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Friday, March 30, 2007

Broadening Your Genre Horizons

Not excited about going to the movies this weekend? Sick of the expense, the crowds, the guy who won’t stop talking and those people in the back who have the unbelievable hubris to bring their six-month old infant?

The Wave-inatrix suggests: Home Box Office 101

Now, I know this ordinarily means watching your favorite dvd’s yet again. But how about this weekend, Rouge Wavers head to their favorite video store and choose a selection of movies that they haven’t seen? Gasp! And I’ll up the ante once again: how about Rouge Wavers see some movies they don’t think they’ll like? This weekend, Rouge Wavers, we collectively face our fears. Yes, the Wave-inatrix is throwing down the gauntlet.

It’s the Most Hated Genre Weekend Workshop . Fasten your seatbelts; it’s gonna be a bumpy night.

Here is a short list of movies that represent a spectrum of genres to choose from. Choose a few you think you’ll hate:

Westerns and why you might have avoided them: Westerns are campy. They are boring; the landscapes are flat and dull and I don’t get why John Wayne is such an icon and sagebrush is not that interesting and….The Wave-inatrix begs to differ:

High Noon
The Magnificent Seven
The Alamo
Unforgiven
High Plains Drifter
Shane
Stagecoach
Red River

Broad Comedy: They’re dumb, i.e., I am too intellectual for this stuff. They are meaningless. I am above them. It would be a chink in my intellectual armor if I laughed at the nude wrestling scene in Borat because then all my friends know I’m just a regular person too! Note from the Wave-inatrix: get over yourself and be prepared to laugh your hiney off:

Borat
Top Secret
Anchorman
Police Academy
Airplane
Caddyshack
The Waterboy
Vacation
Stripes

Documentaries: B-o-r-i-n-g. I saw enough of that stuff in school. Who cares. Documentaries are not artful, they are just an information delivery system. Oh, Rouge Wavers, watch and be amazed:

The Fog of War
The Thin Blue Line
We Regret to Inform You
The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
Roger and Me
Grey Gardens
Born Into Brothels
When We Were Kings
The Times of Harvey Milk

Black and White Movies: I don’t like black and white. It’s hard to look at. I can’t get into it. It’s too slow. They’re old, outdated and irrelevant. They are for snobs, film students and pretenders. But I secretly feel inadequate and under-educated because I haven’t seen very many which is why I say all this stuff to myself defensively. I actually live in shame. Rouge Wavers, bow your heads, you are forgiven:

Harvey
Love in the Afternoon
Mildred Pierce
It Could Happen to You
Casablanca
Gilda
All About Eve
The Apartment
On the Waterfront
Double Indemnity
Psycho
Adam’s Rib
Sunset Boulevard
Some Like it Hot
Rebecca
The Gold Rush
Sullivan’s Travels
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Cult films: They are obtuse and I'm afraid I won't get it. They are pseudo-intellectual, weird, trendy, non-traditional or campy: Rouge Wavers – that’s exactly the point. Step outside of your comfort zone:

Donnie Darko
Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
Jesus’ Son
Pink Flamingos
Down by Law
Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
Night on Earth
Being John Malkovitch
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Trainspotting
Swimming to Cambodia

Drama: They’re boring. I don’t get into it. Not enough action. They’re too touchy-feely and self-important. I have a short-attention span already and when I feel I am supposed to pay attention because it’s “important” I check out. The Wave-inatrix weeps for you:

The Graduate
The Killing Fields
Driving Miss Daisy
Trip to Bountiful
Ordinary People
Little Children

Romcom: Ick. I hate gooey, sticky, silly love stories. Romcom has no artful significance. I am a cynic at heart and down with love and all that. I’m way too smart for this silly genre: Oh Rouge Wavers – thou shalt NOT diss this genre!!

When Harry Met Sally
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Born Yesterday
Roxanne
Sabrina
What’s up, Doc?
Woman of the Year
Bridget Jones’s Diary
It Happened One Night
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
Pillow Talk
Sleepless in Seattle


Scary or Violent Movies: They aren’t artful. They are just full of blood, gore and cheap scares. There’s nothing to this genre. Secretly, I’m just a big fraidy cat and so I diss the whole genre. Wavers – I hear you – trust me, don’t miss movies like these:

The Exorcist
Heat
Taxi Driver
The Ring
The Sixth Sense
Raging Bull
Serpico
Goodfellas
The Gangs of New York
28 Days Later
Rosemary’s Baby
The Gift

Science Fiction: I have not been interested in sci-fi ever since we had to read Ray Bradbury in grade school. I don’t get it, I don’t care, I find dystopian movies depressing. These are strictly for fan boys. Not so fast, people. Check out:

5th Element
1984
Blade Runner
Minority Report
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Gattica
Logan’s Run
Star Wars
The Handmaids Tale

War Movies: War movies are boring. It’s just all shooting and explosions and no character development – who cares. Too many memories of flickering, black and white rat-a-tat-tat on the TV growing up. Au, contraire, the movies listed below are, without exception, moving, intelligent and complex:

A Bridge Too Far
Bridge over the River Kwai
Patton
Platoon
Hamburger Hill
The Thin Red Line

Woody Allen: He’s a mumbling, fumbling, neurotic New Yorker and I just don’t get it. I’ve heard too much about his personal life; he’s overrated and hasn’t made a good movie in over a decade. Rouge Wavers, I’ll give that last point but know this: I am a huge Woody Allen fan; here’s a sample of what I consider to be his best work:

Hannah and Her Sisters
Manhattan
Annie Hall
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Front

Action: They are dumb. It’s all about explosions and car chases. There is nothing artful or redemptive here, there is no story. My annoying ex used to drag me to these and I grew to associate them with dumb guys. Yeah, yeah I know, the female Rouge Wavers are nodding vigorously. Girls – give it a shot. Not as dumb as you think – at all. Just go with it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Die Hard
Lethal Weapon
Mission Impossible
Top Gun
Con Air
Crouching Tiger
Face/Off
Spiderman (any)
Batman (any)

The Wave-inatrix will shut down you nitpickers right now by repeating: THESE ARE ONLY SUGGESTIONS – many movies are left off this list; what do you think I am, a walking internet movie data base? In fact, the utter top-of-my-headness of these lists is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

Intrepid Rouge Wavers are free to add more lists: musicals, period movies, epic love stories, foreign films, etc – but the point is this: you know what you hate and you know what you’ve avoided.

Nobody is grading this experience but I promise that you will learn invaluable lessons that will absolutely stick – and you might just learn that you are a secret Rodney Dangerfield fan and never even knew it – so long Jean Paul Belmondo sheet and towel set!

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Writing a Treatment

More than one Rouge Waver contacted the Wave-inatrix and asked about the difference between a treatment and a synopsis.

The short answer is that in general a treatment is a proposal or blueprint for what you will be writing in script form. A synopsis is a summary of what is already done.

A treatment is when someone says hey, build me a new airplane - what would it look like? How fast would it go? Would it have drink holders? A synopsis is: the airplane is done - describe it to me because I'm going for a Sunday drive. One is an imagining of the story and the other is a description of what already exists.

Treatments can be used for a variety of reasons. They can be a great tool for the writer as the story is being "beat out" and imagined; my partner and I have a great five page treatment for an action-thriller which is relatively detailed. Other writers might have a 30 or 50 page treatment filled with details. James Cameron uses "scriptments" that can be upward of 134 pages.

Treatments can also be a tool to pitch an upcoming script you've begun to work on. You pitch your idea in a meeting and the executive says - do you have a treatment? Yes, you do. Though the script is not done yet, the treatment does give a detailed sketch of what the script will be like.

Treatments are longer and much more detailed than a synopsis. It is unusual for a new writer to be asked for a treatment since most newbies are querying or pitching a spec which is already complete. If you are asked for a treatment versus a synopsis, just get your synopsis out and add more prose-like detail; extend the whole thing by another page or two and call it done. A synopsis is significantly more likely to be requested.

The Wave-inatrix recommends that writers use treatments as a way of outlining and planning a new script idea not as a selling tool. The truth is, while a treatment can be time consuming, you should know your story well enough to write either a synopsis or a treatment if requested.

Bottom line:

Treatment: a lengthy, detailed, by act outline for your script-to-be.

Synopsis: a relatively brief yet entertaining summary of the script you have finished.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Episodic

Has your script ever been called “episodic”? This is a subset of a narrative problem. We talked about narrative a few posts ago, remember? About how the narrative is the delivery system for your script? And that the narrative should be like a rollercoaster going up up up and then releasing into a thrilling ride with many twists and turns, gaining speed as it goes? VERSUS the moving sidewalk. Well, the episodic epithet is related to the moving sidewalk. It means that your script feels like a series of episodes which don’t necessarily feel connected to a larger build or big enough stakes.

The cure for an episodic script lies first in reexamining your premise full stop. In fact, I’ll go on record as saying that taking a bird’s eye view of your premise is the first thing to look at when any big problems arise in the script. But we’ll talk about that another day. Check and recheck the premise for the over-arching conflict facing the main character. What is at stake? Is it pretty huge relative to the character and the character’s world? Is your premise unique and uniquely entertaining?

