Fictional Skies

The Script Lab has a helpful piece on the first ten pages of a screenplay for those wanting to hit those five crucial elements. Andrew Stanton offers an insightful talk for Ted on what he knows about storytelling  for those interested in story and the man himself. Gideon's Screenwriting Tips  has a useful piece on the common mistakes of novice screenwriters for newcomers looking to develop. Michael Ferris at Script Mag  passionately outlines his four secrets to screenwriting success for those wanting to break through the noise and maximise opportunities. Go Into The Story has an excellent piece and list on clichéd dialogue for those wanting to avoid it and know when it's necessary. Screenwriter's Digest

TheScriptJoint   Ellexia   Most stories are a combination of 2-3 genres. Amplify the primary genre & put other elements of genre in where they fit.  TheScriptLab   The Script Lab  "Realistic dialogue only gives a flavor of reality."  tsl.cm/d5sunY   robthor   Robert Thorogood   Never be cynical - always write with passion and love.  UnkScreenwriter   Unknown Screenwriter   The longer the dialogue, the more EMOTION. The shorter the dialogue, the more DRAMA.  Screenwriter911   Will Chandler   Keep in mind that your Antagonist THINKS he's the Protagonist.  TheScriptLab   The Script Lab   5 Key Screenwriting Skill Sets  tsl.cm/h004lM   MatcoopLeeds   Matthew Cooper   Every script and every scene and every character should have an active question. What is the active  question of your script?  XanderBennett   Xander Bennett   Screenwriting Ti...

Some have common sense, others a great sense, few have a sixth sense, many an undesirable sense. What is your script sense?  What begun as an idea for a blog post series to offer sensible scriptwriting advice to beginners and intermediate writers didn't quite make the first post. However, it has transformed into something so much better.  I had previously planned a blog post series entitled Script Sense and had a fair amount planned for it. But something happened the moment before hitting publish on the first post.  " Why am I not one hundred per cent convinced on this? " Something was out of balance with what I was trying to attempt. I had good intentions and wanted to help but felt it wasn't quite the right way to go about it.  Then in a moment of inspiration, a desire to keep Script Sense alive and to still help others:  Twitter  met My Rejected Idea  And  This was born:  If you can't m...

A round up of the most recent discoveries in the screenwriting world that I have a duty to share... The Pocket Screenwriting Guide   120 Tips for Getting to Fade Out  The Script Lab    Screenwriting Education and Screenplay Development  Screenwriting Tips... You Hack   (And hundreds of them!)  Other recent discoveries include Scriptwrecked ,  Industrial Scripts , My PDF Scripts  and TV Writer Chat . Screenwriting blogs: Dom's World , So Fluid  and  Lisa Edwards . Happy perusing!

If you're writing a screenplay (like any other script) it will need to have an underlining structure to it which means outlining and planning, not rushing in without an endgame in sight. To help us along the way there are some structural guidelines and practices to take into account. The Three-act structure is widely taught in screenwriting books and courses for beginners. However, John Truby has a different view and outlines  in detail and length "Why 3-Acts Will Kill Your Writing." The fundamental problem is that the structure isn't at all about character. How are we supposed to structure character growth?  Here is where a number of useful and insightful character development structure guidelines come into play. For instance, John Truby has his 22 Steps  in The Anatomy of Story -  Joseph Campbell  developed The Hero's Journey - others have their own ways, steps and points but will require some research and experimentation to see which one...