Screenwriting : The Importance of obstacles in your script... Do you really need to be told this? by Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal"

AMEN Fiona.

C'mon, Phillip, everybody wants to be a screenwriter. ;)

@Beth: I'm reminded of that old Kink's song Celluloid Heroes: "Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star, And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are. There are stars in every city, In every house and on every street, And if you walk down Hollywood Boulevard Their names are written in concrete!" Fiona: Don't get me started on FB. I get hit with so many things for screenwriters, Land Rovers, colleges, cigars. drums and anything else I've shown an interest in. It all starts with liking someone's page. I just tune out and ignore FB's irritations.

This is a great topic! I read every day, and most of the (crap) that I divulge into, comes from the newspaper. (Yes, I know...I'm 36, and I read the WSJ...people do still get those bundles of bad news delivered to their front door step). Most of the thought provoking material that I consume comes from the unfortunate real life matters of what I read about TODAY. With that stated; I also still read Scriptmag.com and browse through the blogs from writers and industry professionals. Because, (as Owen mentioned), if something suits me, it must be because I'm looking to improve that portion of my writing. Perception in life is EVERYTHING...and what you do in action because of it, defines not just what kind of screenwriter you're going to be; but also that action defines what type of person you've become. In the famous words spoken by 'Tyler Durden', "sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken." - Having a computer and Final Draft with 4 features completed and one Pilot in the works does not make me a know it all either. I have plenty to learn, plenty to touch up on, and who knows??? Maybe, I'll come across someone's opinion on "how to" write that character driven action sequence that my writing DESPERATLY needs. After all... what is growth without being humble enough to recognize it when it happens?

@Phillip, yeah, that's great. I recently watched the documentary "Seduced and Abandoned" which follows Alec Baldwin and James Toback trying to secure funding for a film -- for me, the film with its focus on the film industry was more "Disappointed and Disgusted" but that's a whole different topic. Anyway, in the documentary they interview Ryan Gosling who made the point about those who come to LA with big dreams and huge odds against them; that "it's either delusion or premonition." I thought that was a great observation.

@Stephen Good points and scriptmag is a great resource. @Beth I hope they get that doc on Netflix. I'd like to see it.

Well, that was a weird article, to have everything so laid out like that, almost like it's a math equation. Jerry Flattum was finally getting to something really interesting at the end, "And for a writer, turning bad people into sympathetic characters is an obstacle in and of itself." This is what I've been doing WAY too much, and it makes my stories less marketable. My first BIG writing excursion was back in the early 2000's. I wrote half of a 'pirate romance' novel because I thought it would be easy. Turns out the main character, Cora, is a vicious little bitch caught in one of the most graphically violent time/places of human history. She took me to a place I wasn't ready to follow, and so the second half of the novel is still on the back shelf of my mental fridge. Basically, I don't really care that having a 'more than half dark-side' hero makes my stories less marketable. Humans are totally fucked up and we're not going to evolve or heal until we face our demons. The fact that we rarely overcome those demons needs to be told. It's in the conscious awareness that the demons exist, HOW we are fucked up mentally, that the healing/evolution begins. There's another recent thread about 'pick your fav. 'classic' movie'. A lot of the ones being highlighted are kind of like this. Godfather: 'hero' stays totally fucked up, beginning to end. Fight Club: totally fucked up, although the 'reveal' at the VERY end, like page 110, shows a bit of mental healing. Wild Ones: Brando stays a fucked up rebel (yay!). Hitchcock movies: hero/heroine stays crazy (gets more crazy!). Cat on a hot tin roof: she stays nuts (gets more nuts!). What kind of pissed me off about that article is that Flattum doesn't come right out and say that movies that fill up the 60 minute middle, page 15-85, with nothing but a meaningless barrage of 'obstacles' and no character arc growth, are just that: tripe.

Seduced and Abandoned is a must watch. So is the film Official Rejection - about the festival circuit.

PS, Seduced and Abandoned was HBO. Might be in their on demand queue. I laughed and cried while watching!

Yes, "Seduced and Abandoned" is available on HBO. I was able to stream it. ...For me, it wasn't funny, although using "death" as a pitch was bizarre. "You're going to die soon so why not add to your legacy. You can't take your money with you." Anyway, the sexism was hard to watch. The industry is controlled by rich white men of a certain age -- and there they are in this documentary being pitched to by Alec Baldwin.

