I have been blessed with a few great stories in my life . One kinda came to me the other day - and I think it would make a great movie ...

Some of my "stories" are autobiographical ... and some are just stories that I have changed and added onto from real life etc ...

Have you ever gotten serious about writing them down , etc . I have started writing a few stories however I never follow through (admittedly my achilles heel) ... and therefore they just sit .

I remember reading a "creative writing " book a few years ago and one of the big phrases on the pages were "WRITING IS AN ACTIVE VERB" ... meaning that good writers just always write ...

I have a few "contacts" which I have seriously thought about pursuing such an endeavour and I just thought I would put it out there ... has anyone here thought about it ... in a serious manner.

A few years ago I was surprised that one of my best high school friends actually had a manuscript he was shopping around and after reading it - I was quite surprised how good it was ... and how much time he must have put into it ...

Just curious about online sites ... and help sites ... for this also . If anyone has any experience with such things ...

Yes, I wrote some stories a long time ago, with PEN on PAPER, *NOT* on the computer. I still harbour vague ambitions about getting a publisher, but I hehe, haven't tried getting one yet!

Amazon has a Kindle Direct programme, or something like that, whatever it's called, you could try that.

I'm currently writing a novel now, and the process has been exhilerating, exciting, frustrating, humbling, and empowering.

Using spell-check is killing me.

I've written 3 screenplays, for no other reason than simply the joy of writing. For me it's okay if they never see the light of day in front of another pair of eyes, particularly as they are inspired by real time events and real folks in my rather eventful, kooky life.

Yes! I've got two screenplays I've always wanted to write. I'd better get to it!

Plus, the short story I wrote concerning my victory over the frogs was a lot of fun to write. I should have submitted it to some publication.

i admit - the "ideas" i had in the past .... kinda just have been sitting there .... as I go through this life and work , family etc ...

I remember reading or hearing about certain websites that are devoted to this - was wondering if anyone ever used one or knows what I am talking about ?

.

[Edited 4/15/14 20:51pm]

Yes. A movie script or a book.

But I honestly don't know where to start nor do I think I would be a particularly good writer. I just have an idea for an interesting story.

great comments . thanks .

cborgman -that is inspiring . So neat that you followed through with it ... and how it was inspired byt the ORg ... in your story - i hope the org is mentioned a few times ! I watched Iron Man over the weekend and I always laugh because they say "senator stern" a few times - Garry Shandling's charactor is named that because the guy who did the movie (director) is a huge howard stern fan ...

JustErin - thats kinda why i started the thread - cus i dont know where to start, etc. AND i feel i need some inspiration ... to channel some good thoughts , etc ...

I've gone through a few "spurts" of inspiration that get me to write stories (aimed towards either a novel or screenplay) but then after 2 or 3 chapters I lose all interest in it and let it die.

I must have about a dozen "stories" like that.

ColAngus said:

I have been blessed with a few great stories in my life . One kinda came to me the other day - and I think it would make a great movie ...

Some of my "stories" are autobiographical ... and some are just stories that I have changed and added onto from real life etc ...

Have you ever gotten serious about writing them down , etc . I have started writing a few stories however I never follow through (admittedly my achilles heel) ... and therefore they just sit .

I remember reading a "creative writing " book a few years ago and one of the big phrases on the pages were "WRITING IS AN ACTIVE VERB" ... meaning that good writers just always write ...

I have a few "contacts" which I have seriously thought about pursuing such an endeavour and I just thought I would put it out there ... has anyone here thought about it ... in a serious manner.

A few years ago I was surprised that one of my best high school friends actually had a manuscript he was shopping around and after reading it - I was quite surprised how good it was ... and how much time he must have put into it ...

Just curious about online sites ... and help sites ... for this also . If anyone has any experience with such things ...

Funny you should ask...

I'm balls-deep in a screenplay.

If you have any questions, orgNote me and I'd be delighted to try and answer them! Here's how I work:

1. Outline. I forego a "beat sheet" and head straight to...

2. Make a Final Draft* doc. for each scene.

3. Dump ideas and/or dialogue into each scene., as they occur to me. Worry about straightening them out/polishing, later.

*In case you didn't know, Final Draft is a screenwriting software that's very standard in the industry.

imago said:

the process has been exhilerating, exciting, frustrating, humbling, and empowering.

Using spell-check is killing me.

ColAngus said:

I watched Iron Man over the weekend and I always laugh because they say "senator stern" a few times - Garry Shandling's charactor is named that because the guy who did the movie (director) is a huge howard stern fan ...

Jon Favreau.

I also use my SpeakEasy voice memo app constantly. Spit the ideas out when they come to me, then transcribe them into the appropriate scenes when I'm near a keyboard.

.

[Edited 4/15/14 20:50pm]

Ace said:

ColAngus said:

I have been blessed with a few great stories in my life . One kinda came to me the other day - and I think it would make a great movie ...

Some of my "stories" are autobiographical ... and some are just stories that I have changed and added onto from real life etc ...

Have you ever gotten serious about writing them down , etc . I have started writing a few stories however I never follow through (admittedly my achilles heel) ... and therefore they just sit .

I remember reading a "creative writing " book a few years ago and one of the big phrases on the pages were "WRITING IS AN ACTIVE VERB" ... meaning that good writers just always write ...

I have a few "contacts" which I have seriously thought about pursuing such an endeavour and I just thought I would put it out there ... has anyone here thought about it ... in a serious manner.

