Zen And the Stages of Writing Growth `

Zen And the Stages of Writing Growth `

Chapter

How do you learn to write better screenplays?  It’s a process. It starts with educating yourself about screenwriting, reading books, taking courses, studying screenplays, viewing films, and writing and rewriting scripts. You have to start out knowing that you’ll have much to learn, and that your first screenplays will be — to a degree — stepping stones.

It’s tricky. You have to be really excited about writing your first script. However, you also have to know it most likely won’t sell.  Remember, it’s your calling card. A good  calling card script will get you work. Even if it doesn’t sell.

On the other hand, you have to believe every script you write will sell. No matter what.  You have to be really stoked about it. You have to believe it will sell, or you won’t do your best work. And, it might sell. Or, it might not.

Confused? Sure. It’s confusing. However, it’s the best way to think about writing your first screenplay. You need to be able to hold all of these contradictory elements in your head and keep writing. You have to believe it’s a great screenplay. But, it most likely won’t sell. You’ll need to compartmentalize those thoughts when you center yourself to write.

You might not know where to start. At some point, you just have to start writing even though you don’t know everything about the process. I remember starting out thinking, “I need to read this one more book on screenwriting before I start.” Then it’s one more,   and so on. I kept putting off actually writing that first screenplay.

Where do you start, then? You have to start somewhere. I say read a few books, watch a lot of movies, read some scripts, and take the plunge. Get into the process. At the same time, don’t start without basic knowledge of what scripts look like, and how stories build.

The truth is you’ll never know enough about writing screenplays, and you’ll also probably know too much — in fact, you’ll be overwhelmed. The knowledge itself — the theory only, won’t get you anywhere. It’s the combination of the knowing and the doing — there’s a kind of Zen to it.

As your career as a writer unfolds, you’ll pass through some “stages.” The names of the stages aren’t important. However, it’s a convenient way of showing how writers grow.

Just as your life develops in stages, you’ll start out exploring, and trying to form skills. As you learn and assimilate those skills, you’ll put them to work and hone them. You’ll develop your craft. You might get better with each draft. Hopefully, you will.

And as in life, you’ll develop an identity along the way.  For example, maybe you were the class clown, or the nerd, or the jock. Your writing voice will emerge. You’ll decide on the genres you like to write. You’ll decide on a style. Will you write about dark subjects, or funny subjects, or both?

As this process unfolds, you’ll be developing new skills and reading more scripts, and seeing more films. Most importantly, you’ll be getting feedback along the way. How you approach the feedback will be a significant predictor of your success.

It’s understandable that your first script will be your “baby.” You’re going to be overprotective. You won’t want to hear any criticism — at all. Most likely, your first script will be the most significant self-motivated creative achievement of your life.

Unfortunately, if you take the attitude that your first script cannot be criticized, or judged, you won’t get very far in this business. People starting out often don’t realize they’re jumping into a field that’s all about judgment.

Your script will be judged. You’ve got to get used to that, or you’ll have a very short career. Everybody you show your writing to will be judging you. You might as well get used to it. But, remember, every writer goes through it.

Just like in life, if you’re not able to adjust, make changes, and adapt. There’s a “screenwriting Darwinism” at work. Survival of the fittest. Those who adapt and assimilate new information and skills will move on. That new information may come from a class, a book, or from constructive feedback.

To do your best work, you’ve got to also write every script as if it were your best. You've got to pay attention to detail.  On some level, you have to believe every script you write is going to sell.  Now, you might point out that I’ve been somewhat contradictory. First, I say your first script won’t sell, then I say you need to write it like it will. Both are correct.

You need to write every script as though it was your best work. Don’t do shoddy work on purpose. Confused? It’s that gray area. Approach everything you write as though it were your masterpiece, but expect criticism.

There is the possibility that your script will be strong enough to place in a contest or get you an agent. Those steps are important. They’ll set you on the right direction in your career. No matter what happens, don’t stop with that first script. Keep writing.

As you continue writing — you’ll find yourself maturing, and your scripts will get better. Unless you fight the process. Assimilate. Adapt. Keep writing. That’s your mantra.

That’s how it’s worked for every writer, ever. The pros get judged and criticized like everybody else. Not everything they write will sell. If their scripts do sell, rest assured, they’ll be getting studio notes, producer notes, and so on. They’ll have to assimilate and adapt. We all do it.