Writing contest calendar & fun short screenplay competition!

I have three interesting bits of information for you today. First up I'd like to say huge congratulations to my good friend Neil Baker, whose short film script "Three" (see what I did back there, eh, eh?!) will be produced and filmed by director Darren S Cook in the next few months! I read the script last year in its early stages and thought it was a great concept.

Logline: "THREE is a short comedy about three hitmen who discover they have been sent to kill each other. Finding themselves in a stalemate, they have no choice but to talk out their issues."

Best of luck, Neil!

You can show your support and be regularly updated on the film's progress on the facebook fan page here.

Secondly, I'd like to direct all short story, novel and poetry writers to Sally Quilford's writing calendar. This writing calendar is regularly updated with all the latest competition news and lists all the important information, such as themes, word counts and entry fees, at a glance. Definitely one to bookmark!

Last but by no means least, the lovely Kid In The Front Row has taken it upon himself to create a short screenwriting competition over on his blog. The Kid In The Front Row Online Screenwriting Festival will be a yearly event.

The challenge is to write a five page script to a brief and a deadline set by Kid. Entry is free and you can win one of the following titles -

Best Screenplay, Funniest Screenplay or Most Original Screenplay. 

The competition is primarily a fun exercise for screenwriters to pit their skills against others. I think it's a great opportunity for new screenwriters to practice working to a brief and a deadline and is well worth a try!

This year's brief:

• Your script must be no more than 5 pages long (6 including the cover page)
• The entire film is set in one place - the kitchen.
• You must use industry standard formatting.
• There are three characters: Anna, Mike and Hank.
• Anna wants something from Mike, but there's no way Mike is giving it away.
  

The deadline is the 2nd December 2009. You can email your entries to kidinthefrontrow [at] googlemail [dot] com!

Why rules help, not hinder, a writer...

I was asked recently by a screenwriter new to the game whether knowing the rules of writing screenplays, though useful, would hinder/inhibit creativity? My immediate reaction was to say "No, I don't think it should. No more than watching a TV show or reading a novel would affect how you write your own. It's what you do with your own ideas that makes their originality".

This question is common among new writers, along with the time-old worry of idea theft. We've all thought it in the beginning: "I don't think I should pass my script on to anyone in case they steal my ideas!" 

Today I received Yves Lavandier's "Writing Drama" for my birthday. It was even signed by the man himself "For Michelle, an aspiring screenwriter, Yves". I was very excited when I saw it - I knew that the books were being signed, but I had no idea it would be a personal signing!

Anyhow, I have been reading through it this afternoon whilst munching on my belgian seashell choccies (yum!) and I kept reading passage after passage that pretty much backed up and confirmed the advice I had given the screenwriter. Granted, Yves is talking about the good in learning the rules of drama, but drama is what screenplays (amongst other story mediums) are all about.

I wanted to share these quotes with you (which will apply to the rules of story and structure as well as drama itself) because I think we can all learn a lot from them. 

"If a degree of uniformity has arisen [rules creating works that all look the same], this is more probably due to the lack of daring displayed by certain decision-makers and the lack of creativity and personality among certain screenwriters."

Here, Yves is saying that it's a writer's creativity and what they do with their own ideas that ensures a screenplay's uniqueness.

Yves thinks we can still enjoy plays, films and comics once we know all the rules:

"When a piece of drama "works", it affects all spectators in much the same way. When it doesn't "work", the trained eye is better able to identify and understand its weaknesses."

I take from this quote the viewpoint that knowing the rules can help you develop as a writer. Recognising the merits or downfalls of other works can help inform your own writing.

"I believe that what makes an idea, a religion or a work of art successful is not how apposite it is, or how perfect, but how much it acts as social glue."

Here, I believe Yves is talking about how following the rules doesn't always create good drama. It is the effect of your writing upon the audience/viewer and how they can relate to it that makes it a success.

"The techniques involved in the language of drama are closer in essence to the rules of competence. Having learned these, it is up to the writer to "perform," that is, to establish his style."

So, knowing the rules won't necessarily make you good at writing. It is what you do with them and how you develop your own style that matters.

And perhaps the most pertinent quote of all:

"Knowing the rules is no guarantee of talent - though that may help a talent to develop."

