Stopping Behavior – Scanning Persistance

stopping-your-reader

Otherwise known as taking your reader and or audience OUT OF THE STORY. You don’t want to do that. This seems to be a little known and common phenomenon discussed in articles, books, and workshops but make no mistake…

It’s no less important.

Plus, it happens to all of us — no matter the level. I’ve actually read about stopping behavior that occurs in journalism but it’s really not that much different in screenwriting i.e., anything written that STOPS, PAUSES, or CAUSES your reader to jump out of your story — even if only for a moment.

Now there’s no way to know for sure what will take the person reading your script out of your story… There’s a lot of little things… TINY things that we do not all share.

I consider these more OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS because you simply cannot know what’s going to make a particular person stop reading your screenplay.

Having said that, there are definitely BIG THINGS to avoid…

I could go on with this but you get the idea… This is just what’s IN your pages… LOL. What about your package? True, a lot of screenplays get sent via email although I personally would never do that… But it does happen every day… However, I’m talking about hard copy screenplays that get sent through the mail or some delivery service.

Had I not seen scripts with these kinds of problems, I might not have believed it but WOW… It happens and you’d be surprised how much it happens:

Again, I could go on with this but this isn’t really a list of screenwriting mistakes… What I’m talking about are things that are going to stop your reader DEAD in their tracks… Everything I’ve listed above is THE EASY STUFF. The kind of stuff that you definitely should know about before you send your script out to market. These are the GIVENS i.e., it’s a GIVEN that you shouldn’t send a script out with any of these problems.

Yet… It gets done all the time.

One of my own problems is telegraphing… I tend to set up a character way too much before they speak… Especially in my first drafts. But I do it that way because just as I don’t want a reader to stop reading my script, I don’t want to stop MY WRITING FLOW. I am a huge believer is keeping the writing flowing as much, as hard, and as long as you can and if that means writing every little thing down — SO BE IT.

Because cutting… At least to me, is a piece of cake. So when I go back through that draft, I can easily cut all the telegraphing that I’ve done and in fact, it sticks out at me like a sore thumb but it was NECESSARY for me to get that draft out as I tend to think in complete thoughts i.e., I SEE THE MOVIE and I COPY IT DOWN.

But telegraphing can easily take a reader OUT OF YOUR STORY so unless there’s a very good reason to telegraph, it’s definitely one of those things you want to cut. Another thing is every little movement a character might make in a scene. Another one of my own problems to be sure… I write it like I see it which means I am directing the character’s every move on the page. But again, unless those specific movements are important and integral to the scene, just say something like:

Jack exits the truck.

Instead of:

Jack pushes his sun visor up and out of the way, turns off the radio, opens the driver’s side door and jumps out of his truck.

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve read stuff like that… Unless we really need to know all those things before Jack exits his truck, cut ‘em.

But even that isn’t what this post is really about…

What I’m talking about here is QUANTITY. How many times are YOU willing to RISK taking your reader out of your story?

One? Two? Three? Four? MORE? LOL.

I know producers and readers that might be willing to be taken out of the story once or twice… And the good news is that these are problems that they simply cannot ignore thus, out of the story they go. Meaning, that they tend to overlook a lot of the little crap. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that they won’t do this too many times before tossing the script.

I can’t give you a list of everything that might take a reader out of your story or stop them dead in their tracks… It’s too large and definitely too subjective but IT EXISTS. That means you definitely want a few people to read your script before sending it out… I even give my scripts to people that know NOTHING about screenwriting just to see what might take them out of the story… I even ask them if they’d be willing to give me some notes if something really sticks out at them.

A sixteen year old kid just read my latest script as I was very interested in his take… And yeah, he told me about all the problems he had with it… LOL. “Hey, what does EXT. mean? Every time I read it, I wonder what it means!”

Whew… Those kinds of problems I like.

Unk

September 3, 2009 | Filed Under Tips

30 Comments 

Hamartia

hamartia

Y’all know what is, correct?

If not, I’ve provided the Wikipedia link… , or otherwise known as a character’s tragic flaw is a great way to get your Protagonist to change.

By identifying your Protagonist’s tragic flaw UP FRONT, you can very easily figure out where he or she needs to go to bring about that change.

