Character Descriptions in Two Lines

Ever been stuck trying to introduce a new character? Okay, maybe not. Especially if you tend to take an entire paragraph to do it. But I'm here to tell you that it can actually be done in just one short sentence.

Yep. Once sentence...Actually, two lines in this case.

How am I so sure about this? Well, The Nails told me so over twenty years ago. The song was 88 Lines About 44 Women and it's a great example of concise character descriptions. Check these out:

"Reno was a nameless girl
a geographic memory..."

"Jeannie had a nightclub walk
that made grown men feel underage..."

"Jackie was a rich punk rocker
silver spoon and a paper plate..."

"Sarah was a modern dancer
lean pristine transparency..."

You get the picture. Just two lines and you instantly get a feel for what each woman is like. All they need are ages and they're pretty much good to go.

For most screenplays, this is quite sufficient for an introduction. As the story continues, however, it's the characters' actions and dialogue that fully uncover the essence of their personalities.

A Real Page Churner

You gotta love public transportation.

You save on gas, it's less wear and tear on your car, and since someone else is doing the driving, there's plenty of time to kick back and read, listen to music...

...and write. And write. And write some more.

In fact, in the past three days, I've managed to churn out fourteen pages of my first draft. Not too bad, especially when you factor in a eight to five J-O-B and four kids who are all involved in some kind of extracurricular activity during the week.

According to my guesstimate, based on my current outline, I should be able to set the overall limit to 110 pages. A nice lean spec.

But as I've been writing, something freaky has happened. The characters are reorganizing the outline. I'll get halfway through a scene according to plan and it's as if they're saying, "No way, dude. I would never say it like that." or "Hell, no...I'm not doing that!" I've heard other writers talk about this happening, but I have to admit, it's kinda spooky when it actually happens to you.

Anyway, to celebrate making progress, I've included the ubiquitous writer's progress bar on the right. And yes, the title (for now) is Left of the Dial.

Look for various scene snippets in the near future.

(Progress bar courtesy of David Anaxagoras. Check out his fantastic blog!)

I'm As Mad As Hell...

Why can't all TV news talking heads be more like this:



MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski refused to lead the news segment with the Paris Hilton jail release story. I completely agree with her statement and here's hoping more journalists (as well as those who think they're journalists) follow her lead.

Here's her explanation of what happened:

Getting Traction

As a fellow writer, you know that getting those ideas on paper really makes you feel like a million bucks. That being said, I'm feeling pretty damn rich right about now. I've finally completed the outline for this story which, until recently, I've been messing around with only in my head. So far it looks pretty solid, but then again, I haven't set it aside for a few days to ferment and allow the nasty bits to rise to the top. Normally, I would think that the next step would be to write out the scenes on index cards and shuffle them around a bit. But I think I've done all the shuffling I can do for now in the outline. It really just needs to sit for a couple of days.

After that, my next planned step after double checking the outline again, is to start cranking out a first draft. Just writing it out, getting it on paper. I'm not really concerned with massive amounts of quality here. Just words on paper. I mean, I'll gut-check myself as I write, but not too much.

Now, one of my previous posts mentioned Alex Epstein's excellent advice about coming up with a story premise with a great hook, querying the logline to some people, and actually writing it only if it garners any interest.

And it is great advice. Just not for this script.

This script doesn't have one of those mind-bending hooks that makes studios go nuts and dream of merchandising offers. It's just a simple finding-your-true-self story.

But if it turns out the way I have in mind, it's a script that could be shot for next to nothing. No special effects. No exotic locations. No weapon or animal wranglers required. Just a simple character piece that takes place in a North Carolina college town.

The only thing I can see standing in the way of it getting produced is music rights. Let's just say there's a LOT of music in this story. Music that mostly isn't heard much anymore, but is recorded and owned by record labels nonetheless. But it's crucial to the story. In fact the story literally revolves around it.

This is exactly the issue faced by the recent DVD release of WKRP In Cincinnati's first season. There's a great scene in which Mr. Carlson walks in on Johnny zoning out listening to Pink Floyd's Dogs. Unfortunately, it was cut from the DVD release because of music rights issues. Damn, I love that show.

