Ever Considered Screenwriting? This Blog is a Must Read!

Screenwriting, Larry Brody, Chad Gervich, and Wordplayer

If you are a writer who enjoys movies and television (sitcoms or movies of the week {MOW}), you should consider screenwriting.

Writing a script is a completely different experience from writing a blog or an article, and as challenging as screenwriting appears to be, it can also be rewarding.

I love the script writing format. For me the screenwriting process is so much fun, I actually enjoy screenwriting more than I do blog or article writing. I even wrote a few screenplays, and I won two screenwriting-related competitions.

But I haven't sold any of my screenplays, mostly because they're not ready for prime time – yet. I have spent so much time blogging, writing articles, and caring for my grandchildren, that I haven't had much time to devote to screenwriting.

Until now. I have found a partner (name to be divulged at a later date) to help me work out the kinks in one of my screenplays, and the changes she is making are so exciting for me, I can actually see this script on the screen. And because I'm watching this script grow into a possibly viable movie, I am now paying close attention to everything that is available to screenwriters.

Several years ago, after I read Story by Robert McKee, I attended Robert McKee's Story Seminar and learned a great deal from McKee on how to structure a screenplay, about how to take viewers in one direction and then lead them down a path they hadn't expected to follow, and, in short, about how to write a Story. I couldn't record notes fast enough during that seminar.

It was because of McKee's Story Seminar that I was able to complete a few screenplays. Some very notable actors, screenwriters, directors, and producers have attended McKee's seminars, including Faye Dunaway, who attended the seminar I attended. I had an opportunity to talk with Ms. Dunaway, but not about screenwriting – about phone cards, but that's another blog.

You will find so many sources available to you as a screenwriter – everything from screenwriting magazines to screenwriting software, and so much more. Whenever I visit Barnes and Noble or Borders, I grab copies of Script and Creative Screenwriting magazines.

I also own Final Draft software. With Final Draft, simple keystrokes place characters' names exactly where they belong, action exactly where it belongs, and conversations exactly where they belong. Everything in Final Draft abides by industry standards. The program is phenomenal and so easy to learn.

Both Script and Creative Screenwriting magazines provide information about LOTS of competitions that are held around the world, and they give you an inside look at the industry of screenwriting.

For a small entry fee, you can enter your screenplay in script writing contests for a chance to win meetings with agents and producers, and, if you're really lucky, someone will offer to produce your script.

In addition to Script and Creative Screenwriting, I also rely on Chad Gervich, who used to blog for Writer's Digest magazine for his Script Notes column (where I won one screenwriting contest. My prize was the book, Television Writing from the Inside Out, written by Larry Brody, whose web site, TV Writer, is filled with tips, message board comments, and contests. You can find Larry Brody's web site by clicking TV Writer).

Chad Gervich now writes for Script magazine. You can find him by clicking on his name or by visiting his blog at ScriptMag.

In addition to Chad Gervich and Larry Brody, my go-to guys for television screenwriting, if you're serious about script writing and want to try your hand at screenwriting for movies, check out the Wordplayer web site too. What ProBlogger is to the blogger, Chad Gervich, Larry Brody, and Wordplayer are to screenwriters.

Another "have to have" item (and one I have not yet purchased) is the Hollywood Creative Directory. This book is expensive, but it is packed with contacts! The closer my co-writer and I get to finishing our screenplay, the more likely I will purchase the Hollywood Creative Directory, so we can find a producer or a director.

As our screenplay nears completion, I will keep you posted on the progress of my screenwriting partner's and my screenplay, "Edith and Ethel Go To Brown County."

For easy access to all of the screenwriting books and magazines I've mentioned in this blog, I've included all links for those books directly within this blog.


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