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how do you practice writing?
- Thread starter teto29
- Start date
Think of a scenario, a situation, a problem.
Those that provide the best entertainment value often contain some nebulous thing called CONFLICT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction#Types_of_conflict
Who or what is bothering who or what and why is it happening and what is someone, presumably the protagonist, doing about it?
People (usually), characters, if you prefer.
Places.
Conflict.
Rough-out the story and then figure out WTH anyone should be interested in reading/watching it.
Figure out your double genre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_genre
Rom-com
Zom-com
Dark comedy
Family adventure
Action adventure
LBGT western
What?
Start crafting it away.
Don't even bother banging out a full 100pg feature.
Just start with five to fifteen page shorts.
Don't ask family and friends that don't know a good movie from bad about your story.
Ask people that kinda know WTH they're looking at when they watch something.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=182344#post182344
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=179730#post179730
Maybe after about twenty or fifty shorts you'll get the idea as to whether you should move on or continue.
GL & GB!
Ray
You wanna try something difficult? give epic-short or mystery-romance a whirl.
Epic-Short: It was the best of times... Quit while I was ahead and was first out of the parking lot.
Mystery-Romance: Who the h3ll is sending me flowers? Lilies, at that! How morbid.
Those that provide the best entertainment value often contain some nebulous thing called CONFLICT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction#Types_of_conflict
Who or what is bothering who or what and why is it happening and what is someone, presumably the protagonist, doing about it?
People (usually), characters, if you prefer.
Places.
Conflict.
Rough-out the story and then figure out WTH anyone should be interested in reading/watching it.
Figure out your double genre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_genre
Rom-com
Zom-com
Dark comedy
Family adventure
Action adventure
LBGT western
What?
Start crafting it away.
Don't even bother banging out a full 100pg feature.
Just start with five to fifteen page shorts.
Don't ask family and friends that don't know a good movie from bad about your story.
Ask people that kinda know WTH they're looking at when they watch something.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=182344#post182344
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=179730#post179730
Maybe after about twenty or fifty shorts you'll get the idea as to whether you should move on or continue.
GL & GB!
Ray
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain
You wanna try something difficult? give epic-short or mystery-romance a whirl.
Epic-Short: It was the best of times... Quit while I was ahead and was first out of the parking lot.
Mystery-Romance: Who the h3ll is sending me flowers? Lilies, at that! How morbid.
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I read.
I listen.
And I set my BIC (butt in chair) for many hours writing,
writing and writing.
That how I get better.
Challenge yourself... do something different.
Write something you never thought you would, or could.
Try flash fiction - can you write a story in 500 words? Not a scene, but a story.
Write a news item. How about scripting a one minute movie?
Write something every day. It gets easier, particularly if you make it fun.
Write something you never thought you would, or could.
Try flash fiction - can you write a story in 500 words? Not a scene, but a story.
Write a news item. How about scripting a one minute movie?
Write something every day. It gets easier, particularly if you make it fun.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12721428/Professional-Screenplay-Formatting-Guide
Always.
At some point you're going to stick something in front of someone who knows WTH they're looking at.
A - You don't want to look like a nube idiot. People will politely decline and you'll be none the wiser.
B - You don't wanna slow down their read by deviating from an industry format they're likely used to from umpteen-bazillion times already.
Dudes spit-ballin' ideas in their rec room/garage/fave pizza joint is one thing.
Meeting & working with industry peers or peer-like-wanna-be entities is something else.
Always.
At some point you're going to stick something in front of someone who knows WTH they're looking at.
A - You don't want to look like a nube idiot. People will politely decline and you'll be none the wiser.
B - You don't wanna slow down their read by deviating from an industry format they're likely used to from umpteen-bazillion times already.
Dudes spit-ballin' ideas in their rec room/garage/fave pizza joint is one thing.
Meeting & working with industry peers or peer-like-wanna-be entities is something else.
Cowboys will be cowgirls
And cowgirls will be cowboys
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world
Except for my Lola.
Lo-lo-lo-lo La!
Just shoot 'em all.