I like this quote because, to me, it says two things:

Knowing the rules doesn't necessarily mean you have authority over those that don't because you still have to prove your talent. But it also says that knowing the rules can help you develop.

Talent is all well and good, but you need a system within which to nurture and promote it. The rules form the basic platform of all writing. There's no need to wholly comply with them or to become restricted by them, but simply knowing them plants seeds of knowledge in your creative mind which will eventually grow and mould into your own interpretations. In my view, it is a writer's interpretation that makes a story. 

Yves even answers my screenwriting aquaintance's question of whether rules inhibit creativity directly:

"Knowledge of the rules is no obstacle to spontaneity in creation".

And there's even scientific proof of this:

"It is because our understanding of rules is housed in the left hemisphere [of the brain] and the spontaneity of artistic creation in the right that the former does not hinder the latter."

I'd like to finish with this quote in conclusion:

"Experience shows that writers who have a conscious understanding of the rules continue to produce spontaneously. But spontaneity does not automatically provide good results. [...] Understanding of the rules enables him to channel this spontaneity: unconsciously, within the brain, and consciously when it comes to correcting and rewriting what has emerged from these labours. [...] An understanding of the rules has the immense advantage  of providing a methodology, one that enables the dramatist to stand back a little from his work and make the most of his abilities and his material."

Writing progress!

Well, it's now 9 days into the Nanowrimo challenge and at first things weren't looking good. I kept on track for the first few days and was really enjoying the process, but then I ground to a halt. I'd been writing a pretty dark and intense scene and I felt like I wasn't getting past it quick enough. It needed lots of attention though so I kept going until it found its natural ending and then took a breather. For several days.

I was ill last week so I shall blame it on that, but once you start getting behind it really does knock your confidence. I tried to catch up to no avail, but I tried not to get put off. The novel was moving along and I was becoming more and more connected with the leading lady. I started to write more fluidly and ideas started to come to me as I went along.

Soon I was able to jump from 3000 words to 6000, then from 6000 to 10,000 and today I spent the whole day working on it and managed to up the word count to 17,5000, which is just over tomorrow's target. This will hopefully free me up for Wednesday which is my birthday :)

I very nearly gave up this novel. I doubted that the plot was strong enough or that it was moving along at a good enough pace, but I stuck with it. Now that I am 6 chapters in I can feel the momentum picking up and can see the plot moving in some exciting directions. The protagonist will be going on a journey of personal growth as well as one of investigation into the disappearance of her boyfriend. I just hope I can keep it up and see it through!

Tomorrow I shall be working more on the outline of my feature screenplay. It's the first feature I've ever written and will be a more complicated (non-linear) script than I'm used to writing. Looking forward to that challenge!

Collaboration Methods

How do you like to collaborate?

Collaborating on a writing project with others is a fun, interesting and effective way to get ideas developed, improved, polished and ready to rock 'n' roll. It's often a way of getting projects off the ground faster than you could when working alone and the process of discussion, debate and compromise keeps interest levels high. But it's also something that can be done in many ways. I'm curious as to how other people go about collaborating on a writing project (namely a screenplay).

I personally work really well using the emailing method. Here's how it works: One person starts by brainstorming ideas in a Word file. Email it over to the writing partner and they can add to the document in a different colour with their input. Nothing gets deleted, just expanded upon. Repeating this process and continuing the discussion via email in this format means you have time to really think about what the other person has suggested, because you don't feel under pressure to come up with comments straight away. You have time to articulate your own thoughts and really get stuck in. This of course works best with a team of two. With any more, the emailing process may become muddled because two of the three parties are likely to want the initial notes on the offset, rather than having to wait in line to receive them. The process could then become split into "branches" of emails/documents and may become unorganised.

Discussing projects live via instant messenger is also a great way of throwing ideas around, but you're not always able to save the information. If there are more than two people, the discussion may also move forward too quickly making it hard to keep up.

I think a combination of the emailing method and the instant messaging method makes for a good balance - use the email method to document all thought processes/developments and the instant messenger to discuss anything brought up in the document and to bounce new ideas around as you think them up.

Of course, if you live near one another it is possible to meet up with a writing partner or team. In this case, is it better to meet up and make notes as you go along? Or use a dictaphone so the conversation can run freely at the same time as being recorded for later use? 