Now think about your scene work. We know each scene needs a beginning, middle and end – setup, conflict, resolution – complication, resolution, new conflict – and so forth and so on during each scene and in each sequence and in each act. But there’s the thing, as you resolve something toward the end of one scene, that same resolution kicks something else into gear in the next. Scenes are causal; linking to one another, always causing something else to click into motion.

The visual that really helped me get this concept was one of those wooden Jacob’s Ladder toys. You know the little square wooden pieces strung in a row by two strips of cloth tape? And you hold it one way and clack clack clack all the wooden squares tip one over the other til you reach the end? That’s how scenes should work.

Ask each scene: What is this scene a result of? What is this scene leading us to next? It’s kind of like the opposite of living in the moment. You know in life when you find yourself being in a situation but instead of really focusing on that all you can think about is what’s for dinner or what the next errand is or when will you see this person again? Instead of really just being present? I could write pages about my fight with and victory over that – but when evaluating your scenes you really do want to do the opposite – what came before, what comes after? Be 100% present when you write the scene – but take a different tact when evaluating your scenes for causality, movement and connection to other scenes.

In poorly written, episodic scripts, characters move from one slugline to the next but what they are actually doing doesn’t build. It becomes like reading a diary of what someone did that day. I went to the gym. I took a shower. I drove to work. I had lunch. I went home. I had dinner.

As opposed to: I went to the gym and stubbed my toe. I took a shower and slipped because my foot was hurt. I drove to work and got in a fender bender. I had lunch at the insurance office. I went home. I hacked up my wife.

Now, Rouge Wavers are smart and know that when I talk about these things I am always using the most broad examples. Yes, in LEAVING LAS VEGAS, Nicholas Cage in some ways might be appearing to be repeating the same beat over and over – the build is slow and pretty soft – he’s going to drink himself to death. Each individual story will dictate the way in which the build will work. I am talking about straight up, mainstream standards for scripts; there are always exceptions.

Think about this:

Esther does this
Then she does that
Fred meets her and they talk
Esther does this
Then that
Then this

Versus:

Esther does this BUT
She stumbles into that AND
THEN she discovers this
WHICH leads her to overcome THIS
And eventually she learns THAT
EXCEPT she will have to sacrifice THIS

The emphasized words indicate turning points in the scene. Surprises, setbacks, reversals. Static scenes guarantee a static story. You only have about 100 pages, people, so light a fire under it. And don’t get accused of having a soft, episodic script. Because that’s just another way of saying PASS.

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The Synopsis

Readers must write synopses for each script they read. So when people ask us, can’t you tell by page five that it’s rotten and just toss it? Sure we can tell if the script is rotten by page five. But our job is to read it all, synopsize it and write notes. So we don’t have the luxury of tossing a script down.

How readers synopsize:

Generally, a 110 page script will result in between 2 to 4 pages of synopsis. Obviously it depends how busy a script it is. Executives want a curious combination of the thumbnail sketch and the feel of the script; the what and the how. Usually we focus most of our detail on the set up and third act. If we know the script is a PASS we don’t kill ourselves over the synopsis. We compress information and do a quick and dirty job. If the script is great, then the synopsis will go into more detail.

When we synopsize novels or manuscripts, the rule of thumb is 1 page of synopsis for every 50 pages of text. To keep our thoughts straight, we highlight, pull pages and take notes. I know some readers who use a voice recorder and write the synopsis while they play it back. Some use post-its to mark pages with significant turning points.

You can usually tell what a reader thought of the script by the synopsis. The synopsis of a great script will be written to reflect that – the synopsis itself will be entertaining. A dull script will have a dull synopsis. I get paid to synopsize; I have nothing invested. It’s the least interesting part of what I do. When YOU synopsize (which we’ll get to momentarily) you have a distinct agenda; not just to relate your story but to make an exec or manager want more.

Here is an excerpt from a coverage synopsis for a script (production has wrapped) that I liked but didn’t love:

XXXX just dropped out of law school and moved to New York. He wants to be a writer and figures moving to the Big Apple might stimulate something or other. Very quickly though, reality catches up with him and he needs a job – anything. That’s when he sees an ad in the paper for a road manager and personal assistant for a “celebrity”. He meets XXXX at a small steakhouse and it’s only moments later that his potential employer joins them – XXXX, a washed up talk-show magician and “mentalist”. Full of energy and no shortage of ego, XXXX travels the country performing at small venues. Most of his fans are over 45. But don’t tell XXXX that; as far as he’s concerned, he’s a star. He points out immediately that he was a guest on Johnny Carson over sixty one times! XXXX is not so sure about this job but he needs the money and hell, it’s a life experience, right?

How writers synopsize:

First of all, will you be asked to provide a synopsis? It’s not unusual. This is because you perhaps pitched a logline in a query letter or email and the manager or exec thought – well – it sounds interesting but I’m not entirely jumping out of my shoes. Tell me more. Don’t take the request as a mini-failure, take it as a huge opportunity.

A dry summary of events is not going to get a manager or executive excited to read the work. Write your synopsis in paragraphs and organize (but don’t label) it by act. Be playful but accurate. If the script is a horror – make sure the synopsis is scary. If it’s a comedy, make the synopsis funny to read. If it’s romantic – well – you get the point. This sounds like common sense – and it is – but often writers freeze up and revert to high school freshman thinking and wind up with a stilted, informational synopsis. No. The synopsis has many jobs; to summarize, yes, but primarily to entertain. It is a teaser, an appetizer, a representative of the amazing script it describes. Choose kinetic, evocative, colorful words as you write the synopsis. Put your love of words to use; this is your calling card.

Make your synopsis easy on the eye; avoid dense paragraphs and avoid a six page summary. Keep it moving, CAPITALIZE main character’s names and order it by act. Synopses have a distinct rhythm: detail, summary, prose….The synopsis is the good parts writ quickly:

Life has been strangely good to FRED (63), a recently retired bank clerk; he just bought a Rolex, a vacation home and a membership to the local country club. But this newfound wealth and happiness is about to change. One night, as Fred looks through his new super-powered telescope, he sees it – a red hot chunk of sizzling rock streaking toward him. Fred RUNS inside the house and screams for his wife MYRTLE to come outside. Which is when a thunderous ROAR fills the air. It’s too late. As ash rains down on the shocked couple, Fred realizes his nest egg – stolen bearer bonds hidden in the basement – have just been incinerated. He turns to his wife: Myrtle, we need to talk.


And so on. Include colorful descriptions, sounds or anything else to make the read entertaining. Give more detail in the set up and in the third act climax; summarize the second act a bit more succinctly, keeping your focus on major turning points. In other words, the set up and climax might have some smaller, more evocative moments of character development noted but keep the second act moving along.

Don’t be intimidated if you are asked to write a synopsis; it’s great exercise to summarize your own work. In fact, the Wave-inatrix suggests writing synopses of your scripts as an exercise. How does the synopsis read? Does it move? Is it entertaining? Does it make your story sound cinematic? Does it capture the tone, theme and genre of your script?

If you have trouble summarizing your story in a page or two, you might want to take a look at the material. Is it too dense? Is the primary narrative confusing? Why is the material so hard to describe? Keep it simple. A confusing script that does not lend itself to a simple synopsis is going to make a very difficult pitch. Sure, some sci-fi epic scripts will take some handiwork to summarize. But it can be done – and Rouge Wavers – it will be done. And when it is, you want the synopsis that the exec reviews before he or she even picks up your script to be an entertaining promise of things to come.

This isn’t grade school, it’s show business; sum up your wares like a ring master would; with aplomb, élan and smooth professionalism. Make the synopsis a tease and a perfumed whisper which says – the best is yet to come.

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The Passage of Time

54 DAYS LATER

Yes indeed, the Wave-inatrix recently read a script in which on the last page, preceding the happy ending, the supertitle 54 DAYS LATER was employed.

The funny thing was, in this instance, it didn’t matter how much later it was, it was just a postscript or tag for the story which had already wound up. The odd number cracked me up; why 54 days later? As opposed to, I dunno, 53 or 57 days later? Why not round it up to an even 60? What the writer’s logic was there I’ll never know but I’ll tell you one thing, it sucked the moment dry of its impact.

The passage of time in scripts is one of the first confusing issues a new writer deals with. How does one indicate that after the scene in which the character got coffee, the character took a shower, got dressed, drove through traffic and arrived at work? Well, very quickly, by observation and practice, we learn the basics of Movie Time. Movies embody a certain magical passing of time to which viewers are accustomed. Writers make conscious decisions whether or not to show a character taking every single step involved in getting out the door in the morning. It’s fine to do if it has dramatic or comedic affect on the story at hand. If the point is that the character lives a highly routinized life – show each step. If the main action is going to happen later, in the office, at the bar – or wherever, then the steps taken to get there are implied. For more experienced writers, this is too rudimentary to discuss much more than this but those just starting out, a great way to understand this concept is to simply pop a few movies into your dvd player and observe.

What if more than a few implied moments or hours pass? What if you are moving forward in the story to two weeks later – or a month later? Well, that’s easy enough. Get your slug line down and then simply write in all caps: TWO WEEKS LATER. Or, as in the case study which prompted this post, SIX WEEKS LATER would be fine.

