Happy Friday!
This has been a busy week and the weather has been beautiful. My rewrite is almost done and I rewarded myself by going to dance the tango at Pier 45 on Christopher Street on Wednesday night. As you can see from the photograph, it’s a magical spot.
It’s important for a writer to have a physical activity that is performed regularly, even if it’s a short walk to the store to buy treats.
I’ve taken to working in what I think of as a writing sprint: I set a timer for fifteen minutes and see how much I can do. It’s usually about a page, and I can have a sense of completion, something I rarely feel otherwise. Try it, and let me know how it works for you.
The big takeaway from Tuesday’s second class in The Writing The Screenplay in 8 Weeks series was: Creating scenes in a particular order can be highly effective, fun, and require minimal rewriting.
Here’s how to create a scene in six steps using the Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting.
1. Decide on your location.
2. Decide on which characters are on it and who’s scene it is.
3. Decide on the action on the scene.
4. Ask the 4MQS of each character and use the answers to structure the scene.
5. Do a draft understanding that MQS #1 is the set-up, MQS #2 is the complication that creates momentum, MQS #3 is the bulk of the scene (who or what would the main character “die” for) and MQS #4 wraps up the scene.
6. Put it away for a little while, then read it aloud and revise.
If you’re not familiar with the book, you can find it here.
And I’m thrilled to share JOS Episode #93. Get a free subscription on our website and get four laughs every Friday in your mailbox. You can’t lose!. Subscribe for free!
Here’s to your successful writing,
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