Of course, it shouldn’t be an easy task… After all, we all perform maintenance of our “hamartia” don’t we? Do we not consciously or unconsciously maintain our tragic flaw by way of our:

  • Environment
  • Circumstance
  • Decisions
  • People we associate with
  • Actions

And, if this is true, could we not utilize this same model for our Protagonist?

A Protagonist’s tragic flaw is actually more like his or her . In the beginning of the story and through approximately the third quarter of a story, the Protagonist continually relies on this tragic flaw to get as far as he or she has gotten. Up to this point however, whether they are aware of the flaw or not, they think they need it to get through the day. Consciously or unconsciously…

Work it correctly and natural conflict — conflict that you need for your story should be almost obvious during every scene if you keep yourself aware of your Protagonist’s tragic flaw.

I get a lot of screenwriters asking me how to create change in their Protagonist or… DARE I SAY IT…

The Character Arc.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and I don’t really care if anyone agrees with me or not… I like a Protagonist that changes during the story and I submit that change does happen… Maybe in microcosm ways but I THINK IT HAPPENS.

Because if change didn’t happen, what would be the point of the story? Why would we care? But I’m not really trying to talk about change as much as I’m attempting to discuss the Protagonist’s MAINTENANCE OF THE TRAGIC FLAW.

That’s right…

That’s what your Protagonist does. He or she utilizes pretty much the same elements we all utilize to maintain our tragic flaws…

Not necessarily in that order but you get the gist.

Your Protagonist’s ordinary world is made up of the above elements is it not? Why is this his or her ordinary world? It’s not unlike a criminal running away from the law… He hides out because he doesn’t want to get caught, right?

So does your tragic flaw. Of course it rears its nasty head at the drop of a hat but rest assured, it’s lurking… Waiting for something to trigger its need or use.

And just like a criminal finds someone to assist in hiding him out, so do we assist our tragic flaw in hiding out… To keep it safe and sound until we need it again. In other words, to kick this tragic flaw out into the light means — dare I say it again — CHANGE.

And really… Overall… Does anyone really want to change?

Or do they hide out in their ordinary world because they can control their ordinary world much better than any new world that is placed in front of them?

So of course maintenance of the flaw is of the utmost importance… Your Protagonist chose the environment he or she lives in so that his or her tragic flaw can thrive. Your protagonist continually places themselves in circumstances where their tragic flaw thrives even more. Of course most of their decisions help maintain their tragic flaw as do the characters they choose to associate with. Last but not least is your Protagonist’s ACTION. All the elements preceding action culminate in some kind of action by the Protagonist that once again, assists in maintaining their tragic flaw.

I guess you could just as easy call it .

Good Protagonists do whatever it takes to maintain their tragic flaw. It affects just about everything they do UNTIL that point comes along when they realize they no longer want to allow their tragic flaw to control their life.

Certainly, baby steps toward outing the tragic flaw will show some kind of change depending on how you create those steps. A fairly easy way to know where you should end up INTERNALLY however, is to simply figure out what the opposite of the Protagonist’s tragic flaw is. Once you figure out what the opposite of that flaw is, and you LIKE IT enough to use it, you can now figure out ways to slowly but surely OUT the flaw.

Unless you’re writing a tragedy.

Unk

March 8, 2009 | Filed Under Characters, Tips, Tricks

41 Comments 

Knowledge Without Thought

no-blood-on-the-pageEver had a ?

described peak experiences as especially joyous and exciting moments in life. They involve sudden feelings of intense happiness and well-being… Wonder and awe — and possibly, involving an awareness of or knowledge of higher truth. They usually come fast and furious — often inspired by deep meditation, intense feelings of love, exposure to great art or music, or the overwhelming beauty of nature.

Ever had one?

I get them while I write. Sure, I get them at other times but since I write a lot, I seem to experience most of my peak experiences while I’m writing. I often get the same peak experience when I finally come up with a concept that I want to write a screenplay around.

It just HITS me. SMACK!

As I’ve said in earlier posts, I’ve been going crazy about theme over the past few months… Trying to recapture the peak experience. Trying to figure out WHY I had a peak experience in the first place.

It keeps coming back to theme and has had a profound effect on me… I was of the opinion — like many of us are — that through the writing, I would locate, develop, and create the theme of my story.

And of course that worked. My screenplays have always contained some overall theme to them but wow… Such a long hard road to get there.

Painful.

Brutal.

I truly do know what it means to … LOL.

But do I want to keep bleeding on the page?

I don’t think so. I think I’d rather experience more peak experiences.

