Screenwriting : Share advice. by Jelica Zdravković

Hey, Jelica Zdravković. The best screenwriting advice I've ever heard is, "Show, don't tell." That means show things in a script instead of telling them. Example: Instead of having a character say, "I played basketball in college," show old college basketball gear around their house.

Make shorts, work, form your tribe of peers and allies.

Plenty folks say they wanna make movies, tv shows but they dont even know how to make a wedding video.

Crawl, walk, run.

'Do not be afraid to write crap - just write' The corollary to this is: Do not submit your work until it's ready. The corollary to the corollary is you are often not the best judge of your own work - especially when you are new.

Hi Jelica Zdravković - it's so nice to meet you! Here are a few Stage 32 blogs that will be helpful for you - all great reads from our members in the trenches ...

https://www.stage32.com/blog/becoming-an-anthropologist-with-your-story-...

https://www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-find-your-voice-as-a-writer-3157

https://www.stage32.com/blog/why-your-first-ten-pages-are-your-most-impo...

https://www.stage32.com/blog/the-questions-up-and-coming-screenwriters-n...

Jelica Zdravković great to meet you on Stage32.

When you say, you know all about the characters’ lives, is this in your head, or have you written it in a notebook? I scribble all my thoughts about characters and plot in a notebook and I take it everywhere I go. Then when I am writing a scene I can refer to my notes.

Also when I am doing research for a story, I use an app called Evernote, which you can use for free. Each story has a folder and then the subfolders will have themes for the story, plot elements etc. I find it really helpful, especially if I haven’t looked at my story/script for a while.

The one live of advice I received in script writing was, ‘ whatever you do in a script, do it consistently and don’t listen to the gurus who will tell you a lot of can’t do this, shouldn’t do thats.

Thank you everyone for the tips, I love to hear different opinions.

Geoff Hall some of the notes are on paper, but honestly most of them are in my head. Thank you for the app suggestion.

You're welcome, Jelica Zdravković.

Hi Jelica, I always remember a piece of advice I received and that is to ‘kill your babies’ which, I appreciate sounds very violent and dramatic! Essentially, the point this person was making was that sometimes we need to remove certain content, even if we are deeply attached to it, for the good of the story overall.

That saying does sound very violent, Kirsty. How about this saying: "Send the kids to their grandparents" or something. :D

Yes Maurice, that sounds better! It always sticks with me what was said (those exact words) and I get that it’s about detaching from an idea rather than condoning literal violence!! I must admit I do get attached to what I think are good ideas in my scripts, or fictional stories, so it is something I often struggle with in my own writing.

In a weird way, I really like that Kristy.

Jelica Zdravković it was “kill your darlings” btw.

I had that problem today, Kirsty. I really wanted to add a cool idea in a micro-budget short script, but the idea would've made the budget skyrocket, so I didn't add the idea.

Thanks for the correction, Geoff.

Jelica Zdravković

The best method is not to try and keep this all in your head. You will forget it and regret it. If you want to make sure you don’t lose those ideas, be committed to the process and buy a stack of notebooks and pens. Put a notebook in your backpack and take it with you, wherever you go. This is all part of the process. And have fun!

Short script(s) (filmed by yourself the better) > Feature script(s) > TV or production job...works everywhere, Serbia included...

The best thing I've heard that really stuck with me is "Don't get it right, get it written." Meaning pump out that first draft and worry about your rewrites later. If you try to make it perfect the first time you're going to be reworking the first 10 pages forever.

I'd suggest writing down every idea as soon as you have it. Then create an index of these ideas so that you can sort them out. That's what I'm doing now on my current project. I have 32 ideas listed in a Word file of about a page and a half in length.

I've consumed so much media in the last few months, I feel I could write my own book about it.

If you can, print the pilot and read through it. Don't be too hard on yourself, don't make any edits, don't think about what you would change. Just read it.

Take a break and get something to eat or go for a walk. Think about what stands out, what you would change. If you stopped reading at some point or got bored, make a note. Now that you've had some time away from the story, what would your characters do different? How would they react to the news they get? Do you still like the flow?

I think the best thing to do is start fresh. You already have a story -- editing what you have is going to overwhelm you. So take your notes and start telling us the story again.

As for recommendations:

Story by Robert McKee is great about teaching you scene structure and the brevity a script needs. The author is fantastic. I think you would get the most out of this book, since it teaches you how to take a developed story and make it manageable for not only the audience, but the people you will be working with.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr has helped me a ton in sentence structure (I write for a living and I reference it every single day). If you're trying to sell, a well-written and easy to read script is important.

If you have some money to spend (or can expense it): MasterClass has some phenomenal classes on screenwriting and directing. BBC Maestro has a few as well.

YouTube channels: Savage Books, Lessons from a Screenplay, Thomas Flight, Cinema Therapy, Just Write, Trope Anatomy

Podcasts: ScriptApart, Sciptnotes, Scripts & Scribes, StoryADay, Writer Files.

I'd recommend reading scripts from your favorite shows and movies. If you Google "Alien movie script pdf" (or whatever) you'll usually find the script in some form.

Sounds like you need to write a show bible. Google "tv show bible" and take a look at some examples. Choose whichever one matches your writing style or that appeals to you and use it as a template.

Hi Jelica - you’re in the right place right now. Stage 32 has world-class education on every aspect of developing and writing for film and television. Here’s a link to a great webinar on writing your TV series Bible, as just one example: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/Write-Your-Professional-Pitch-Bible I’m the Director of Education here at Stage 32 - you can always email me directly at edu@stage32.com if you’d like any other recommendations on our writing eduction. When your material is ready, Stage 32 also has a marketplace for writers and creators on the Script Services side to help bring your work to executives and reps.

Welcome Jelica! Echoing what Sam said- I am the Director of Development Services at Stage 32. My team and I would love to learn more about what you are writing and point you to all the resources we have to offer on Stage 32. Shoot me an email at success@stage32.com and let me know a little more about your scripts and your goals! Always happy to help.