SCREENWRITING IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS - PART 4: FOLLOW FIRST, THEN LEAD
Follow First, And Then Lead
Do not believe anyone that tells you that their method/process of writing a screenplay is better. There is no “best” way to do this. No “correct” order in which to do it. No “right” process for success. There is absolutely NOT a “perfect” methodology that works equally as effectively for everyone who tries it.
That may seem odd coming from a professional coach and mentor that teaches people a particular method, but it’s true. What I teach my clients is the best I’ve ever seen. I’m excited to share it and I love the results it produces. And, as I’ve said in earlier posts, it forces the writer to ask a ton of really high-yield questions with two basic goals in mind: to identify exactly what it is they are trying to write at the earliest possible stages AND by asking and answering those questions and then experiencing how they inform the rest of the process, the hope is that the writer also gains something even more important: a deeper level of understanding of what makes an effective screenplay…
…and the confidence to repeat the process without me.
I do not want to create writers who are dependent on me. That’s the opposite of what I try to achieve. But, even if I’m successful in helping to create effective, unique, and independent screenwriters and, even if my clients can perfectly replicate my process with effective results, the learning should not end there. As I like to say…
“School is never out”.
We’re all different. We all need different things. We think differently. We process information differently. We learn differently.
I know that what I teach helps new and emerging writers create screenplays that are 10x more effective than what they were creating on their own. But, as proud of that fact as I am, that still doesn’t represent an endgame for anyone who works with me. In fact, it’s much closer to the BEGINNING of their evolution as a screenwriter, than the end.
So, there is no “best” way. No “right” way. There is only what works best for YOU (which - after gaining experience - will be up to you to decide) and there is the final result:
An effective screenplay.
If there is no “best” method for writing screenplays and no “best” way for you in particular, then how does a newcomer like yourself determine their own best practices?
Any system or method or process that is being touted as the “best” way or the “right” way is lying to you. At most, that might be true for the person trying to convince you of that. What I mean to say is that their method or process may be what is best for THEM. It may make the most sense for THEM and it may be the most logical or comfortable process for THEM.
But so what? How can they possibly know what’s best for YOU?
Their method may even hurt your chances of success! Maybe their method doesn’t make as much sense to you. Maybe another methodology would be a better fit. That’s up to you to decide - when you have enough experience to know. My point is that you won’t be able to determine that until you’ve got some significant experience under your belt and have started to develop both …
A unique narrative voice
and
Demonstrable skills as an effective “Narrative Architect”.
Now, consider this: knowing that you are at the earliest stages of learning the craft, it’s safe to say that you don’t know who you are yet – as a screenwriter – and logically, you can’t know what methods or strategies are best for YOU yet, either. That’s completely normal.
So, don’t think that any particular program or book or course, or video will guarantee you a clear, straight path to success. It’s not about a single piece of the puzzle. It’s far more complex and nuanced than that. You are unique. Your journey will be unique and your recipe for success will also be unique. You’ll get there only when you’ve acquired enough:
Information
Understanding
Experience
You need enough Information, understanding, and experience to help you write wonderful, effective, innovative, exciting, and fresh-feeling screenplays. I’m fully aware that my programs are not all you’ll need to find success and I will never try to convince anyone otherwise. I know that what I offer is a great start and a huge leg up, however. And, I’m confident what I teach will help considerably, but it will not make up for the time it takes to achieve that deeper level of understanding that is necessary.
No book or chart or course or video can replace that.
The pathway to success will largely come down to what you do AFTER you’ve learned and assimilated all of this and any other material you find helpful. Specifically, it will come down to how you apply it all to your work. How you use it to WRITE EFFECTIVELY.
One Step at a Time
And so, while you are learning and exploring screenwriting it’s very important that you take it easy on yourself. When you are in the earliest stages and you are overwhelmed with the seemingly endless options available to you and while you are being bombarded by dozens of voices all telling you that they know the “right” way forward, just go with what resonates with you. Consume everything you can afford to. Read all the books you can. Visit all the websites you can find. Listen to all the instructors, authors, and professionals that you are comfortable with and discard the rest. Because …
Reading all the books and taking every course in the world
will NOT make you a successful screenwriter.