With a T2i, of course.
Of course.
And cowgirls will be cowboys
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world
Except for my Lola.
Lo-lo-lo-lo La!
Can't tell which are packin' six-shooters or no-shooters.
Just shoot 'em all.
With a T2i, of course.
Of course.
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How to generate ideas for practice:
Sitting, BIC as DirectorRic puts it, and staring at a blank sheet of MS Word or Celtx is the best way to creatively constipate yourself.
"MAKE UP SOMETHING! MAKE UP SOMETHING CLEVER YET EPICLY MEANINGFUL!!! NOW!!!"
Yeah.
That ain't gonna end up too good.
Once upon a Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon transition period in high school the coolest teacher I ever had, (English class, of all things) began one day's lesson with a single wooden match.
I know, I know. Today kids would be iPhoning their attorney-daddies and filing HAZMAT safety complaints with the bored of idjitkayshun, but back then it was cool. (I think teachers actually smoked in class. Maybe).
"Write me a full page story about a match".
Wha... ?! He had to have been joking.
He went on to tell us to consider how the match was manufactured.
What tree was used to make the wood?
From a old growth forest or tree farm?
Where were the trees harvested and processed?
How were they transported?
Tell me about the mill.
The people at the mill.
Where was the match dipped into the flammable concoction?
What's the flammable stuff made of?
Is the white stuff the same as the red stuff?
Packaging. Marketing. Distribution. Uses. History of development. Product competition. Blah blah blah.
Hmm...
"how do you practice writing? free writing? do you just come up with scenarios? write for many hours? what do you do to get better?"
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html?src=hp1-0-P
Review the day's top news stories.
See if any of those jiggle any ideas using the "Matchstick Principle".
- What are the sons of bin Laden saying on their cell phones to each other at supper time?
- Tell me the story of the board of directors meeting where Microsoft agreed to pay eight-point-five billion dollars for Skype.
- Chancellor Merkel had what kind of pillow-talk with her husband last night about aid to Greece?
- What happened when the law of unintended consequences rose its head regarding driverless cars?
- Tell us a family's story about Utah immigration law.
Write about two or three dozen of these.
Five to fifteen pages each.
One every two weeks or so.
See what your writer-peers think.
Listen (read) to what your audience thinks.
Consider "That's how the audience thinks!" rather than rejecting criticism.
People don't make sense. Get over it and just go with it.
Write to entertain others, not to waste your time.
GL
Sitting, BIC as DirectorRic puts it, and staring at a blank sheet of MS Word or Celtx is the best way to creatively constipate yourself.
"MAKE UP SOMETHING! MAKE UP SOMETHING CLEVER YET EPICLY MEANINGFUL!!! NOW!!!"
Yeah.
That ain't gonna end up too good.
Once upon a Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon transition period in high school the coolest teacher I ever had, (English class, of all things) began one day's lesson with a single wooden match.
I know, I know. Today kids would be iPhoning their attorney-daddies and filing HAZMAT safety complaints with the bored of idjitkayshun, but back then it was cool. (I think teachers actually smoked in class. Maybe).
"Write me a full page story about a match".
Wha... ?! He had to have been joking.
He went on to tell us to consider how the match was manufactured.
What tree was used to make the wood?
From a old growth forest or tree farm?
Where were the trees harvested and processed?
How were they transported?
Tell me about the mill.
The people at the mill.
Where was the match dipped into the flammable concoction?
What's the flammable stuff made of?
Is the white stuff the same as the red stuff?
Packaging. Marketing. Distribution. Uses. History of development. Product competition. Blah blah blah.
Hmm...
"how do you practice writing? free writing? do you just come up with scenarios? write for many hours? what do you do to get better?"
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html?src=hp1-0-P
Review the day's top news stories.
See if any of those jiggle any ideas using the "Matchstick Principle".
- What are the sons of bin Laden saying on their cell phones to each other at supper time?
- Tell me the story of the board of directors meeting where Microsoft agreed to pay eight-point-five billion dollars for Skype.
