A Few Bits of Advice...

[Neurotic Writer]

... that I received long ago from a professor of mine:

1. Let your characters write the screenplay AT FIRST. Don't worry about structure to begin with.
2. Add 20 IQ points to your major characters as an experiment so that you're not "looking down" on them. See what happens.
3. Physicalize your characters. Think in terms of characters in verbs rather than adjectives. Don't think in abstract terms. Be specific.


I've generally tried to incorporate #2 and #3 as much as possible into my writing. My inherent "control freak" nature prevents me from totally digging into #1... My outlines are ridiculously detailed and ridiculously long and ridiculously "structure driven" and oft times I find character serving story rather than creating story and any characterizations that don't serve the story being tossed in the wastebasket or the fireplace depending on my frame of mind. (though my "character sketches" are also obnoxiously long and detailed and always come before the outline so maybe I am doing #1 after all and just don't know it)

Any thoughts on this advice? Different approaches? Anyone take 20 IQ points AWAY from their characters?

NW (LW, TRob, etc)

[wannabe]

NW

I'm the opposite - my outlines are ludicrously short if they exist at all. My character sketches generally consist of a few scribbled points that usually get lost amongst the papers on my desk. I love to let the characters take control, love to see where they go, which sometimes results in interesting directions, sometimes in wild goose chases that end up being deleted by the page.

But the one thing I am quite obsessive about is structure. If I reach my first plot pont by page 35, for example, I stress and worry and fret about it and work on it until I can get it to page 30. I know this is ridiculous and that in the end, story is the most important element...but I still battle with the structure thing and I blame it on all the damn books out there that hammer it home.

I'm working on it though and maybe in a few screenplays time I'll be able to say screw it and just let the story happen.

[jacinthee]

NW, I like those bits of advice.

For outlines, I'm a bit like wannabe. I do a lot of prep work in my head (especially after midnight, for some annoying reason) and when I write stuff down, it's likely to end up in a pile. I come from a very "impressionistic school of fiction", which I like at the beginning of a project, but which can become messy later on. I write mostly character-driven pieces and my first goal is to feel them and feel for them. My weaknesses lie in the action.

Lately, I've been exploring outlining, structure and plots more. I'm juggling both intuition and straightforward plannification, and I hope to get the best out of it. So far so good.

Jacinthe

[gdover]

I belong to your fan club wannabe...After writing six screenplays and having done it both ways...extensive outlines versus free flow...I like the free flow method for my style of writing...I mainly do action or action dramas...works best for me. Don't get me wrong I do an outline...but only a very basic outline...usually one or two keywords so I can get a feel for the direction I'm heading.

Regarding characterization...one of the biggest flaws in my writing has been not able to create the empathy for the protagonist that I wanted...I was not getting the jumpstart I needed during the setup...After working on that phase of my writing for the past six months...I think I finally have found a way for the reader to feel for the poor slob during ACT ONE and ACT TWO and stand up and cheer during the resolution.

Gary Dover