HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 17

LEARN TO LOVE WRITING SCRIPTS
There is a saying out there in screenwriting that goes, "Nobody likes to write, but everyone loves having been written". In other words, we're happiest when the script is completed, finished, over with, dunzo. We rejoice when we have two brads stuck in the one-hundred-something page stack of papers and can finally pass it to a family member, friend, reader, producer, agent, manager, fill in the blank.

I totally disagree.

If you can't stand sitting in front of the black and white, tactfully placing spaces, capitals, and scratching your head over the use of parantheticals, get out.

If the thought of designing a scene for your audience, instead of yourself, makes you feel like a waiter at a five-star restaurant, where you think you should be the chef instead, maybe you should check into cooking school.

If your opinion is, "as long as it's a good story the reader will overlook errors", you might want to spend your time in a profession where faults are more easily overlooked (not naming an occupation here, but I'm sure you can think of a few where lack of service or attention to detail seems to be the trade standard for many).

Writing takes passion, you better learn to love it.

When you stick two brads (two, not three, we'll go over that later, when you've completed your script) in your "opus magnum", you're putting your soul out there, and it's vulnerable. As long as you keep that scripting program open, writing and tweaking as you may, you're safe. But hit the printer, upload that PDF, bend back those two brass wings, and you're like one of those downhill skiers at the gate, listening to the "beeping" countdown, moments before you go from zero to sixty or faster, hoping to stay on two feet in the icy slalom.

Make it a good run by being prepared.

People in the industry say that screenwriters can be sensitive, that they are easily hurt by bitter notes, that they are offended when their script doesn't make that round of coverage. What better way to defend yourself, to armor up for the ride, than to polish your script until you are totally confident and satisfied that you have written a meaningful piece?

Once you've been written...

not everyone is going to like your screenplay, that's human nature, no matter how good something or someone is, there will be critics. But some people will like what you do, and I'm not taking away from that, we need to look forward to it as a part of our motivation. But praise cannot be the sole purpose for writing, there are more rewards to writing a screenplay than someone deeming it to be "good".

Writing is a process of imagination, with limitless boundaries; as long as you stick to the basic rules and guidelines you can do whatever you want. It's your chance to show us what you are thinking, your script should be like a magic show, where the audience is quiet and watches your every move, and you distract them with slight of hand, sexy assistants, and then--

BAM!

You pull a pretty white rabbit out of a hat, and everyone applauds.

It's all planning and practice up to that point: we're behind the curtain, fidgeting, going over the routine in our head, hoping that we have a good audience that night.

I'm out to change the theory that "being written" is our best moment, it's like saying that artists can't stand the painting process, but love to show off their art. No, as a fine artist I can tell you that our best moment is when we make a breakthrough, figuring out the exact right composition and color to things, when we step back and see that it is on the path to success, no matter how much of the canvas is still blank. That's the real "natural high" of our profession.

You can feel the same with your writing. Be persistent, solve problems, enjoy the process, not just the results and rewards.

Learn to love writing, and give us a good show!