Screenwriting Tips You Hack

Screenwriting Tip #99 Voice-over usually feels like scaffolding. You know-something you left in there when you were constructing the first draft, but really should have torn out after it served its purpose. Screenwriting Tip #120 Always remember that funny trumps everything. Your script could be written in crayon with your name spelled wrong on the cover, but if it's genuinely funny, none of that matters. Screenwriting Tip #156 The easiest way to write kick-ass protagonists is to make them incredibly good at what they do. Confused at the outline stage? Stuck in the swamp of Act Two? Don't know who your protagonist is or where she's going? You might feel like a hack. But don't worry-you're not alone. Even the most experienced writers feel like this at times. Sometimes we just need a few short pointers and reminders to set us on the path again. Xander Bennett worked as a script reader in the trenches of Hollywood, reading and covering hundreds of mediocre screenplays. After months of reading about heroic Sea World trainers, transgendered circus detectives and crime-fighting chupacabras, he couldn't take it any more. Xander started a blog called 'Screenwriting Tips, You Hack', a place designed to provide short, witty tips on screenwriting for amateur writers all the way up to journeymen scribes. This book is the evolution of that blog. Dozens of the best scripts (along with many brand-new ones) have been expanded into bite-sized chapters full of funny, insightful, highly usable advice. Let Xander's pain be your gain as you learn about the differences between film and television structure, how to force yourself to write when you really don't want to, and why you probably shouldn't base your first spec script around an alien invasion.

Screenwriting Tip #99 Voice-over usually feels like scaffolding. You know-something you left in there when you were constructing the first draft, but really should have torn out after it served its purpose. Screenwriting Tip #120 Always remember that funny trumps everything. Your script could be written in crayon with your name spelled wrong on the cover, but if it's genuinely funny, none of that matters. Screenwriting Tip #156 The easiest way to write kick-ass protagonists is to make them incredibly good at what they do. Confused at the outline stage? Stuck in the swamp of Act Two? Don't know who your protagonist is or where she's going? You might feel like a hack. But don't worry-you're not alone. Even the most experienced writers feel like this at times. Sometimes we just need a few short pointers and reminders to set us on the path again. Xander Bennett worked as a script reader in the trenches of Hollywood, reading and covering hundreds of mediocre screenplays. After months of reading about heroic Sea World trainers, transgendered circus detectives and crime-fighting chupacabras, he couldn't take it any more. Xander started a blog called 'Screenwriting Tips, You Hack', a place designed to provide short, witty tips on screenwriting for amateur writers all the way up to journeymen scribes. This book is the evolution of that blog. Dozens of the best scripts (along with many brand-new ones) have been expanded into bite-sized chapters full of funny, insightful, highly usable advice. Let Xander's pain be your gain as you learn about the differences between film and television structure, how to force yourself to write when you really don't want to, and why you probably shouldn't base your first spec script around an alien invasion.

The merit of my book comes from the very fact that I'm a relative beginner in the business. I'm the rookie whose struggles are still fresh in her mind and whose enthusiasm remains undimmed. These pages don't contain a complete philosophy or method, but practical tips that you can consume. If you're a beginner, this book provides encouragement, motivation, and a wealth of information. If you're more advanced, you'll discover some new angles amongst the usual advice. This book is the result of the risks I've taken in my journey to become a screenwriter. May it help you learn and prosper as you blaze your own path.

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!

You've just boarded a plane. You've loaded your phone with your favorite podcasts, but before you can pop in your earbuds, disaster strikes: The guy in the next seat starts telling you all about something crazy that happened to him--in great detail. This is the unwelcome storyteller, trying to convince a reluctant audience to care about his story. We all hate that guy, right? But when you tell a story (any kind of story: a novel, a memoir, a screenplay, a stage play, a comic, or even a cover letter), you become the unwelcome storyteller. So how can you write a story that audiences will embrace? The answer is simple: Remember what it feels like to be that jaded audience. Tell the story that would win you over, even if you didn't want to hear it. The Secrets of Story provides comprehensive, audience-focused strategies for becoming a master storyteller. Armed with the Ultimate Story Checklist, you can improve every aspect of your fiction writing with incisive questions like these: • Concept: Is the one-sentence description of your story uniquely appealing? • Character: Can your audience identify with your hero? • Structure and Plot: Is your story ruled by human nature? • Scene Work: Does each scene advance the plot and reveal character through emotional reactions? • Dialogue: Is your characters' dialogue infused with distinct personality traits and speech patterns based on their lives and backgrounds? • Tone: Are you subtly setting, resetting, and upsetting expectations? • Theme: Are you using multiple ironies throughout the story to create meaning? To succeed in the world of fiction and film, you have to work on every aspect of your craft and satisfy your audience. Do both--and so much more--with The Secrets of Story.