Crafty Writers Query First

I just finished reading Alex Epstein's book Crafty Screenwriting and I have to say it's very different from other screenwriting "bibles". First, he presents his advice from a real-world, this-is-what-works perspective. Thankfully he doesn't dwell too much on proper structure or voice-over hating or his own personal act break philosophies. It's more along the lines of "if there's only three things you remember about dialogue, it's this..." Of course, there are more than three things he talks about on the topic of dialogue, but you get the picture.

Lots of great basic knowledge there. But, the one thing that seemed unusual to me was his advice to come up with the story's hook and a tasty logline, send out query letters, then wait for responses.

But don't actually write the screenplay yet.

Instead, base your decision to write what you have in mind on the kind of response you get from your letters. If you didn't get any bites, it could be that your story idea isn't compelling enough, so why waste time writing something that doesn't gather any interest?

Now, I know this contradicts what most of us know of the screenwriting process. You write something, then try to sell it, right? But, my big question about this was how long is an agent or producer who has shown interest in your story idea going to wait for you to write the darned thing?

I asked Alex this and here's what he said.

When I sat back and thought about it, the advice sounded pretty logical. If they wanted to see it when you sent the query letter, they'll still want to see it when you're done writing it. In fact, they probably won't even remember responding to your query letter, so when you finish writing and tell them, "here's the script you requested on March 12th", they most likely won't bother to second-guess you.

So, I think I'll try this for a couple of ideas I've been knocking around. Maybe that's the acid test I need to know which story to start writing.

Be sure to check out Alex's excellent blog, Complications Ensue!

Creative Screenwriting Magazine Podcast

Creative Screenwriting Magazine's Senior Editor, Jeff Goldsmith, is the most likable guy I've never met.

In his (usually) weekly podcast, he kinda comes across as the college buddy you used to hang out and down a few cold ones with. And his laid back demeanor definitely rubs off on the writers, directors, writer/directors, and producers he hosts in CS's post-screening Q&A sessions.

Take the recent Luc Besson Q&A, for example. Now, I don't know if Luc is naturally this witty and hilarious, but he was an absolute riot during Jeff's interview with him. That episode alone is worth subscribing.

The podcast focuses on the writing process -- everything from getting the initial idea on paper, to polishing the final draft, to getting your script seen, and finally into production. Working screenwriters tell their own stories of how they got started, as well as the stumbles they've had along the way. And the magazine has even more great stuff!

Soon, Jeff will give listeners another great reason to subscribe to the podcast. According to a recent email from him:

"Keep an eye out for [magazine] subscription discounts - I'll have a code for podcasters - it's definitely a good way to get the magazine and much, much cheaper - I'll be announcing it soon."

Can't wait, Jeff. If you haven't subscribed to the free (yeah, free) podcast yet, subscribe now through iTunes so you don't miss out on the magazine discount. To make sure you get new episodes automagically, click on the "Subscribe" button when iTunes comes up.

Creative Screenwriting really is a great magazine and podcast, so don't miss out!

"Nothin' Could Be Finer..."

There's a new filmmaking blog in the scribosphere and it comes from our southerly neighbors in North Carolina. In case you didn't know, there's a lot of shooting going on down there - and I'm not just talking about hunting season. North Carolina is currently a hotbed of film production.

Believe me, I should know.

CarolinaFlicks features everything from local casting notices, to upcoming productions, to book reviews. Hell, they even publish their own free shot list manager software.

Check 'em out at www.carolinaflicks.com.

Where The !@#% Have You Been?

That's what my blog just said to me. Yep. Sure did.

Here's what's been going on:

Writing. Writing sample material. Writing assorted screenplay notes. Writing an industrial training film.

Filming. This year's Mother's Day gift has been seen by over 540 people so far. Lots of fun making that one and only the baby got messy.

La Vie En Rose. Damn, I really wanted to write that one. Such a great story.

Launching a Blog. Not mine...not another one. This one's enough. It's my wife's blog. It's an in-your-face, no-holes-barred discussion about homeschooling and basically saying "up yours" to the public school system. We've been homeschooling our children since the day each of them were born and all of us couldn't be happier. Of course, much of the general public just don't "get" homeschooling, as evidenced by crap films like The Brothers Solomon. I could go on about this, but that's for my wife's blog.

