Sunday, June 03, 2007

More Adventures in Screenwriting

I haven't been working on my script. ScriptFrenzy started on Friday but I've had some other things going on. Among them, I've got a few stories I wanted to get into shape and mail off. That's mostly done, now, with one odd story needing some more work, so I can get back to the screenplay.

Which is a good thing, because my workshop begins in a week. When I signed up it seemed so far away! I've got something basic and will develop that further this week so I can take my pages to distribute to the group. It won't be great, but then I have no idea what I'm doing.

Of the screenwriting books on hand, I've only read one. I started with the thinnest and, as it turned out, the oldest. I picked up Constance Nash and Virginia Oakey's The Screenwriter's Handbook at the Green Valley Book Fair a couple of years ago, but I should have paid attention to the publication date--1974. A lot has changed in 33 years, which makes the chapter on "Typewriter Settings" quaint. There are other chapters that are more timeless ("How to Write a the Screenplay" includes sections on terminology, organization, understanding the Three Act Structure, etc.) so the book isn't totally useless. It just needs a serious updating. I've now begun Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434, published in the '90s, and that seems like it will be good.

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