This is a comprehensive, jargon-free guide for all budding screenwriters. Its aim is not just to guide you through the techniques and skills you need to write for the screen (film and television), but also to give you guidance on how to approach the industry as a whole. Focusing on every aspect of screenwriting, from how to set about the writing process to how to develop your characters, plot and structure, this book will give you all the guidance you need to break into this highly competitive industry and make a career for yourself as a screenwriter. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of screenwriting. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO WRITE GREAT SCREENPLAY DIALOGUE?Don't worry, we know how you feel, as learning how to write good dialogue can be one of the hardest aspects of screenwriting to master.This is the first book on writing dialogue of its kind: full of theory hacks, practical exercises and resources that will get your script's dialogue up where it needs to be.Theory Hacks. This book contains a set of three theory hacks that dispel many of the myths when it comes to writing dialogue and make it that much easier to craft conversations that sound authentic and engaging.Practical Exercises. Inside are three super hands-on, rarely discussed practical exercises used by professional screenwriters. Add these to your writing routine and watch your dialogue writing improve 100 percent.Resources Toolkit. Also included is a set of resources and worksheets that compliment the previous two sections, plus suggested further reading.Think of the book a 3 step plan to dialogue mastery1. Identify the reasons why your dialogue isn't working. One of the biggest problems aspiring screenwriters face is being able to RECOGNIZE poorly written dialogue in their own work. It can be hard to step back and look at the dialogue objectively when you're deep in the story, and so in the book we show you some practical methods you can use to do just that.2. Eliminate the main problems holding your dialogue back. We break down the three most common mistakes aspiring screenwriters make when it comes to dialogue: 1. It's too on-the-nose, 2. There's too much of it, 3. All the characters sound the same, and show you how to identify and combat each one.3. Improve your dialogue with a new weekly writing practice. Not only will the theory hacks and practical exercises help you identify and eliminate bad dialogue, they'll also provide a solid GAME PLAN on how to write interesting, effective dialogue going forward. Implement these exercises into your weekly writing routine and learn how to master dialogue.In the book will learn...How to give each one of your characters a VOICE that makes them stand out as individuals through what they say and how they say it.How to use dialogue examples from poorly written scripts to IMPROVE your own.How to write VISUALLY and use the dialogue to support a scene rather than drive it.Conversely, how to craft conversations full of subtext and layers that subtly reveal character and/or drive the scene and plot.How to know what dialogue to leave in and what to cut.How to recognize poorly written screenplay dialogue within your own script BEFORE you send it anywhere important.How to format screenplay dialogue using our definitive, no-nonsense guide.

50 Screenwriting Tips For $5 is a like a cool screenwriting class to go. In less than 100 fast-paced pages, Script Consultant, Writing Coach and New York University Film School Professor D.B. Gilles offers up his take on writing a screenplay with 50 easy-to-read screenwriting tips. They will help beginning screenwriters complete their scripts and get them closer to the goal line. Most are short and to the point, a few others are a bit longer. 50 Screenwriting Tips For $5 condenses what Robert Mckee takes a long weekend to convey. And 50 Screenwriting Tips is only $5. D.B. Gilles has consulted with over two thousand new and experienced screenwriters of all ages--from around the world--on how to write and complete a script or improve their already finished screenplays. He will introduce you to The Punctuation Theory of Screenwriting, how every new screenplay you start is like a new relationship, why having too many characters in your script could be a problem, when you and your script are having irreconcilable difference, the importance of having a good title, and many other tips and suggestions that will make your script better.