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Recent Posts
- A PROPHET… And You’re Worried YOUR Character Is Unlikable!
- Final Challenge Check In
- Free Procrastination Teleseminar
- To Lawyer Or Not To Lawyer?
- 2010 Screenwriting Challenge Party! Save The Date!
- Challenge Check In #2: What To Do When It's Just Not Coming
- Screenwriting Challenge Check In #1
- Power Your Plot: With These Vital Structural Elements
- 2010 Screenwriting Challenge
- Is Your Character An Adjective or a Verb?
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To Lawyer Or Not To Lawyer?
A question from a student:
Question for you: I wrote a short script that this guy wants to film and possibly enter into some festivals. I just want the writing credit, no money- do you think a contract is necessary in a case like this? Or is a gentleman’s agreement usually good? Luke S.
Jake’s Answer:
Glad [...]
Posted in Newsletters Also tagged Contracts for Writers, Jacob Krueger, Legal Issues, Screenwriter's Mind, Screenwriting Business, Write Your Screenplay, Writing, Writing Business, writing classes, Writing Contracts Comments closed
Screenwriting Challenge Check In #1
We’re now nearly 11 days into the 2010 Screenwriting Challenge, and the response has been tremendous. I’ve heard from so many of you, expressing the excitement of those who are enjoying the challenge, as well as the questions of those who are struggling with it.
Here are some of the common questions that tend to [...]
Posted in Newsletters, articles Also tagged film writing, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, New York, New York City, plot, screen play, screen play structure, screen writing, screen writing courses, screen writing workshops, screenplay structure, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, script classes, script structure, Write Your Screenplay, writer's block Comments closed
Power Your Plot: With These Vital Structural Elements
POWER YOUR PLOT
With These Vital Structural Elements
With 2009 just ending and a New Year beginning, I thought it would be a good time to talk about completions.
Not just the kind of completions you make in your life. The kinds of completions you make in your scenes.
Completions are the single most important element in distinguishing [...]
Posted in Newsletters Also tagged 7 act structure, Completions, Ewan McGregor, film structure, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, Jacob Krueger, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, New York, New York City, plot, screen play, screen play structure, screen writing, screen writing classes, screen writing courses, screenplay structure, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, screenwriting courses, screenwriting workshops, script courses, script structure, seven act structure, Structure, Trainspotting, Write Your Screenplay, writer's block, writing structure Comments closed
Is Your Character An Adjective or a Verb?
It's no wonder that some of the greatest writers began their careers as actors.
The art of writing and acting have always been profoundly intertwined. That's because structurally, movies grow out of character. And character is the thing that actors understand best.
So what is character from an actor's perspective? And how can that help you as a writer?
Posted in Newsletters Also tagged 7 act structure, acting, acting classes, acting exercises, acting for directors, acting for non actors, acting for producers, acting for writers, character, dialogue, film structure, film writing, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, objective, plot, screen play, screen play structure, screen writing classes, screen writing courses, screen writing workshops, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, screenwriting courses, script classes, script courses, seven act structure, superobjective, writing structure Comments closed
Got an issue with Robert McKee? Me too.
Don't throw away the baby with the bath-water. As with any screenwriting book, there are some good things to be discovered in Robert McKee's "Story". But there's also a lot that can be misleading, confusing or even just plain wrong. And for young writers who take his words as gospel, McKee can pose a real danger to finding your voice, truly understanding your character, and discovering the organic structure of your screenplay.
I believe that a big part of that is because McKee teaches screenwriting from a critic's perspective, rather than that of a writer...
Posted in articles Also tagged film structure, genre, horror movies, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, robert mcKee, screen play, screen play structure, screen writing classes, screen writing courses, screen writing workshops, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, script classes, story Comments closed
The Writer's Most Dangerous Desire
It may be hard to tell from some of the stuff you see coming out of Hollywood, but believe it or not, no one sets out to be a mediocre writer.
No writer dreams of writing that crappy screenplay with the unintelligible plot. No writer fantasizes about creating paper thin characters, canned dialogue, or predictable plot points.
As writers, we share a common desire: we want to write great scripts, fascinating characters, brilliant dialogue, and breathtaking stories that catch people and won't let them go. We want to say something that matters to us, have our voices heard, and create the kind of movies we grew up loving.
All writers want to be great writers.
Unfortunately, for many writers this need to create something great is actually the biggest obstacle to their writing...
Posted in Newsletters Also tagged 7 act structure, film structure, film writing, films, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, Jacob Krueger, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, New York, plot, procrastination, screen play, screen play structure, screen writing, screen writing classes, screen writing courses, screen writing workshops, screenplay structure, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, screenwriting courses, screenwriting workshops, script classes, script courses, seven act structure, writer's block, writing structure Comments closed
Five Steps to a Writing Lifestyle
The following is a challenge I created for my Write! Write! Write! students. Use it in your own work and notice how quickly and effortlessly writing becomes a natural part of your lifestyle...
Posted in Newsletters Also tagged becoming a writer, creative blocks, How to become a writer, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, Jacob Krueger, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, screen play, screen writing, screen writing classes, screen writing courses, screen writing workshops, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, screenwriting courses, screenwriting workshops, script classes, script courses, writer's block Comments closed
Thoughts On "Drag Me To Hell"
I just saw "Drag Me To Hell" tonight. Talk about a great example of how a well structured movie uses theme to craft a character's journey. Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched this movie yet, this might be a good time to dash out and see it. Then come on back and read all about it.
The theme of "Drag Me To Hell" is pretty simple: selfish desire leads to the soul's destruction. The film begins with a woman who is genuinely good. And step by step, the structure of the film quite literally drags her to hell-- not just through the terrible curse that she must contend with, but by causing her to make such immoral choices in her attempts to escape it that by the time it's all over, she just about deserves her fate...
Posted in Script Analysis Also tagged Drag Me To Hell, film structure, film writing, how to write a screenplay, how to write a script, Jacob Krueger, learn to write a screenplay, movie writing, movies, plot, Sam Raimi, screen play, screen play structure, screen writing, screen writing classes, screen writing courses, screen writing workshops, Screenplay Analysis, screenplay structure, screenplay writing classes, screenplay writing workshops, Screenwriter's Mind, screenwriting courses Comments closed
Final Challenge Check In