Let’s pause for this commercial break, sponsored by the supertitle:

Supertitles: words that appear anywhere on the screen, usually on the bottom, which indicate location or time
Subtitles: words that appear on the bottom of the screen which are usually a translation

We can indicate the passage of time in action lines and using a mini-slug:

INT. MOSSY CAVE - DAWN

Adam: What are we going to do today?
Eve: I thought we’d go to the pool.

LATER

Adam stands at the edge of a waterfall with sun block and trunks on. Bright noonday sun shimmers through the leafy fronds that surround him.

We could just as easily have written:

INT. MOSSY CAVE - DAWN

Adam: What are we going to do today?
Eve: I thought we’d go to the pool.

EXT. GLASSY POOL - DAY

Adam stands at the edge of a waterfall with sun block and trunks on. Bright noonday sun shimmers through the leafy fronds that surround him.

In either event he’s at the pool. It’s noon. Done and doner. Say Adam is afraid to jump in the water...

EXT. GLASSY POOL - DAY

Eve: Adam! Are you going to stand there all day?
Adam: No!

EXT. Waterfall – DUSK

Adam shivers slightly then finally peels off his fig leaf trunks.

Or we might do:

EXT. Waterfall – DAY

THREE MONTHS LATER

Autumn leaves drift around a cobwebby Adam. He shivers.

The passage of time can be exploited to achieve many effects.

INT. BOB'S BEDROOM - DAY

Bob stands in his briefs reviewing the contents of his closet.

Bob: Honey, I have nothing to wear today!
Honey: Oh yes you do. Look on the right side of the closet.

INT. WIDGET-TECH - DAY

Bob walks through the lobby door at his office wearing a chicken suit.

So, Bob got dressed but not until he went through everything until the only thing left was last year’s Halloween costume. We don’t need to watch the search for the outfit. It’s boring. Unless it’s not. What if every suit in Bob’s closet was identical blue polyester? Now the moment is worth dwelling on because it’s funny and it tells us something about Bob. Show the audience only that which contains the most entertaining or informational moments.

Generally, simply indicating in the slug line and action lines the difference in daylight, clothes, and positioning of your character is enough. Only tell us that literally TWO WEEKS have passed if it makes logical sense for the story.

Stay relatively basic: TWO WEEKS LATER, ONE WEEK LATER, ONE YEAR LATER, TWO MONTHS LATER, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER. 54 DAYS LATER leads us to wrack our brains for the significance when there is none. If only a little time passed, just indicate so either in the slugline or in the action lines. Don't all cap a time change unless there is a signficant reason for doing so.

Passage of Time Checklist:
Do I need to show this character making coffee and scratching his belly? Or is the main action in the next scene? Then imply the time change only.

Do I intend for the audience to see the words: TWO WEEKS LATER? Then precede that with SUPERTITLE: TWO WEEKS LATER

Can I indicate the passage of time effectively simply in the action lines?

Is this passage of time making the scene "land" better? Is it funnier this way? Sadder? More interesting? Why is this taking place TWO WEEKS LATER? Is that necessary or can I keep it in the now?

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

On the Nose

What does on the nose mean, actually? Well, it means the dialogue was so straight forward, so to the point that it didn’t sound organic or natural. This is a dialogue-related note, and sometimes it can be related to descriptions as well. It’s when the writer has made too much overt effort for us to get something.

How can you avoid it? Well, here’s a little trick that I find really helpful in the early stages of writing a scene. Particularly a scene I might be having some trouble with. If great dialogue flows from you easily and naturally – then great. But if you’re struggling, give this trick a shot.

Write the dialogue as absolutely on the nose as you can:

Jane: I hate you and I want to get divorced.
Ken: I am shocked and hurt.

Go through the whole scene and just get the intention down on the page. The intention of the characters, their rudimentary understanding and reactions are all you’re going for. Now once you’ve got the scene written in this way, go back and bearing your characters in mind, soften it a bit. So it might be something more like:

Jane: I need my freedom.
Ken: But I love you!

And later, that might morph into something more character-driven and specific.

Jane: I can’t believe you waited up for me.
Ken: You said you’d be home at ten. Where were you?
Jane: Maybe you should sit down.

Or whatever – it depends on the characters. So I’ve given you one trick to work from on the nose dialogue up to more organic fare by simply embracing the on-the-noseness initially.

Here’s something my writing partner and I sometimes do:

Jane: I can’t believe you waited up for me.
Ken: I have no idea what to say, you figure it out. I’m sick of this script today and –
Jane: Ken, you seriously need help.
Ken: But we’ve been working on this script all week and I need a scotch and soda.

But that’s a whole other post.

How do you know whether the dialogue in the script you’re about to send into a competition contains OTN dialogue? Well, first of all, go back through your script and examine each scene and the intentions, motivations and goals in the scene for each character. What does the character want in the scene? And how do they ask for it? What are they avoiding, pressing for or hinting at? Are these things literally contained in the dialogue? Overtly?

Think about this: the thing is never the thing. What in the heck does that mean? Well, it means that people usually relate and interact on at least a couple of levels. Pointing out someone’s tattoo might really be saying “I think you’re sexy.” Difficult conversations are particularly apt to be a bit subtextual, unless out-and-out rage has taken over. But characters and people often try to circumvent the hurt and anger – or surprise and joy – that is bound to erupt. People will often talk about just about anything but the actual issue at hand.

Check your scenes for the purpose of the scene and the goals of the character. Now ask yourself, how overtly is the character expressing that goal? Sometimes overt is good – absolutely – but if it feels wooden, too pointed or too ham-fisted, then you’ve probably got some otn dialogue.

What's the difference between on the nose dialogue and crisp, to the point dialogue? The difference is one of degree; on the nose dialogue is clunky, clumsy and so obvious as to almost feel patronizing. The funny thing about otn dialogue is that it’s like porn: you know it when you see it. Sometimes characters need to be very direct in conversation; other times you need to pull back a little bit. Dialogue should have the cadence of a symphony; melodious and complex layers, soft moments, intense moments and a rhythm. The Wave-inatrix recommends reading great dialogue as a pleasure, a pastime and a lesson.

Some recommendations of script reads with amazing dialogue:
ORDINARY PEOPLE
AMERICAN BEAUTY
TOOTSIE
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES

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Friday, March 23, 2007

Just Another Day

What does the Wave-inatrix get up to all day long? And just where does she get her kooky examples? Did the Wave-inatrix really play a doctor on TV? Coffee or tea? Fries or chips?

Rouge Wavers - today is your big day. Well, not really. But here’s my typical reading breakdown in case you wondered: 25% scripts from a prominent script reading service, 25% Script Whisperer clients, 25% production company scripts, 25% procrastination, Rouge Waving, gone fishing.



The scripts I see at the script reading service are, by far, the worst as far as originality and execution. The. Worst. That means, quality level = sea of red ink. This is where all of my bad examples come from. This is the part of what I do that gives me an eye twitch. There are extremely rare exceptions. Overall, the medication is helping with the outbursts and involuntary spasms and I have Dr. Katz to thank for that.

The Script Whisperer scripts are, interestingly, fairly high in quality. Perhaps writers willing to invest in a real, live, fun, clever, super nice blogger-lady consultant have already invested a lot of heart, soul, education and time into their writing. It would seem so. And if the script is not so great, the Wave-inatrix smiles kindly and we use it as a learning experience. This is the part of the Wave-inatrix’s job that brings her the most joy. Now, now, don’t be jealous, Wavers! I heart the RW as well.

Production company scripts are quite often but not exclusively high quality. These scripts have been vetted by agents or managers and then pitched for the read. So by the time I wind up with the script, it’s already been through the ringer. This is really fun because I read scripts that you are going to see in the theater in a couple of years. I read scripts by A-list writers. I read the stuff people are talking about in the trades.

The rest of the time, when the Wave-inatrix is not doing silly things like reading, riding her bike, getting blue manicures or blogging, she is working hard – for you. I network, build relationships, answer the copious (and growing) emails received daily and generally - I work it. I have been able to get reads for a stable of my particularly gifted clients at Bedford Falls, Walden and Circle of Confusion. Yesterday I pitched two scripts to an exec at Seed Productions. I’m getting good at the pitching. One part earnestness, one part charm, two parts being in love with the work you’re pitching = good pitch.

My blog posts are sometimes well thought-through and planned and sometimes they just burst forth like Alien. It’s SIDLES!!! A Rouge Waver emailed yesterday and implored me to get out of his head (hi Jim); it seems the Wave-inatrix has habitually posted eerily prescient blogs which reflect the events in his life at the moment. Four words: Is this a movie?

Rouge Wavers need never fear that their work would be exploited, used as an example or otherwise mocked in the blog. Unless you send your work to a big script reading service. Then you’re fair game. The Wave-inatrix figures it like this: I just don’t get paid enough to read work so far below industry standards that I get vertigo just thinking about it….hold on…sorry. Okay I’m back. Speed dialed Dr. Katz.

Rouge Wavers, these bad scripts cannot die an ignoble death having meant nothing! So I drag them out of the morgue late at night and use them as examples for all. They are martyrs for the cause. Look and learn!

