09 is to get this done, it's been in planning for about 8 months.

[Tillius]

Do they ever keep you from writing a story?

No, because even though they scare the **** out of me sometimes I'm not afraid to "disturb" or be "controversial" when I'm writing. I used to hold back some of my more ****ed up ideas just because I knew if I ever made it into an actual film or novel, my family would watch/read it and I didn't want them to see the horrors my mind is capable of, but now I just don't care.

[thedeadwalk!]

I'd be interested to hear, even partially, some of these "disturbing" ideas. I'm pretty skeptical of their nerve-wracking qualities.

[Tillius]

They scare me in the dreams that produce them more so than putting them on paper.

Without going into too much detail I do have a particular scene that's one of my favorites I've produced where a boy cuts a fetus out of his tongue. It's more than just shock value though(which I guess some people assume that's what it is). It has its own means of representation.

Also one of my latest ideas is a man going into an underground nightclub where there is a man dressed as Christ(during the crucifixion) hung on a cross. While he's on the cross there is a naked woman fellating him while others dance around him beating him(whips and such).

I don't know. There's a lot of different ideas that I have.

[thedeadwalk!]

I have to say: those things seem unnecessary.

But, I guess the boy's words are pregnant with meaning.

The sadistic Christ BJ escapes me.

I suppose Lynch and Jodorowsky would be proud. :)

I'll never understand it.

[Tillius]

I have to say: those things seem unnecessary.

But, I guess the boy's words are pregnant with meaning.

The sadistic Christ BJ escapes me.

I suppose Lynch and Jodorowsky would be proud. :)

I'll never understand it.

Clever.:)

Like I said, most of these ideas of mine come from dreams. I had a sore on my tongue once a few years ago and that's why my dream interpreted it as I suppose.

[thedeadwalk!]

Yeah, that's fine. I shouldn't have even brought it up. There's no point in it. Best of luck putting sense to them.

[Dinosawesome]

haha babytongue

[Jonny]

Hmmm... so far all of my scenes are only about a page in length. I need to pad them out, I think.

[Strum]

ok, In All Seriousness I Have Really Been Wanting To Start Writing My Own Book. The Problem With This Is That I Don't Have An Idea That I Am Committed To Finishing. Here Are A Few Of My Ideas.

1. A Mystic Entity Comes In Contact With Five Random People, Which Forces Causes Each Person To Completely Alter Their Personalities And Then Go On Random Killing Sprees Without Getting Caught By The Police. Day Time And Night Time Cause Their Personalities To Change, In Which Each Person Questions What Is Happening To Them. sounds interesting and kind of original. check out Catch me if you can http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/ might get some ideas from it.

2. A Blind Wandering Swordsman Travels Across Japan In Search For His Younger Brother Who Was Kidnapped By A Legendary Warrior.
sounds close to Blind Fury http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096945/ I loved this movie when i was a kid

3. Only One Man Is Left On Earth In Which He Is On The Run From Women Who Are Sent Out To Kill Him. In The Mean Time, He Encounters Several Women That Are Willing To Help Him In Order To Save The Male Gender From Becoming Extinct. (this Is The Most ****ed Up Idea I Have Ever Had.)

It comes pretty close to a concept a friend and I came up with a few years ago

4. Barbecue Grilling Increases Smog Levels. Will The Un Black Helicopters Be Given To The Global Warming Police To Track Down Rogue Bbq Grillers?

also, doing car burnouts gets you life in prison, cigarettes are illegal and farting in public ends in a public lashing ;)

[Jamais_Vu]

Lol, the last one was kinda a joke. Thanks for the ideas. I'm leaning more towards the first two, but I'm still not sure.

[thedeadwalk!]

Your third idea is pretty well taken care of by Y: The Last Man.

You might want to try thinking through your ideas and find out what about them makes them worthy of being written. What's their appeal? What do they have to say? Is it something you really care about? Is there something you can put a spin on?

As they stand, your ideas don't have much attraction. Flesh them out and find out what made them so appealing in the first place.

[Jamais_Vu]

The ideas I came up with were only meant to be general ideas. After I find out which one I want to do I will then expand on it.

[thedeadwalk!]

Well, good luck with that.

[Jonny]

Ha! Eight pages just jumped out of my head and onto my screenplay in under an hour. It's helped me focus my ideas too, plus I've come up with an awesome character- a paranoid, lutraphobic drug dealer named Jazz. He's easy and fun to write and makes the other characters easier to write too.

[3FingeredHoek]

When you guys are starting a story (short story, more specifically), how much time do you spend on outlining? Do you map it out completely, or dive right into the writing?

