Desk of Amy Suto

TV writer who eats danger for breakfast

5 Twitter Tips for Screenwriters

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It’s easy to discredit Twitter at first glance. I know I did. But screenwriters have actually gotten representation and sold their scripts thanks to their use of Twitter. I’ve gotten the opportunity to do a few guests posts thanks to my Twitter and this blog, and it’s a great place to connect with the writing community.

Here’s five tips to make the most of your tweeting!

  1. Learn the rules of Twitter etiquette. (Or Twitiquette, as I like to call it.) As writers, we’re expected to be good at coining witticisms about our lives in 140 characters or less. In a sense, Twitter is a way for us to hone our word spinning craft. It’s a space for us to tell jokes (I spilled coffee on my screenplay. Guess it’s Java Script now) or interacting with others or even shamelessly promoting your own blog (12 Invaluable Screenwriting Resources on the Web). What you SHOULDN’T do on Twitter: insult others, rehash how delicious your breakfast is, complain about traffic, your kids, your life, your job. Some of the most intelligent people I know tarnish their image by writing inane things like: “My boyfriend is the bestest lol!!” Can you say, “unfollow button lol!!” Hollywood is a small town. Watch what you post. Especially if you’re putting down somebody’s movie/script/short film. [Read more…]

12 Invaluable Screenwriting Resources on the Web

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Have you ever found yourself sitting in a coffeeshop, trying to hammer out your act two but to no avail? Trying to figure out what Prague looks like? Need an obscure but interesting title for your movie? Looking for a true story to base your script off of? This list is for you, my friends.

Coffee = writer fuel

Here are some of the best screenwriting resources on the web that you may not know about:

  1. Scriptshadow. If you haven’t spent a gratuitous amount of hours on this blog, you’re at a serious disadvantage. Carson Reeves offers a slew of practical, oft-overlooked advice as he reviews hot new scripts in Hollywood. Every Friday is “Amateur Friday,” where a new writer’s script is thoughtfully reviewed by Carson and the Scriptshadow community.
  2. Feedback Friday. “Why should I read another screenwriting blog? You shouldn’t. You should be writing” is the slogan of this blog. Every Friday screenwriters send in the first ten pages of their scripts to be read and reviewed by Robert Dillon and other writers. The feedback is insightful and sparks creates an interesting discussion. It’s a great place to judge the quality of your content and what you need to work on.
  3. MapCrunch. Need an interesting location for your scene? MapCrunch teleports you to a random place on planet Earth via Google Streetview. Travel the world without leaving your favorite Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf! [Read more…]

4 Ways to Distance Yourself From Your Story

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One rampant problem common amongst amateur writers is that they cannot take criticism. They are so close to their work, they cannot bear hearing anything but praise for what they’ve written, even if it isn’t the truth.

This tendency isn’t completely their fault. The problem with writing as a career is that everything we write is a reflection of who we are. Every plot decision and story choice and character is borne out of our own personality and life experiences.

The conflict is this:

Writing is an intensely personal pursuit. Filmmaking is all about collaboration.

And in order to be a successful screenwriter, you must distance yourself from your script. It must become something separate from yourself, an entirely separate being. You have to be able to examine it critically and be able to pick which feedback makes sense for your plot. But how do you do this? [Read more…]

5 Lessons Screenwriters Can Learn from The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games is set to have the highest grossing opening weekend of all time for a non-sequel movie. What makes the story work? What can we learn from this smash hit?

  1. Go hard or go home. In the theater, people audibly gasped when a child was slaughtered onscreen. (Especially Rue– the grown man next to me was crying when she got killed.) In an interview, the marketing team said they were careful to make sure the Hunger Games wasn’t branded as ‘that child-killing movie.’ That’s why you never actually see any footage of the games in any of the trailers, even though everyone knew what happened anyways. In the book, Suzanne Collins was ruthless with killing off characters we loved (Rue, and some other major characters later in the series) so that just when we thought we knew what would happen next, she shocked us again. Believe it or not, The Hunger Games was a risky film. But because [Read more…]

Script Breakdown: “Castle” Pilot

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Pilot written by Andrew W. Marlowe

First Rev. Draft February 29, 2008 

Read the Pilot here.

 

Read some of the other season 1 castle scripts here.

…

So today I decided to mix things up and review a TV pilot. I’m not a fan of crime show procedurals, but I love the heart and humor in this show. The best episodes, however, are the darker ones. I’ve seen the two most recent seasons, but not the pilot. Thus why I was excited for this script!

PREMISE: Rick Castle is a murder mystery writer who follows around Kate Beckett, a NYPD police officer, in order to come up with new ideas for his books. Through the seasons, he falls for her, and a ridiculous amount of sexual tension ensues. [Read more…]

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