Enjoy Friday, enjoy the weekend, raise your hand if you will be seeing REIGN OVER ME and as my new friend Manolo the Shoeblogger would say – muchos besos, you’re super fantastic!





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Thursday, March 22, 2007

The Three P's

The difference between a writer who makes it in Hollywood and a writer who does not is that the one who made it never gave up.

Patience, perseverance, perspective...

I had lunch the other day with a well known and respected screenwriting teacher and author of a screenwriting how-to book and we compared notes about our own writing experiences - the close calls, the successes and the failures - and we shared a wry laugh about how much difference a few years make. When I started writing scripts 8 years ago, I was fueled by a conviction that my talent and my amazing script were going to earn me money and respect in only a matter of months. That didn't quite happen for either one of us.

Year after year has passed by, with many more scripts written, screenwriting classes taken, failures, small successes, teases and huge disappointments. But Rouge Wavers, as Elton John once said - I'm still standing. And from where I stand, I'm proud as I look at my achievements and the way I have used every experience to help me build knowledge, relationships, skills and perseverance.

As we enter competition season, many Rouge Wavers may have entered their scripts in one or more screenwriting contests. As we collectively hold our breath and await the results late this summer and into the early fall, I encourage writers to roll their shoulders, let that breath out and keep writing. Competitions come round every year. This isn't the last chance and it isn't the only way.

The best way to raise the odds of being published, optioned, repped or even sold is to be like a writing machine. Never stop writing and never stop believing that you can do it. Disabuse yourself of the quaint fairy tale that your script is more brilliant than any script ever written and that two scripts into the process, you will be an overnight rockstar.

Don't get me wrong - those who know me well know that I actually subscribe very much to visualizing exactly what you want in this life and holding that vision steadfastly until it manifests. But you can't sit in a park dreaming of your wonderful, successful writing career, and you can't weep into your beer after dozens of rejections sure that it is all doomed. This is a hard knock business. Get used to it. But never say die and never let it crush the joy out of the phenomenal gift you have been given: the desire and talent to create and express through the written word.

As my friend and I compared writing scars, horror stories and triumphs over lunch, it struck me that I wish I knew then what I know now. I wish I had put myself through less drama and depression about just where my writing career was going and when. I wish I had just known that this thing - this writing - is a gift unto itself. Take everything in stride; the validation, the rejection and the dull, grey days which make you wish ardently you'd just gotten a regular job like a regular person. Slow down, enjoy the process. Be present for it. Soak it up.

Nothing succeeds like determination. As Woody Allen said, 80% of success is showing up.

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Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Good in a Room: The Latest


Rouge Wavers know how much regard I have for Stephanie Palmer of Good in a Room. I have taken Stephanie's workshop and will again. You can sign up for Stephanie's newsletters by going to her website (link at the end of this post). I received today's newsletter and am reprinting it here with Stephanie's permission; I know this is an issue that many writers are dying to learn more about. So here you go:

What is the best way to meet an agent or a manager? Get hot.

And it’s not as hard as you think.

Agents and managers are heat-seekers. They only make money when their client’s careers are on fire. This is why agents spend a great deal of time poaching from each other’s lists—they would rather work with proven talent.

However, agents are also looking for the next big thing. In other words, YOU—provided that you’re generating enough heat to attract them. You don’t need to be working if you can demonstrate that you and your projects are getting serious attention.

How do you generate heat? Here are some questions to consider:
• Have you staged a reading or theatrical performance of your work? Could you produce it?
• Is your material the kind that wins screenplay contests? Could you adapt it?
• Have you created a short film or teaser?
• Could you partner with other people who have short films and put on a festival?
• Has your work been reviewed in the paper?
• Have you gotten any endorsements from successful people?
• What are you doing to publicize your work? Do you have a website? A blog? A YouTube clip?

If you’ve got some dynamite material that you’d like to sell to a major studio, you might benefit from having representation. The trick is to create the right strategy to generate enough heat for your project, and more importantly, your career. That way, when an agent or manager meets you, they can see that you have the potential to be a long-term client.

The next step is to polish your meeting technique so that, once you get in the room, you know exactly how to position yourself. Until then, keep working on your material.

There are two spots left in the Finding Representation workshop which starts next Monday, March 26th. For more information, go to:

www.goodinaroom.com/findingrepresentation.html

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

How to Piss off a Reader...fast

Rouge Wavers, it is probably evident by now that the Wave-inatrix is a good natured creature fond of cocktails and long naps. But once in awhile, there is something that crops up in scripts that sends me into the stratosphere: malapropisms.

Just today, in one script I read:

He takes a leek
The living room boarders the dining room
"You are so sweat!"
He saddles up to her at the bar.

That last one, Rouge Wavers, was when the Wave-inatrix lost it. It's SIDLES! SIDLES!!!!!!

Some of these errors are the result of not proofreading the work carefully. Others are ignorance and laziness. But honestly, it doesn't matter. Once a reader is thoroughly pissed off at the writer, the coverage just cannot be good. Readers try to do no harm and be professional but let's face it, we are people, and most of us are writers. We love writing. And we do it a lot.

Language is to a writer what the scalpel is to the surgeon. This is our instrument. And a writer that does not know how to wield his or her words is demonstrating to the reader a level of hubris that is unbelievable. Writing is not easy. Writing well is a damn miracle. Most of us have worked so hard and for so many years that when we see a dilettante (a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, esp. in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler.) abuse the privilege it makes our blood boil.

Don't let your script describe you as a desultory, superficial dabbler. We all make mistakes, god knows, and the occasional typo or spelling error is to be expected. God knows I still have to correct my it's and my its. But when these types of errors occur all over your script you have just received the kiss of death from a reader. The black spot. The death knell. Because now we are pissed. And we will punish you in the coverage.

As an aside, and perhaps other readers can chime in, I have never seen a great story, executed well that had more than one or two typos, spelling errors, grammatical oops or malapropisms. Doesn't happen. There seems to be a direct relationship between skill, story and voice.

Other than getting your work proofread and using your spell checker exhaustively how can writers prevent the appearance of malapropisms or grammatical errors? Lynne Truss has written a great book called Eats, Shoots & Leaves which makes a great desk companion, there is also The Little, Brown Handbook which is the Wave-inatrix fave, or good old Strunk & White's Elements of Style.



Being a writer is more than going all Hemingway and drinking white wine with your oysters. It's more than gazing out into the pasture from your attic window while you ponder. It's more than socking down shots of espresso at the local coffee house and staring at a blank screen. There is some skill involved. Some boring skills that nobody wants to deal with. If you want a reader to take you seriously, do your homework.

Nobody cares about the occasional spelling error or comma misuse - but boy do we get pissed when you don't even care enough to try. Writing is not for the faint of heart. But in the same way that you wouldn't expect to become a lawyer because you like to argue, you can't expect to be a writer without having a command of the language. Do try.

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

What We Don't Write

If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water.
Ernest Hemingway

This is one of my favorite quotes about writing and it is one that just about every one of my clients has seen more than once. It’s powerful stuff to think about; what you don’t write is sometimes as powerful as what you do.

My writing partner and I have a psychological thriller we’d written completely from the antagonist’s point of view. We really like our antagonist. She’s crazy but doesn’t realize it and when the larger plot isn’t happening, she visits doctors, has weird, scary visions at work, etc. Nope. An exec at Fox insisted we rewrite the whole draft from the protagonists point of view. We had no choice; these were our marching orders. What we found, though, was that even though we weren’t going to show the antagonist going about her crazy business – it was still happening. So when she walked into a scene with the protagonist, in our minds, she was just returning from a doctor scene, bringing with her the same disappointment, frustration and craziness. We couldn’t show it. But it was happening, and it was affecting our character’s behavior.

In other words, the story you show us in your script is the tip of the iceberg. There’s a whole lot more going on under the surface – in the writer’s mind. And this will inform your story. Hemingway was alluding to prose but I still believe it works in translation.

For those Rouge Wavers thinking SUPER but how does today’s blog, nine tenths of which is not making sense to me work in a practical sense? We are talking about character, we are talking about the world of your story. We are talking about what happened in your character’s life a day before the script started. And the things your character feels but does not say. We’re talking about the tune the antagonist hums in the shower when we’re not there to hear it. We’re talking about the silences in-between, the things left unsaid and the scenes we cannot show but that happen nonetheless.

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Friday, March 16, 2007

Writing the Sex Scene

Rouge Wavers, I cry for what my eyes have seen; sex scenes in scripts so x-rated, so funny, so lame that my brain is seared forever. Now let’s face some facts: characters in scripts get it on. They do the nasty. They make whoopee.



It has come to the Wave-inatrix’s attention that certain – ah – male writers, have more of an affinity than others for writing sex scenes. And to these particular writers I say guys: wrong industry. Super graphic, nasty sex in any script in any genre – except the porn industry – is yicky. That is indeed the technical term bandied about by readers, execs and producers. Well, that’s not entirely true but when writing a sex scene, first make sure the scene is justified within the story. In other words – is it gratuitious? Wazzat mean? That means are you doing it because it turns you on as a writer? Or are you deliberately trying to make the script more sexy and thusly saleable? Do you perhaps have a good connection to Pamela Anderson and this scene is in hopes of casting her? Bad reasons all.



