Imagine the above image is your story. The number of triangles represent the number of possible solutions for a problem in the story. Now imagine that you have to search through every triangle to find the precise one that fixes that aspect of your story. That's what writing feels like. At least to me. Most … Continue reading Looking at a story from every angle: And why writing can be so frustrating
by Ann Marie Williams © 2021 Writing takes time. Simple, I know. But I didn't realize I hadn't fully accepted this until last year when I quit agonizing over how long it was taking to fix aspects of my story. Once I accepted that it would take a while, I started making breakthroughs far quicker … Continue reading Writing Takes Time
Think through your script: is there a moment where the audience would say, “Now’s a good moment to get more snacks”? If so, probably a good idea to revise (or delete) that part of the script.
by Ann Marie Williams There comes a time in (I'm guessing) every writer's journey, where they simply hate the story they are working on. Everything about it seems terrible. And the "I've never been any good at writing" monster of doubt creeps in. However, just because you're at a point where you hate your writing, … Continue reading Hating your writing…
by Ann Marie Williams © 2020 When you receive a critique, it's helpful to determine which comments pertain to one or all of the following: The story (the vision you have for your story — this may or may not be accurately conveyed on the page). The page as it’s written (the story that’s on … Continue reading Dealing with Critiques and Rewrites: The Story, The Page, The Theme
by Ann Marie Williams In an earlier post, I discussed the importance of being honest with yourself about your writing. But even if you're able to be objective about your own writing, the one thing you can never do is experience your story for the first time. Sure, there's the first time you read through your … Continue reading Dealing with Critiques and Rewrites: The First Read
by Ann Marie Williams When you receive a critique, it's helpful to determine which comments therein pertain to one or all of the following: Your story (the vision you have for your story — this may or may not be accurately conveyed on the page). Your script as it’s written (the story that’s on the … Continue reading Dealing with Critiques and Rewrites: The Script, The Story, The Theme
Except from Screenplay Competitions: Tools and Insights to Help You Choose the Best Screenwriting Contests for You and Your Script by Ann Marie Williams © 2019 Finding the best version of my story often means having to delete beloved parts from my script. For the sake of the story, I’ll have to sacrifice a beautiful … Continue reading Rewriting Tips: Save, Delete, Test
Except from Screenplay Competitions: Tools and Insights to Help You Choose the Best Screenwriting Contests for You and Your Script by Ann Marie Williams © 2019 As a screenwriter, you need to be aware, not just of the pacing of your story, but also of the pacing of your script. The two should be the … Continue reading Writing Tips: Conveying Story and Pacing
Except from Screenplay Competitions: Tools and Insights to Help You Choose the Best Screenwriting Contests for You and Your Script by Ann Marie Williams © 2019 It’s important to realize that you don’t have to take every suggestion from every critique you receive. However, if you find that you’re disregarding all your critiques, then it could be because you’re too … Continue reading Dealing with Critiques and Rewrites: Try to Find Something Actionable in Every Critique You Receive
Except from Screenplay Competitions: Tools and Insights to Help You Choose the Best Screenwriting Contests for You and Your Script by Ann Marie Williams © 2019 A fundamental skill you need as a writer is the ability to be honest with yourself. No critique, including your own, will ever be as effective as it could … Continue reading Dealing with Critiques and Rewrites: Be Honest with Yourself
Screenplay Competitions 