Becoming a successful screenwriter requires time. It requires time and dedication to practice and hone your skills over and over and over again. You can’t be TOLD how to write effectively. You don’t read a book on how to play tennis and then immediately start competing at Wimbledon. You work your way up to it over time. To compete at the highest level you need lots of time and lots of practice. And, if you want to break into Hollywood, you’ll need to be able to compete at the highest level. Nobody breaks in if they are merely “good”. You need to be excellent - at being EFFECTIVE.
The fastest and most effective way to learn is by way of mentorship. Direct, 1:1 coaching from a person who can tailor their process to you so that you get exactly what YOU need, exactly when YOU need it. And, I can tell you from experience it’s also way more fun than working alone and attempting to aquire that deeper level of understanding with a single perspective.
But, I recognize not everyone wants that or can afford that. So, for many, more traditional, “classroom-style” learning is the best they can do. And that’s fine. It’s much, MUCH harder, and will take much, MUCH longer, but you can do it. And, if that is the path you are on, then keep this in mind:
All “classroom” study can do for you is
help you become familiar with the basics.
And make no mistake, that’s really important because you can’t be effective without it. Studying will show you how things work on a very simple, mechanical level. And, for those that purchase my specific online course, my sincere hope is that studying it - without any 1:1 interaction with me, will impart you with at least some understanding of WHY certain things do and don’t work. But…
I don’t believe you’ll find real success until you go deeper than simple memorization and mimicry. You need a deeper understanding of everything. You need fluency and proficiency. You need to understand ALL of the WHYs.
WHYs such as:
Why do things have to be formatted a certain way?
Why are genre conventions so important?
Why do so many movies seem similar?
Why does that writer use that device over and over?
Why do some stories make me respond emotionally when others don’t?
Why are people not responding positively to my work?
You need to deeply understand all of this and much, much more. It’s possible that you could simply mimic existing work and find limited success without that deeper level of understanding, but you’ll never write anything special. You’ll never be irreplaceable. And if it’s possible to replace you because you don’t offer anything unique or innovative and everything you write is derivative of something else that already exists, then you should EXPECT to be replaced at some point. If you can be replaced - you will be. So …
My online course is designed to inform and instruct like every other course,
but it’s also designed to help teach you HOW to think, not simply what to think.
And that’s what you should be looking for if you are on that path. Wherever you go to receive your “classroom-style” training, that should be the type of material you seek out. If all the course is doing is teaching you how to “paint by numbers”, move on. You deserve better than that.
Become EFFECTIVE first, then INNOVATE
Every screenwriting instructor - myself included - will share with you what they believe to be true and what we feel works so that you can copy us - temporarily - while you find your own way.
Once you develop a really good understanding of the basics and then become proficient and fluent in this new language of screenwriting, you’ll then start to become effective at writing screenplays, and THEN … there is an opportunity for things to get particularly exciting.
Then - AND ONLY THEN - after achieving fluency and proficiency, will you be capable of INNOVATION. You’ll start to move beyond all of the “how-to” lessons and widely accepted truths and you’ll start to discover things on your own. When you reach the stage where you are capable of innovation, you’ll start writing stories that no one else can write in a style that is uniquely yours. You will no longer be replaceable. And …
THAT is where real success is waiting.
So, soak up all you can, but never forget that these early stages of learning are only capable of teaching you the basics. To become a successful screenwriter, you are going to have to put in the time and effort required to move past that. I’m talking about a minimum of 5 years of solid study and practice before the average person begins seeing any evidence of real success.
It takes at least that long not only to learn everything but to understand it at a deep enough level. Once there, you’ll begin to develop the instincts required to discover something new and different and fresh that does not appear in any book or course, or workshop.
Something special.
And that something is YOU.
I’m very serious. I’m talking about your unique narrative “voice” as a writer. The special sauce that makes you unique. I want you to know I truly believe you have unique attributes that are the keys to your success. But, I also want you to be realistic about the fact that it will take some serious time and effort to find them and to dig them out.
Your Attitude Will Determine Your Altitude
Want to go far? Don’t be a jerk. Full stop.
Believing you have some kind of “natural talent” that should afford you special privileges or that living the life of a “tortured artist” that can’t be bothered to act professionally is NOT special. It’s idiotic.
And, it certainly isn’t EFFECTIVE. In fact, it’s a pain for everyone unfortunate enough to have to deal with it. Be very aware that thousands of new and hungry screenwriters are determined to enter the industry every year and there is absolutely no reason for anyone to put up with that kind of attitude. There are plenty of other new, talented writers to choose from that do not display these unprofessional attributes.