The Best Shows (that were) on Television

I don't watch a lot of TV. In fact, most of what I watch is limited to news, CSI/Law & Order: Whatever and the rare peek at the underbelly of human existence on daytime chat shows. Apart from these and a few other choice pieces of programming (Lost, Heroes, House), there's really just not much that floats my boat on TV these days.

But some of the shows that were on TV...ahh. Now there's some quality storytelling. Too bad they're no longer around to grow and prosper like they used to.

Homicide: Life on the Street - This had to be the best crime drama on TV in a long, long time. Hell, the best show on TV period! Great well-developed characters put into always interesting situations. Granted, the steam started to run out when some of the cast did, but when it was hot, it was hot!

Arrested Development - The darling of critics and viewers; the red-headed stepchild of Fox. The funniest show I never saw (until it came to DVD).

The first couple of seasons of Law and Order (the original) - Grainy and edgy, it set the standard for procedural drama, but in the midst of getting slick and eventually switching out its entire cast, it lost its wonderfully gritty essence. Catch the first few seasons - pure gold.

Seinfeld - Hell, who isn't a Seinfeld fan? No new shows, but long live syndication!

Firefly - Every inch a great show. Fantastic writing.

Twin Peaks - This freak show was so good it still gives me the heebie-jeebies. In the words of Agent Cooper, "Damn fine!"

The Stress-Free Writer

C'mon...who're we kidding. Any creative writing endeavor is a breeding ground for stress and anxiety. Trying to fill that blank screen (or page for you typists out there) is sometimes so overwhelmingly daunting that you're left sitting and staring, your jaw slacked open, fingers drumming the desk to summon the Great Spirit of Writing to send you a sign.

More commonly known as "writer's block", this condition (much like the hiccups) has many reported cures. Personally, a walk around the block in really cold weather does wonders, but in case you don't have access to a block or cold weather, try some of the exercises at Language Is A Virus. Here are a few choice nuggets:

• Using phrases relating to one subject or idea, write about another, pushing metaphor and simile as far as you can. For example, use science terms to write about childhood or philosophic language to describe a shirt.

• Systematically derange the language: write a work consisting only of prepositional phrases, or, add a gerund to every line of an already existing work.

There are a lot of other goodies there, including some online writer's block toys (cut-up and slice-n-dice generators) and some insight from some of the greats. (mostly the Beats; Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg, et al)

Check it out and free your mind!

Ten Rules for Suspense

Over at Thrillerwriters.org, Brian Garfield's ten rules for writing suspense fiction lay it all out for you. This is the list John Grisham credited with helping him craft his first bestseller, The Firm.

Here's a few to wet your whistle:

• Start with action; explain it later.
• Give the protagonist a personal stake.
• Give the protagonist a tight time limit, and then shorten it.

These are excellent guidelines and a must for any writer -- novelist or screenwriter.

This American Podcast

I know this is old news, but it gave me an excuse to post to my sorely neglected blog, so there ya go.

One of my favorite shows on NPR, This American Life, is now available as a podcast. Each week, the show features fantastic stories tied together by a common theme. And each week I listen, at least one of those stories makes me say to myself, "Wow! This would make a great movie!"

Check it out on iTunes!

Alex Haley and the Big Canoe

I don't know why I haven't posted this story before now, but it's a great example of point of view and the process of doing character research.

Back in college in 1986, I had the pleasure of meeting Alex Haley. He was in town on a lecture tour and agreed to drop by our playwriting class to hang out and answer some questions. We were all thrilled and eventually not disappointed in the slightest.

Mr. Haley was a quiet, gentle, and well-spoken man, who was eager to take the time to help us better understand the writing process in general. It was a very intimate setting, with only seven or eight of us sitting in the small Theatre Arts Department faculty lounge.

When the time came for questions, I was ready with mine: "What's the most important thing you've learned about researching characters?"