Gratuitous sex and violence in a script casts an amateurish pall over the material full stop. Rouge Wavers would truly be appalled if I were to recount some of the nasty things I have read in scripts. In fact, I once asked another reader what the reader equivalent of a palate cleanser was. Jack Daniels, he intoned with absolutely no irony in his voice.



Now don’t get me wrong; erotic scenes in movies are great. But note the word erotic versus pornographic or graphic. If you have an R-rated script or even a PG-13 and two or more characters are going to get it on in a scene, remember this; lots and lots of people are going to read your script before it gets made, yes? You have the potential to offend any number of folks during this process, for one. And secondly, say your movie really does get made – the director and actors will interpret the scene and just how hot and heavy it needs to be to be a plus to the movie experience and not a weird, kinky sideways alley.

Tragicomic descriptions I have seen in scripts:
He goes at her like a champ.
They exchange fluids.
They exchange passion.
He puts his xxxxx up her xxxxx and she’s already xxxxx.
Oh! Oh! Oh Jake! Oh! Oh!
She rides him
He xxxxx her like a stallion.
He humps her in the bathroom stall.

And dozens upon dozens just not fit to print here. Or anywhere, really.



I think we all remember the brilliant sex scene in AMERICAN BEAUTY in which the normally uptight Annette Benning screams to the rafters as she gets it on with the real estate king. Funny as hell, reveals her character and absolutely tonally perfect for the script. Or the hysterical scene in OFFICE SPACE when Livingston imagines his girlfriend in bed with his boss. FUNNY.

Sex scenes written poorly fall under several categories:

Pulp romance scenes not worthy of Danielle Steele: think heaving bosoms and turgid members.

Pornographic scenes complete with identified body parts and sound effects: think exactly what you’re already thinking, you dirty minded bad boy!

Mechanical, repressed, inadvertently funny scenes: think “he unbuttons his pants.” And “her nipples grow firm.” And “they pull back the sheets and fall onto the bed.” Oh! Oh! Oh! Esther!



Really, and this sounds like a great topic for the next Rouge Wave time killing survey, there are tons of movies with great, really erotic, sex scenes. And it depends on your movie, right? SECRETARY – super erotic for some, very uncomfortable for others. Remember Philip Kaufman’s HENRY AND JUNE? Ditto. With an NC-17 rating.

Keep the sex scene you are writing within the context of the story and the characters. Does the tone match the script in other words? Are you overwriting the scene, should you leave room for the actor and director to make it more artful and erotic? Are you writing the scene for your own entertainment? Are you trying to be shocking? What rating do you want your script to get?



Rouge Wavers – you’ve all seen trillions of movies – sex scenes run the gamut from playful, erotic, tender, violent and artful. Sex is a complicated thing. Do it justice, just don’t lose your story – or your reader – in the process.


Scripts with a variety of sex scenes to read for homework:

Body Heat
Fatal Attraction
Last Tango in Paris
Secretary
When Harry Met Sally
Henry and June
Monster’s Ball
Amelié
American Beauty
Nine ½ Half Weeks
Unfaithful

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Giving Feedback

Giving feedback is not only good karma, it is paying it forward. When you next need feedback, you’ll have someone to ask. Giving constructive feedback is an art. And it is an art that will serve you well as a writer.

We’ve all been burned by bad feedback. Rude, insensitive, bossy, arrogant, wrong-headed, cruel even. Oh, I have some bad memories of that. I gave my very, very first script to a demi-friend and he said he thought it was “pablum”. I’ll save you the Google look up: Trite, insipid, or simplistic writing, speech, or conceptualization.

He was probably right – it was my first script – ever. I was lucky to have slug lines and page numbers, actually. But he went straight for the jugular. That comment hurt me deeply and really took the wind out of my sails for some time. That hasn’t been my only bad experience but obviously the story has stuck with me.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. You put your heart and soul into the script, for months and weeks. And now somebody is going to pass judgment. Writers awaiting feedback are in a very vulnerable position. Yes, yes, we have to have thick skin but writers are sensitive, let’s face it. This is not a new toilet we have installed – our stories are our hearts.

We don’t give feedback to be right or superior or better. We do it to be constructive and productive. Given, I do this every single day; it’s my day job. So I’m pretty good at it. But if this is not normal for you, reading a script and giving notes, just remember to give feedback in the same way you’d want to receive it. Most people upon hearing that will say – well, I want the honest truth. Rouge Wavers – most people can’t handle the truth. That doesn’t mean you should obfuscate – it just means you should always deliver your opinion with kindness and professionalism.

Tips for feedback:

Do it often; develop a support system with peers you respect

Don’t promise to read a script and give feedback if you really don’t have time

Do read it promptly once you have it

Do ask your friend what they want out of this read. You’d be surprised at the different answers. Tailor your notes to the needs and wants of the writer.

Do start on a positive note. If you can only think of one thing – stress it

Don’t throw out your own suggestions – this is not your script; you’ll derail the creative process

Do frame concerns in a “what if” question. (What if you tried this? What if you tried that? I wonder what would happen if this?)

Do understand what the writing is going for or trying to achieve

Don’t chide the writer for failing to execute the idea well; that’s why you’re reading it, ding-dong. If they thought it was perfect, they wouldn’t ask

Do limit your comments to things like: logic, characters, stakes, ticking clock, and pacing; don’t go all McKee/Campbell on your friend. I feel the subplot doesn't connect to the inner need of the protagonist and this is not reflected thematically in the arc of the dynamic character who has reached statis but must find Euclydian balance before the elixir can motivate the shapeshifter. Very annoying.

Do write your notes down and summarize them.

Don’t do page edits and correct typos unless requested. This is also muy annoying.

I hate to repeat it but my friends: never read a script so you can put it down and then feel better about yourself. Say it with me. NEVER read a script with that attitude. Why? It’s bad karma and it will come back to you like a boomerang and whack you upside the head. And at least as importantly, reading with a superior or authoritative attitude deprives you of the learning experience built in to giving feedback.

Good feedback is kind, thorough and timely. It is professional and focused. It leaves the writer feeling challenged to do better but great about their strengths. Even if that just means the location they chose was cool. Give your feedback relative to the skill set of the writer. Never lie or obfuscate. Just serve it up gently.

Ask questions of the material rather than dictating your own concepts. Giving the writer your own ideas only derails or co-opts the writer’s creative process – and in my view, this is a huge trespass. It isn’t your script. If the writer wants brainstorming they’ll ask for it. Even then lead the writer toward realizations or ideas. Part of the process of becoming a better writer is revving up your brain with all those juices and problem solving yourself. Writing by committee is the fast track to obsolescence. Even if you think you're helping by making very specific suggestions (unless requested, I can't stress that enough - it happens) really you are hijacking someone else's material and it's just not cool.

Go forth now, Rouge Wavers – go forth and give feedback. Make me proud.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

WGA Field Trip

So the other day, in an effort to enjoy the freaky, global-warming spring weather of 90F in LA in mid-March, I actually left the Wave Cave and made a field trip that has long been in the offing. I and a friend went to the WGA Foundation Library. Angelenos know exactly where it is: on Fairfax, right across from CBS and the Grove. I have driven past it a million times and tut-tutted myself that I should go check it out. Rouge Wavers – I finally did.

The WGA is like the Emerald City to me; an almost sacred, magical place. I imagine earning my points, becoming a member and enjoying all the benefits of recognition, respect and health insurance. I imagine having my picture up on the walls by the other writers, or having my script pages bound in leather with gilt lettering. Some fine day.

The library is small but absolutely fantastic. You have to get a locker in a very tiny locker room to store your backpack or purse; the only thing allowed in with you is your laptop, pen and paper, basically. The librarians are very helpful and even have a candy dish of “lucky brads” which they encourage you to help yourself to. The brads are donated from produced scripts so of course the Wave-inatrix had to scoop up some. When I visited there were about four writers working – again this is not a big library, people. But the collection of scripts – feature and television – is really something to see. Row upon row. In the television section I saw everything from Welcome Back Kotter to Seinfeld to The West Wing, Ugly Betty and Lost. They have everything. Ditto the feature film section. The scripts are filed alphabetically and it is just amazing to see every script from just about every feature film you can imagine.

There is a computer station at which you can look up just about any script or movie and if you’d like to see the movie, you jot down the number, give that to the librarian and you are then seated at another computer with headphones behind a glass partition where you can view the movie. So you could go to the WGA, read the shooting script for AMERICAN BEAUTY and then watch the movie. And this is not to mention that the library also has shelves and shelves of books and magazines on the topic of entertainment writing; everything from plays to scripts to television specs.

The WGA publishes what is in my opinion the best magazine on screenwriting called Written By. Stacks of the magazine lie near the bulletin board and visitors may take an issue or two. One helpful librarian, upon answering some of my questions about the TV script collection told me that he knows which are the best TV spec scripts to be writing right now and he can tell this from the number of writers that request them. He is a barometer for what’s hot and what’s not in the TV spec world. According to him,

Good Comedy Spec Shows:

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
30 Rock
How I Met Your Mother

Bad Comedy Spec Shows:
Ugly Betty
Earl
The Office

Good Drama Spec Shows:
Heroes
Dexter
The Riches

Interesting information. From the horse’s mouth. More or less. At any rate, if you live in the LA area, I strongly urge you to make a pilgrimage to the Mecca for writers in Hollywood – the WGA Foundation Library. If you live out of town, perhaps you can put it on your list for an upcoming visit.

