I’m working on the third draft of my screenplay In Her Dreams, and while I write, the word I’m keeping in mind is blend.

Each scene in your screenplay has to stand on its own two feet, but they also need to blend to create one coherant, unified storyline. This sounds intimidating, but by keeping in mind the word blend while you’re writing, it alleviates complication.

In our lives, we take part in two storylines that blend into one. We are in an Outside/Action story, and an Inside/Emotional story, and one always impacts the other; both, no matter how much they conflict with each other, are always intertwined.

In knowing our characters as well as we know ourselves, when we create our screenplay’s Outside/Action story, we’ll be able to fluently blend our characters’ internal challenges and struggles into the story. While we try to avoid conflict in our personal lives, the more conflict our characters experience in our screenplay, the better (especially when two characters are experiencing the same Outside/Action story—because of their differing personal history, it’s a great way to build tension and create realistic conflict).

It is how we blend our character’s internal reactions with the external challenges they face that showcases their growth. This is my favorite part of the process, because it’s the way we humanize our characters so that our viewers will be able to connect and grow along with them. There’s that one movie we all have where no matter how many times we watch it, we finish watching it with an even better feeling than before. Use that movie as your guide, so the screenplay you’re writing will give your future viewers the same feeling of satisfaction.

As you continue throughout the writing process and keep this one word in mind, you’ll find the process will become more fluent. Plot, structure, conflict, characterization… blend.

Krissy Brady

Junior Procrastinator/Internet Ninja

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When it comes to living a creative life, we’re in the director’s chair—so why don’t we act like it?

While most of the time it’s frustrating, I sometimes find it comical that we end up procrastinating on the things we want to accomplish the most, such as completing and marketing a screenplay. Yet, we manage to push ourselves through the things we dread—work obligations, household chores, and the expectations of others. We put off the things that will fulfill us, so much so we become drained and let every opportunity for our creative projects pass us by.

Here is where our productive procrastination skills will be put to the test. If you want to amp up your creativity this year:

1. Instead of facebook stalking while your laundry dries…
…read a book that will help you learn more about the craft of screenwriting, such as Essentials of Screenwriting by Richard Walter.

2. Instead of watching a mindless reality show to unwind…
…choose a movie that is similar in genre to the screenplay you want to write, and wind up! Keep a notebook nearby in case you think of new ideas for your own movie while you’re watching.

3. Instead of leafing through a catalogue of products you’ll never use/can’t afford…
…leaf through the screenplays of your favourite movies so you can become more fluent with structuring your own.

4. Instead of checking your e-mail every 15 seconds and replying to text messages the moment you receive them…
…turn your e-mail notifications off. Turn both your cell phone and home phone ringers off. Turn the television off. Turn the radio off. Kick everybody out. Practice the art of quiet so that the constant chatter going through your mind can subside, and you can reconnect with your creativity.

5. Instead of going to the same damn bar on the same damn night every week…
…stay home (gasp!), create a relaxed setting, and write! If you want to write a screenplay, then write a screenplay (I know, right?). You’ll have to find the time somewhere, and the easiest way to find the time is by chipping away at your social calendar and prioritizing. Setting yourself apart from the rest will be hard, but only at first. Eventually, you’ll feel so liberated, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

Look over your daily tasks: which ones must be done? Which ones can be put off until the next day? Which ones have no expiry date?

If you procrastinate on the right things, this time next year you and I (and that sister of mine) will be marketing our kick-ass screenplays!

Krissy Brady

Junior Procrastinator/Internet Ninja

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This time last year, I began fleshing out the idea for my first screenplay, a dramedy called In Her Dreams. With all that I had going on at the time, I wondered how I would ever complete the first draft. My mind had become the equivalent to mashed potatoes—even the simple act of writing a to-do list was exhausting, never mind a full-fledged, 120-page screenplay.

