Recently, I came up with a concept for a horror short but nothing really came of it.  There is, after all, a big difference between a concept and a fully developed story.  Still, I loved the concept and thought long and hard before I found that one ‘key’ element the idea was missing.  Within an instant I had a main character and a setting.  I had a story…

This sudden rush of creativity happened at 3 AM.

It’s an interesting dilemma when you come up with something exciting in the middle of the night.  Do you risk forgetting your ideas?  Do you write yourself a note and return to it in the morning?  Or do you seize the moment, get out of bed and write?

In this particular case, my horror concept actually freaked me out to the point where I wasn’t going to sleep regardless…  So I got out of bed and fired up Final Draft.

Before I began writing the screenplay, I took a moment to appreciate the atmosphere I created for myself.  It was the middle of the night, I kept all the lights off in my office and it was cold.  A perfect setting to write a horror script.

Writing in the middle of the night used to be my favorite time to write.  I used to set alarms for 4 AM, write and then head back to bed for a nap before school.  Over the years, I began to appreciate sleeping more and the middle of the night became a distant memory.  It made this new screenplay that much more exciting.  I was back in my element and before I knew it, it was 7:45 and I was putting the finishing touches on a 5 page first draft.  I was full of energy and there was officially no hope of falling asleep again.

So I gathered some images and created a poster for the project.  When that didn’t tire me out, I wrote a few posts for this site.  (This post included)

All in all, I was pretty proud of myself for getting out of bed and writing that morning.  I may have regretted it when I got to work that evening but it was worth it.  Sometimes all it takes is the will to get out of bed, sit down and write.  I have a feeling I haven’t seen the last of the screenwriting all-nighters.

When do you like to write?

Click here for more SCREENWRITING posts.

WRITE NOTES.  WRITE EMAILS.  WRITE SCREENPLAYS

I’m notorious for emailing myself updates on my screenplays.  My ’312′ folder is full of emails about stories I want to write, stories I’m writing, stories I need to rewrite and plans for stories I’ve completed.

XTRA: Click here to find out why I call my screenwriting folder ’312′.

Even though I can write screenplays almost anywhere these days thanks to my iPhone and apps like Celtx, it’s still difficult to truly get in the zone some days.  So what do you do when you can’t find a couple hours to fill up the blank pages?

THE SCREENWRITING EMAIL

Personally, I find these emails to myself invaluable when it comes to planning my writing schedule, solving story problems and brainstorming new ideas.  My emails usually fall into 1 of 3 categories.

1. Project Recaps
2. Story Trailers
3. Pitches/Summaries

I find each of these three types of emails inspire and keep me motivated in useful ways.

1. PROJECT RECAPS

These emails are basically lists of all the stories I’m currently working on.  These lists vary in size and detail but they give me a good idea of the work I have ahead and how much fun it will be. They are usually formatted like this:

Story Name | I use the word name instead of title because I sometimes hold off on titles in the early stages of development.
Genre | It’s nice to step back and see a little diversity in my writing.  I try to challenge myself to take on new genres often.
Stage | I have 4 stages. Idea, World, Development, Script

The ‘idea’ stage is straight forward.  At this point, I’ve got a concept I’m excited about but nothing more.  The ‘world’ stage is all about characters, setting and the major details of the story.  This is the stage where I try to find an overall tone and voice for the story.  The development stage is self explanatory.  I try to iron out every single detail of the story leading to my first outline in point form.  Stage 4 is screenwriter’s favorite.  Time to write the screenplay.

Target | I number my projects 1-5 with 1 being the top priority.  Ties are allowed.  This number is accompanied by a target completion date.  A date I normally never hit but it keeps me moving forward.

2. STORY TRAILERS

I actually adore writing these.  Once a script is deep in the development stage, I like to write trailers for my scripts.  They aren’t formatted in any particular way but I think it’s important to try and describe the exciting elements of a story.  I don’t necessarily write a trailer I intend to see someday but it’s my first real shot at selling the movie to myself.  If I don’t believe in it, why would anyone else?

3. PITCHES/SUMMARIES

These emails are made up of pitches, log lines and synopses.  (Synopsiseses?) These emails encompass all my undeveloped story ideas.  They are usually very brief and only serve as introductions to new material I may or may not develop someday.  These emails can lie dormant for many months before I return to them but it’s vital to make sure I don’t forget.

You never know when a story idea will come back and inspire you.

THE GIGANTIC SCREENWRITING EMAIL

Every once in a while, I write an enormous email to myself that covers all three categories and truly summarizes my writing adventures.  It’s my way of keeping track of my progress and making sure I’m constantly challenging myself.

