The Mechanics of Writing a script Part Two
Hi! Welcome to our weekly Fred & Dan newsletter: Why Aren’t You Famous Yet? This week you’ll be hearing from our brilliant Dan about how we like to go about writing scripts like The Fox and The Moon, enjoy! Make sure to check out the footnotes at the bottom for the screenwriting terms Jan uses throughout.
Welcome to Part Two of the Mechanics of Writing! Last week Gio talked beautifully about the process of preparing a script to be written, as well as delving into the philosophy of art in general. If you haven’t read the blog yet, please go check it out - it is truly a treat! I will do my best to follow it up here.
Now that you’ve found the gap in the market and decided how your story fits in there, created a mood board and found your comps, and drafted an outline for your script (or maybe not! Maybe your mood board was enough to jump right in!), it’s time to get to writing. Again, I will be using our script The Fox and the Moon as an example.
These blog posts have been a bit more abstract about the process of writing, if you want us to get into the nitty gritty of things, like formatting or how to write an outline please let us know! We are more than happy to geek out about all things scripts with you.
My first piece of advice: Don’t let the blank page scare you! I was shown how to write a screenplay and given my first screenwriting software when I was 16. That's 12 years now that I’ve been writing scripts and I still find opening a new document to be intimidating. Even though I’ve written dozens of scripts, the majority of which have never seen the light of day, every time I sit down to write something new I stare at that blank page and I think to myself: I’ve done this before? That’s impossible. I don’t think I know a single word in the English language nor have I ever had one idea.
Moments like this are when I feel so incredibly lucky to write with a partner like Gio. Gio had the original idea for Fox and the Moon with a written voiceover explaining our witchy world and Ix Chel’s spell. With these as a starting point it was much easier to get over my hypercritical paralysis and lo and behold words came out on to the page.
This is when I write what I like to call the vomit draft. The vomit draft, although quite a graphic description, is exactly what it sounds like. I vomit all of the ideas onto the page. If you’re at this stage you probably have a general idea of your characters, plot, and maybe even specific scenes in mind you want to write (and if not or you don’t feel confident, go back to your outline or mood board and break it down even more). This is the time to get it all down! Whether you write out of order or chronologically following an outline, just put it all down on the page.
At this point it’s not about page count or how much you write at one time! Whether you set a content goal or set aside 30 minutes just stare at the blank page and see if anything comes out, now is the time to find a writing routine that works for you.
There is an age-old adage that “writing is rewriting.” This is completely true. Whether you're writing a script, a novel, a song, etc. the first go is going to be very different from what you ultimately end up with. My first drafts tend to have way more exposition than what I would like. That’s because as I write the script and spend more time with the characters, I learn more about them. Their wants and needs may change as I decide how they would react to the plot. Their dialogue will evolve as I hone into their characteristics and specific tone. When you know more about your characters, you can craft their dialogue in a more natural way. You will be able to craft dialogue that is rich with subtext and write concise and revealing action lines. But to get to that point, you need your vomit draft.
A lot of the time, Gio and I will craft scenes between characters that will reveal to us how they interact with one another even if the scenes never make it into the script. For the past few weeks we’ve been writing scenes between our two main characters Ix Chel and Fox to develop their rapport and mine deeper into their relationship. While thinking on how to streamline the script we will go through these scenes to determine the aspects of the relationship that we want to reveal. We can then instill that in a few lines to keep the character development and plot moving along.
Now that you have your vomit draft (p.s. You don’t need to call it a vomit draft if you don’t like the word vomit. It happens to be one of my favorite words but I guess if you want, you could call it a first draft), the editing begins! This is another point in time in which I am so happy to have a writing partner. During the writing process Gio and I will switch scenes back and forth and do early edits, but for the most part we save the majority of it after we have our first draft!
One of the best ways to begin an editing process is to read the script out loud. Usually we do a first pass reading things out loud just the two of us. If a scene isn’t working we’ll talk it over, each taking on one of the characters and talking out loud like them until we get to a place that feels more natural.
Next, we’ll do a table read of the script. A table read is a screenwriter’s best friend! I cannot emphasize enough how much hearing the script read out loud will impact the next drafts of your script. Gather friends, family, or creative partners who you TRUST, sit down and hear the words come from someone else. This will allow you to hear how others are interpreting the script and will also show you where in the script the plot is stalled, jokes aren’t working, or you need to cut out scenes.
I emphasize the word trust because ultimately you’re sharing your art and that can be a very vulnerable position to be in. Make sure you have people in your creative circle who want to see your art succeed - people who want to lift you up by being honest to you about your work and present their constructive criticisms from a place of respect and love. This might be a silly thing to harp on, but as a writer or artist of any kind, especially if you are just starting out, early critiques are going to impact how you approach your work and how you receive notes in the future.
I don’t want to write about getting to your final draft because I believe screenplays are constantly evolving and changing. It takes a very long time for a movie or TV show to get made, especially if you write on spec. There might be times where you feel completely satisfied with a script and you’ll step away and move on to something else, and then months or years later you'll take another look and realize ways to make it better because you’ve grown as a writer!
I believe you can get to a happy draft, a draft of the script that you’re happy with. Now you can hold it in your hands and smile to yourself and think “wow! I’m a writer!”
Know that every step of the way you’re going through this, I’m right there with you and I’m proud of you!!
I’d also like to include a list of my favorite screenwriting books:
Save the Cat! By Blake Snyder
SCREENPLAY by Syd Field
Now Write! Screenwriting edited by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson
Writing Subtext: What Lies Beneath by Linda Seger
Sick In The Head by Judd Apatow
On Writing by Stephen King
1 Exposition - Exposition can be dialogue, narration, or even visual information the audience receives that helps them better understand what is going on in the story. Too much exposition, especially in dialogue, can bog down a script and slow down the pace.
2 Writing “on spec” is a term used when a screenwriter is writing an original script without financing or without being on assignment.