“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 16

November 1, 2011

Pretty stable day today. Another six pages down, pretty lively stuff. This idea of David Milch’s is great. I’ve always, up till now, spent ages and ages visualising the scene, running it through in my head to get the pictures right, then, when it was  rock solid, getting it down on the page and adding [...]

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Real Opportunities for Screenwriters – Genuinely Exciting. Please Read.

November 1, 2011

In a month when the Channel 4 Screenwriting Competition has been absolutely swamped by hopeful writers (500+ scripts were entered yesterday ALONE for only 12 winning places!) it becomes all the more clear that the competition as a writer is murderous, and everyone needs all the opportunities they can find. That’s why I’m very excited to tell you how [...]

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“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 15

October 31, 2011

Real life will keep on getting in the way. And I say ‘real’ that advisedly. So far today for example I’ve spent exactly 12 hours on my own with a computer. You have to do that if you’re writing. But add it up over the years, and, my god, that’s a long time to spend [...]

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“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 11

October 27, 2011

Pretty good day. I sat down, wrote solidly, and I’m now at 21 pages, well into Act 2. That’s not actually quite as good as it sounds, because a lot of it is pretty slack stuff, and I’m going to have to cut it right back when I come round to polish this draft before [...]

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“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 10

October 26, 2011

OK. Progress. I’ve completed 12 pages of the script (out of a target 46-48), and I’m pretty happy with these 12 pages, (though I’m running a bit long) but I’m stuck on the sequence at the end of Act 1, so I’ve come over to write an update. Then I shall have a bath. Assuming [...]

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“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 8

October 24, 2011

This is getting alarming. Day 8 already, and I’m behind. Well behind. First of all I couldn’t write over the weekend, thus breaking one of the main rules – (‘Write, even for half an hour, every day.’) I had house guests, and family commitments, and it was impossible to get the time. That means that [...]

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“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 5

October 21, 2011

No real creating today. (Except maybe at the subconscious level.) Just another day of transcribing the original interviews.  Starting to get alarmed now at the mass of brilliant material there is still to be listened to, and exactly how long it will take me to transcribe it all. I don’t want to duck the job, as [...]

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My All Time Top Ten Tips For Writing A Screenplay. Probably.

October 21, 2011

The one question I’ve been asked most frequently in the last few weeks is this: ‘Dear Phil, I have an absolutely brilliant idea for a screenplay, but I just don’t know how to take that idea and get it into 110 pages of well written script. Please tell me everything I need to do.’ If that’s your situation, then [...]

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“How to Write a Script in Three Weeks” Day 4

October 20, 2011

A more or less non-writing day today. I spent all my time listening to the old interview tapes and getting back into the world of the characters. It’s amazing what depth this sort of immersion brings to your vision. At the same time you’ve got to be SO careful that you don’t include something just [...]

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10% Discount on the London Screenwriters Festival

October 20, 2011

I’ve been to this event for the past few years, on and off, and it’s really quite something. (I think it’s now the biggest screenwriting event in Europe.) We’re going to be bringing you some audio interviews from the festival after it’s done, but it’s not the same as going, so I spoke to Chris [...]

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