It's quiet around here

Okay, I admit it. We haven't posted a lot recently, but not without good reason.

Both myself and James are hard at work on the final draft of our sci-fi TV pilot, Bounty. Sadly this does mean that the blog has to take a bit of a back seat for a few more weeks, whilst we go through this process.

But what about when the script is done?

Well, once Bounty is completed we will make sure this blog is updated on a regular basis with more helpful advice and updates on our current progress.

An update from James

It has been a few weeks since either myself or Gareth have posted anything on here. With some personal issues getting in the way as well as a challenging few weeks at the job that's paying the bills (at the moment), coming up with content for this has been a challenge. Not every blog on here will be about hints and tips for writing. So I thought I would give you an update of what is going on and what I have been up to.

Lets start with the script, because let's face it, I'm fucking stoked about it. We are now in draft 4. Crazy to think really that a year ago we were having just discussions on Skype about this. Now we have written a full script with 3 different drafts no less. We have been busy this week refining the first 10 pages. Going into draft 4 we both thought it would be a little easier to finish, boy were we wrong. We have made some major changes. All for the better I should stress though. I really feel confident that we know the motivations of our main villain. It is so important to know your characters inside and out. I guess this blog will include one screenwriting hint after all.

We have a pretty long session planned for Today or yesterday or even months ago depending on when you read this. It is all about working towards one goal and one event, the London Screenwriters Festival. Talking of which, we have ordered our business cards, we went for some high quality prints from moo.com. Take a look at Gareth's version below.

When I have had some spare time from the script and the 9 to 5, I have tried to fill it with something fun. I recently downloaded The Walking Dead games from Xbox Live. I must say I am enjoying them a lot. They are very well written and you really feel like you are living the show. The choices you make and the responses you give change the outcome of the story. I think this type of game will become more of the norm soon. It is a good way to engage the audience and make you feel like your choices make a difference. I much prefer it to the point and shoot games such as Call of Duty.

TV wise I started and finished the first 2 seasons of Luther, really enjoyed it. Quite gritty for the BBC. I understand that the third season has just started and I am looking forward to seeing how it all ends. Idris Elba has a real presence that makes you really focus in on him. It is no surprise that he has become a huge star. I have also caved in and finally ordered Spartacus after many on my friends including Gareth recommended it to me. I am looking forward to starting it (as soon as it arrives).

No real other news to share, my dear MacBook Pro has had to be taken in for repair, but writing this has given me a whole new appreciation for my iPad. If you don't have one I would suggest getting one. You may not think you need one, but believe me when you have one you won't know how you managed without one.

Apple Genius "We need to test your mac, you will need to leave it here for 48 hours"

I know this blog has not been particularly helpful in a writing sense, but the last few weeks has made me really appreciate how rewarding and how much I enjoy the process of writing. So if you want another tip, always make sure you make time for writing. However shit your day or week is, make time to do a page or two. Sure the job that pays the bills may have to come first sometimes, but don't neglect your passion.

That's it from me, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and the sunny weather. Happy Writing

James

Getting to the First Draft - The First Step is the Hardest

When you start out writing you have these grand stories in your mind, but no idea as to how to execute them. If there is one piece of advice I can give its this; don't try and write the script without doing the proper preparation. This is a lesson me and my writing partner James leant the hard way.

Without proper planning all of your ideas, no matter how well thought out, will be spent within the first 15-20 pages of your script to demoralising effect.

The following is meant to be used as a guide to prepare for your first draft, based off my own personal experience. There's no point in us both making the same impatient mistakes.

Do Your Research

If you have an idea for a screenplay then you most likely know what genre it sits in, so before you start take the time to watch films/TV shows and read scripts in your genre. Make notes on the pacing, act structure, dialogue and page counts. Figure out what works and what doesn't. 

This will help when you get to the next stage.

Preparation Preparation Preparation

Define your characters - write a brief overview about each of your main characters. This helps ou find each characters voice. One word of advice, don't feel that because you have written a character history that you have to put this into to your script. Some things are just meant for your eyes only.

Outline -write a briefout line of you story in three acts. 

Logline - This is a one sentence pitch of your story, if you can't sell it in this time then you may need to rethink your approach.  Usually writers do this before starting any work; however, I think that coming up with your logline at this stage will help you refine your core idea.  Scriptologist has a great advice about how to construct your logline here.

Beatshet - This is a scene by scene walkthrough which will serve as the blueprint for your script. If this is your first time writing a script then chances are you won't have quite enough scenes to sustain a healthy page count but as long as you have gone through the previous steps then you should be pretty well prepared.

This is how me and James Merigan currently work and I'm sure there are other best practices out there. The most important thing find what works for you.

Bang2Write - 4 Reasons Why 2 Heads Are Better Than 1

Lucy, of Bang2Write fame, has kindly put our new blog up on her site!

You can read it now by following this link.

Five helpful tips for people just starting out

When I knew I wanted to be a writer,many moons ago, I had no idea where to start. I had ideas and stories in my head I wanted to tell, but had no idea where to start with it. Luckily we live in an age where information is freely available on just about any subject. The problem is how do you filter out all the shit before you read the stuff that is really useful. I hope these five golden rules I learnt along the way will help you know at least where to start.

The best bit of advice I have ever read or been told is that if you want to become a writer or be able to call yourself a writer, you have to actually write. I know it sounds simple but a lot people who want to write have a lot of ideas in their heads, but nothing down on paper. Your mind is a great tool, but it is also full with a lot of information. It can’t possibly remember every single idea you have. So rule one is a simple one...

1. WRITE YOUR IDEAS DOWN!

Rule two is all about planning, me and Gareth realised very early on that we needed to fully plan our ideas, you can’t go from concept to script in one step. You need to plan, we write a full outline of the pilot before we worry about what we need the characters to say to get us from beginning to end. Write down what will happen in the first episode. Don’t worry about dialogue, just what will happen on the screen. Go into as much detail as you can. This will be a godsend when it comes to planning out scenes. So rule two is...

2. WRITE A DETAILED OUTLINE OF YOUR FIRST EPISODE

Rule three is using the right tools for the job. If you have money to burn you can buy Final Draft, but lets face it unless you are selling scripts, you have no need to spend stupid money on software. That is not to say that you should be using Microsoft Word. The Internet is a great place to get free software to write with. Celtx is a fantastic free programme to use to write with. It does the hard stuff for you. If you are feeling a little flush then you can buy a more advanced programme such as Fade In that will set you back about £35 - £75. So rule three is...

3. GET A PROPER WRITING PROGRAMME LIKE CELTX OR FADE IN

Rule four is all about perfecting your idea. Nobody has ever sold the first draft of their script. As I write this we are on the 4th draft of our pilot and we still have a few more left before we are happy to let it go out in the scriptures. From what I have read there is no golden number to how many drafts you should do, it should always be until you are happy with it or until you reach that point that you are happy enough to let it go. Chances are you will never be 100% happy with what you have written. So rule four...

4. WRITE, RE-WRITE AND REPEAT

Finally rule five, you have to get yourself out there for all to see. Networking is a huge part of making sure your idea is made. Twitter and blogging are a great way to do this. You would be surprised who reads your tweets as long you put a #screenwriting tag at the end of it. Blogging is a great way of improving your writing and sharpen your skills. There are some good blogging sites out there such as Blogger or Tumblr. Stay away from places like Facebook, chances are if none of your friends share your passion you may just be posting for nothing. So rule five is...

5. TWEET, BLOG AND NETWORK

So there you have it five simple rules that helped me and Gareth go from two people having a lot of lengthy conversation about writing, to actually writing.

Happy writing!