by Dean Orion
•Is there a specific place earlier in your story (preceding the crisis point) that is not quite as solid as you thought? Take a good look. This is probably the root of your problem.
•Are you remembering to breathe?
5. Tuning In the Radio
Things to Remember:
•All original stories exist in a perfect state as thought forms that are separate from you. Listen and tune them in like a radio signal.
•Begin with research. This is the soundest foundation you can set for your process.
•By taking the time to build a foundation of research, crisis moments are less likely to occur.
•Be a passive channel of information while you research, taking lots of notes without editing yourself. Let the ideas flow without judgment.
•Transcribe your notes at the end of your research period. Creating this Notes Document allows you to kick off your project without ever having to stare at a blank page.
•Create a Concept Document from your Notes Document. Avoid the temptation to rush into the outline or the first draft.
•Structure your story by writing the scenes on index cards or a whiteboard so you can view them as separate moments, rearranging them as necessary.
•Begin your outline by writing down all the scenes you have so far. Get all your ideas on the table without worrying about getting the story right. Your process will naturally fill in the blanks.
•Describe the scenes in your outline without actually writing them. Your outline is a road map, not the final product.
•Note deeper character motivations and other important story points in your outline. The deeper you dig, the more material you will have to work with.
•Once you’ve figured out most of your story structure, write all the scenes down on one or two pages of a legal pad, using one line for each scene, then skim the story to see if it flows.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What is the backdrop of your story and how can you learn more about it?
•Which websites will tell you more about your story’s larger world and help you develop important details about your characters? Identify and print relevant materials. Bookmark the sites for future reference.
•Which books are available that will educate you about your story’s world and its characters?
•Do you know anyone who is an expert in a field that will help you tell your story? If so, arrange to interview them and record their answers.
•How would you describe your story to someone in just a sentence or two? (Logline)
•What are you trying to say with this story? (Theme)
•What does the voice of the piece sound like? (Tone)
•Who inhabits this world? What are their backgrounds, flaws, hopes, and dreams? What compels them to do what they do? (Characters)
•What is your basic story? (Story Summary)
•What previously published or produced works are close in genre, tone, and structure to your story? Make a list, then study and breakdown those works.
6. This Draft’s for You
Things to Remember:
•Don’t share your original story with anyone before you’ve written your first draft. Let it develop free from outside influence.
•The real reason you write is to experience the joy of expressing yourself. Never lose touch with this simple fact.
•No matter how much you’ve written in your life you must still start at square one each time, and make each story work in its own unique way.
•Every story you write is an exorcism, a way of freeing yourself from thoughts or feelings you can’t quite resolve any other way.
•The moment you give your script to someone else to read, you have given it to the world. There is no turning back.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•How is your life experience shaping this work? What’s going on in your life right now that you’re struggling with? What villainy, past or present, are you personally trying to overcome?
•How can you infuse the struggles of your personal life into your story’s main conflict? How can you infuse them into your main character?
•Have you done absolutely everything with your first draft that you set out to do? Don’t leave any stone unturned.
•Are you 100% sure that you’re ready to give your script to someone for feedback? Are you truly ready to let it be shaped by the common culture?
7. The Art of Giving Notes
Things to Remember:
•If you understand how to give good notes to another writer, you will have a much better understanding of what to do with notes, good or bad, when you receive them.
•Have a constructive attitude when giving notes to another writer. Make them feel that you are on their team.
•Always offer concrete ideas that writers can potentially use to improve their story. Don’t just identify problems.
•All writers need encouragement more than anything else, especially writers who are just starting out.
•It’s always easier to see flaws in other writers’ work than it is to see them in your own. Have some empathy and some humility.
•Giving good notes on a story takes work. Make sure you’re committed before you agree to take the plunge.
•Focus your notes on the “big idea” of the writer’s story.
•Focus your notes on the writer’s setups and payoffs.
•Focus your notes on the writer’s characters.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What is the writer trying to say? Is the message clear? If not, this is a great place to begin your note-giving process.
•What are the three most salient notes that you can give that “reverberate” with the theme of the writer’s work?
•If a moment in the writer’s story isn’t working, is there a moment earlier in the narrative that didn’t quite set it up adequately? Chances are, there is.