Then, I learned of Script Frenzy: an annual writing challenge held every April, where participants are to write a 100-page script in 30 days. There is no fee to enter—Script Frenzy runs strictly on donations—and you can write anytime, anywhere.

Participating in a writing challenge such as this one is a great way to get past the general panic that comes from staring at a blank page. In my experience, I end up overwhelmed with so many ideas simultaneously, that I ultimately end up writing none of them down. It’s hard to know where to begin with most writing projects, but when it comes to screenplays, you begin with the same two words every time: FADE IN. It eases the anxiety, and you feel more compelled to continue.

Another benefit of participating: it gives you a concrete goal to shoot for, as opposed to the general “I want to write a screenplay” goal that we say, but take a long time to follow through on.

100 pages in 30 days sounds intimidating as a whole, but when you break it down, it’s only 3.33 pages per day! Writing 3.33 pages per day successfully for an entire month will not only get you into the habit of writing daily, once you successfully complete the challenge you will a) have a completed screenplay draft, ready for revisions, and b) complete confidence that no matter what else is going on in your life, you can write every day. This is the biggest triumph of all, and by the end of the challenge, you will feel revived, energized, and ready for another 30 days of writing.

So, are you in? Click below to start setting up your account!

Krissy Brady

Junior Procrastinator/Internet Ninja

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From concept to blockbuster, there are so many steps on the path to becoming a successful screenwriter—while we are all in the same place at the beginning, ideas in hand, we will all succeed in a completely different way, which makes for a rich and exciting ride!

Where to start? First, we should add some tools to our screenwriting arsenal:

1. The Essentials of Screenwriting by Richard Walter
A very insightful and thorough book about the art, craft, and business of film and television writing. This was the first addition to my toolkit after reading a great review about it in the February 2011 issue of The Writer.
Learn More About The Essentials of Screenwriting

2. The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier
Recommended by Rebekah, I don’t know how I EVER lived without this book! I hadn’t even read 10 pages of it and I had already planned about 50 changes I wanted to make to my screenplay. I am very excited to work on draft three with this trusty tool!
Learn More About The Screenwriter’s Bible

3. Wordplayer.com
If you were to only follow one website for screenwriters, it should be this one. Created by veteran (and Academy Award nominated) screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, it is a treasure trove: essays on the industry, advice from the pros, a forum where you can ask your writing questions, and more!
Check Out Wordplayer.com

4. Joke and Biago
Husband and wife team Joke and Biago (Joke’s the wife, Biagio’s the hubby) run a fantastic and inspiring blog for those who want to break into Hollywood—this blog is one of my favourite places to visit.
Check Out JokeandBiago.com

5. Final Draft Software
I’m only in the infant stages of using this software, but I am loving the features so far! Final Draft gives you the ability to organize and format your screenplay effortlessly, so all you have to focus on is the writing. (And hey, if greats like Tom Hanks, Oliver Stone, and J.J. Abrams uses it, that’s good enough for me!)
Learn More About Final Draft

Let’s do this thing writer friends! Keep me posted on how your scripts are coming along—you know, after you’ve done everything you possibly can to put them off.

Krissy Brady

Junior Procrastinator/Internet Ninja

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I had a brief moment of insanity last April, and decided to take part in Script Frenzy, an annual writing competition where aspiring and experienced screenwriters alike take on the challenge of writing a 100-page script in 30 days—eeek!

Someway, somehow, I actually hit the 100-page mark with exactly 10 minutes to spare. In June, I began working on the revision process, and am now starting the third draft of my very first screenplay.

I still have a lot to learn about the art of screenwriting, and one of my classic productive procrastination habits is studying a craft more than I practice it, but this is a habit I need to break in order to establish my screenwriting career.

I look forward to sharing my challenges and triumphs as I take the plunge to complete my first screenplay and begin my hunt for an agent. Anything and everything I can share about the process to help you refine your own writing process, I will provide in the coming months.

Krissy Brady

Junior Procrastinator/Internet Ninja

Twitter - Facebook