The document provides advice on writing a book or script by focusing on the writing process itself rather than outcomes or expectations. It emphasizes sitting down and writing regardless of approach, as that is the only way to make progress. It also stresses that writing a book can feel overwhelming, so to start with a single page, scene, or chapter instead of worrying about the entire work. The key is to glue one's butt to the chair and write.
The document provides advice on writing a book or script by focusing on the writing process itself rather than outcomes or expectations. It emphasizes sitting down and writing regardless of approach, as that is the only way to make progress. It also stresses that writing a book can feel overwhelming, so to start with a single page, scene, or chapter instead of worrying about the entire work. The key is to glue one's butt to the chair and write.
The document provides advice on writing a book or script by focusing on the writing process itself rather than outcomes or expectations. It emphasizes sitting down and writing regardless of approach, as that is the only way to make progress. It also stresses that writing a book can feel overwhelming, so to start with a single page, scene, or chapter instead of worrying about the entire work. The key is to glue one's butt to the chair and write.
The document provides advice on writing a book or script by focusing on the writing process itself rather than outcomes or expectations. It emphasizes sitting down and writing regardless of approach, as that is the only way to make progress. It also stresses that writing a book can feel overwhelming, so to start with a single page, scene, or chapter instead of worrying about the entire work. The key is to glue one's butt to the chair and write.
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Buttglue.
Don't plan to write a book. Don't think about what you will be doing when you are writing a book. Don't think about how awesome it will be to have written a book. Glue your butt to the chair and write.
There are as many ways to write as there are writers, but they all have one thing in common: Write. Butt, chair, write.
Write a scene that compels you. Write an outline and work from that. Write from beginning to end. Jump around, writing it as it comes to you. All of those approaches are acceptable, as long as you write.
It's intimidating to start a book. That's okay. Sit down and write anyway. Don't write a book, if that feels too overwhelming. Write a page. Write a scene. Write a chapter. Just write.
Buttglue. Butt, chair, write.
Though I have written a couple of scripts which are yet to be validated by the producers to go into production phase, I want to share my own experience with you.
1: Difference between story and script.
Do you want to write a story or a script? Be clear about it because both are different and both are difficult for the novices. Let us see what are the main differences between these two.
Story: Requires genre, story line, characterization, premise, a starting, a middle, and an apt ending. The main objective of a story is to TELL about how the characters feel while things are happening to them, and how the characters are reacting and overcoming them. Hence, story writing mostly involves psychological perception of characters towards a certain situation.
Script: the other name of script is screenplay, which literally means what are you going to play on the screen? A story is to TELL and a screenplay is to SHOW. Without a story, you can't write a script. And without a script, you can't shoot or even explain a scene in a simple manner to actors or other crew members on the sets. So, without a good screenplay, a director will fail to direct the team in successful direction.
So both story and screenplay are different. And in film making both are important. In Hollywood, most of the script writers are not story writers, but in bollywood it is not so. Now that we know this difference, let's move to step 2.
2: Goal and method of script writing.
Film makers goal: To give a product of 120 minutes of audio/video to audience. How good is that product depends almost on all the factors right from story to final mixing.
Script writers goal: To mould the story in the hand into a proper document. This document will serve as a blueprint for the entire production and post production of the movie. How is this done?
A) Divide the story into scenes. (Note: A scene is a part of a story which happens at one location at one time. Generally a commercial movie has around 60 to 70 scenes.)
B) Divide the scenes into sub scenes. (A scene may sometimes be lengthy and may also involve two or three locations like that of a telephonic coversation between friends, then the scenes need to be divided into sub scenes as they cannot be shot at one time.)
C) Divide scenes/subscenes into shots. A shot will guide the team on framing aspect of a scene. Generally a scene starts with a very wide/wide frame to tell the audience about where it is taking place. And then it gradually moves to mid frame, and to close ups and extreme close ups at times.
D) Start every scene with proper scene no, location, time.
Ex: Scene 5 Location: Market Time: Morning
E) Start with proper scene description. Start every sentence in a new line. Most of the times, one sentence in the script will require one shot.
Ex:
There was a market.
People were busy buying and selling vegetables at various shops.
Bunty was observing the shops and the people.
F) Before a particular dialogue, write the character’s name.
Ex:
Bunty to shop owner
Uncle, yeh kaddu kite ka hain?
Shop owner
Ek kaddu 20 rupay.
Bunty
Par baajoo shop me tho 10 ko hi Mil raha hain.
Shop owner
Tho wahi pe khareed na, yaha pe kyu aaya. Chal footle yaha se.
3. Honing the script writing skills
A) Before you write a script, download and read some scripts from internet. This will give you an idea of what a script is and how it looks like.
B) Read at least 1 to 2 books on script writing to gain exceptional clarity on the process. Sometimes, though there is a story in your hands, you might wonder about how to present in in a visual format to audience, as they might be lacking dialogues, intervals etc. These books are there to guide you. One book that I personally like is Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. It is simple and easy to understand.
C) Watch movies and observe how the scenes are shot. One is an action scene, and the other one a love and then there is a comdey scene. Take a love scene for instance, observe how hero looked at heroine, how well she smiled and lowered her eye lids, then how he came near her, and then how she shied and turned away. Each shot is a part of script written by some screen writer somewhere. So, observe as much as possible and try to understand how it would have been written.
D) Though reading and observing are good, there is definitely no replacement for doing. Why don't you write a script for a small story today? And check whether your script is really helping your team in the process of film making. If no one is ready to shoot your script, why don't you yourself go ahead and make it and check where you stand as a script writer?
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