Then comes the writing-the-script stage... How do you go about passing the drafts around?

In the past I have used Celtx. Writer number 1 writes a first draft, sends the Celtx file over to writer number 2, who opens it, copies it into a new file marked "[Title]2" and then edits as they please. They then pass draft 2 back. Writer 1 copies it to a new file marked "[Title]3" and edits as they please. In this way, no drafts get lost and they can always be referred back to if a passage was cut that shouldn't have been. I've never tried this method with more than one other writer, but it seems a pretty effective and logical way of going about it. 

How do you prefer to go about the planning and writing stages of a collaboration?

NaNoWriMo Story Dilemma!

This morning, I woke up and had a little panic attack. 

"Argh! What have I done?! Signing up to Nanowrimo in the public eye, saying I'll do it, bigging it up and argh! What if I can't do it? What if I fail? Argh!"

Then, after pondering the challenge throughout my working day, I found myself getting really quite excited about it. I started off my writing career whilst in Australia last year by starting a novel - something I'd always wanted to do. My technique wasn't too dissimilar to that of Nanowrimo - I had a general idea of who the characters were and what I wanted to happen in the novel so I just went for it, writing as much as I could every day! I only got 22,000 words in, but much of it flowed naturally. I would have continued had I not discovered screenwriting! So I think this challenge will help me get back into novel-writing and help me explore that side of creative writing once again. 

I'm not going to continue the novel I started in Australia. I haven't even read it since I closed the document back then. I am planning to re-read it one day and re-work it, making sure I plan the details in advance this time. I learnt back then that writing without planning is exhilarating, but rather scary when you begin to run out of steam. Therefore I aim to plan my Nanowrimo novel, even if it's only rough notes on one page of A4. I just need something to go by so that I keep up the pace throughout.

Now, my dilemma - which story to write!

I initially planned to write a novel based on an idea I had for a screenplay. It was a psychological thriller exploring the possibility of the existence of a parallel universe and how it would affect those who could see it. I chose this idea because it is one which I have wanted to explore for a while but which I found difficult to plan as a screenplay. However, I find myself still struggling to think about the plot even in the more lenient format of novel-writing. The idea just isn't quite engaging me enough.

So then I got thinking about some other ideas I've had whizzing around in that little ideas factory that they call my brain. One of which is an idea I recently thought up. It involves a young boy and girl who, in their search for their respective blood parents, meet, unite in their quest and fall in love, only to discover a horrifying truth about their blood parents and a connection between them that will throw their lives into jeopardy. Blimey! I hadn't written it down like that before. I'm rather impressed with how good it sounds! Now I'm in even more of a dilemma, as I'd felt this story wasn't strong enough for me to delve into as a novel just yet, but now I'm not so sure. Drama and emotion are my specialty when writing. This idea would provide a lot of drama and emotion, not to mention thrills and suspense!

The story I had most recently settled on was that of a screenplay I have been planning. It examines the viability of second chances regarding a formerly convicted criminal and the reaction their partner has upon finding out they have lived a lie for years, the criminal having been given a new identity... I had the idea that, in writing a novel which I fully intend to write as a drama screenplay, I will be able to get to know the characters and the plot inside out before starting the screenplay. This really appeals to me and I also have the added bonus of knowing who the main characters are already and what happens throughout the story. Writing it in novel form should allow me to get deeper into the minds of the characters and really explore the issues. 

So, the question is, which story idea to go with? I'm hoping I make the right decision and don't end up regretting choosing a certain story or, heaven forbid, getting so far, running out of steam and needing to start again with a different story!

I think my main worry at the moment though is the structure of the novel. I know that, in going for it and writing without constraint, I will be able to explore the story and emotions freely, but I do worry that, like with my first ever novel, I will get so far and then grind to a halt. Back then, I knew nothing about story structure. Now, I know a lot about screenplay structure, but what about novel structure? Is it the same? Is it similar enough, so that if I apply the principles of screenplay structure I should get a fairly decent novel structure? It's a tricky one. I'm trying to read up about it at the moment, but part of me just wants to make up my own structure based on my screenplay knowledge and see what happens.

If anyone has any advice on novel structure I'd love to hear it! Likewise, if you've taken part in Nanowrimo before and have any tips to share, please do!