The library is open Monday through Friday from 11am to 5pm and Thursdays 11am to 8pm. The last Friday of every month is closed to the public so be aware of that.

The library can be reached at 323-782-4544 and the web address is: www.wgfoundation.org

So head on down, Rouge Wavers, to the thrilling and solemn shrine of great writing and take in the mini-tour, feast your eyes on some amazing scripts and don’t forget to grab some lucky brads. And don’t forget your laptop; someday your scripts may just be on one of those bookshelves.

Can You Actually Write There?

Yes. I have friends who like to go write at the WGA Foundation Library but I am also told the Santa Monica Library makes for excellent writing and there is also the Office, in Santa Monica. The Office is pretty fancy-schmancy and you do have to have a membership but for kicks, check the website: www.theofficeonline.com

I am told that at the Office you can rub elbows with A-list writers. Plus you can drink coffee while you write – beverages are prohibited at the WGA Foundation Library. I keep saying “Foundation” between WGA and library because the librarian stressed that the WGA does not actually own the library – the library was a donation and guilds cannot accept such large donations and – boy she went off on a tangent. So okay, nice librarian lady.

Here’s an article from Written By about cafés in Los Angeles that make good writing spaces:

http://www.wga.org/writtenby/writtenbysub.aspx?id=1532

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Coverage Reports

At the top of a coverage report there is a form each reader fills out. In that form appears the title of the script, the name of the production company evaluating the script, the name of the executive assigned this script, the name of the agent and agency of the script’s provenance, the genre of the script, the era the script is set in, how many pages are in the script and the name of the reader. Phew.

Next appears the logline and for most companies, under that, a comment summary or “brief”. The brief is usually culled from somewhere within the coverage comments and is a quick – or brief, get it? - summary of the reader’s thoughts on the material. Here is a real brief altered slightly for confidentiality’s sake:

This espionage action/thriller is full of (sort of) exciting scenes and an abundance of technical knowledge but has a rather boilerplate feel to it; the bad guys could be replaced with Saudi’s, or even the East Germans of yesteryear and the same story could be told. Scratch that – has been told. A mundane plot combined with characters that are two-dimensional does not raise this script above the rest of the crowd.

The executive will probably stop reading the coverage right about here. There are other circumstances that might make the exec read the synopsis or more of the comments and that might be something like: he or she had been really excited about the premise and are curious why the reader clearly didn’t like it. Maybe the script came highly recommended and they just have to read more about why it apparently sucks so much. But in general – the review of the coverage would probably stop right after reading that brief. Not all briefs are this negative, obviously. Here’s a more positive one, again altered slightly for confidentiality:

A powerful mostly true story, XXXXX tells a tale which many of us may not have known. And that’s a problem. King XXXX is a monarch of such distant times past that most of us have never heard of him, making it difficult to connect to the material. There is nary a negative thing to say about the script itself, this is top drawer work by top drawer writers; the story of friendship and betrayal in such dark times is compelling. In fact, the script is a real learning experience. Therein lies the rub - the material is a bit academic.

Now that’s a better snapshot of how an executive then will decide whether to read the whole coverage. Hmm. The material is dull. But the company was looking for a historical epic, how dull is it? The reader says the writer is top drawer and there is a story of friendship and betrayal. Maybe with casting and a great director this dull, educational script will actually become an entertaining movie. And so the exec will make their own call on that. The reader’s work here is done.

The next thing to appear on your coverage is the grid. Down the left hand side is:

PREMISE
STORYLINE
CHARACTER
DIALOGUE

And across the top we have: Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor

Most grids look alike. Some substitute “premise” for “idea”, some use “narrative” not “storyline” and some have a box for “originality” and for “budget” (ratings being high, medium, low). Most readers try to avoid rating something “poor” – it’s kind of mean. “Fair” is bad enough, believe me. And many readers will avoid giving out “excellent” like candy. It has to be pretty excellent.

Next on the coverage comes the biggie:

RECOMMENDATION FOR PROJECT:
RECOMMENDATION FOR WRITER:

It’s unusual but not entirely unheard of to have a consider project and pass writer. More often, pass both. Sometimes, pass project consider writer. This means the script was written very well, but the material is not exactly up the company’s alley. But the writer really is quite gifted and might be a fit for assignments coming up. The writer’s “voice” was in keeping with the company. This is entirely a judgment call on the reader’s part. Which is intimidating at first, for readers. What? Little old me decides the fate of this script and this writer at XXXX production company? Yep. Production companies hire readers with care and because executives are so busy, they trust that a “pass” is indeed a “pass” and that a “consider” is a “consider”. One way a reader can get weeded out very quickly is if they give two many considers or recommends. Because this means the exec will now not only read the coverage carefully but the script as well. And if the exec disagrees – I mean, really disagrees, then the reader may get a talking to about just what “consider” means for this company. The standards are incredibly tough. When I first began reading, I gave “considers” a bit too easily and yes indeed, I got called on the carpet. Not fired, just told that I needed to be much tougher. That was all I needed to hear. Readers need to cover their behinds because giving a “consider” is tantamount to putting your reputation on the line as a reader. You may be asked to explain why the script got the rating you gave it. Now, that wouldn’t happen for a “pass”, that’s the thing. A “pass” is a “pass”. Why? Because there is just too much material floating around to warrant a second look at a “pass”.

Next on the coverage report comes the synopsis. Different production companies have different ideas about how detailed the synopsis should be. In general, for a standard script, the synopsis shouldn’t be more than 3 pages or so. The emphasis on detail is in the first and third acts of the script. The set up and the resolution, in other words. Executives want to know what happens but they also want to know how it happens. Readers try to write synopses as accurately as possible and as entertainingly as possible. If we loved the script, we want the synopsis to reflect how great the story is. If we hate the script, the synopsis will be a bit dry. The entertainment value of the synopsis is in direct relationship to the entertainment value of the script. Usually we write the synopsis both from memory and with the help of notes or highlighted pages.

Next comes the “Comments” section and this is usually fairly short – maybe a page to a page and a half. The brief already said, right up front, what the reader thought of the script. The comments will back up the overall recommendation of “pass”, “consider” or “recommend” and is organized like this:

First paragraph: a brief overview, always starting with something positive then segueing into a very polite laundry list of why the script got the rating it got. So that first paragraph might read something like:

An inventive take on the childhood of an influential rocket scientist raised in the 50’s is written playfully and with a lot of heart. Unfortunately, the script falls short of its potential; soft premise, two-dimensional characters and a fuzzy narrative make it impossible to really get wrapped up in the plotline and logic issues trouble the script.

Okay I just made that up on the spot. But you get the point. Now the comments will back up each negative comment, in order, with examples. The final paragraph will just summarize the reader’s take once more. It’s a classic, high-school paper way of setting up your argument, backing it up with examples and wrapping up with a summary.

Here are some of the elements that readers evaluate when they read the script – mind you, they would absolutely not be listed like this in a coverage, but this is more or less the check list. And please note, the way these elements are discussed is not academic or scientific, but rather from a pretty basic point of view: was it entertaining, did it make sense?

Premise & Genre: Premise might be soft, or it might be really original. The genre may or may not be what the company is looking for.

Narrative/Structure: The narrative is how the story is told; is it original and fresh? Does the writer have a great “voice”? Is it paced well; is it a page turner? Structure isn’t often referred to as such; writers with repped scripts that made it all the way to a production company don’t often have trouble with structure but it happens. Mentioning poor structure in a coverage is an absolute kiss of death for the writer and the script. Bad or missing structure means this writer is not ready for prime time.

World: Did the writer establish a “world” for the script that the reader believed? This is more likely to come up in a fantasy, sci-fi or slapstick comedy script but not exclusively so. World is not usually mentioned in a coverage unless the writer has some pretty big “buys” that the reader – well – didn’t buy because it didn’t make sense in the world.

Conflict/Stakes: Did stuff happen to drive the story forward? Was there a sense of building conflict and tension? Was there something hanging in the balance in the end that made the reader really care about getting to the last page to see what happened?

Characters/Dialogue: Coverages will almost always mention character work – whether it is really great or really awful. A writer who can write great character and dialogue is probably going to get a “consider” writer even if the premise is not for the company at the time. The ability to write great characters and dialogue is the brass ring for aspiring writers. If you do nothing else well, you could still build a career off of this talent. Thing is, it tends to go hand-in-hand with other screenwriting skills, so don’t go trying to be some kind of character-savant.

Scene work/Action Lines: Oh man, if you have to note this stuff in a coverage, that’s bad. Again, just as structure, above, this falls under basic execution of craft and here’s the thing – if the execution is good, it becomes invisible. If it’s bad – then I have to note that your page or scene work sucks as do your action lines. Death knell for script. Bad page work basically means sloppy, cluttered pages, overlong scenes, dull scenes, typos, misspells, inactive scenes and sequences.

