Fictional Skies

Vince Gilligan (via  David D. Burstein ) has three excellent  storytelling tips  for those not wanting to ruin their work by rigid long term planning. Script Quack  offers two words and great  craft insight  for those struggling to get to grips with structure. Danny Stack  touches on the  realities  involved in becoming a professional screenwriter for those looking to create a ten-year plan. Jeffry Hirschberg  shares his  11 Laws of Great Storytelling  for those wanting increase the odds of their screenplay achieving greatness. Screenwriter's Digest

“ Most aspiring screenwriters simply don’t spend enough time choosing their concept. It’s by far the most common mistake I see in spec scripts. The writer has lost the race right from the gate. Months — sometimes years — are lost trying to elevate a film idea that by its nature probably had no hope of ever becoming a movie .”  - Terry Rossio [Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mask of Zorro]

" The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement . " - George F. Will There is a danger with beginner writers who may feel that their first draft has to be perfect. I know because it's how I used to think. However, a first draft is not meant to be brilliant. There's no way to get a first draft right other than to get it wrong. Or some of it, at least. It's why it's called an  exploratory draft. It's where you follow your curiosity and explore ways of doing things to see how it plays out. It needs time to be left alone. It's meant to be torn apart later on. The majority of it doesn't have to make the second draft. This stage is less about quality and more on getting something down. It doesn't have to be great but it has to be something. You need to go through what doesn't work in order to find what does. The first draft is an essential part of that discovery. Rewrite Later  You only get one chance to make a good fi...

It can be tough finding the right medium to tell a story in especially when you discover a versatile concept that could work or crossover into either television, film, web, literature, stage, radio, video-game or graphic novel. How do you know what to write it as? The short answer is: you don't. Unless you're specifically: a playwright, scriptwriter, or novelist. However, if you've yet to figure that out or commit to a set course, or want to write in more than one discipline, then it's not as simple as knowing what you don't want to write. Everything is possible. You can chat to people about it or consult writing books. You can do some research consuming a mass of product looking at how others have done things with the story concept they had. Ultimately, you just have to follow your instincts and see where it takes you. The goal is to do the story concept justice - to attract a producer/company and an audience. Naturally they want their money's wo...