Six Sentence Story, Chain Gang & NaNoWriMo

This week has been both productive and inspiring. I've been planning some of my new screenplays, reading and critiquing other people's screenplays and dabbling in some other creative exercises, too, the first of which being my first ever attempt as a six sentence story.

The lovely Katie McCullough has had several published on the 6s blog. Paul McIntyre also had one published just last week - congratulations Paul! It's called "Horse" and you can read it here.

Mine wasn't accepted for publication on the blog this time, so I though I'd share it with my blog readers:

Left Behind

It wasn't always like this, such a cold and lonely life. She used to take me everywhere, tell me everything, never forget me. But now as I lie confined to my bed, my skin a prison trapping me in childhood whilst she grows ever taller, ever more mature and confident without me. The visits less frequent now she has her new life, her new room, her new friends. Forgotten are the fun times, the happy times, for I have been abandoned, orphaned, cocooned within the dust of time. I often dream of an alternate life, one in which I experience new things: her life, but I know it can never be, never for me, a mere doll in a former child's room.

I wanted to write something a bit unusual - from the viewpoint of an inanimate object. I'm quite pleased with it and looking forward to attempting more 6s stories!

I also decided to participate in this year's Chain Gang serial on BBC radio 7. It's a three minute radio drama, broadcast weekly on Saturday evenings, in which the audience get to decide what happens next. There had only been three episodes when I wrote my storyline for last week's entry. If chosen, the listener's storyline is dramatised by award-winning writer Robert Shearman of Dr Who fame. It's a really fun way to get involved with a radio drama - it only takes ten minutes or so to beat out a 200-word storyline and there's an added excitement factor as you eagerly await the broadcasting of the next episode to see if your storyline has been chosen. Alas, mine wasn't chosen for the fourth episode, but I'm keen to enter it each week - it's good practice storylining and is a good way to get the creative juices flowing before delving into other projects.

Now, a novel-writing friend of mine recently alerted me to the NaNoWriMo scheme - National Novel Writing Month. In a nutshell, you sign up to the website, then during the month of November you bash out 50,000 words of a novel. Reach the target and you're a winner! "Na" I said. "I'm way too busy with my screenwriting projects at the moment". But today, after Lucy and some other tweeps alerted me to the challenge anew, I got thinking.

It actually has its merits. For one thing, you have a specific target - everyone wants to win, right? 50,000 words, that's 1,667 (rounded up) words a day. But it's easier than you think. NaNoWriMo encourages quantity not quality - that means it's not about making what you write perfect, it's about getting as much down as you possibly can. Forget about planning in great detail (though you could beforehand if you really wanted to), forget about going over what you've written and editing as you go along... Just write. Whatever comes into your mind, however you want to continue the story... Just go for it. That's what it's all about, and I think it could be a blessing in disguise.

Whether you write novels or scripts, or even short stories, there's always such procrastination involved because of planning or fear of starting. There's also a thing that I shall name "The Editing Demon" within you that will shout at you to read over your work, correct and re-write as you go along. This is what stops the creative process. Many writing experts advise setting a timer and writing solidly for half an hour or so, writing whatever comes into your mind. It may be complete rubbish but you'll have got the creative juices flowing. NaNoWriMo is similar, if not a little trickier given you do need a few characters and a basic idea of where the plot will lead - but the principle is the same. Sit down each night, bash out so many words, then pat yourself on the back for having evaded that editing demon!

NaNoWriMo is especially good because you can update your word counts. Now, come on, don't deny it - checking word counts and seeing how well you're doing is such a good feeling, isn't it?! What's more, you can compare your word counts with other members/buddies and give mutual support. Knowing thousands of others are sitting at their computers and working away on their novels at the same time as you will help with motivation (if the word count thing isn't motivation enough!)

So, I'm going for it. I've decided that an idea I've struggled to represent in script format in the past may be much better suited as a novel, so I'm going to give it a go. I might plan the main turning points but other than that I think I'll just go for it and see where it leads. I have a feeling it'll be a good creative release. Afterwards, I'll hopefully have a good chunk of material to work with :)

If my ramblings still haven't convinced you to give it a go - read this inspiring story. This woman is incredible! 

Be my buddy on NaNoWriMo! Find me here!