How does one achieve that?

Well I don’t claim to be an expert… On anything. I know what I know. But I will say that what immediately comes to mind is the old quote: .

The more knowledge you gain… And of course, experience adds to knowledge… The more you begin to write without thought.

Flow.

Do you like flow? I sure as hell do.

How does one go from bleeding on the page to tapping into flow?

Who knows? For me, it’s knowledge and experience. Life certainly helps but I’m talking about knowledge of the craft and not simply reading an article but reading an article and then CONTEMPLATING its meaning and how it relates to you and your writing.

Too many writers open up the old screenwriting book, go to the workshop, seminar, read a screenplay… Whatever — in hopes that a microcosm of what they read is going to somehow be absorbed into their screenwriting bloodstream.

Does it?

Never has for me… I have to go back over all my notes and then contemplate those notes. Compare those notes to either my current or past screenplays. That’s why I have this site. Every time I write about the craft and you are kind enough to provide comments — be they good, bad, or indifferent, it kicks up my knowledge and experience a couple of notches.

Thanks for that. Much appreciated. I can only hope it has the same effect for you.

But back to knowledge, experience, and tapping into flow… The problem for me is balance. How do you balance what you learn? When do you apply it? Do you apply it here or do you apply it there?

Maybe it’s all bullshit.

Hell, I only believe half of what I read anyway… That’s how I balance. Too many times have I heard writers tell other writers to stop wasting time reading and learning about the craft and start fucking writing.

Could work. Might work.

For some.

I now understand that when I tap into my theme, I go through sustained peak experience… Or what Maslow referred to as the plateau experience. He was of the opinion — if I understand correctly — that all one’s needs must be met in order to attain a peak experience. But I am of the opinion that rarely can one have all their needs met. Especially for any real length of time. Life is just too crazy for that. I mean hey… Everytime I start feeling like all my needs have been met, WHACK!

Murphy’s law, Baby. Every fuckin’ time.

So rather than attempting to have all our needs met like crossing off the groceries on your list as you toss them into your basket, I think that there are those times when even though all our needs aren’t PHYSICALLY MET, we invoke or prod a that is commensurate with our needs being met and hence, experience a peak experience.

And if that’s true… How in the hell do we invoke or prod MORE of those feelings?

Knowledge and experience comes to mind again. I don’t see it being that different from any profession. You gain enough knowledge and experience and then one day, you go to work with a completely different mindset.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW.

Do you know what you know?

If so, OUTSTANDING. I know what I know but I seem to have a leak… A leak that I keep having to plug and then add more knowledge and experience. However, the leaks are definitely coming along much more slowly than they used to be and I don’t have to crack nearly as many books, workshops, etc. as I used to. Now I can pretty much just pick any topic related to screenwriting and simply DISCUSS it and my knowledge and hence, experience grows exponentially. And when that happens, my confidence is restored… The feeling that most, if not all my needs have been met, are at least satisfied for the time being.

And then I write. Write like the wind. Tapping into that flow like nobody’s business.

Theme. For me, it just keeps coming back to theme. What my overall theme is. How all my characters deal with that theme. They obviously do not have to share my mindset with the theme… In fact, that would be boring if they all did… Nope. Now I’m taking my characters and tweaking their backstory as it relates to my overall theme. I’m contemplating. I’m giving it thought. Analysis.

Some of the characters like the theme. Some fucking hate it. Some are indifferent but it still affects them.

Knowledge and experience. Knowledge without thought. Flow.

So here’s my offer to you… I used to have a forum here but I never really liked the setup. I had to create categories and that just seems like bullshit. I don’t want to make shit up for people to discuss. So now I found a forum script that works in conjunction with WordPress… There are no categories. Just create a topic and we’re off and running. My offer is this… Let’s only use it for hardcore screenwriting discussion. Not some bullshit that we SHOULD already know.

Sure… Some will call it another way to procrastinate but I submit to you that the more knowledge, experience, and insight you have on any topic related to the subject of screenwriting, the faster you’re going to be writing a screenplay that sells. The faster you’re gonna GET IT.

Let’s think OUT OF THE BOX… Let’s go at a topic like it’s not been done before. Just for us. I don’t care if it’s only a few of us. That’s enough to get some amazing discussion going.

Are you game?

Unk

Forum

February 28, 2009 | Filed Under Tips

11 Comments 

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