Logic: Stuff just didn’t add up.

Theme/Tone:
Theme and tone may not always be mentioned, only if the theme is really beautiful and timely. Great themes in scripts are often a little invisible; it just really affected the reader with a sense of universal resonance. There is a connection with the material on a subconscious level. It’s a little ephemeral. When you read the script and when all is said and done, no matter how big the action sequences, or how scary some of the set pieces were, if you are left with the feeling that none of it really mattered – that’s because theme was not in the building. Tone will usually only be mentioned if it’s uneven. If tone is appropriate there’s no need to bring it up. This means that if you have written a bouncy little romcom and then you have X-rated sex scenes, I will be pulled out of the story – because the tone didn’t match. Of if you have a horror script with a long, romantic, upbeat romantic sequence. This could work. Or it might feel like some script pages got mixed up and I’m in a new story now. This would be a tone (and narrative) problem.

When I do my consulting as the Script Whisperer, I bear all of these elements in mind; it depends on the writer. A real beginner I might actually make a laundry list so the writer has a sense of how they did in each area. For a writer with more experience, I will only point out and dwell on the elements that are problematic. It’s really a writer by writer decision.

Production company coverages are a distinctly different beast than a story analysis for a private client. Prodco coverages are bottom-line oriented and not about hand-holding or getting into too much detail. Prodcos do not care how the writer got to the bad place; they simply want your work gone. Alternatively they don’t care how many years you’ve worked to get to this beautiful place, they simply want to buy your work. It’s not personal.

Consultants multi-task. We want you to know how your work would be received at a production company so you have a snapshot of how you compare to other writers, but we also want you to be at a whole new level of your writing through this experience. So we do hand hold and we do care. That’s why I like doing private consultations so much more. I have a stable of writers who are outrageously good and do trot scripts in for reads where and when I can. A slew of my clients are going to kill in the competitions this spring. I can feel it. And even the more beginning writers I work with end up feeling pumped and inspired to do better next time.

Reading for a production company is easier in a sense; it’s cut and dry. No strings, it’s not personal. But sometimes it is a little heartbreaking because you can see how hard a writer tried. But it’s not personal. Ouch.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

The Information Generation

God knows on the heels of a blog about time management, it seems ironic to post something about getting online and staying informed, but Rouge Wavers, keeping informed about what’s happening in the business should be part of your daily commitment to your writing career. Rouge Wavers are a savvy bunch – hey, you found the Rouge Wave, right? But here are a couple of resources I find really helpful and entertaining:

www.Hollywoodwiretap.com is a daily newsfeed; sort of a thumbnail best-of so you don’t have to read through every page of Variety or the Hollywood Reporter which is expensive, time consuming and sometimes tedious. Think of wiretap as information served up quick and dirty for writers on the go, movers and shakers, the double latté generation, i.e., Rouge Wavers.

Also, www.mediabistro.com where today I saw this listing:

Freelancing for Public Radio - March 17 in Los Angeles
Learn how to get your stories on shows like All Things Considered or This American Life.


How cool does that sound? I have wanted to get something on NPR for a long time. This American Life is going to the small screen on Showtime later this month or in April, I believe. Not sure how it will translate; I love radio, personally.

Also on Media Bistro.com today -

Eisner Seeks to Reprise Role of Content Guy on the Web (LAT)
Michael Eisner is making entertainment again. The former Walt Disney Co. chief executive said his Tornante Co. will shoot 80 episodes of a new series called Prom Queen, each lasting just 90 seconds. The series will start showing online April 2 at Vuguru.com, YouTube and Veoh.com, a video sharing service in which Eisner is an investor.


I think the growth of YouTube and similar outlets for filmmakers to experiment with is really exciting. I have a friend who worked on Spiderman 3 with Sam Raimi and he said one day on the set, a young, pierced, tattooed kid was visiting; looking at the monitor right over Raimi’s shoulder and when he asked who it was, the AD told him it was a kid who’d made a 2 minute zombie movie on YouTube. Someone saw it, showed it to Raimi and Raimi invited him onto the set for a visit. WOW. It’s a whole new era and the Eisner article above is that era writ large. It’s a big, fat gilded invitation for you writer/directors out there looking to break in.

I also noticed a very intriguing resource in Script Magazine (which, if you haven’t checked out the hard copy relaunch under the aegis of Final Draft, you really must) which is a diagram of the various aspects of a writer’s life. It’s free and you can find it at www.Scriptwriterslife.com.

Rouge Wavers with other resources so share, feel free to comment. Writers have to stick together; networking and sharing information is a significant component in the writer’s survival kit. That and little bottles of vodka and cans of Red Bull.

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Monday, March 12, 2007

Time Management

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven.....

Rouge Wavers, are you like me? Do you find yourself overwhelmed, overtired and frustrated? Do you find yourself wondering why you haven't worked on your script for a week or even a month? Do the obligations in your life leave you feeling hog-tied to a water buffalo?

We can overcome. With time management. Recently I tried something absolutely revolutionary in my world: ignoring my email. Or rather, more accurately, I put myself on a program in which I only check my email every two to three hours. I turn off the email and make it a no-fly zone until two hours have passed.

I find that often my time is very splintered; the phone, the email, the doorbell, the siren call of the internet....Calgon take me away! I am fortunate enough to work from my home but those who work in an office environment suffer the same distractions and then go home at the end of the day and try to carve out a precious few moments of whatever day is left and find themselves just too tired to do it.

When I set aside blocks of uninterrupted time to work - on anything - I am amazed at how much I can really get done. I have a dear friend who works out every day at the same time. Come rain, shine, deadlines or stress - his workout time is non-negotiable. He does it because it's important for his health. Many of us impose similar schedules; we drink our eight 8-oz. glasses of water each day, we take vitamins, wash the dishes, take out the trash on Wednesday night but for some reason, writing goes out the door. Rouge Wavers - it shouldn't.

Many writers trying to break in - the vast majority - have day jobs which take up all day five days a week. So writing time is at a premium and it takes a lot of dedication to sit down at the computer when you want to sleep in or when someone is asking you to vacuum.

I am not suggesting a vacuum-rebellion, far be it from the Wave-inatrix to endanger your home life. I am merely reminding us of what we know is so true: for writers, the act of writing is succor; it is a creative haven, an outlet and almost a physical need. It isn't selfish to set aside the time to do it, it's necessary - not just for your mental and emotional well-being, but also in order to be continuously in the act of growing your inventory as a writer and business person.

The thing we love the most should not be the first thing to go out the window. Make time to write. Manage your time effectively and make writing a priority. Doesn't necessarily matter what you write. Just write every day. Whether it's your script, a letter, a journal or a blog - write. Keep that brain working and do not let anyone tell you that it's selfish or self-centered or anything else. Build writing into your daily or weekly schedule as a non-negotiable commitment to your career and to your craft. Even if all you can give is thirty minutes a day late at night when everybody else is in bed - do it.

Raymond Carver used to come home from his day job, sit in his car in the driveway and write for a few minutes before he rejoined his family inside. Now that is dedication. So let's collectively pledge to make writing an important priority each day; even a few minutes counts. Block off the time and don't judge how much you write or the quality of it. The very act of making writing a priority just put you ahead of your competition and brings to mind that old saw: writers write. Apply butt to chair. Take no enemies and make no apologies.

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The Perception Gap

You finish your script and you are en fuego – convinced that the script is going to change the landscape of film forever. The premise is extraordinarily unique, the characters rock and the dialogue is, well – you’re working on your Oscar speech, suffice it to say.

That fired up, passionate feeling is wonderful. And you need to really hang on to it, for that is the fuel that we writers need to keep going sometimes. That and high-octane coffee. But some writers, usually newer ones, run hard up against a terrible truth: No, their script really isn’t that great. And boy does it suck the wind right out of them. More experienced writers are often very neurotic. They are unsure their script is any good at all. In fact, it must suck. Through bitter and painful experience, they have learned not to overestimate their work because they have been struck down too many times by idiotic agents, self-indulgent actors or pure bum luck. Don’t count your eggs until they’re hatched. I don’t think this is a healthy space to be in either.

People often say – and I am one of them – that the horrible quality of scripts that flow into production offices is staggering. And it is. But that is not your competition. How can you get anywhere as a writer if you say – well, my script is not as horrible as most horrible scripts? That is no measure. Do not fall into the trap of comparing your script, career or talent against anyone else’s. Neither be too cocksure that the script is the next APOCALYPSE NOW nor be so neurotic that your incredible script lies fallow because you are sure it just can’t be that good.

Take a realistic view. Yes, there are tons of really bad scripts. Abysmal, even. But for every fifty really bad scripts gathering dust in an office somewhere, there is a really terrific writer nipping at their heels. A talented writer who has worked and studied hard. A writer who has invested time and energy into the craft. They might be from Nebraska, they might be from LA. But they are here, they are sending their scripts in and they are going to kick butt and take names.

Readers like to complain and joke quite a lot about the quality of scripts that we read. I’m guilty of it too. It’s much less sensational, however, to talk about the few really great ones we read. Not A-list great, but all hyperbole aside, promising as all get out. You haven’t heard these writers names, but they are out there, they are winning competitions, and they are the next generation. That is your competition.

