The Unknown World of Screenwriting

Credit: Google Images

Whether it’s a short story, novel, memoir, or screenplay, each medium has its own specific format and general “rules” to follow when writing.  I have written many short stories, have started a few novels, and have a lifetime worth of journals stored up for a memoir, however have never attempted to write a screenplay.

Yes, I have thought about it, but writing a movie script has only been an idea stuck in my head.  The thought of writing one intrigues me and terrifies me at the same time.  How cool would it be to see my original story on the big screen!, I think to myself.  And yet the thought, But I don’t know anything about writing screenplays, instantly follows.

Recently, however, the appeal of the unknown has outweighed the intimidating reality, and I have decided to attempt writing my very first screenplay.  I began today researching the formatting and “rules” (I quote “rules” because I am a firm believer that rules, especially when it comes to writing, are meant to be broken) of a script, and have found that it is a very technical medium.  Screenplays must look a certain way (even the font is specific!), must be written to show, not tell, and ultimately must be adaptable.  While a novel, short story, etc., features every detail in order for the reader to fully comprehend and engage what the writer intended, it seems that a screenplay is more of an outline; an outline that later may be changed, or even completely rewritten by a director, producer, or another scriptwriter.  This scares me!

So, with that all said, and before I even start writing, I have a request.  I know that WordPress is a network of talented and experienced writers, some of who have been crafting the art of writing for years.  My request to all of you bloggers is to help me start my screenplay.  

Have any of you ever written, or attempted to write one?  What advice can you give me, and anyone else who wishes to jump into the creative outlet of screenwriting?  I would greatly appreciate any help, advice, or comments!

 Thanks in advance and happy writing all!

Link of the Day: Stationary Art

The Huffington Post: 10 Pieces of Stationary That Will Inspire Handwritten Notes

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I’m actually a little obsessed with greeting cards and stationary, so to see these cool hand-made stationary sets just makes me want to buy them all!

Check them out, all you writers out there will love them!

Happy Sunday All!

Link of the Day: Writing a GOOD Love Poem

The Huffington Post: How to Write Love Poems That Don’t Suck

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I posted this link so you could prepare a cute poem for your special lovebird for tomorrow’s St. Valentines Day!

Good luck and happy writing!

Link of the Day: 30 Covers in 30 Days: The Best

Flavorwire:  The Best of the 30 Covers in 30 Days Project

Saying Goodbye to NaNoWriMo 2011

It is officially December 1st, which means that National Novel Writing Month 2011 is over.  It’s both quite sad and refreshing at the same time to know that we have an entire year to wait until next NaNo.

This year was my first year participating in it and I must tell you how much I truly enjoyed it.

At first, I felt like the goal would be impossible.  I mean, come on, 50,000 words in a month, that’s insane!  But once NaNo officially started, I dove right into writing and felt that it would be a lot easier than I thought.

That feeling of “easy” faded quickly too as some days I just did not feel like writing.  I did go days without writing, mostly on the weekends, and sometimes I felt like I was terribly behind.  And only once did I ever feel like giving up and scraping everything I had just written.  But luckily, that misery passed and I shook that thought out of my head and continued on.

On November 28, with two days left to spare, I reached the 50K word goal.  I don’t think I have ever felt so exhilarated in all of my life!  The feeling of completing what I thought in the beginning was an impossible mission, left me with the thought that I could complete anything!  

I think that the feeling you get when you realize how many words you actually wrote in a month (whether you reached the 50K or not), is the true meaning of NaNo; it’s all about that end sensation and realization that you actually completed something you worked so hard for.

However, I don’t think I could have ever gotten to the end with out my fabulous Facebook NaNo Support Group!  I did not find much help through the NaNo forums on the NaNo website, nor through the “writing buddy” option.  Instead, it was a small Facebook group of 159 NaNo-ers where I found the bulk of my motivation and inspiration.  And it’s the fact that we’re now creating a Critique/Editing group which is still helping me to write and complete my novel.

So for the first year of my NaNo experience, I must say that it was quite rewarding and worth it.  I will definitely be donating and I suggest that all of you who participated should donate as well.  Even $10 can help!

According to the NaNo website there was a collective NaNo 2011 word count of:

Not bad, NaNo-ers, not bad at all.

So let’s welcome December, and say goodbye to Novemeber and National Novel Writing Month.  

And let’s promise each other that we will continue to write even now that NaNo has come and went.

Happy December, All!

Quote of the Day: Jules Renard

“Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.” ~ Jules Renard. 

Happy Birthday Mr. Twain

Born in 1835, in Florida, Missouri, Samuel Clemens, widely known by his pen name, Mark Twain, is still one of the most adored and popular writers of all time.

