FLMC 2335 / Screenwriting

Fall ‘18
​Class 4: Thursday​ 9/6/18

MAKING A GOOD WRITER GREAT (Tully Notes)

INTRO:

- “Great scripts don’t just happen by luck. They result from a writer’s knowledge of craft,
unique point of view, and willingness to dig deep into the substance of his or her own
life.”
- Can creativity be taught? What do you guys think?
- “Every script is a new beginning and a new set of problems. You enter the writing
process scared that you might not be able to do it again and knowing that there’ll always
be at least one unwelcome surprise.”
- “You can expand your creative powers through very specific techniques. You can
activate new parts of your brain, think with more flexibility, be more innovative in your
solutions, learn to work with your unconscious to present fresh insights.”

CHAPTER 1 “Building a Strong Foundation for Your Creative Work”:

- “If your passion is great enough, no one can keep you from your work. You need no
special tools—just something to write with, something to write on, something to write
about. You need no special location. Writing can be done anywhere, under all
circumstances.”
- “They work when they’re creatively stale. They wait for inspiration, rather than make
inspiration.”
- Writing is about clearing out as much mental clutter from your mind as
THINK ABOUT (pg. 3):
In spite of the struggle, I’m willing to keep writing because__________?????
I’m afraid to write because___________________________________?????
- “The only reason to write is because you need to and want to.”
- pg. 4 Read letter-to-self out loud. Ask class: Does this sound hokey to you or could it
be helpful?
- “The journey from an idea to a final work is not one act, but a process.” That might
sound obvious, but it’s important to remember. Which is why we are going to go through
the process step-by-step this semester!
- pg. 6 “​Remembering is a creative act.​​” I really like this line! IDEA: Start an ongoing,
lifelong “Memory Journal”!
- pg. 7 *ORGANIZE* File folders, distinct files (“sports,” “childhood,” “funny,” “titles,”
whatever works for you!)
*** There is a difference between being autobiographical and being personal. ​Just
because it happened that way in real life does not justify its inclusion in your script​!
When you are writing from an exclusively autobiographical place, there is the danger of
becoming too sensitive and losing that important level of remove you need to tell a
story that transcends your own uber-specific situation. You should never respond to a
thoughtful criticism of your script or film by saying, “But that’s how it happened!” That
doesn’t matter!
- “Creativity comes from a collision of ideas that might not ordinarily be thought of as
fitting together.”
- pg. 8 Did everyone immediately get the screenwriter joke or have to think about it?
Producer joke?
- pg. 10 I firmly believe that this exercise should start from the inside-out, from ideas
that matter to ​you​; otherwise, this exercise could come off like a lame 48-hour film
contest!
- pg. 11 KNOW YOUR DOMAIN. “Without knowing the domain, ​one is apt to come up
with the same old ideas,​ or with ideas that don’t fit the medium and therefore can’t find a
buyer or an audience.”
- When will it start clicking? Five to ten years or four to five scripts.
- pg. 14 - the chart basically means that there are many elements at play to make you a
better writer, and not one of them is “better” or “more important” than the other—​they all
matter.​
- The O.N.E. Principle = ​Observe​. ​Notice​. ​Experience​.

FORMS OF RESEARCH:
1) Personal experience.
2) Personal immersion.
3) Interviews.
4) Reading (books/articles/etc.).
5) Watching movies.
What else???

- Let it be clear that many people write scripts not because they have personal
experience or “know the domain” but because they ​want to​ know the domain. Use
screenwriting as a tool for personal education and enlightenment! There’s nothing better
than going to Half-Price Books and loading up a big stack of books that you can refer to
as *research*—it softens the blow of spending money that you probably shouldn’t be
spending!
- “They then had to re-shape their research into dramatic form.” Again, just because “it
happened that way” doesn’t mean that’s how it should exactly play out in your script!
- In Rain Man, we discover the writers’ research and learn traits of Autism through
action​, not lectures.