Getting back to the thread topic, yes, this article was weird. In the first paragraph it states; "Seems a bit mechanical to think of a screenplay–or a story–as a series of obstacles." I'm thinking; yes, yes it is. Not to mention unbelievably reductive and rather missing the whole "rai·son d'ê·tre" of telling stories. Moving on!

@Sarah: Wow! What a bold post and I'd love to read the dark pirate romance. I appreciate you having the courage to share that with us. As I a writer, I explore many different sides of the human condition. I've always been an angry person that channels my rage into positive things. Even though anger is a part of what makes me tick, I’ve always been a very optimistic person. So, for me, anger fuels the things I do and has helped me accomplish many things. I use script writing to explore my darker side and that has manifested itself, particularly in my work during the past year. In writing “Four Negro Girls In A Church”, I immersed myself heavily into the characters and found myself at times, profoundly affected. I wanted my characters to really convey loss, love, hatred and bigotry. During my time, I’ve witnessed many beautiful, ugly, wonderful and horrible things. I not only face my demons, I often embrace them.

I think Fiona's point is well taken. I think there are a number of "newbie" writers who may get something from the article but there aren't too many articles for the "next level" writer. It's honestly why I haven't written too many new articles lately. I wrote 250+ articles on screenwriting biz and craft, til I felt everything I've said was just being repeated and I was worn out. And when I'd try to write something "next level" it didn't get much traction. certainly not as much as the million "how can I get an agent" blog posts. And I simply can't bring myself to writing another one of those. So, please...inspire me! What's a next level question that would make for an interesting article topic?? Not something that can be answered in 1 sentence. Not something horribly technical or boring. Something that would make for an interesting read for more than 500 words. Thoughts?? please share em!!

@Danny, (Endurance/Resilience) for the working full-time, family providing, and skillfully hungry writer with an end goal in sight. (How does one endure with resilience the neccessary traits to keep them as a writer bound for success, and still focused on providing for a life that's needed today?) Just sayin' - I'd love for the 'next-level' opinions on that. My train has already left the station, so there's no going back on my writing... but what's the best way of balance for success, when attempting to capture the creative mind set, while plugging away at the providing need for others? Steve

Stephen, yeah, great subject suggestion; endurance/resilience. :) Danny, I would love to see more critical story analysis. (Perhaps I've missed some articles.) Or, discussion about deep structure/plot -- plot as a process not a "thing;" not a formula; not fill-in-the-blank "template-like" consideration when it comes to structure. Plot is truly organic. Perhaps articles that encourage writers to loosen their white-knuckled grip on their precious formula books. Embrace their individual voices. "There are no dull subjects. / There are only dull writers" – H.L. Mencken ;)

Yes, I couldn't agree with you more, Fiona! Theme and messaging are extremely interesting and important to me as well. Then, it becomes not just about theme but how best to capture it in an execution -- which can mean doing things a little differently. I'm not denying that there is a natural structure to storytelling and industry expectations -- there is -- but also making the point that there is no "ritualistic magic" here. You can't just follow the dots, or 'paint by numbers', and create a script. The irony is the industry can spot formula a mile away and it is not sought after; what is hoped for is a new take. The key element to "originality" is us, our creative selves, our hard work. All these boring technical "tools" are just that -- tools. We need to think more in terms of process, not things. I'd love that to be explored. ;)

@Sarah - I think the chances of the average person facing their demons or in @Phillip's case, embracing their demons, is slim to none. I type mental health reports and hardly ever is there a patient willing to take responsibility for the issue at hand, but rather reach for a pill to mask the "demon." And the "physician" is only too happy to prescribe the "solution," and if that doesn't work, they up the dosage. Hell, there are 5-year-olds on meds these days. So frustrating for me to see. I'm in your camp. I think human nature should be told as it is - The comfort zone in which many of us find ourselves snuggling up against.... the darker side of our minds, however, it may have come about. It makes for a much more interesting story.

Well said, CJ. The whole "business" of how to write, market, edit and sell screenplays reminds me of screaming carnival barkers from my youth, all claiming to have the best show or, more often, the "secret" to whatever it is you need.