•Does the behavior of each character make sense for the situation?
•What does each character want in each scene?
•What does each character want from the other characters in the story?
•What does each character want on a deeper, subconscious level?
8. The Art of Receiving Notes
Things to Remember:
•Keep an open mind.
•Your story will never stop being told and is in a constant state of change.
•There is nothing precious about your story but its core message.
•Shape the notes you receive by asking follow-up questions and getting more specifics out of your note givers. Mine for gold.
•Always value your note givers’ opinions.
•Ignore the notes you don’t think are useable. Don’t waste time arguing about them.
•Choose your note givers wisely, according to their strengths and taste in material.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•Which notes apply to the core message of your story and which apply to specific details?
•Which notes support your core message? Which ones don’t?
•What follow-up questions can you ask that will help shape the notes into usable ideas?
•Are any of the notes from multiple note givers the same? Chances are those notes are valid.
•Are there any notes that felt right but that your note giver couldn’t quite articulate? What was their intuition trying to tell you? What was the note beneath their note?
•How invested in your success is your note giver?
9. The Art of Executing Notes
Things to Remember:
•Once you’re ready to start your rewrite, it’s time to tune out your note giver. The note giver has left the building.
•A major revision means there are significant changes that need to be made to the structure of the story.
•A minor revision may involve adding or removing selected scenes, but mostly entails revising action and dialogue within the existing structure.
&
nbsp; •Don’t be afraid to go back to the white board or the index cards to execute your rewrite.
•Be prepared to let go of every scene.
•Use a double-yellow-pad approach, writing down the current structure on one pad, and the new one on another.
•Be patient. Don’t start composing the new scenes until you’re absolutely confident with the new structure.
•Once you have your new structure, make a battle plan, describing within the body of your script how you are going to modify each scene.
•Consider giving your note giver the battle plan for more notes before executing the rewrite.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What is the scope of your rewrite? Is it a major or a minor one?
•How long do you think your rewrite is going to take? Make an estimate and see how accurate you are.
•Are there components (individual scenes or sequences) of your old structure you can use as templates for parts of your new structure?
•Is each modification you’re making consistent with your core message?
10. Writing Partners
Things to Remember:
•Being in a writing partnership is like being in a marriage. It’s an intimate relationship that needs to be based on trust, mutual respect, and commitment.
•The partner process takes time to evolve. You have to work at it.
•It’s usually best to be in the same room with one another through the brainstorming, concept, and structuring phases.
•Once you begin outlining, it’s easier to be in separate spaces, passing documents back and forth.
•Remain passionate about your ideas, but always be willing to compromise with your partner.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•Are you willing to give up creative ownership of the work and be a 50-50 partner in it?
•Are you prepared to negotiate every creative decision with your partner if necessary?
•Are you willing to sacrifice your own voice as a writer for the sake of the voice that emerges as a product of the partnership?
•What creative ground rules have you set for your process? Under what circumstances is it okay to rewrite your partner and vice versa?
•Are you dividing the workload equally? Try not to cross the 50-yard line too often.
11. Pitching Stories
Things to Remember:
•Pitching is a necessary evil. You must be able to express your ideas verbally as well as on paper in order to give potential employers confidence that you can do the job.
•The most important thing you’re selling when pitching a story is yourself. So pitch your personality.
•A pitch is a performance in which you are both the actor and the main character.
•Memorize your pitch, then perform it as though you’re saying the words for the first time, just like a good actor.
•Hone your pitch so you use as few words as possible. Try to make it no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.
•When pitching with a partner, figure out ahead of time exactly who is going to say what and when.
•Be open and flexible. Anything can happen once you get in the room.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What’s your natural storytelling style? Are you big and gregarious? Quiet and soft-spoken?
•How do you tell stories to your friends or family members in everyday life? Develop an approach that is similar.
•Is there a hook to your pitch you can use to start it off right? A personal anecdote, for example, or a metaphor that frames the theme of your story and sets the tone for the rest of the pitch?
•Which parts of your story can be edited out in your verbal presentation? Look hard at each beat as you rehearse and only include what’s absolutely necessary.
•Who are you pitching to? Have you pitched to them before? Tailor your pitch to receive the most favorable response possible.
