One of the hardest things for me about this website is writing. The content almost writes itself, since it’s all based on personal experience and conversations had with members of the local film community, but spelling, grammar and formatting are killer. I am by no means a “writer” and English just happens to be my second language, so it can be quite frustrating. I also tend to blog very late at night after a long day on set, so much of my first drafts are chock full of spelling mistakes and very strange wording. That being said, I don’t think it matters to be quite honest. This website is about giving people tips and advice from industry professionals, so I think our readers can handle some spelling and grammar mistakes.
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5 Tips for Aspiring Writers:
As usual, we have talked to some local talent and have gotten some insight on the wonderful world of writing! Here are 5 tips to make you the best writer you can possibly be.
Write Everyday
No joke. If you want to call yourself a writer you should be doing it 5 days a week. Like anything else in this industry it is a craft that you hone over decades. Writing a short story, screen play or blog every once in a while isn’t enough and you’re lying to yourself if you think it is and think your work is any good. What your work is now, is not what it will be after 1 year or a decade of writing for 1 hour per day. Ever heard of Malcolm Gladwell? The 10,000 hour rule (check it out on amazon.com) gets thrown around a lot on set and it makes perfect sense. Write daily.
Share your work and take constructive criticism
Some people are just douche bags and are incapable of being constructive without coming off as rude, pretentious or acting like a know it all. It’s human nature. As much as it will pain you, take it all, internalize it, use what you think is helpful and discard the rest. Writing is subjective, so get multiple opinions, what is good to one person might not be to another but don’t let one bad review stop you.
Take an acting class
If you haven’t figured it out yet than you are much worse off than we thought. Writing screenplays is all about the subtext. Writers seem to love long-winded, dialogue heavy scenes, but they hurt your work more than help it a lot of the time. In the golden age of cinema, as well as the director’s era acting went hand in hand with writing and somehow it’s been lost over the years.
Have your work made
Nothing will teach you as much as seeing your words play out in front of you. There are thousands of young directors and filmmakers out there dying for a script and I’m sure you even have friends that would love to produce your work. Get it out there.
Consume as much media as possible
Read scripts, plays, books, articles, blogs or anything else that will better you as a writer. Not only that, but watch tons of movies, TV or anything else that interests you. Don’t just watch the really good stuff either, watch bad movies, read bad scripts and so on. Read a script, and then watch the movie. The point is, live and breathe writing.
Those are our 5 Tips for Aspiring Writers. Keep in mind that It also does not hurt to check out some books about script writing or get specific software like Final Draft or Movie Magic. These piece of software are very handy and these days can be purchased for far less money than in the past.
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