article for TN Screenwriters Association

My First Ninety Pages



         Following a dream is never easy, is it?  A year ago, I decided that it was time for me to see if I had it in me to be a writer.  “How hard could it be?” I thought.  I’d been told I was a good writer my whole life and at 44, I decided it was time to find out if I could do it.  Okay, so maybe it was a mid-life crisis that got me here, but is the method as important as the follow through?  I think not.

         Like many of you, I’ve sat in movie theatres and thought to myself, “I could have done a better job writing that story.”  And last year at this time, I was watching Twilight when that thought crossed my mind for the hundredth time.  The difference being that this time I decided to give it a try, so I did what every red-blooded American does when he or she is in pursuit of a dream.  I went online.  Initially, I thought I could do it on my own. I’d read a few articles, check out a few books from the library and I’d be on my way.  But as I began reading about structure, sequences, acts, dialog, character arcs and the myriad of rules for writing a screenplay, I realized that I needed to do  more than read a few Internet articles.  So, I did what every red-blooded American does next, I “googled” “Screenwriters in Tennessee.”  And I found the Tennessee Screenwriters Association (TSA).

         The TSA is a group of writers teaching, learning and sharing the craft of screenwriting.  At the first meeting I attended, I was given a part to read in a screenplay written by one of the members.  More importantly, though, was the critique that followed.    It was during that critique that I first heard about premise sheets and loglines.  I also became aware of the fact that writing a screenplay is, in some ways, an experiment in trial and error.  This was a relief to me.  I’ve always been a perfectionist when it comes to my job (I’m a teacher in my real life) and especially in the writing that I’d done previously.  This was like a free pass to make mistakes and learn from them. I could do this!

         After a few months of reading with the members, listening to and eventually participating in the critiques, I decided it was time to suck it up and bring them my idea for the next “Great American” movie.  I pitched my idea with no real character arc, an incomplete premise and a non-existent logline.  And worse, I got the genre wrong!  So much for perfection.  What I did get right though were solid characters who just needed to be better developed into three dimensional people.  This was a starting point for me and I was encouraged to keep working on it which I did until I finally (finally!) someone made suggested that my idea might make a better episode of Law and Order than a movie.  After much thought, I had to agree.

         In the meantime, I’d started churning around another idea in my head. This time I knew I’d be writing a romantic comedy.  I tossed the idea to a friend and she agreed that this new idea had potential.  We agreed to work together and spent the next few weeks emailing each other ideas about the main characters.  Eventually we invited a third woman to join our group.  We were excited!  We pitched our ideas to the members of the TSA and were met with great encouragement.  After our third pitch session on the same story idea, we were told to “just start writing,” so we did.  At our first reading, we got great feedback.  We were on the right track and our main characters were funny.  “Now,” we were told, “keep writing until you have the whole story on paper.”  And we did exactly that.  We made changes that were suggested, I took meticulous notes during the critiques and I tried to incorporate everything I was learning into our story.  Eventually, the two other women and I no longer saw eye to eye in terms of the direction our story should take and our partnership broke up.  I chose to continue on my own because I still believed in the potential for this story. 

         To date, I have completed the screenplay in its roughest form, that is, my first ninety pages.  I am currently working on the first rewrite (I say first because, knowing me, there will be more), I have learned about the eight sequences which I find easier than working in three acts, and I’ve recently enrolled in a screenwriting 101 course.  I’ve read books by Sid Field, Lew Hunter, Billy Mernit, Ken Rotcop, John Franklin, and Christopher Vogler.  I’ve taken notes at each of our TSA meetings and I have learned  that screenwriting is hard!  But, for me, its just fun.  I may or may not be fortunate enough to sell a screenplay that I’ve written.  And, while I’d love to sell a story I’ve written, my priority is to be a writer and each time I sit at my computer and open the files that house the ideas that I’ve jotted down, or the scripts drafts that I’ve written, I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.  I believe that with continued hard work, continuing education, and dedication,  I may very well have the next “Great American Movie”  in me just dying to be regurgitated onto a sheet of paper.

         So, in this first year of my fledgling screenwriting career, I’ve learned a lot, I’ve been, at different turns, excited and disappointed.  I’ve written and rewritten, invited friends to read my work, taken criticism, been heartbroken and on top of the world.  And all  this happened because I am a writer!