Non-writers often say to me: dialogue should be easy. We all talk, right? What’s so difficult about writing it down? Those of us who have actually tried to craft a scene know better. As noted novelist Thomas Mann once said: “A writer is someone for whom writing is more than it is for other people.” This is true for all parts of writing, ...
Producers, directors and actors read hundreds of screenplays every year. Chances are, unless you're a world-famous writer, they are reading quickly to find out if the story hooks them or not. Movie audiences make the same kinds of decisions when they choose something to watch. Are they going to stay nailed to their seats? Are they going to change the channel or switch off the television?
The first scene in a movie has many jobs to do. Not only must it nail down the tone, time and place where the story is being told, it must also tease the journey ahead. It’s no wonder some writers spend months conceiving and writing the first five pages of their screenplay.
Classic screenplays can teach you story structure, they can teach you technique, and they can help you draw conclusions about why certain aspects of story have gone out of fashion, why some remain, and why others should make a comeback.
We've all heard that "good writing is rewriting," and we all know that first drafts aren't meant to be perfect -- they're our so-called "vomit" drafts, and their purpose is to get the story OUT. But what happens after that? How do we go from a rough draft to a polished script?