August 16, 2017

Playwriting vs. Screenwriting: What's the Difference?

August 16, 2017/ Emma Welsh

To many people, a play and a movie are strikingly similar in how they tell stories. In fact, many plays are adapted into movies almost seamlessly, it’s a wonder the two aren’t interchangeable.

However, if you are someone looking to write a play or a movie and you’re not sure which to pick, just randomly selecting to write a play because you think it will be easily adapted into a movie is not only a poor idea, but will limit your creativity as a storyteller.

July 03, 2017

What You’re Forgetting in Your Screenplay – Worldbuilding

July 03, 2017/ Emma Welsh

When it comes to worldbuilding, I must admit, I usually neglect it, be it on this blog, where I rarely even mention it, or in my own screenplays. Instead, I'm all about characters and getting them "right" so that often I completely forget to think about the world.

For a while, I assumed this was okay and that I was just writing in "reality" – especially for my films. But after reading Morgan's article of worldbuilding I came to quickly realize that all of my favorite movies have a deep layer of worldbuilding, I just wasn't seeing it! In fact, I was often mistaking this worldbuilding for "style."

June 21, 2017

The Number One Thing Every Screenplay Needs to Stand Out in the Industry

June 21, 2017/ Emma Welsh

Most articles on screenwriting will tell you that to write a script that stands out in Hollywood, you’ll need an addicting plot or solid conflict – though some may even say all you need is some explosions and you’re good to go.

June 14, 2017

6 Reasons You Haven't Started Your Screenplay Yet

June 14, 2017/ Emma Welsh

As writers, it is easy to live in the clouds and never start writing. We can sit around imagining about how things will turn out, envisioning an end result that is highly appealing, but when it comes to putting in the work, suddenly we freeze up and get stuck.

June 07, 2017

5 Scenes to Add to the Second Act of Your Script

June 07, 2017/ Emma Welsh

Without a doubt, writing the second act of any type of story is incredibly difficult, but writing the second act of screenplay is often even harder simply because every single scene must count. There is no time for dawdling plots or loitering characters – everything must either move the plot forward or reveal information about the character.

May 24, 2017

How to Plan and Write Your First Screenplay in One Month

May 24, 2017/ Emma Welsh

One of the greatest benefits of writing a screenplay is how quickly you can start and finish a script. This is the case because of the way screenplays are formatted, the words per page being much shorter than they would be in a novel, but also how the pages themselves are spaced. As a result, planning and writing a solid screenplay draft in one month's time is not only doable but far less stressful of a process than it would be to write a novel in that time.

May 17, 2017

How to Find the Opening Shot of Your Screenplay

May 17, 2017/ Emma Welsh

Every screenwriter knows the pressure of getting the opening shot of their screenplay just right, but a lot of times it feels like guesswork. We write what comes to mind and hope that it feels right, then edit it later again and again until we are satisfied with the opening image.

May 10, 2017

How to Learn the Screenwriting Format and Rules

May 10, 2017/ Emma Welsh

One of the number one things that intimidates people about screenwriting is the format and the rules. As a result, many people who have always wanted to write a script may avoid doing so simply because they don't want to deal with the perceived learning curve that comes with the storytelling medium.

May 03, 2017

3 Myths You Probably Believe About Screenwriting

May 03, 2017/ Emma Welsh

If you're a prose writer, someone who dabbles in short fiction or novel writing, then you might have also thought about writing a screenplay. The idea can seem appealing, especially when you think about adapting your own novel into a movie one day to ensure that the story translates perfectly, but for one reason or another, you haven't yet attempted to write your first script.

April 19, 2017

How to Write Your First Short Film

April 19, 2017/ Emma Welsh

As a writer, it takes a lot of courage to try something new. Not only are you facing another blank age, but you also have to deal with doing something you aren't sure will turn out right.

This means that mustering up the motivation to actually write in a new medium like screenwriting can be very difficult, even with tons of resources on how to write a screenplay as a newbie.

November 02, 2016

How to Write a TV Pilot

November 02, 2016/ Emma Welsh

Television is having a big moment right now, perhaps even more so than movies. With fantastic series on Netflix, HBO, AMC and so forth, it seems like television writing is the place to be. And why not? Unlike with films, writers rule television. Plus, television writing offers a regular paying job, perhaps one of the few in the storytelling world, where most of us work "freelance" (if we work as a writer at all).

October 19, 2016

How to Treat the Camera like a Character

October 19, 2016/ Emma Welsh

One of the major things I think is neglected in screenwriting lessons is the discussion of a narrator. By contrast, when people learn fiction writing, this is almost always brought up. Perhaps it's because for film, when we think of narrators we think of Woody Allen films where he provides information for us via voice-overs or Ferris Bueller's Day Off when he looks at the camera and talks to us. While there are technical film terms for these devices, there is rarely discussion about the other types of narration within the medium, such as omniscient or close-third.

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