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10 Tips on how to Write a Powerful Screenplay. Created by Filmmaker, Deborah Shariff Founder of The TeleVision, Film Producers & Artists Association Website: www.tfpaa.com Fax: 707 248 2701 Phone: (cell) 857 389 6426. Tip 1 Screenplay Writing. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
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10 Tips on how to Write a Powerful Screenplay Created by Filmmaker, Deborah Shariff Founder of The TeleVision, Film Producers & Artists Association Website: www.tfpaa.com Fax: 707 248 2701 Phone: (cell) 857 389 6426 Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 1 Screenplay Writing BELIEVE IN YOURSELF • Anyone can learn the craft of screenplay writing but it takes belief in oneself to write consistently and know that your story is worth telling by having the public view YOUR MASTERPIECE! Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 2 Screenplay Writing HOW DO I GET THE STORY OUT OF MY HEAD? • By writing a treatment! Handouts Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 3 Screenplay Writing WRITE FROM THE HEART • Find your voice by writing about something that you are really passionate about. Tell them a story about screenplay writer Christopher Keane’s experience! Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 4 Screenplay Writing PATIENCE/CHARACTER • Having Patience is theKey word. There are many writers who give up because they didn’t walk the walk or have little or no character. • Mastering any art means that you must study your craft. (hand out reading list) • Read stories about successful screenwriters and find out about their journey. Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 5 Screenplay Writing COMMITMENT • This goes with Patience and Character, but we all know there have been lots of folks who succeeded without a lot of heart or commitment. (They knew someone) But for us, you and me, we gotta have the heart to go on every single day. Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 6 Screenplay Writing IMANGINATION • Make the time to sit back and use your imagination and picture your movie visually. • Remember movies are not novels or a theatrical play; Movies are moving images that are told with pictures. • Try writing what you see in your imagination. Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 7 Screenplay Writing THICK SKIN • Rejection after rejection can deflate your ego and make you feel like, just maybe this is not my calling. • You will get rejections, but those that persevere are the winners!!! Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 8 Screenplay Writing COLLABORATION • Writing a screenplay is an isolating career. Objectivity is important! • Join a writing collaborative and have other writers critique your work; like TFPAA (Give example of the Harvard Square Script Writers Group) Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 9 Screenplay Writing UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS • Writing unforgettable and memorable stories means writing about unforgettable and memorable CHARACTERS! • Name some of your favorite movies and then visualize the main character(s) in the movie. • List their characteristics; did they have flaws, what made you empathize with this character? Recommended book;Writing Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker
Tip 10 Screenplay Writing Give yourself permission to give up as long as it is only temporary! Get out of the house You need to experience life in order to fill that well of knowledge, emotions, and experiences that you can tap into and use in your writing. It takes more than creativity or imagination to be a writer. It requires that you hurt a little, bleed some, and heal over time. It requires that you live a little… and smell the roses!! Deborah L. Shariff - Educator/Filmmaker