Sold it! My screenplay--finalized deal this week!

Ted Spencer said:
"Inside Story" is one of the best books I've ever read on screenwriting.

And Kyle...you are one hardcore student of the trade... : )
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Who wrote it? I tried doing a search on my usual book-site but got all kinds of crap about celebrities and stuff.
 
kylekmd said:
Pick two or three dozen great screenplays and style copy them. What I mean by this is re-write them by hand--verbatim. This will help you see how the pros do it VIA YOUR OWN WRITING MECHANISM: your frontal cortex, your hand, your pen.
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Just to clarify. When you say "style copy", literally copy the script by hand verbatim? Would this work on a keyboard too?
 
gi-jones said:
Great, thanks. It's on it's way to me. Couple of months and I'll be putting you all outta work :)
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you will really enjoy it. i was (and still am) a big syd field fan, but this is a totally different way of approaching the same subject of screenwriting. i'm only a third or so into it, but it may top screenplay as my favorite book on the subject.

and after you read it and write your script, you can hire dara as a script consultant for a mere $2500.

:)
 
NinjaVsPenquin--

I guess you could do it on your computer.

But I did it by hand, felt more organic that way. Writing things out helps me focus on the details: the words, the style, the techniques.

And don't worry about spending some time doing this. You will only improve your writing skills.
 
slimchrisp said:
i'm only a third or so into it, but it may top screenplay as my favorite book on the subject.
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I promise you the remaining 2/3rds will not disappoint...

Have you read "Story" by Robert McKee? Along with Marks' book it's at the top of my best list. Field's "Screenplay" is good too, but down a few notches from those. I'd put Trottier's Screenwriter's Bible" above it too.

Geez I'm starting to sound like a freakin' database here...

Enjoy Dara's book...your writing will never be the same.
 
Ted Spencer said:
I promise you the remaining 2/3rds will not disappoint...

Have you read "Story" by Robert McKee? Along with Marks' book it's at the top of my best list. Field's "Screenplay" is good too, but down a few notches from those. I'd put Trottier's Screenwriter's Bible" above it too.

Geez I'm starting to sound like a freakin' database here...

Enjoy Dara's book...your writing will never be the same.
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i haven't actually read story by mckee, but i did listen to the audio book. maybe that's why i didn't love it as much as most people. i may have to give it another try.

for me screenplay by field is similar to music theory in the music world. all structure and rules. for me that was a great starting place because it told me exactly where i should be, at least in following the rules. granted, my first works sucked the big one, but i feel like i got the structure right. from there it was moving towards deeper more meaningful story telling. i feel like that's where inside story is taking me.

i'll have to check out screenwriter's bible too. thanks for the tip ted. that's another one that keeps popping up on my radar. for now though, i've been trying to read a lot of screenplays, and i just made my list of scripts i want to read and then hand copy per kyle's suggestion. i'm actually pretty siked about that. something i never would have thought of on my own. :beer:
 
I agree.

Dara's book shows you how a good story should play out based on the main character's transformational arc and theme. BTW, I always give each of the important secondary characters an arc too. Makes for a richer, more satisfying story if everyone (of importance) has changed significantly by FADE OUT.

Slimchrisp--you're already talented, got a great grasp of story. So the copying exercises should really help solidify things for you.
 
kylekmd said:
I agree.

Dara's book shows you how a good story should play out based on the main character's transformational arc and theme. BTW, I always give each of the important secondary characters an arc too. Makes for a richer, more satisfying story if everyone (of importance) has changed significantly by FADE OUT.

Slimchrisp--you're already talented, got a great grasp of story. So the copying exercises should really help solidify things for you.
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Sorry, little bit confused, do you mean literally writing down again someone else screenplay word by word? Why would that take a month(s)?
 
kylekmd said:
Pick two or three dozen great screenplays and style copy them. What I mean by this is re-write them by hand--verbatim. This will help you see how the pros do it VIA YOUR OWN WRITING MECHANISM: your frontal cortex, your hand, your pen.
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i think because he suggested to do this with 2 or 3 dozen screenplays.
 
Yes, because my daytime commitments do not afford me time to write. I only have a limited time each night (or early morning) to do so. Trying to re-write thirty or so 110-page scripts takes more than a month to do, if you only complete one or two scripts every few days.
 
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kylekmd said:
Yes, because my daytime commitments do not afford me time to write. I only have a limited time each night (or early morning) to do so. Trying to re-write thirty or so 110-page scripts takes more than a month to do, if you only complete one or two scripts every few days.
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Right, sorry thought you meant 2 or 3 scripts. Also thank you for all the info in this thread it is a fantastic resource.
 
Just wanted to show my support for Inside Story. I've read all the classic guides, and while I've enjoyed them, the only one that has really inspired me is Dara's.

Of course, it may just be that her take on things is more along my wavelength than Mckee's et al... but I'd still recommend it to everyone interested in the subject, above all the others.
 
Good question came in via e-mail regarding the writing process--

"How much pre-writing or preparation should you do?"

Short answer: Everyone's different. But the more preparation, the easier the writing.

So here's what I've been doing the past few years for features. SPEND 2 MONTHS GETTING THE STORY SQUARED AWAY--characters, plot, theme, outline/beat sheet, etc.--then WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT during the third month. That's it.

Two months preparation might sound like a long time but it makes the third month SO MUCH EASIER. By the time you put fingers to keyboard you know everything about your story, or at least enough to write a well-structured story with fully developed characters. And in 3 months you have a solid first draft.
 
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Though that is a solid strategy, 2 months prep is on the long side for many of us unless it's a biographical or heavy research type script. There's no de-facto process for prep. The script I'm meeting with ICM on right now had about 5 days intensive prep and 45-60 days of writing the first draft. Each one of my scripts has it's own organic process, yours should too. No stories are told the same way, developing them is no different.

Just thought it was an important caveat to make.
 
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