Happy Friday!
I’m excited to be one of the judges for the Film Schenectady script competition. The second place finalist will receive an hour’s coaching with yours truly. The submissions were very good. I must offer kudos to the tireless Donna Pennell who has spearheaded the event.
The winners are announced tomorrow and I’ll report next week.
Meanwhile, it’s been an interesting week. I worked on a novel, a short film and several screenplays, as well as a few episodes for our animated series.
The question that came up in each story was: Whose story is it?
Here are some answers:
The character that has the most to lose is always the first choice. If there’s another character that you prefer, change their backstory so that they become the hero.
Use their story as the “spine” and hang any subplots off of that.
In an ensemble piece, use one character’s story as the spine.
Always remember the Golden Rule: one character, one problem and he or she must solve it.
I’m excited to announce a new service we’re providing that will help you learn or brush up on your Final Draft skills. There’s always a good reason to practice your craft. As an introductory special, we are offering a 10% discount so the cost to you would be $112.50.
Here’s to your successful writing!
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