Personally, I loved Mark Twain growing up, and while I haven’t read his books in a while, his stories are still some of my favorites.

So, let’s pay some homage to Mr. Mark Twain on what would have been his 176th birthday.

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Some of His Most Known Works:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

 

The Prince and the Pauper

Life on the Mississippi

The Innocents Abroad

Twain’s work is impossible to keep track of because of the different kinds of writings he did – novels, travelogues, journalism articles, speeches…etc – and because of the different pen names that he wrote under.  As early as 1995, researchers were still discovering some of his work.

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My Personal Favorite Mark Twain Quotes:

“A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.“

“Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.“

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.“

“Do something every day that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.“

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.“

“Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.“

“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.“

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.“

The list could really go on and on.

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In 1909, Twain was quoted saying:

“I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.’”

And he got his wish.  In 1910, on April 21, one day after Halley’s Comet’s ‘closest approach to Earth’, Twain died of a heart attack at the age of 74

So, let’s honor this amazing man and writer with a little Happy Birthday:

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Mark Twain,

Happy Birthday to you.

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*Note: Check out the links above for more info and to see my sources.  The picture was taken from Wikipedia.*

Teaser Tuesday: The Last NaNoWriMo Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays by: Should Be Reading

Flip to a random page anywhere in your current read and copy down two (2) “teaser” sentences.  Share the title and author and then post your teasers in the comment section of this week’s Teaser Tuesdays at Should Be Reading!

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This will be the last NaNo teaser from me!

I have officially finished NaNo, though I am still writing to get my story done, and I will be happy to dive back into reading real books!

But for today’s Teaser Tuesday, I am going to give you another, and the last, teaser from my NaNoWriMo novel.  Make sure you tell me what you think!

Title:

Sonrisa

Author:

Me, Kalie Lyn

Teaser:

Only the sound of one gunshot in the night forced their hands apart, the loud boom causing all three teenagers to jump up in shock.  After the fear had passed, after all three had settled back into the comfort of the couch, did Karim and Lola lock hands again, this time their fingers knowing where to connect with one another’s.

FIN

Ahem.  I’m am pleased to announce that you are looking at another National Novel Writing Month winner!

*pops open a bottle of champagne*

I have officially completed the 50,000 word goal, and it only took me 28 days!

While I am excited beyond no end, especially since it was my first year competing and I won (YAY!), I am still not done with my novel.  Correction: I am way, WAY NOT done with my novel.

Let’s see.  I have exactly 50,000 words and have just started chapter 6.  There are to be 12 chapters, so…I have…6 more chapters to go and probably another 50K words to write.  There is still a long writing road ahead of me to finish this damn thing!

But that’s OK.  That’s OK because I chose a story that is interesting to me and one that I want to keep on writing.  I will not give up, and definitely not let myself lose motivation.  Just because NaNo is over, does not mean my inspiration and writing schedule is over.  No, no, no.  I can do this, and I will finish it!

However, for the rest of the night (it’s 9pm here in Spain) I shall be celebrating!

CHYEAH BOI!

Eating Your Creativity

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow and there will be feasts of yummy food to share, I thought I would share this article I found on Huff Post Books.

Writer Wednesday: 9 Types of Brain Food for Writers

We all know that some food is good for us, and others are bad.  But did you know that some can even help support brain function and make us more creative, helping us to write better?!  No joke.  And here are some of those foods.

~ Antioxidants:  Fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants help your creative juices to flow.  Blueberries are supposedly the most powerful.  Mmmm…Don’t those berries below look good enough to eat?!

~ Green Tea:  Many writers either require a steaming cup of coffee or a hot mug of tea next to them as they type away.  Me, I’m a tea girl.  And whoever else is also, you will be happy to know that tea helps the brain and mind age better.  Not to mention that “moderate amounts of caffeine are said to boost concentration”.  So drink up!

~ Glucose:  When you ingest sugar, your body turns that sugar into glucose.  Glucose helps the brain concentrate and increases alertness.  So go ahead, divulge a little – but not too much!

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These are just some of the foods that help us writers with our brain activity.  To view the full list and to see how each helps you as a writer, visit the article’s link above.

So, Happy Thanksgiving all, and I provided you with this list so that even though you feast out tomorrow, you can still know that what you are eating (if you include these in your Thanksgiving meal), you are still exercising your brain for the day after Thanksgiving.  The day I know you all writers will be back to writing!

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*Note:  Click on the links above to read the full article and to check my source.  The pictures were taken from Google Images.  I, however, summarized the article in my own words (anything I took directly from the article is in quotation marks) and the opinions, thoughts, phrases, and words in this post are my own: © Kalie Lyn, 2011.*