The Writer's Life Forum Writing the screenplay

It never really occured to me before just how difficult it is to write a script. It's something completely different from writing a story. Instead of thinking in terms of thoughts and feelings, everything has to be visual. So far, it hasn't been a very easy adjustment for me. I used to be more visual with my thinking, but I trained myself for writing fiction. Now I'm having a hard time making the switch back. =(

Still, so far I have the opening scene plotted out and the scene right after that. I think I've made a fairly good start actually. I'm going to try my best to get this completed as soon as possible. The downside, as I said, is retraining my mind to think in terms of pictures and not the abstract. The upside? I won't have to write a min. of 80,000 words! That's great news for yours truely, since I've never actually managed to write that many words into one story.

Fairly pathetic, hu?

Well best of everything good in the way of success with writing the screenplay.  I tried reading one once, that was hard enough, let alone writing it. 

I too used to have problems with enough words for a novel, but at the moment it's gone the other way.  My latest, is up to 70,000 and still only 2/3rds complete.  Can see there will be some significant cutting and trimming down.

A further thought to anyone reading this, and to fuel further discussion, do other writers set themselves a target for number of words written in a day?  My own target is 2000, although I very rarely achieve it.  I do however, spend most of my day sat at the computer in front of a "Word" doccument...

The book I got on the subject has been helping tremendously. I actually plotted out the whole thing already! Very few of the real details, of course, but I do know all of the key events in the script now. ^-^ Ah, sending my bf to go play with his friends today has really helped me out a lot! I've gotten a lot more done than I thought I would, especially considering my late start and penchant for stopping and wondering around the apartment.

 

I've always set rather modest goals as far as writing goes. I tell myself I'm going to write at least 200 words. Sometimes, I strugle to get in that many, other times I manage to write over a thousand. I'm sure this method would work a hell of a lot better if I weren't sso easily distracted and didn't run around doing other things when I'm really supposed to be writing. Also, the day long breaks aren't helping much.

 

Sometimes I think I really wasn't cut out to be an author. I spend so much of my time avoiding it....

 

I might not feel so badly if I didn't personally know someone capable of sending out a completed, publish ready 100,000 word novel in under three weeks....

Found this on internet which may be of interest to anyone writing screenplay.  Have a look at < for an on-line proffessional screenwriting editor.  I don't know if it's any good, never written any screenplay...

Ive always been told that I write visually and I have been very tempted to try my hand at screenplays. The only problem being that that is a very complicated format that I am yet to figure out.

I might have to get myself a book like our fearless leader Tiffany ;)