A lot of unsuccessful screenwriters console themselves with romantic ideas like they are some kind of natural, wild talent or a tortured artist. And, in many cases, they don’t want to leave these ideas behind because they think they’re an important part of the cliche writer experience they want to believe in. Or because they believe it’s a definitive attribute of theirs on a personal level.
“I’m misunderstood because my work is TOO radical”
“My work refuses to be shaped by corporate interests and populist low-art aesthetics”
Or, some such nonsense. The truth, however, is that if you’re not finding success, you’re not being effective. Period. Your work and/or your attitude are not getting the job done. These kinds of whiny excuses are poisonous. They’re a crutch. And, they are completely counterproductive. On the flip side …
Having the discipline to act professionally (even if you are not yet a professional) and the determination to learn and adapt and evolve IS special.
SO… BE SPECIAL!
The bottom line is that if you don’t “play well with others”, or if you don’t WANT to “play well with others” for some reason that I will never understand, find something else to pursue. Screenwriting is not for you. And never forget that you can’t fool anyone into thinking you wrote an effective script. It either is or isn’t. More importantly, it’s not up to you to decide! It’s up to the people buying and producing scripts! Or, if you plan on producing your own scripts and making films with them - it’s up to the audience! Because …
YOU are NOT the audience!
If you want to succeed as a screenwriter, your only option is to treat everyone respectfully and to write a fresh, effective, inspired screenplay that absolute strangers respond to positively and want to talk to you about. It’s that simple.
You need to be disciplined in your work and behave in a professional manner - as best you can with the knowledge and understanding that you have. As time goes by, you’ll get more and more effective at it and when you have a script or scripts that are ready to market, the people you meet will recognize your professionalism. They’re looking for that. And, they’ll be more comfortable with the idea of doing business with you over someone who doesn’t possess those attributes.
Also: you must always write in service of the audience and you need to decide very early on what that audience experience will be and stay on target as you develop your screenplay. To help keep your audience in mind at all times, think about asking this question throughout your screenplay’s development:
What's the KFD?
NO. Not KFC! It’s KFD! With a D!
As a planning mnemonic, "What's the KFD?" can be used as a focusing question to get started on developing your screenplay concept. It can be used to challenge the clarity and thoroughness of your movie idea.
Identify your target audience and then ask, "What's the KFD?"
What do you want the target audience to Know?
while watching your filmWhat do you want the target audience to Feel?
while watching your filmWhat do you want the target audience to Do?
after watching your film
It's deceptively simple, but it can be invaluable. It can help you focus on what you want to accomplish and save you from rushing into things half-cocked or without a clear idea of where you're headed.
And, as mentioned in an earlier post, you also need to dump any pretenses about perfection or being an artist, or having complete control because all of that stuff will make it much harder for you to succeed. None of it is true or effective.
You need to have a positive, professional attitude. You must appreciate any attention you get - positive or constructive. You need to “play well with others” and join or create a community of allies you can count on for productive feedback. Being nice and pleasant and easy to communicate with should be easy. But if it isn’t, you need to understand that behaving any other way will make this much, MUCH more difficult for you. And, that nobody will be in a hurry to give you the help that you WILL need to succeed.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly.…
You need to HAVE SOME FUN!
If you can’t enjoy yourself during the process of writing, there’s very little point in doing it. This is not supposed to be painful. Enjoy the journey! Remain excited about creating new worlds! Share your work openly! Help others trying to achieve similar goals! Watch lots of movies! READ LOTS AND LOTS OF SCREENPLAYS! Talk to people about your work and your goals and practice articulating your ideas! Never ever stop learning about what is and isn’t EFFECTIVE!
And for goodness sake, don’t drive yourself and everyone around you crazy if success doesn’t come quickly because - IT RARELY DOES. Whatever you do, do not start writing screenplays because you want to get rich quick.
Getting rich SLOW is hard enough!
This fella doesn’t rush ANYTHING - and doesn’t he look HAPPY?
Would a FREE Consultation Help?
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Just a friendly chat with someone who would love to help you reach your goals.
If you feel stuck or frustrated for any reason and you’d like to talk about
any aspect of screenwriting or our programs in particular, reach out at this address:
jordan@thescreenplayfactory.com
Tell me a little about what you’d like to discuss, and we’ll schedule a convenient time to chat.
Believe it or not, it’s just that easy!