CHAPTER 2 “Finding Out What Fuels Your Most Productive Writing”:

- “The great writers knew how to feed their process. They knew when to let their ideas
sit and simmer and when to prod their process to keep the ideas flowing. They knew
what worked for them and what didn’t. ​They were both more disciplined and more
spontaneous​.”
- Get in touch with when your creative brain is at its most awakened—early morning?
late-late night? “Once you know your best writing time, treasure it, cherish it, guard it,
and don’t let anything interfere with it.”
- “Defining the problem demands clarifying your intention.” Personally, I prefer to work
from a more subconscious place and let the themes emerge throughout the process, at
which point rewriting and refining is when I apply more pointed ideas relating to
intention!
- Incubation is a mysterious, magical thing; it really is one of the most exciting elements
of screenwriting. When you “take a break” from the computer, your Muse continues to
work unconsciously. At some point, the solution you’re looking for will arrive!
- “The creative unconscious does not resolve problems through a linear model, but
through circling around.”
- pg. 26 psychologist quote—read it.
- Waiting. Sitting at the computer becomes too conscious an effort. The strain of forcing
the solution will only push it further away. “While waiting, do anything that is not
writing—swim, drive, garden, weave, play piano, run, or walk. ​When you focus on a
physical or sensory experience, another part of your brain can pursue new associations
and new orderings​.
- Writer Anthony Minghella says that when the Muse is working, the experience of
writing is almost like taking dictation. Has anyone ever gotten into this type of zone??
- pg. 27-31 I personally don’t know if any of these tricks would work for me but it
certainly wouldn’t hurt to give them a shot!
- pg. 32 - “The answer to your script, story, or character problems may be in your
unconscious mind. They may have gone underground. They may seem inaccessible.
When this happens, decide NOT to approach them consciously, but let your
unconscious mind chew on them for a while. ​Do everything except write​.”
- As for the above, if you find that you’ve been in “incubation” mode for several years,
you’re probably not a writer!
- Illumination. “​Catch it when it comes.​”
- pg. 34 Everything writer Sharon Cobb says on this page is great!
- pg. 35 - Ron Bass breakdown
- pg. 37 “Any ritual that encourages your process and keeps it working can be useful,
provided that you don’t become too dependent upon the ritual. For some writers, if any
part of the ritual breaks down, they can’t write.” Excuses schmexcuses!
- Verification. Aka, Feedback. Make sure to get feedback from people you trust, ​who
understand what movie you are trying to make.​ There is nothing more un-helpful than
getting feedback from someone who isn’t tuned into your frequency. And find
friends/readers who are willing to be ​honest​.
- Getting feedback too soon can be risky! “You should defer evaluation until you’re well
into your writing. If you evaluate every word or scene you write as you write it, your
critical mind is in control. You can easily become immobilized. You’ll be so afraid of
making a mistake that you won’t write anything at all.” Does this sound familiar to
anyone? It does to me! Unfortunately, in this class we don’t have the luxury to apply the
above tactic. Though even though our schedule is tight, one thing’s for sure:
procrastinating until the last minute is not the path to glory! You should always give
yourself time to read your draft aloud at least once before presenting it to ​anyone​,
including this class!

CHAPTER 3 “Pushing Your Mind To Another Creative Level”:

- pg. 39/40 Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking. Convergent = logical, linear, equations,
facts. Divergent = flexible, sees the world from multiple viewpoints, malleable. Which
one is “better?” Which one are you “supposed” to use? The divergent answer: both!
- Both Convergent and Divergent thinking can be learned and strengthened through
practice.
- pg. 41 “Divergent thinking emphasizes quantity of ideas to find the most original ones.”
This relates directly to today’s “Idea Pitch Party!” assignment!
- pg. 41/42 Chase scene - Dustin Defa’s ​Person to Person​.
Ways to help kickstart Divergent thinking:
- pg. 43 Free-association. Let your mind ​wander a ​ s swiftly as possible, without
overthinking things. Let your mind take you in unexpected directions.