I wrote one last week that included a few goals I’m hoping to reach soon.  Now all that’s lacking is the passion and dedication to reach those goals.

FEELING BLOCKED? CALL UP ONE OF YOUR
SHORTS SCREENPLAYS FROM THE MINORS

I’ve spent a lot of time developing my new feature length screenplay lately.  It’s incredibly action heavy which is a big change for me so I’ve also been writing some action shorts as well.  These scripts probably won’t see the light of day but it’s still fun to experiment.

It got me thinking about all the shorts I’ve written over the years.  Some were written in the hopes of being produced and some have been produced.  Some I wrote just to test a new waters while others I wrote to set up a future feature length project.

All of them are useful tools that have helped me improve my screenwriting skills. In this way, writing shorts is a great way to train yourself and work on your weaknesses.  It’s a great way to become a better writer.

In this case, it’s the short scripts I intend to base features around that fit into my definition of:

The Screenplay Minor Leagues

It’s a different and fun way to look at your body of work.  In my group of short screenplays there are a few standouts and there are scripts that are meant to be role players in a larger picture.  Others will probably never be ‘called up’ but they still served a purpose at some point.  The same can be said of Minor League Baseball players.  Each player works hard to make it to the big leagues.

These players live to be called up someday and experience the next level.  Not only that, they strive to excel at the next level.

Note: Before you ask, the answer is yes.  I am comparing inanimate screenplays to living baseball players.

I think a lot about which short scripts I may call up someday.  Ideas that can be expanded into feature length stories.  Perhaps I’ll only use a character or a specific scene or element but having a stable of ‘players’ ready to go is a great way to kick start new ideas.

Are you stuck?

Why not retrieve some old scripts that are toiling away in the minors and see if they have what it takes to be pros.  You never know when something will inspire you and bring an old idea back to life.

At the same time, if you find yourself stuck writing something new or attempting a different style, give a short screenplay a shot.  It’s a way to take the pressure off when you aren’t trying to make sure every word fits into the big picture.

• Write an action scene and work on pacing.
• Write a funny story to see if you can make yourself laugh.
• Write a horrific scene and see if you can make yourself cringe in fear.
• Let other people read them.  Get feedback.

Write!  Evolve.

The short screenplay I wrote last week to help get my mind into ‘action’ mode reminded me how much I love action movies.  It also taught me to really think about my action sequences and make sure they are as entertaining as possible.  Whether it gets produced or not, I feel better about tackling my feature script.

XTRA: Be honest.  Is your screenplay entertaining?

This is a collection of posts, websites, news stories and opinions from across the web and from my own experiences as an aspiring screenwriter.

A moderate sized resource full of original content as well as links to the best screenwriting websites in the world.

If you want to be added to the list of screenwriting websites email me at jason@17west.ca

Explore.  Write!

100 + Awesome Screenwriting Websites

56 Things I Love About Screenwriting

A Year In The Life Of An Aspiring Screenwriter

Mobile Screenwriting Round Up

10 Screenwriting Books That Inspired Me

The Screenwriting Spark

The Athletic Nerd Screenwriting Blog Archives

I haven’t touched on music much on this blog but it’s an extremely important aspect in my screenwriting process.  Absolutely vital.

Forgive the expression but I believe you need to ‘hear the music’ in your script as you write it.

Experiment:  Think about your latest screenplay.  Picture each scene with whatever soundtrack you have in your head.  Lets say you’re writing an action adventure with hard rock blasting in your mind.  Now picture the same scenes with something completely different like opera or jazz.  Changes things doesn’t it?

Subconsciously, I think every screenwriter has a basic idea of the kind of music they feel would fit in their movie.  These songs inform your decisions and can help you pace the story in your mind.

But there is another way to use music to your advantage.

Sometimes, a song that has no business in your story keeps popping up.  You know it will never fit and yet you can’t stop playing it while you work.

It inspires you.

Diddy – Dirty Money is a perfect example of a random tune that inspired me.  I’m not sure why but I’m happy it did.

‘Coming Home’ has virtually nothing to do with the style of story I’m currently developing.  Or does it?  I suppose you can never really know when you are in the development stage. 

Maybe it’s perfect?

Essentially, this leads me to two conclusions:  Either the song really does have a place in this movie and I just don’t see it yet or it’s fate that the song came along right when I needed a source of inspiration. 

Inspiration that will ultimately make my screenplay better.

The point is, you can never predict which tunes will fit or which will inspire you.  You just need to be thankful that they exist.

I’ll never know why this song makes me think of my new script.  Perhaps I never will.  But years from now, I’ll randomly hear this song and it will remind me of my story and my passion for writing screenplays.

You can’t ask for a greater impact from a song.