 

Achievments & Knockbacks - Onwards & Upwards!

Hello everybody!

It's been some time since I made my last blog post and a lot has been going on...

First up, I had a lovely weekend in Bournemouth, during which I attended Lucy's "How To Be A Scriptreader" course. It was a brilliant, informative day which I thoroughly enjoyed. I met some more bloggers - Dominic Carver and Martin Adams - and made many new aquaintances also. We also found out from the lovely Rosie Jones about the Prequel To Cannes screenwriting competition and also learnt about the MA in screenwriting available at Bournemouth University. I felt I learnt a lot on the day and came away with not one but two lots of homework (optional, mind - I'm such a geek!) which have now both been completed. I'd never written a script report for a feature before. I thoroughly enjoyed it and now feel much better qualified for writing professional standard reports for my peers. The course has done more for me than I first thought, too. I know feel much more confident writing synopses - something I had avoided up until now but which I knew I needed to master. So thanks, Lucy and participants, for a great day!

Lucy also made an excellent post on her blog on the different types of screenwriting software available after I asked her opinion on whether Final Draft was the best. You can read it here!

Secondly, I passed my driving test! Having had lessons since February and having struggled throughout due to my anxiety issues, passing first time was a huge achievment and one which has made me feel very good indeed! Whats more is that, the same day, my fiancé and I went to pick up our car, which we'd bought the weekend before! My driving licence arrived in the post today - a lovely pink card (though I was rather fond of the minty green provisional licence!) Having the stress of driving lessons and the anticipation of an upcoming test off my mind has been a huge weight-off-the-shoulders thing and I'm feeling really good now. Well, aside from the fact I'm more than a little scared of going out on my own (I've only been over to the parents' house solo thus far!) I'm sure I'll get there eventually though... Just gotta go for it!

Thirdly, I found out this week that I didn't win the Sir Peter Ustinov Award. Strangely, I found I wasn't disappointed! I mean, don't get me wrong... I would have loved to have won - it would have been amazing and such a positive experience. Who knows what doors it may have opened... But what I'm saying is that I've grown to accept knockbacks and I take them in my stride. I feel no disappointment or demotivation just because I didn't win - the opposite in fact! I feel proud to have got to the finalist stage in such a prestigious competition so early on in my career and feel more motivated than ever to work hard at my screenwriting in order to make it. I'm learning so much all the time... Winning a competition isn't the be all or end all and it's certainly not a fast-track to success, either. I know that I, and others like me who get knockbacks, are still talented and still in with a chance of becoming successful because I know that I and others have the skill and the dedication to get there. If you've had a knockback in the past, don't let it get to you! Turn it into a positive and KEEP GOING! :)

Fourthly (is fourthly even a word?!) I have rather a few projects on the go! It's all rather daunting actually, but I know I mustn't let the amount scare me into procrastination. I must get organised, prioritise them and dedicate time to each one. Personal projects include three plays (two full-length and one short), my first feature film, two drama series', two single dramas/serials and various other bits and bobs for forthcoming competitions. I've also been asked by a musician friend of mine to collaborate with him in writing a musical. This is a new area for me to dip my toes into and a very exciting project to be involved in!

I hope you're all getting on well with your writing. I know that several of you, like me, have recently suffered a "writing lull" as I called it, whereby life and its stresses and strains got in the way of productivity on the writing front. Up until I heard about becoming a finalist in the Sir Peter Ustinov competition, I hadn't written for weeks! Becoming a finalist gave be a bit of a shove back into productivity - I realised that I needed to dive back in asap! I did, but further stresses and strains prevented me from getting as much done as I'd have liked. I did a fair bit of planning, but that was about all I managed. Dom Carver has been experiencing difficulties recently and wrote to Adrian Mead, who replied with a wonderfully motivational email, which Dom posted on his blog. Adrian emphasises that our personal depression IS real because it is what we are experiencing in the here and now. He advises that we should make little changes in our lives to try and ease the depression and revitalise ourselves. He really does give some fabulous advice, so do read it if you're feeling demotivated and constrained by personal stresses, anxieties and pressures in general. You WILL get back into your writing, just give it time. Organise your projects, take a deep breath and gently ease yourself back in. It's what I'm going to do now that I feel I can focus on my writing again :)