He looked up, thought for a second, and proceeded to relate the following anecdote:

When he was researching his most famous work, Roots, he did extensive study into the kind of ships that were used to transport slaves from Africa to America. The kind of wood used to build them, the rigging, the size and shape of the sails, the cabin and below-deck layouts. Everything. He said he spent close to six months exploring every aspect of the ships and became quite an expert on them.

Then, as he began fleshing out the character of Kunta Kinte, it occurred to him that since the beginning of the book is written from Kunta's point of view, all of the information about the slave ships was absolutely irrelevant. All Kunta knew was that the ship was a "big canoe". How the sails were stitched made no difference. It was a boat and it was big and that was it.

So, throughout the book, the slave ship is referred to as a "big canoe". Six months of research rendered useless simply by placing the story from the point of view of a single character.

We all immediately realized the importance of this lesson. For a character to be truly real, he has to know what he knows and nothing more. Except for the commentary in the DVD's special features, the screenwriter won't be doing voiceovers in a film to explain what the character is experiencing. The character's world has to work for the character first, then through the character's experiences, the audience will figure it out.

John August Gives Birth

John August is such a generous guy. And I'm not saying that just to butter him up so he'll read my script. He really is a generous guy. If you've checked out his site (and I highly recommend you do), you've gotten a taste of the vast amount of valuable screenwriting information there.

Now, John's decided to dig his pool of knowledge deeper still. He's just launched jaWiki, a Wikipedia-like compendium of wisdom for the aspiring screenwriter. Like the standard wiki model, it's a place where we can all contribute whatever we can.

He does warn that jaWiki is a bit unstable and could self-destruct at any moment. But, hey...we're not scared. We're tech-savvy scribes, right?

Fall Into High Gear

I haven't abandoned this blog. At least completely. I may have been AWOL for a couple of months, but rest assured I haven't completely forgotten you.

I think Lennon said it best: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

That said, I've always felt that the crispy ambiance of Autumn is a great motivator. While a visible change is certainly in the air, the colored leaves and lowered temps always manage to spark an internal change in me. And this year, that change will be one of a re-commitment to my writing.

Yep, it's time to get serious again.

Our bloggin' buddy, Dave Anaxagoras, has re-committed himself as well, vowing to awake every morning at 6:30am to put in at least one non-interrupted hour of writing. And I'm with him all the way. I have the time in the morning, but I haven't been using it for writing. But now, Dave and I will be battling the page together in spirit. (by the way, gotta get me one of those progress bar thingys.)

Taking on this renewal of writing as a group really is a good way to approach the task. There's peer pressure involved and having a large number of people out there doing the same thing really imbues one with a sense of empowerment. The folks at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) are gearing up for their annual (every November) "pledge drive" of sorts. Meaning you novelists out there are going to pledge to write a complete novel in just one month. And for us aspiring screenscribes, there's the 14-Day Screenplay. Even though their drive is already over (it ran Sept. 30 - Oct. 13), you can still participate on your own two-week schedule, using their tips and advice.

So, whaddya waitin' for? Let's get writing!

Samuel L. Jackson on a Phone

Okay, this is just plain creepy marketing.

Using this marvel of modern telecommunications technology, you can now have Samuel L. call your favorite victim friend and remind them in his ever-so-tender way that Snakes on a Plane is coming soon. Basically, it asks you some questions about the person and then peppers the movie promo with some personalized comments. He even says the person's name. Of course, I can't imagine Sam sitting in a recording booth, plowing his way through every name in the book, so I'm sure it's some kind of speech-to-text thing that does the trick. The best part (um...I think) is that when the call is sent, the number the person sees on their caller ID is yours.

Now, I can see some great uses for this if Mr. Jackson decided to loan out his famously intense verbal stylings to other phone reminder services. I can hear it now:

"Hey, John...Guess what? It's time to go to work. So, get'cho mutha-f**king ass outta that bed before I come over there, goddamnit! We cool?"

Enjoy and spread the word, mutha-f**ker!

A Much Needed Five-Minute Break

Everyone's favorite silky-voiced storyteller, Garrison Keillor, has a new podcast. The Writer's Almanac is a daily, five-minute chat about the highlights of this day in history in the world of writing. And he reads a short poem or two.