12. Writing for Hire
Things to Remember:
•You need great writing samples in order to get work for hire, which means writing on spec is essential.
•When you work as a writer for hire there is no draft for you. It’s a we thing, not a me thing, from the very beginning.
•Your process is more important than ever when writing for hire. It’s the one thing you can always fall back on to get you through the rocky moments.
•When you work as a writer for hire, the note giver is always right.
•As a writer, there will always be some degree of tension involved in the relationship between you and your employer. It’s okay. Just accept it.
•If you’re taking a writing class, approach the work as if it’s a job. Don’t be a writing student, be a writer for hire.
•Always have a passion project going on in the back of the shop. It will feed your soul.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What can you do to make the working relationship with your employer as productive as possible?
•Which are the most important battles to fight with respect to the work? Choose wisely. You can’t win them all.
•How can you use your creative talent to solve any issue that arises between you and your employer, writing-related or otherwise?
•Which is better for the project (and for your career)—to be effective or to be right?
•If you’re a writing student, what are the ways in which you can effectively turn your class into a work for hire? What do you want to get from your teacher? From your peers? Write down some goals.
•How can you shape the notes you get in class into something that is consistent with your vision?
13. Art vs. Commerce
Things to Remember:
•Financial success and writing success are not joined at the hip.
•You can learn the business of being a writer. But you also have to be lucky to be financially successful.
•The best way to get lucky is to be ready when luck comes your way—which means having a great script in your pocket.
•Writing success = writer gene + process. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
•Only you know when you have achieved writing success.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What is the definition of financial success for you as a writer? Write it down.
•Have you looked at your overall writing process and identified places where you need to improve?
•What can you do differently on your next project, process-wise, that might help you overcome some of the deficiencies in your last one?
•Have you rewritten the story you’re currently working on as much as you possibly can? Do you know in your heart that it is as good as you can make it?
14. The Write Community
Things to Remember:
•To whatever extent possible, make every effort to surround yourself with a community of other writers throughout every stage of your career.
•Writers need other writers not just for moral support, but also for the exchange of energy and ideas.
•Your community of writers is your umbilical cord to numerous resources, potential collaborators, and representatives.
•Being part of a community of writers helps you express who you are as an artist.
•One of the best ways to cultivate a community of writers is to start or join a writing group.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•Do you know any writers who are as serious about writing as you are? Who are they? Make a list.
•Have you ever sat down and had an in-depth conversation about process with these writers? How are your processes different?
•Is there anything these other writers do that you might experiment with? Anything useful that you think you might be able to incorporate into your process?
•What aspects of your process can you share with them?
•Do you know five to ten other writers who might make a good writing group? Do you know of any existing writing groups that you
might be able to join?
15. Live to Write Another Day
Things to Remember:
•As creative storytellers, we are the cultural record keepers of our generation.
•Be the hero of your own story. Never give up!
•Don’t be afraid to fail. No great story was ever written by a writer playing it safe.
•Your voice is worthy of being heard, and the fight to make it heard is never in vain.
AFTERWORD
Interactive Media and the Future of Storytelling
Without a doubt, the most unique aspect of my entertainment career is that in addition to working in the traditional mediums, I’ve also worked in so many different quarters of the interactive media business and in so many different capacities. I’ve been a writer on numerous projects, as well as an interactive designer, a voice director, a producer, and a creative director. My many adventures have taken me from developing PC games (back in the days of CD-ROMs), to online games, to console video games (Xbox, PlayStation etc.), to interactive theme park attractions.
The common thread that’s allowed me to navigate these many worlds has been my ability to tell a story, my writer gene, coupled with the growing need these emerging art forms have for good storytellers. I want to be careful, however, not to mislead you into thinking that interactive media is a land of milk and honey for writers. The fact is, this is an industry that’s very much in its infancy, one in which technology is still ahead of creativity and, at the moment, employs writers in a variety of different ways, from copywriters to pure dialogue writers to writer/designers to narrative directors. There’s also no real industry-wide standard in terms of the format in which writers work. Unlike screenplays or teleplays, which pretty much all look the same, if you were to study five different interactive scripts, they would probably vary quite dramatically in how they look, how they’re structured, and how they balance creative content with technical design.