Thursday, October 9, 2014

Things I have learned so far

Of all the things I have learned from screenwriting so far in my young career, the most important probably is "Keep on writing".

I have completed 2 screenplays so far and I am still working on my 3rd, unable to come up with a great ending.  They say you should work on something else and then go back to your other screenplay when your stuck, so right now I am working on the book about my career in Information Technology which is entitled "Because of the Money".

I found this web site that preaches just that, called Keep Writing and its worth looking at, if only to keep you inspired.

As far as dealing with agents, one thing I found it is - never ask an agent what movie or movies he has been involved with.  One agent in particular actually hung up on me - twice when I dared to ask him about this resume.  


As far as script coverage services, I have found in my one experience that its not worth it. Your better off going to fiver.com and pay only 5 dollars for some good feedback and advice.

Screenplay contests are OK, but you have to find the right ones.  Look at the Keep Writing Web site I mention above for more information about the ones to enter.   One of the good ones is BLUECAT, which I entered some months ago.

Some ideas I have found over the past year is that if you have writers block then write anything, you can always go back and fix it later.   Be prepared for many re-writes before you are completed with any play or screenplay.  Neil Simon wrote his first play "Come blow your horn" no less than 26 times, with each re-write including about 120 pages before he was completed.   I highly recommend Neil Simon's biographies, because both of these books talk about his writing career as well as his challenging personal life:


Rewrites: A Memoir






The Play Goes On: A Memoir


I also found something interesting about some ideas about making a short film.



Short Film Ideas

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