Aspire to be part of the next generation. Be realistic. Maybe your script is totally terrific. Have you done your due diligence? Taken classes, read books, gotten feedback? Well then maybe you are right. Just don’t get too cocky; you surely aren’t the only one. Take the middle road. Respect your competition but also believe in yourself. I know I’ve said this before but it bears repeating: it generally takes having written several scripts before you write a truly competitive piece of material.

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Friday, March 9, 2007

What Does "Narrative" Mean in a Coverage?

What is the difference between narrative and structure? Well, structure is the spine upon which the story is hung. So that makes the narrative the flesh. Ew. All right let’s get a little more Joseph Campbell: structure is that good old-fashioned, old-as-time system of telling a story with markers that divide moments and acts so that the story resonates for us on a very primal, subconscious level. We’re talking about cave drawings around the campfire old.

Not all scripts, manuscripts or oral traditions follow exactly the same structure but we do know beginning, middle, end is a must. We know that certain guideposts make the story more satisfying. Think of Uncle Figgis and how he tells you about his vacations in such a droning way that you actually cross the street when you see him coming. What if Figgy were to punctuate his stories with reversals, cliffhangers and unexpected twists? Well, let’s just say he’d move up the table at Thanksgiving.

So, what is narrative? Narrative is the delivery system for the story or another way of putting that is- the way the story is told. Narrative refers to pacing, voice, style and certainly genre. The narrative should be a beautiful mountain range with peaks, valleys, sunlight and shadow.

The number one problem I see among newer writers is a flat or linear narrative. A linear narrative is one in which a chain of loosely connected events follow one another until we chug to Fade Out. Many screenwriting gurus and teachers have compared the trajectory of a script to a rollercoaster. And an apt comparison that is – perfect in fact. Newer writers often find themselves with something more closely resembling a moving sidewalk. We just sort of slowly motor past a series of tableaus that don’t add up to anything.

Think of that rollercoaster; that slow ratchet, ratchet, ratchet to the top of the hill until our necks are craned skyward and we are filled with anticipation. Now the rollercoaster lets loose and off we go, hanging on for dear life. Dips, curves, straight-aways and loops keep us thrilled and keen participants.

So what can a writer do to identify whether their narrative is flat? Well, it is important to remember that each scene is connected to the one before it and the one after it – there is a causality as we bump from one scene to the next. And that causality will be part of a build. Even slow build movies accomplish this; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is a great example of a slow but effective build; we know the family has got to get to California on time or they will miss the beauty pageant.

It is important to know what you are building toward: is it the big Thanksgiving dinner (HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS) the meteor streaking toward earth (ARMAGEDDON) or a simple beauty pageant? Everything builds in a direction of catharsis and resolution.

Characters in movies are driven toward something, inevitably. And as they get nearer to the ordeal or goal or challenge they will face, scenes begin to compress so that a sense of urgency begins to infuse the pages.

Review your scenes and sequences and ask yourself: what is happening in this sequence? Flip to the next scene and ask: …and how did it affect this scene? …and the one after that? Are the conflicts and stakes rising as you page through your script? Your scenes should start to get shorter, action should start to move faster. There should be a sense of movement.

It is my theory that newer writers fall into the “Well, I thought it was cool” trap. They will write a sequence or scene that entertains them but that does not serve the story. Never forget that the story is the master and the writer simply the humble water boy.

If you were to draw a graph of your story, using dots to mark where scenes hit really high or really low notes, would there ultimately be a chart showing rising tension? There better be. A flat, linear narrative is an absolute death knell for a script. Even if you have great characters, a boring narrative is sure to sink the ship. Right into the dancing rouge waves. No question about it.

Chart your scenes and look for a pattern of rising conflict. Look for moments that plummet your character very low then raise them very high. Be merciless; are the scenes, even your favorites – active enough to justify themselves?

Keep very much in mind the rollercoaster versus the moving sidewalk. It is sometimes so hard to be objective about your own work; scenes that thrill you may not thrill someone else. This is why I suggest getting out a red pencil and literally graphing the conflict and making sure your narrative offers us a many and varied topography. Don’t just show us things happening; characters must be at cross-purposes so that rising conflict paints us a picture of light and dark, fast and slow – a mountain range that ultimates in a satisfying ending.

One fun way to really nail your understanding of a kinetic, causal narrative with highs and lows is to think of a funny, strange or odd chain of events that happened to you recently. Think of it – you set the scene: So, we had just gotten off the plane in Jamaica. You add an “inciting incident”: Then we discovered our luggage was lost! Maybe a little complication: And we couldn’t pay the cabbie so we had to walk! Add some suspense: So then we were walking along, right? Past donkeys and fruit vendors and tin drums when you wouldn’t believe what we saw! Nice cliffhanger. Woody Harrelson! Sitting there playing the tin drums….and so on.

We all do it, we tell stories all the time. About our day, our vacation, our date. And when we tell stories, we maintain eye contact, we gesture with our hands and we pause for effect. We become animated because it is greatly validating and satisfying to watch the listener respond joyfully – for them to GET IT. How many times have you trailed off wistfully, seeing the listener is really not into it, and said “I guess you had to be there.”

Whether it is on the page or in person, when you tell a story, exploit it for maximum comedy, fear, grossness or whatever. We are all story tellers; it is our primal inheritance. Do it and have fun. Don’t be intimidated by the black and white of a script page. Think of it the same way – keep your audience hooked. Make them turn the page quickly – what happens next? Don’t let yourself become the crazy old lady with sideways lipstick, fuzzy hair and a cat who everybody avoids because her stories are so boring.

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Thursday, March 8, 2007

Younger Writers versus Older - Who Has More to Say?

I have seen my share of message board arguments about whether young writers have anything to say versus older writers. The young types point out that youth rules Hollywood and that older writers are by definition cobwebby and embittered. Older writers point out the average age of a WGA member is 40 and that young writers are all piss and vinegar but have nothing to say.

Rouge Wavers know that the Wave-inatrix reads an awful lot of scripts. By young and old. Male and female. (Oddly, mostly male but that’s another blog). And I have this to say: bullshit.

I believe everybody has something to bring to the table. I won’t even weigh in on the side of older writers because obviously more life experience imbues a writer with perspective that a younger writer just doesn’t have. But I do believe that older writers (and by older I mean over 40) need to get off their dusty high horses and understand that young writers have a whole lot to say too. Yes, they break the rules, yes, they imagine sometimes that which feels foreign or disturbing or totally crazy and I say – bring it. I love it.

The only time I see young writers fail miserably in scripts is when they highly overestimate their talent and grossly underestimate the work that goes into becoming a decent screenwriter. Youth being what it is, this is not an uncommon occurrence. But as far as age and lack of experience, young writers bring a bite, a passion and an imagination to the table that is formidable.

Younger writers have quite a bit to say. They have grown up living with the mistakes of the generation that came before them. Like the groundswell of a wave, younger writers create what is new in this world as a reaction to what came before.

When you are 25 years old, there is nothing you think you can’t do. And that, dear readers, is amazing. Younger writers have the world at their fingertips and their imaginations roam over a landscape of possibility that older writers begin to shut themselves off from.

I say that writers are writers and we need not have silly in-fighting about who has more to say. We have different things to say when we’re 45 versus 22. One does not obviate the other.

Each end of the spectrum has pitfalls and advantages. I encourage young writers to be aware that age 22 is a bit young to write a coming-of-age story; they haven’t quite come of age yet themselves. And I remind older writers to take risks in their writing but moreso – to respect and encourage young writers. You were there once too. So you thought you had the world by the tail and you were wrong. Get over it. Make room for the new.

In my opinion, that Hollywood is a youth culture is exaggerated. Hollywood is a money culture. You write a movie which will make money – you’re in like Flynn. Yes, the clubbers and celebrities are young but we don’t care about them. The only way an older writer can blow it in the room is to be pompous and out-of-touch; to judge today’s culture as somehow inferior to what was going on in “their day”. Yes, that will shut down your meeting rather quickly because what it says to an exec is that you have stopped growing.

Older writers can sometimes feel threatened; why haven’t they made it by now? Everybody has a unique path. You get there when you get there.

Younger writers want to be a sizzling hot, instant success. Newsflash: the instant success is a myth at any age. You get there when you get there.

It’s not a competition. Well, it is, but we should be inspired by our competition, we should draft off of each other and not in fight. Writers need to support other writers.

Young writers – I love you. You rock. But remember, as impatient and passionate and excited as you are, the writing life is a long and circuitous path. Your entire life does not ride on this one script. Slow down, take a deep breath and get out from behind the computer a bit more. Older writers, relax, the young un’s aren’t swiping your work or stealing your opportunities. If they write stories that shock or upset you – ask yourself why that is. You are good enough, smart enough and gosh darn it, people like you. Screw ‘em. You haven’t lived the life you’ve lived to get sidelined by some brilliant 25 year old. That kid might just inspire your next idea. Or marry your daughter but that’s another blog.

Nothing wrong with being young and needing to grow – but there is everything wrong with being older and having stopped. Stop worrying about age and get back to work.

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