Write, write, write

Learning the  craft of screenwriting takes time and patience and tremendous discipline. And then when you actually write, when you're in the middle of a script - it's the most exhilarating place to be in the world - so yes, it's all worth it! Are you just starting out? Here's my tip - don't kill yourself - give yourself a chance by starting small.

A beautifully imagined small world

Writing a good script ain't exactly easy and that's why the web is flooded with how-to tips, books, courses, gurus and consultants. When it comes to that I have my own little basic how-to offering right here - don't worry, it's painless and doesn't cost a cent. Learn to be scizophrenic about being a professional writer - be a dreamer on one hand and believe that you will, one fine day, be a successful writer. On the other hand - be a realist and know that the chances of this ever happening are just slightly better than winning the lottery - but that's never stopped a dreamer, right!?

The dreamer in you will want to tackle the Civil War, mankind in the 3rd millenium, Hiler vs Aliens and the sabotage of Cape Canaveral - or some other vast world. If your passion lies with something huge like that - then by all means - write your passion! But the realist in you should understand that you do stand a better chance if you start by creating a small, contained world. Every professional reader will tell you that they can instantly spot it if a writer doesn't know the world he or she is writing about. Researching the Civil War or the inner workings of Cape Canaveral will take months and months - and that can seriously slow your flow (and the joy of it) when you're just starting out.

For your first script, create a world the size of a room, a house or a village. Seriously - think about it. Try and write scenes in your room - try to squeeze the most excitement / drama / thrills / mystery / laughter out of that one room you know so well. Trust me - the fact that you know your room inside out will show on the page. And that's just one thing - of course a small world is easier to research. But a small world also narrows down the creative options and that's greatly helpful, too. Just imagine a room with a thousand doors, a village with a thousand homes and a thousand families. "What if's" galore! Countless options that can block your flow ... Now imagine a room with just one door, or a village with seven houses ... the options narrow. It'll still be a challenge to write a great script - but within a narrow frame such as that, your chances of actually finishing that first script are excellent.

Important to remember, by the way - your first script is about writing, about learning - not about selling or picking up the Oscar. It's about learning the craft, having fun and reaching that wonderous moment when you write "The End".