Screenwriting : How did you prepare for your first screenplays? by Randle Lynne Forcinel

I wrote my first screenplay without much instruction. Admittedly, I studied a lot of videos from Filmmakeriq.com and such but it's definitely doable without college. Especially if you get a program like Celtx (free) that will help you keep it in the right format. It's all about writing so I say if you have an idea just start it. Hope this helps.

1) Make sure you format it right for example: INT. HOUSE - AFTERNOON 2) Screenwriters Bible is a HUGE help to guide your screenplays as far as formatting goes. 3) Write what you know! Knowing a subject really helps I your script to make it easier to develop characters 4) Make sure your screenplay is between 90-120 pages 5) Your screenplay should have a beginning middle and end! 6) Final Draft, Celtx(what I use since it was a free download), Movie Magic are software programs that people use 7) Don't edit your script as you write because you'll end up never finishing the script. Always plug ahead forward with your writing as you can always edit in your rewrites 8) create a log line for your screenplay 9) create an elevator pitch to sell your screenplay from what I hearing on here 10) After you get started find the best times for you to write whether it is morning or afternoon or graveyard( when I write) That's all from Jeremy!! Happy writings!

I have to know my ending, before I start, as my road map and the obstacles that get in my protagonist happen organically along the way and even some surprising detours, which makes the writing more exciting. Get it all down and on your re-writes you can do your nips & tucks. Good luck. Keep writing.

Thats interesting! Do you guys feel like you write a summarized version of the plot line including the beginning middle and end? Or do you just start with fade in and see how it goes?

I can't do technicalities... "fade in" cuz then I'm already editing/tweaking it in my head.. I have to just keep writing till the end and then go back over it, I will never finish

I just start and let the characters drive the story. Again I know my ending more or less and I do find surprises along the way. Take breaks after hour or two, the next day, new infighting incidents will pop into your head, strengthening your story.

Read as many scripts as you can get your hands on, both pro and amateur. Look at how they are structured, how character is developed and revealed, the goals they have, the conflicts they over come and how they elicit an emotional response in you as you read them. This is what you want to do with your story. The biggest mistake writers make, is investing time in concepts that just don't go anywhere. If you read enough amateur scripts, you'll see this repeatedly. Personal stories that just aren't big enough to be a film, worth watching. This is where learning how to write a logline with your idea, is a good way to see if it has enough legs to explore as a film. If is does, then you want to write a few paragraphs, by asking, 'what is the story?'. Then, move on to an outline. No first draft is ever great. Writing is rewriting and no first script is every great either! But, everyone has to start somewhere. You can only learn and improve and you'll only learn by doing, understanding what works and what doesn't and trying again. Best of luck :)

Rambling Randle, the biggest danger you face at this stage is paralysis by analysis. My advice is to stop worrying and start writing. It's a lot easier to hone your craft when you have your own experience to reflect on.

Agree with CJ. Our own experiences are always the driving force in creating moving characters, that speak from their heart, which is the heart of the writer. In my case it was painful to go there (to a traumatic childhood experience) but at the same time it was catharsis.

I researched formatting. Then I wrote a feature. Then I wrote a LOT of shorts. Then I realized that I will need to go back and restructure my feature ( I still love it, but it can be told in a better way) and have a lot of revisions before I consider any kind of coverage or submission. The more I actually write, the more I see where my shortcomings are and I can make things better. But for me, writing is what must happen to get better. (Somewhere in there I started to make what I wrote.) I do take a course here and there, read, read, read, and watch a ton of movies considering the story, structure, and execution. Just to be crystal clear, I say get all the education you can from everywhere, but write while you do whatever else it is you are doing.

The first things I did were to read a ton of screenplays of movies you love, create a soundtrack to your film that you can use while writing... to consistently get in the mood you want to set... and then took a ton of time to scout locations... so I had a consistent visual image of the room or outdoor vista I wanted each scene set in. Funny thing, I started revising the soundtrack... when I found songs that better fit the mood of each scene it was in... and went from version "Alpha" to version "Omega"... A, B, C,... M, N, and O. Some are better resonances than others. Yet now, 20 years later since making version "Alpha"... I can see each scene vividly in my head when I listen to each different version of the soundtracks I now possess. I see the angles in my head of all the variety of songs I tried for one scene... each a different emotional facet... to the same scene. A very cool thing indeed... :-)

Jim... Terry Rossio's Wordplayer.com is one of the best resources around... that and Doug Richardson's blogs. I was on AOL when Terry initially scripted those Wordplayer columns.... would thirst for each new weekly installment... like tuning into your favorite radio station each week and its specific time slot.