- Chancellor Merkel had what kind of pillow-talk with her husband last night about aid to Greece?
- What happened when the law of unintended consequences rose its head regarding driverless cars?
- Tell us a family's story about Utah immigration law.
Write about two or three dozen of these.
Five to fifteen pages each.
One every two weeks or so.
See what your writer-peers think.
Listen (read) to what your audience thinks.
Consider "That's how the audience thinks!" rather than rejecting criticism.
People don't make sense. Get over it and just go with it.
Write to entertain others, not to waste your time.
GL
Last edited:
Think of a scenario, a situation, a problem.
Those that provide the best entertainment value often contain some nebulous thing called CONFLICT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction#Types_of_conflict
Who or what is bothering who or what and why is it happening and what is someone, presumably the protagonist, doing about it?
People (usually), characters, if you prefer.
Places.
Conflict.
Rough-out the story and then figure out WTH anyone should be interested in reading/watching it.
Figure out your double genre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_genre
Rom-com
Zom-com
Dark comedy
Family adventure
Action adventure
LBGT western
What?
Start crafting it away.
Don't even bother banging out a full 100pg feature.
Just start with five to fifteen page shorts.
Don't ask family and friends that don't know a good movie from bad about your story.
Ask people that kinda know WTH they're looking at when they watch something.
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=182344#post182344
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=179730#post179730
Maybe after about twenty or fifty shorts you'll get the idea as to whether you should move on or continue.
GL & GB!
Ray
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain
You wanna try something difficult? give epic-short or mystery-romance a whirl.
Epic-Short: It was the best of times... Quit while I was ahead and was first out of the parking lot.
Mystery-Romance: Who the h3ll is sending me flowers? Lilies, at that! How morbid.
Dude, I wish I could go back in time and get this advice from you. It would have saved me years of "learning".
I can't say I ever really "practice" writing for the most part. I just kind of work at different things. I think it's good that I'm able to move between scripts, short fiction, poetry, book/film/music reviews, essays, novels and all the rest. It allows me to move on for a moment when I'm really, really stuck on something, and I'm sometimes even able to take the gains I've made creatively in one area and apply them to another.
I guess the trick is to just not spread myself too thin, but that happens sometimes anyway.
I also try to make myself available to any kind of writing project. I tend to learn as I move, and something outside of whatever comfort zone I might have established for myself can be incredibly rewarding.
Reading certainly helps, too.
I've done writing exercises though, and I've enjoyed them. I've done things similar to what rayw describes, and they can be tremendously useful.
I guess the trick is to just not spread myself too thin, but that happens sometimes anyway.
I also try to make myself available to any kind of writing project. I tend to learn as I move, and something outside of whatever comfort zone I might have established for myself can be incredibly rewarding.
Reading certainly helps, too.
I've done writing exercises though, and I've enjoyed them. I've done things similar to what rayw describes, and they can be tremendously useful.
I started writing long before I went to film school. And I had a lot of great industry contacts. Which was bad because I was learning formatting, paradigms and method while I was giving this crap to industry guys. Wow, they hated me.
School helped a bit, but mostly confused me. I landed a successful mentor who showed me what worked and what didn't. Trial and error is a bad way to learn in an industry where you get one chance to make an impression. But you have detailed the best way to practice not only writing, but film making as a whole.
If you mean practice as in exercising, then there are many you can do.
You can go somewhere, like a coffee shop, or a train station, and write in real time what's happening. This is a great action and pacing exercise.
For structure/story exercise, you can write a 10 minute short, that has no beginning, just a middle and an end.
Three page chase sequence is a good blocking exercise.
Or a short set only in one room with three characters, is a dialogue exercise.
A short that has no humans in it, is a characterization exercise. etc
You can go somewhere, like a coffee shop, or a train station, and write in real time what's happening. This is a great action and pacing exercise.
For structure/story exercise, you can write a 10 minute short, that has no beginning, just a middle and an end.
Three page chase sequence is a good blocking exercise.
Or a short set only in one room with three characters, is a dialogue exercise.
A short that has no humans in it, is a characterization exercise. etc