Screenwriting is a Magical Art Form!

Screenwriting is a magical undertaking. To be able to transform mere words into the exciting films we enjoy everyday is indeed both an art, and a science.

One of the great things about writing for the screen today is the huge array of tools, both free and commercial, which assist in this mysterious art form. In order to do its job properly, a screenplay (or script) must conform to certain standards as far as how it's formatted - margins, typefaces, indenting, etc. These formatting requirements are far from arbitrary, indeed they create a script that gives lots of critical information to the filmmakers who will bring your screenplay to the silver screen. In the end, the filmmakers will actually "interpret" your script while bringing it to life, but certain features of any script must be just so in order for this process to go as well as possible.

Because writing for the screen is such a creative process, MANY methods can be employed in order to keep this process moving forward. If you've ever heard of "writer's block," a stopping or slowing of rich ideas a writer can experience while attempting to do his or her magical work, you know that this process isn't always the joy it should be. Writer's block can be very frustrating, if not all out agonizing to the writer, so avoiding it with well thought out strategies is always a good idea.

One of the techniques I like to use is outlining. I know this may be just too obvious in the world of writing, but I've found this "learned in elementary school" technique to be VERY effective at keeping me focused on the task at hand - getting words onto the darn page. What I've found is that once the words and sentences are finally there, it's MUCH easier to read through them and make any needed corrections. I simply find it very easy to edit my own work, and come up with something much better in the long run.

Another technique I've heard of, but never employed is using an audio recorder of some kind. You simply speak into the recorder as if you were dictating to a typing service, and then simply do the typing (or hire someone) afterwards. In todays's digital world, it must be quite simple to come up with many options on an affordable digital recorder. I'm fairly sure many MP3 players/IPOD's have the capability. I like to use my PC, as it's a Digital Audio Workstation for me anyhow, but whatever "floats your boat" as they say.

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Valuable Resources and Links
Here are some web sites we highly recommend

Write Better Fiction
To write fiction for the silver screen or for publication as a novel - no matter the format or genre - you need to study the craft of writing fiction. Write-Better-Fiction.com is a great site that reveals many of the secrets of writing effective fiction that sells.
http://www.write-better-fiction.com/index.html

Screenwriting to Movie Production
The simple Purpose for this website is to help aspiring screenwriters - to educate anyone interested in entering the screenwriting world. By hopefully defining what screenwriting and independent filmmaking are, I'm hoping to help dreamers like myself, so they can save time, energy and in the long run possibly a lot of money.
http://www.screenwriting-production-distribution-consultant.com

Screenwriter Tools
The quick -n- easy guide to finding screenwriting software, books and supplies on the net!
http://www.screenwritertools.com

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