Dive in! But keep reading and studying. And include Syd Field if you can. He was the first, and I just revisited his SCREENPLAY, and it's so basic and wonderful. I used it to write my first screenplay, and that script continues to be one of my best received. And remember what Oscar-winner William Goldman said, when it comes to Hollywood and screenwriting: "Nobody knows anything." The writing and the content of your post suggest to me that you're more than ready to start.

"Writers Write" - Stephen King. His book "On Writing" is a great read. There are many fabulous pieces of advice but the foundation is to make a schedule and keep it. Sit down and write. Some days you get one page. Other days you get 20 pages. Point is: SIT DOWN AND WRITE...

Randy, I recommend that book all the time. In fact I keep two copies as I am constantly giving one away. I used to "lend" them, but they usually find there way to two or three other people, which is a well spent $ in my book. Anyone that wants to write should read it.

I'm not published here in the USA. Wrote three works but won't say how and where I lost them. The technology available today is amplified with several online and web based services and softwares that take you to the finish.Have a story just write. Start with your titlle ,logline and outline. Writers store have all the wares to make it easy even for amateurs. I started out with courses on dramatica pro and their 350 page theory book.Accomplished writers Twitter ideas daily.Stage32 is your plus . The community is quite prolific.Good luck and enjoy some listening in YouTube.

I too feel I have genuinely good ideas but do not want to write them poorly I've read Syd Fields book on screenwriting and what also helped me was David Trottiers the screenwriters bible, which I highly recommend it did wonders for me and it just may help you as well

Hi Randle, I started writing years ago, primarily for the Spanish Market, some direct to video stuff and a whole lot of non-published works in between. I started writing as hobby and a few years ago I decided it was time to focus on the English Language prospect. My first scripts were dreadful, badly paced, badly written and just generally a tough read. I did the Syd Fields, Michael Halperin, James Ryan, Dona Cooper and so many others in my collection, plus I have read many produced screenplays. The one quote and amazing thing that stuck to me was what the great writer and producer Lawrence Kasdan said " Being a writer is like having homework for the rest of your life". His own story about how his screenplay "The Bodyguard" was rejected 67 times, it was even quoted as one of "the best un-made script in Hollywood and was eventually made in 1992. What I learned was that patience and homework (research and honing your craft) was what is needed to take your first steps. Another thing that could help you is an insightful podcast by Chris Soth. Good luck!

Hi Randle, as a producer, former studio exec, and script consultant, I've supervised multiple interns who were studying screenwriting/film/producing at Loyola, Chapman, USC, and UCLA in the LA area, and interns who studied at Texas, Columbia, NYU, etc. I've never seen any student "harmed" by continuing to take screenwriting classes. However, I've also never seen an intern come out of their academic programs completely armed with all the "real world" experience they need to navigate the system. None of us know how strong your skill set is at present. But generally speaking, I'd say that classes can't hurt you. Supplementing your body of work with "real world" experience will certainly help. I've also learned that film schools generally do a lackluster job of teaching rewriting!! So try to keep that in mind as you go forth. Good luck!

@Regina and @Glenn... beautifully written insightful comments you two! Bravo!! Another thing I did for my first screenplay was to move to Seattle where I set the movie... to get that "Twin Peaks" feel. I scouted the locations I wanted... which, knowing where I wanted the scene and what the space felt like, the writing flowed much more easily. I knew what everything looked like. That step, in and of itself, added to the Quality.

The key there... was that, as my writing partner quipped, "I write the movie, but you see the film." That there, is the key. You must be able to see each scene. I also did schematic story boards for each scene... blocking the actors like a football coach's play schematics that he shows the team. That helped seeing the movie a lot better two. Another thing is that you must be able to hear each of your character's voices in your head. A good way to do this is to write up character profiles for each character. What are their likes? What are their dislikes? What's their worst fear? What's their shard of glass. Who do they love. Who is their best friend? Do that, and you'll get to know each character - intimately. The cool thing about that... is that as the years passed, I started meeting my characters in real life... often at different times of their lives than the character I wrote in the script... which was really, really neat! :-)

Another idea the helped me was to make soundtracks for each character... with each one containing that particular character's favorite songs. Then, when writing a scene with that character is the lead, I'd pop in that soundtrack to set the mood of that character. That allowed me to get to feel each character better... so I got to know each one only that more Intimately.