A nice soothing escape from the maddening shuffling of index cards.

Lack O' Time...And Sleep

Okay, so I'm sure most of you out there have given up on this blog by now. It's been over two months since I've posted, but I do have a good reason. Really.

My wife and I just had our fourth child.

As you can see, none of us have gotten much sleep lately. But I'm glad to say I'm back and rejuvenated. In the meantime, after doing some work on the previously mentioned script, I've come to the realization that I'm just not ready to tackle that particular storyline. I just feel that my writing just isn't to the level it needs to be to do the story justice. So, onward with a different story - one not included in the list I posted months ago.

My plan is to have a basic treatment done in a few days (by Tuesday) and a full treatment a week after that. I personally find it less stressful to do the treatment first, then the outline. How does that work for the rest of you out there? Does everything come together better for you with an outline first, or a treatment first? Index cards? Or maybe just plain writing the darned thing...

Anyway, it's good to be back.

Writers On a Bus

I decided to give myself a little more time to decide, but I think it's for the best. After some careful consideration and recent changes in my transportation method (more in a bit), I've decided to go with #2 on the list.

I'll be posting more details about the story as I work through it, but for now, let's just say it's reminiscent of Liar Liar.

...Okay, maybe not that reminiscent, but it's in the same ballpark.

As for the transportation changes, after having some car trouble a week ago, and factoring in the skyrocketing price of gas, I've started taking the bus to work.

Now, for those of you in big dense metro areas, the bus is pretty much a fact of everyday existence. Everyone rides it. But here in southeastern Virginia, taking the bus usually means you have no other choice. I really hate to say that there's a bit of a social stereotype associated with using the transit system here, but things are as they are - I'm usually one of the only few white people on the bus. A lot of my friends were somewhat surprised to learn that I've been riding the bus to work - especially surprised when I tell them that the 30-minute commute now takes me two hours. But when I tell them that it's only $1.50 each way, they double-take and say, "Wow, that's cheap!" Yeah, try doing a 40-mile round trip on one gallon of gas. Forget it, Prius Boy!

So far, the only drawback to this change is the added commute time. But as we writers know, two hours is plenty of time to knock out a few scenes. So, the bus is now my morning and afternoon writing office. That's four "writing hours" a day that I don't have when I'm doing the driving.

But I think the best added benefit by far are the variety of people I now encounter everyday. I'm telling you, it could fuel a whole other blog. It's a great chance to people-watch for character ideas.

I'm looking forward to the new adventure - the bus rides and the screenplay, which coincidentally months before had already been assigned the title The Road to Shambala.

Gotta go...it's almost time to catch my office.

Low to the Blogdar

Okay. Enough neglecting this blog. Apologies and all that stuff.

I've been wrestling with a bit of a decision lately regarding various stories that are competing for my time in Final Draft. While I think each one could at least become a first draft, some are probably more marketable than others. But which one to tackle first?

1. A coming-of-age dramedy about a college student who must choose between the comfortable career path and finding his own true voice. Partly auto-biographical, this material is really close to me and would be pretty easy to write. However, if I'm not careful with this one, it could end up in the "emotionally disaffected man finds true love amidst the strangeness of life" category. (see Garden State) Not that that's a bad thing...
2. A self-centered advertising exec learns an eye-opening lesson about compassion and letting go of his materialistic side. I've probably done the most up-front work on this one, but still needs some basic story polishing.
3. A sci-fi thriller about a researcher who finds himself living ahead of everyone else on earth. I think this one has great commercial potential. Only a couple of hurdles...(1) It's based on an existing short story so I'm not sure whether to just go ahead and write it and let the studio handle the rights or secure the rights first, and (2) scenes might be way too long because of the "time difference" between the lead character and everyone else.
4. A noir-style thriller about a man randomly targeted to take the wrap for a murder. He must unravel an intricate web of clues to find the real killer, while eluding the police who are hunting him. This was an early story idea that I've kept around for a number of years. Nothing new as far as concept goes, but could do with a clever character flaw to make things interesting.
   

I'd like to start drafting any one of these, but as well all know, it's difficult to devote quality writing time to more than one.

I'm giving myself until this Friday to decide.