[Jonny]

When you guys are starting a story (short story, more specifically), how much time do you spend on outlining? Do you map it out completely, or dive right into the writing?

I had a vague outline in my head. A couple of scenes later I abandoned it and now I'm making it all up as I go along. It works for me cos I'm in the final scenes and I'm at 78 pages.

I guess it depends how organised you are. If you have a clear plan you should write it down, think it through. If, like me, you get bored of that, just dive in.

[schiggy]

I usually dive out into it completly then map out the ending.

[schiggy]

I had a vague outline in my head. A couple of scenes later I abandoned it and now I'm making it all up as I go along. It works for me cos I'm in the final scenes and I'm at 78 pages.

I guess it depends how organised you are. If you have a clear plan you should write it down, think it through. If, like me, you get bored of that, just dive in.
I like this method jonny. I do the same most of the time as well.

[Tillius]

It really just depends on how much you have thought up in your head. If you just have a simple idea with not much to it then you're obviously going to need to do some serious outlining, but if an idea pops into your head followed by several other ideas to make up an actual story then you may have to spend less time.

Me, I never really outline anything. Any idea I have that's worth keeping always sticks with me up until the moment where I put it down on paper.

[schiggy]

Me, I never really outline anything. Any idea I have that's worth keeping always sticks with me up until the moment where I put it down on paper.unfortunately for me I always end up loosing the idea unless i write it down write away.

[Tillius]

That's a problem I've been blessed with never having.

[3FingeredHoek]

Thanks for the input.

Lately I've had this itch to write, but the only ideas that come to me are passing and second rate. I'm beginning to think that creative ability is more an innate talent than a learned one.

[Tillius]

Of course it is.

[thedeadwalk!]

I'm just assuming here, but I imagine many great writers have been trained in the art. Don't get so down on yourself. Writing is very much a learned skill as well.

[Tillius]

Yeah I think I was just talking out of my *** earlier. I mean, I've just always had ideas come to me naturally and have a natural way of putting them down, so I guess I can't really imagine it being learned but it could happen I suppose.


And also, what you think is second rate my not be so. Most writers are their own worst critics.

[thedeadwalk!]

Creativity can go a long ways on its own, but the fundamentals of the medium benefit everyone who studies it.

[Jonny]

Wooo! My first draft of Papertrail is completed! I think it's good, may need some fine tuning, but it worked out as 81 pages long, which I think is a decent length, since I havn't put in many camera directions.

[Tillius]

Oh man I want to read.
There's really no need for too detailed camera directions. Leave that for the director.

[Jamais_Vu]

Can anyone tell me what the **** is a main dramatic question about a person?

[Jonny]

Oh man I want to read.
There's really no need for too detailed camera directions. Leave that for the director.

That's what I thought, but my friend who has experience in these things said to put them in. It doesn't matter too much, though, since I'm planning to direct it myself.

[thedeadwalk!]

Unless you plan to direct the screenplay yourself, don't put in any camera directions. You can always direct the reader's eye through careful wording as to your intended vision, but usually you should stay away from anything that takes the reader out of the story.

EDIT: Guess the director question has been settled. But, seriously, there are shooting and spec scripts. Spec scripts is just the story, shooting scripts have camera directions.

Can anyone tell me what the **** is a main dramatic question about a person?
Maybe something like this I found for Rarinman:

RAINMAN

Rainman starts by asking “Will Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) come to terms with his father?” Considering that his father has just died (the inciting incident), Charlie has some extreme conflict to face in pursuit of reconciliation. The story continues and this issue is never directly shown to be resolved, but with no negative story repercussions because Charlie’s main question, the Central Dramatic Question of the story, later becomes “Will he bond with his brother Raymond?” Charlie Babbitt’s character arc is so strong that by the end we know he’s changed to the point that he’s overcome his father complex. The resolution to the original question is assumed.

[Jamais_Vu]

Thanks man, that helped.

[Tillius]

That's what I thought, but my friend who has experience in these things said to put them in. It doesn't matter too much, though, since I'm planning to direct it myself.

Would you be willing to allow somebody to read part of it? I wouldn't ask to read the whole thing because I have trust issues with my work so I could expect the same from anybody else, but I'd really like to see what you've got since I've been hearing about it for so long now.

[Jonny]

Would you be willing to allow somebody to read part of it? I wouldn't ask to read the whole thing because I have trust issues with my work so I could expect the same from anybody else, but I'd really like to see what you've got since I've been hearing about it for so long now.