Hi Randle. Remember the Nike slogan? JUST DO IT! Understand format. That's super important. Understand 3 Act structure. You can deviate from it later but not when learning. Try your best to make characters unique. A trick for doing it is read the dialogue you write for a character. Next read the dialogue you write for another character. Do they sound different or the same? There's more to learn but those 3 things will get you started in the right direction. To motivate yourself to write? Find what works for you. Some say sit in front of the monitor and write anything. I tried that and just stared at the monitor, wasting time. The muse strikes when you least expect it. While sitting, staring at a flashing cursor I had nothing - zip - nada. I got up, went out to pull weeds and BAM! It just came to me what to write. Then I hit it hard. Don't beat yourself up over refusing to stare at a blank page. Find what works for Randle and stick to it.

I like your formula, can I borrow it, brother? A soundtrack for each character ,almost like a rhythm, which we all have in the real world. I remember many years ago when I was studying acting, the coach told me to sing my lines, so that they would come out in different forms, not robotic. Now, according to what you say it all applicable to screenwriting as well. Thanks.

Full body wax to cut down on friction .

Hi Randle, Don't bury yourself in "how-to" books or self-proclaimed masters. Over the years, I've been to most of the seminars and read all the most popular books. I can tell you this, I've learned more from reading scripts than any other source. And by that, I mean, read scripts of movies you haven't seen but other people say are good or even bad. If there are Oscar winning movies that you haven't seen, those too. Most important, I would say read scripts that are the same tone of the movies that you want to write. Every writer has a different method. Some outline before they write. Others dig right in. Some people focus on character. Others on concept. There are no fill in the blank templates that will get you to a blockbuster script. And if you focus too hard on what Hollywood wants, you might lose the motivation for writing in the first place. So write with passion and I swear to you the reader can feel it on the page. That's my best advice.

Can I just say: Isn't this amazing? A ginormous group of people who just love film, sharing their intellect with each other, in hopes that we well see one another succeed. You can't write this stuff. ;)

Right on, Tony.

In another thread we talked about music, so I want to pass on that point-of-view: Listen to the same songs over and over. Don't write anything. Picture the songs as the background in your story; they tell a narrative. Is it a love song? Who falls in love? Does it work out? Why or why not? What did they say? Come up with a theme song for each character. Now decide how that song was there all through their life, a soundtrack to the montage of their important moments. Is it a feature film? Write it out as a miniseries with several episode guides, and write those episodes with cliffhangers and everything. Is it a short film? Write it in 30-second chunks until you've hit the time. And the best advice I got: don't worry about editing or style or any of that; just "word-vomit" until you hit your goal for 110 pages or 500 camera shots or whatever you're aiming for. Edit later.

I could give you so many good answers, but too much is too much. A good aide is to buy the program called "Contour," which will teach you the basics of what makes stories work, and fill in your story in its step outliner before you actually write it, because once you know your story through and through, the writing becomes a pleasure. Another strong way to get started in the right way as a screenwriter would be to buy a copy of Vicki King's book, "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days" and follow her regimen as laid out there. Another inexpensive program that's great for studying/ applying dialogue techniques is called "Great Dialogue." And a very accessible book on mulling over and constructing marketable stories Hollywood might possibly buy is called "Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder. If you "just dive in," you'll probably flounder in indecision by mid-script and take years to finish, if you ever do, while pros need to be able to turn around an idea into a completed draft in just a few weeks. Make notes all the time as things occur to you about your story or stories, but if you just start writing in a script-formatting program, thinking you'll write a salable script, the already bad odds against you (against us all, nothing personal intended) become much worse.

I totally agree on reading Stephen King's book on writing. It's a classic. I tend to spend way more time reading books on writing than I ought to. A good friend who is a skilled writer told me, "Pick your favorite and keep it handy. Reread it when you need to. Write daily. Put the rest of the books away." In my heart, I know he's right. Reading too much about writing is one of the ways our inner critic sabotages us, paralyzing us before we begin.

@Virginia... excellent post! That's one reason I switched from writing screenplays to publishing books... now with 32 books out there on Amazon. I stopped worrying about script structure, script readers, and coverage... and just wrote about what I wanted to write. The hard part now is when people ask "What kind of books do you write?" since I've written what I've lived (and tried to share my lessons learned), my best response is "Good ones." Then they kind of look at me funny (like, "OK, Mr. Smartass...")... but it's true, I don't really have a genre. For instance, my last book I published is my first fictional piece titled Attack of the Electronic Dust Bunnies... so amongst the 32 I've written, all the rest have either been screenplays or non-fiction... with no consistent genre. Yet, I haven't let the inner critic detour me from what I feel most passionate about writing at that particular stage of my life... and that, I feel, is Crucial.