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help with trying to write my very first screenplay..

L

littleturtle

i've been trying to write a screenplay the past few months but whenever i decide on a story, i decide to scrap it and write another one. anyways... i've finally thought of a story and this time i'd like to finish writing it.

i'm trying to follow the 3-act-structure but i have problems with the 2nd act. i need tips on how to make the supposed "boring" part of the movie NOT boring. how do i go about in doing this?
 
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littleturtle said:
i respect your opinion, but i STRONGLY disagree with it.

i'm only on page 70 of the screenwriter's bible, and i've learned SO MUCH about writing a screenplay already. i definitely have no regrets in buying this book... since you're a good writer, let me ask you... how did you become great? i mean... how'd you learn about the extra details in writing a good story? structure, story-layering, etc. i understand how one could get better by simple trial and error. what i don't understand is how you would learn about those things in the first place? maybe you took a course... but where the hell were you getting those knowledge from? BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS..
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After you're done with that book, pick up a copy of "Writing for Emotional Impact" by Karl Iglesias. It goes into advanced techniques that most other books don't cover. Having a basic understanding of screenwriting is required before studying Karl's teachings (writing for the reader, not the audience). For those who don't want to read, he also has a complete Master Class series of lectures to supplement the material. http://www.creativescreenwriting.com/store/set01.htm.
 
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TheOpusFuller said:
What I am about to say is solely my opinion, but I will stand by it until the day I die.

Screenwriting books such as Save the Cat, Sequence Method, etc. ARE POISON!

I wasted two years of my life reading screenwriting books for the answer, turns out, they don't give you the answer. Instead, what they do give you is a medium for one to procrastinate.

If you spend the time it take reading one of those books, you could have brainstormed and worked through your little boring part of the story.
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Respectfully disagreeing. I read the book "Save the Cat" in like two days. Quick read. Do you have any idea how much time I've spent brainstorming my screenplay? MUCH longer than that. I can say, without question, that my screenwriting process improved after reading Snyder's book. I don't prescribe to EVERYTHING he says, but he offers lots of handy tools worth considering.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Respectfully disagreeing. I read the book "Save the Cat" in like two days. Quick read. Do you have any idea how much time I've spent brainstorming my screenplay? MUCH longer than that. I can say, without question, that my screenwriting process improved after reading Snyder's book. I don't prescribe to EVERYTHING he says, but he offers lots of handy tools worth considering.
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Blake is great. There are three books now. Really sad that he passed away last year. :(
 
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