Time to Write

My Script Coach Worklshop is back--weekly from March 1 to March 29 via Zoom

I'll again be teaching my Script Coach Screenwriting Workshops, this time via Zoom, on five Monday evenings (18.30 to 21.00 London time), starting on March 1.

You can sign up for individual sessions or the entire course at the Raindance site:

https://www.raindance.org/courses/script-coach-series/

Each session includes a handout that will remind you of the key concepts we covered. Here's what we'll be doing each week. Since it's a Zoom call, you can participate from anywhere, as long as you'll be awake during those hours. Here's an outline of the sessions:

Week 1: Generate An Endless Flow of Ideas 

Stephen King says, “I never think of stories as made things; I think of them as found things.” If you struggle sometimes to make stories and characters, in this session you’ll discover how to find them instead. You’ll discover innovative right-brain methods to:

• Overcome blocks
• Generate concepts
• Solve story problems

Week 2: Create Screenplay Characters That Come Alive

Characters are at the heart of every story and remembered long after people have forgotten the details of the plot. In this session, you will discover how to apply the methods of great writers like Dickens, Twin, and Chekhov to screenplay writing in order to:

• Create vivid characters
• Develop dynamic character relationships,
• Go beyond stereotypes,
• Find the comedy, drama, and trauma in your characters.

Week 3: Go Beyond the Templates to Write a Breakthrough Screenplay

Don’t cram your story into a pre-determined shape. Make the story the hero and let it take you on its journey. This session shows you practical ways to:

• Let a story shape evolve
• Craft powerful openings
• Overcome the second-act slump
• Write a selling script (not a shooting script)

Week 4: Find the Time and the Confidence to Write a Great Screenplay

Do you struggle sometimes to find the time to write and even when you do you worry it’s not good enough or nobody will want it?  Success in this field requires the right mindset, the ability to generate outstanding characters and plots, the time to write, and the confidence to see it through. In this session Jurgen will reveal how to:

• Tame your inner critic
• Use advanced productivity techniques for creative people.
• Overcome procrastination
• Finish what you start

This session includes a copy of Jurgen’s book, “Focus: How To Use Targeted Thinking To Get More Done.”

Week 5: Guerrilla Warfare For The Writer

It’s a crowded and competitive marketplace for scriptwriters. Do what everybody else is doing and you’ll get what everybody else is getting: ignored, mostly. Tonight we look at how you can stand out (without getting arrested). You will find out how to:

• Write a powerful query letter to agents and producers
• Use new media to get attention
• Find an agent (when and where to look)
• Network effectively (you’re probably going to the wrong events)
• Stand out even if you’re an introvert

If you have any questions about the workshops, drop me an email at [email protected]

How NOT to respond to rejection

Publisher Lee Goldberg recently related how an aspiring novelist responded when Goldberg sent him a polite rejection of his manuscript. The author wrote:

"Keep printing the same redundant s**t, arrogant ass, just remember the title of this book, u will see it on the best seller list, ***hole."

When Goldberg pointed out this is not the way to win friends in the publishing world, the aspiring novelist apologized for lashing out, but still maintained that his work is brilliant and there's no way that Goldberg could have rejected it so quickly if he'd really read it.

Goldberg added, "It was terrible."

Not only terrible work gets rejected, of course. There are dozens of examples of books and screenplays rejected multiple times before finally achieving publication or production and massive success.

But no matter how convinced you are that the people rejecting your work are clueless and will someday regret their decision, keep it to yourself. The film and publishing worlds both are small and making enemies can catch up with you quickly.

Usually there's no need to reply to a rejection unless the person sending it has given you some constructive feedback. In that case, the proper response is a brief thank-you--even if you don't think it was right. You don't have to pretend you agree, something like 'Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback" is fine.

And don't call them an ***hole.

Capture your ideas quickly or else!

"You have about ten minutes to act on an idea before it recedes back into dreamland so when  you're excited about an idea, start writing about it immediately." -- Buckminster Fuller

This is especially important if you have an idea just as you are waking up or falling asleep. Often those ideas are the most creative because they carry a little of your dreaming self. 

If you keep a notepad by your bedside you'll be less likely to let an idea escape. Some people prefer to use their phone to record their thoughts, either in a notes app or by recording a voice memo. 

Remember not to judge your idea as soon as it pops up--that stops the flow. Sure, many of these ideas will not be worth pursuing, but if even one out of ten has value, that makes the process worthwhile.

PS: If you're not familiar with Buckminster Fuller, check out his Wikipedia profile. Born in 1895, he was an inventor and visionary. Long before most people gave it much thought, he advocated using renewable energy and doing more with less. He hoped for an age of "omni-successful education and sustenance of all humanity."