I know not everyone can afford a consultant but there are loads of free scripts online. Grab them and look. Emulate the format. Emulate the lack of basic typos and spelling mistakes. When you read RUSH HOUR’S script do you see talking heads? No. When you read INDIANA do you see that. No. Even in script sections where two people are trapped in an underground cell ‘things’ are happening and certain descriptions arise.

If there is one admonition I would offer new writers – like myself – is look for straight to the chin critique on your first script effort. Either pay a proper consultant to do that and to offer you written notes OR cross compare your script with what has been produced. I can’t talk for all writers groups BUT in my experience they tend to sustain as many problems as they work to correct simply because almost all are [well intended] amateurs.

I’m not with this whole patting Unk on the back stuff OR trashing him. He did the job the writer asked him to do and he was honest. Confetti and small explosives seem to be gilding a lily.

So lemme get this straight, she’s been in LA for five years and she’s written thirteen screenplays? In my humble opinion, that was the most revealing aspect of her post. Thirteen screenplays in five years??? Okay, let’s say ole “Sandy”, or whatever her freakin name is, started writing a few years before she mustered the guts to make her big move; let’s call it thirteen screenplays in eight years, shall we? Now let’s do a little math…

13 scripts in 96 months

And let’s just say, for the sake of Sandy being mortal, that she had to take like a month or so off inbetween scripts just to recharge the ole batteries. Which gets it down to 84 months of actual writing time, right? So…

13 scripts in 84 months

Which in turn works out to (& this is where the real math comes in) roughly one finished screenplay every six months. Now my friends, what have we learned from this exercise?

Simply put, we’ve learned that ole Sandy has written 13 first drafts. Because that’s about all you’re gonna get in six months, more or less, is a fairly descent first draft; something that, in other words, only you and your writing pals and maybe your house cat oughtta be reading. Sounds to me like Sandy would have been better off writing (and, er, um, re-writing) one or perhaps two screenplays during her 5/8/whatever years, because it’s painfully obvious that she hasn’t even learned the FIRST RULE OF SCREENWRITING yet: It’s all in the re-write. Writers who peddle a dozen scripts and bemoan their inability to “make it” have obviously confused quantity with quality. No offense, Sandy, but try writing one script exceptionally well – then see what happens. Anybody can write a script; it takes a screenwriter to make one sing.

Tom,

I think that’s exactly what he means… from his experience. I’m just about to a point where I think one of my scripts is ready to try and sell. I wrote the first draft about three years ago. At least two. Now, I didn’t work on this script solidly for two or three years… but, part of the process of working on a script is letting it sit for a while.

You’re right, everyone has his or her own method. But UNK’s a professional, as you concede. He KNOWS what it takes to write a script that’s good enough to sell. And he knows it takes 1-2 years.

There may be some out there who can do it quicker. But for new writers who, like teenage UNK, tend to want to rush things, it’s best to realize that you more than most likely aren’t going to be able to bang out a couple drafts in 6 months and the next day sell it to Paramount.

From my own personal experience, getting a script into good shape is a long and laborious road. There are many times when you think you’ve got it, but in reality still have a ways to go.

I got a million of ‘em…

Stay cool.

Unk

Nice story. You could use that one in one of your scripts for a tarantino style monologue/dialogue. Hehe.

But I agree, if a pro tells you something, he gotta know something you dont.

Tom

Whew… HOSTILITY.

I love it!

But I’m not sure who you’re talking to here since you say, SOME OF YOU GUYS… LOL.

So I’ll take it for granted that you’re talking to me…

I would assume that anyone that’s been around this site for awhile knows that I believe that everyone HAS THEIR OWN PROCESS…

But aye, here’s the rub… That don’t mean that their process is the RIGHT process.

Yow, that fuckin’ STINGS!

All I’ve ever said is this…

One should be ready to put 1 or 2 years into a script to get it into shape.

The key phrase here is SHOULD BE READY and let me throw one more phrase in the mix…

SHOULD BE WILLING. That’s right. Until a writer finds their process actually WORKS for them, more than likely, it can often use a little tweaking.

What kind of tweaking?

Who knows? So you keep trying different things… You keep reading different things and try them. You read screenplays and find ways that the writer handled certain things and then you attempt to emulate it but with your own unique style.

The process is never ending for most writers… NEVER ENDING and ALWAYS EVOLVING.

Sometimes it actually does take someone with a trained eye to tell someone else that THEY WENT TOO FAST… LOL.

I remember when I was in high school… I was in a welding class and I was welding for an hour a day… My welds were okay — nothing to write home about. Strong but ugly.

My teacher had quite a few certifications in welding… He could weld anything — literally. My POINT is that he had EXPERIENCE that I certainly DID NOT HAVE.

Now I could have simply gone on and on and on for another couple of years welding strong but ugly welds but he was looking over my shoulder one afternoon and tapped me on it.

I turned around, lifted my shield, and he says, “You’re going too fast… Slow it down.”

I thought he was an idiot for saying that but what the fuck did I know? I was only 17.

So I slowed down…

The welds came out beautiful and were obviously even STRONGER. I was chosen to weld a farming plow of my teacher’s own design. He gave me the blueprints and I built it. That plow is still being used today.

Had I not slowed down — I doubt it would still be in service.

But what the fuck do I know?

Unk

I am sick and tired of people telling how you should handle your scriptwriting routine. “You are too fast, you should take more time, you should do this and do that.” Fuck you! The only thing that counts is the quality of your script. If you pour out the same shit quality writing in one day as in one year, it doesn’t make sense to spend more time doing the same shit.

So guys, give me a break. Better tell the writers that there are many ways to a great screenplays and some of them are working for you and others writers… but every writer has to find his or her way to that process which helps them most.

Heck, some writers have to pour out 5 shit scripts before getting to the one they like and write well.

Some writers spend 5 years on a script.

Some writers write 5 scripts simultanously.

So, please dont force a writer to write a script for 1 or 2 years if it is not his or her style. You might suggest.

Thomas

I liked it but not a lot… For what it’s worth — it’s worth watching. Maybe you need to watch MEMENTO again — then you’ll see the similarity.

Elver,

I guess I’m too old for THE LOOKOUT to remind me of the comic books I read as a kid.

Marty,

Based on pure numbers alone, I’d agree that the average newbie writer should learn basic structure backwards, forwards, sideways, and all ways before giving non-linear structure a try but there are always exceptions to the rule.

I guess I would put it like this… Give it a shot. No reason NOT TO. Then get somebody — preferably a few professionals — to read it. It it works — OUTSTANDING. If it doesn’t work…

Back to the drawing board… Which usually means learning as much about structure as you can and then going back and tweak. Even non-linear structure should be understandable by the people that read it.

Unk