Yeah, maybe. I'm gonna let some of my friends read the whole thing, but I reckon they'll just be all ''Oh wow it's so amazing dude!'' So it would be nice to have an unbiased opinion. I can try and send you it later.

[hismajestythepope]

Mappy's introduction to the writing thread. I write a lot of poetry and song lyrics, and I'm currently writing a fantasy book.

[Pop music sucks]

I really should continue writing my book.

[Jonny]

Here's a little preview:
ALLEYWAY. EVENING.

A dirty old alleyway in Old Othello, the run down part of town. There are pest repellent capsules on the ground. There are discarded boxes and other junk piled around. MICHAEL enters. The alleyway appears empty. He walks over to a wall where a doorbell is mysteriously placed, despite their being no door. He presses the bell twice. JAZZ jumps out from behind some boxes, looking shifty and on edge. He is stuffing a letter into his coat pocket. JAZZ is a paranoid, nervous, hypochondriac drug dealer with a phobia of otters and a bunch of wacky conspiracy theories.

JAZZ

Who's there?!

MICHAEL

Chill out, man. It's just me!

JAZZ

Yeah? Yeah? What's the password, Mister Me?

MICHAEL

Drugs?

JAZZ

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah man. Good stuff good stuff. You want a pretzel?

JAZZ removes a loose pretzel from his coat pocket, covered in dirt, with chewed gum stuck on one end.

JAZZ

You want it? Take it, man. Take it. Free of charge, man!

MICHAEL

No thanks, Jazz. You keep it.

JAZZ

Yeah, yeah good. See it was a test, to see if you were one of them.

MICHAEL

The police? What would they have done?

JAZZ

No, not the police man. Not the police. I'm not afraid of them damn pigs, man. They can't get me. They don't know the password or the doorbell.

MICHAEL

Then who?

JAZZ looks around nervously, then scampers up to MICHAEL until he is far too close for MICHAEL to feel comfortable. He puts his head right next to MICHAEL's ear and whispers to him.

JAZZ

(whispering)

The otters...

MICHAEL

Oh, are they a gang or something?

JAZZ

(still whispering)

You could say that, man. You could say that. They're everywhere, man, watching us.

MICHAEL

Are they bad? What are they like?

JAZZ

Small, furry, evil lil critters, man! They kidnapped my wife before I even met her! They throw all night parties but don't invite their neighbours! The claim to be vegan but they drink milk! And they looooove pretzels! Luckily though, man, they hate alleyways.

MICHAEL

(feigning interest)

And why's that?

JAZZ

Who knows, man? Who knows? It's a phobia, man. It's irrational, man. No one know why lemurs hate alleyways, man!

MICHAEL

Lemurs?

JAZZ

Co-conspirators, innit? They're like brothers or somethin'.

MICHAEL

(sarcastically)

Well, I'll keep an eye out for them. In the mean time can I get what I came for?

JAZZ

Sure thing, man. Sure thing.

JAZZ pulls a bag of white powder out from his coat. MICHAEL pulls the ten pound note out of his pocket and hands it to JAZZ. He then takes the bag from JAZZ and puts it in his own coat. The camera switches to behind JAZZ.

MICHAEL

Thanks for that, man.

JAZZ

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah no worries, man. No worries. Just remember, we never met man. And don't tell no damn otters I'm still alive, man. They think they got me, man. I'd like to keep it that way.

MICHAEL

Sure thing.

MICHAEL wanders off. JAZZ jumps back behind the boxes.

[thedeadwalk!]

You don't need to all-caps the names in the narrative description after their first use, and the parenthetical "(whispering)" isn't needed as you say he's whispering just before.

I really don't want to comment on the story, nor critique the format too much since you plan to direct it yourself, but I thought I'd just point those out.

[Jonny]

You don't need to all-caps the names in the narrative description after their first use, and the parenthetical "(whispering)" isn't needed as you say he's whispering just before.

I really don't want to comment on the story, nor critique the format too much since you plan to direct it yourself, but I thought I'd just point those out.

Thanks dude. I appreciate any critcism.

[Tillius]

Jazz reminds me of a "friend" of mine.:(

So good job.

[Jonny]

Thanks. Everyone likes Jazz.

[Strum]

You don't need to all-caps the names in the narrative description after their first use, and the parenthetical "(whispering)" isn't needed as you say he's whispering just before.



hey i picked both these too :chug:

[Jamais_Vu]

Hey does anyone want to write a one page response to Obama's inaugural address cause I'm way to lazy to do that right for one of my classes? If not then tell me to **** off and I won't take it personal.