I lifted this from Facebook, one of the hidden gems that can sometimes be found there. Leanne Owens is a self publishing author that has seen some success. More than many will, I suspect. She is the prototype of the writer I would like to see in the Writer’s Wrench. Someone that recognizes we always have more to learn and can find room for improvement no matter our level or experience. Thank you Leanne. Posted by Leanne Owens on Facebook. The chance of becoming a millionaire from writing books isn’t much different from the chance of becoming a millionaire from winning lotto. If your aim is simply to ‘be a…

In the course of normal conversation, the kind you have with the clerk you know at the local convenience store, I was recently asked; “What are you up to?”. I replied that I was working on an action script for a small production company. “I could do that. I’m really good at telling stories.”, he responded. I said, “Hey, you should go for it.”, payed my bill, and left with a smile. That’s encouragement, and I give it for free, every chance I get. I know a shitload of good story tellers, and telling stories is a big part of screenwriting. Unfortunately, telling a good story isn’t the only part…

I have talked before about the idea of a ‘contract of expectations’. This is not a brilliant new idea of my own, but simply a phrase I latched on to, that may reasonably be called something else, and no doubt is. My epiphany of understanding this concept came from a book by Orson Scott Card, one of my favorite writers. The book itself was about writing fiction stories, not screenplays in particular, but the concept really opened my eyes in terms of helping me understand how to construct a satisfying story in the form of a screenplay. A major aspect of that contract of expectations is determining the type of…

As usual, take what sticks, feels right, and helps you become a better writer, and leave the rest… pretend I didn’t even say it. I have seen articles about 4 act stories, 5 acts, hell, 7 acts! What’s the poor viewer to do when talking about the movie with his friends?Todd: “Remember that 6th murder? That was so cool.”Evan: “The one in the third act?”Todd: “After that, before the end… Act 6 I think.” The only true part of that exchange is Todd, when he says “…before the end.”Now granted, most typical movie viewers don’t look at it in terms of acts at all. That’s for the story tellers. Instead,…

Characters have to arc, right? The Protagonist has to be a good guy? Trying to stay within these two simple sounding boundaries can really stifle your creativity can’t it? What if your character isn’t even that damn important to you, and you don’t feel like having him change? You can’t tell a story then? How often do you hear about the ‘degree’ of arc needed being related to the genre?“Oh, he doesn’t need to arc because it’s a comedy”… Hmmm. Could be that relates alright, but not so directly as it might seem. More importantly, in terms of realizing what degree of character development is required, desired, or possible, is…