A few years ago I was surprised that one of my best high school friends actually had a manuscript he was shopping around and after reading it - I was quite surprised how good it was ... and how much time he must have put into it ...

Just curious about online sites ... and help sites ... for this also . If anyone has any experience with such things ...

Funny you should ask...

I'm balls-deep in a screenplay.

If you have any questions, orgNote me and I'd be delighted to try and answer them! Here's how I work:

1. Outline. I forego a "beat sheet" and head straight to...

2. Make a Final Draft* doc. for each scene.

3. Dump ideas and/or dialogue into each scene., as they occur to me. Worry about straightening them out/polishing, later.

*In case you didn't know, Final Draft is a screenwriting software that's very standard in the industry.

everyone has their own process, but that's not a bad one.

i tend to:

outline

rough draft linearly, while editing as i go.

finish the rough draft, test it on readers.

take the feedback, and start condensing (i tend to have characters prompting each other in the rough) and deleting.

send first draft to readers, rewrite, table read with actors.

take all of the feedback, and use it for second draft.

i work suprisingly linearly. i envy that you dont

I wrote my first short story in 2nd grade. I named the main character "Brock".

cborgman said:

ColAngus said:

cborgman -that is inspiring . So neat that you followed through with it ... and how it was inspired byt the ORg ... in your story - i hope the org is mentioned a few times ! I watched Iron Man over the weekend and I always laugh because they say "senator stern" a few times - Garry Shandling's charactor is named that because the guy who did the movie (director) is a huge howard stern fan ...

this is gonna sound really egotistical to say, but... no.

no, because if the cycle does hit, i would like to not have crazy fans following me onto the org. i'd rather keep orging quietly

When I was younger and trying to sort out what I was going to do with myself, a lot of my family & friends told me that I should be writing, doing something creative, mainly because I’m something of an eccentric (that’s the nice way of saying it) with a habit of throwing out random comments that sometimes make people laugh (but that just as often make people give me wonky looks and mutter ‘christ, this guy is fucked up’).

I never even considered doing that, because I just can’t imagine having the kind of discipline required to take an idea and craft it into something coherent and structured enough that someone could read it and have something approaching a satisfying experience. What I did end up studying was difficult, and I had to work hard & be disciplined & put long hours into it, but the path I took was laid out and I could clearly see the end game. Actually being able to write a well-constructed piece of fiction is a whole other world of difficulty that boggles my mind, & I have great respect for anyone who can do that even passably. I do occasionally enjoy trying to write argumentative things, though.

[Edited 4/2/13 4:17am]

cborgman said:

Ace said:

Funny you should ask...

I'm balls-deep in a screenplay.

If you have any questions, orgNote me and I'd be delighted to try and answer them! Here's how I work:

1. Outline. I forego a "beat sheet" and head straight to...

2. Make a Final Draft* doc. for each scene.

3. Dump ideas and/or dialogue into each scene., as they occur to me. Worry about straightening them out/polishing, later.

*In case you didn't know, Final Draft is a screenwriting software that's very standard in the industry.

everyone has their own process, but that's not a bad one.

i tend to:

outline

rough draft linearly, while editing as i go.

finish the rough draft, test it on readers.

take the feedback, and start condensing (i tend to have characters prompting each other in the rough) and deleting.

send first draft to readers, rewrite, table read with actors.

take all of the feedback, and use it for second draft.

i work suprisingly linearly. i envy that you dont

I don't know if that will always be the case. But, for this idea, that's the way it's happened.

What do you mean by "I tend to have characters prompting each other in the rough"?

Yes, I want to write a book.

I don't know where to begin and I would def. need support during the process.

So, time for a let's write a book thread?

Ace said:

cborgman said:

everyone has their own process, but that's not a bad one.

i tend to:

outline

rough draft linearly, while editing as i go.

finish the rough draft, test it on readers.

take the feedback, and start condensing (i tend to have characters prompting each other in the rough) and deleting.

send first draft to readers, rewrite, table read with actors.

take all of the feedback, and use it for second draft.

i work suprisingly linearly. i envy that you dont

I don't know if that will always be the case. But, for this idea, that's the way it's happened.

What do you mean by "I tend to have characters prompting each other in the rough"?

again, everyone has their own process, but...

my process is rather like hemingway's process: i cant write sober.

when i try and write sober, i end up becoming rather OCD, and spending an hour constructing, obsessing over, and reconstructing the same 3 or 4 lines for hours. i also tend to end up making those lines sound really wooden and cold, cause i rework them to death from a grammar nazi's view.

so, i adopted hemingways model "write drunk, edit sober" and adapted it a little. i take a few hits of weed off my pinch-hitter, and write, and it FLOWS. i dont get high, i just get relaxed. i tend to be a rather guarded and inhibited person when i am sober (bad childhood), and the weed melts my inhibitions.

after a few hits on my pinch-hitter (which holds a pencil eraser sized amount of weed), i get really in the mood and mode of writing, and i just let it flow. whereas sober, a few lines takes me an hour, writing slightly stoned i can turn out page after page after page, typing almost in real time to the thought coming to my head. then, i edit later when i am sober.

as i am just letting it flow from my fingers, it tends to be rather stream of consciousness on the page, which is great for the dialogue. every little pause, every little nuance gets recorded. if the though process stops, i stop typing, thus the character stops speaking. often i will have the other character prompt the speaking character to continue, as it's my conscious mind prompting my subconscious mind to continue.

so in the rough draft, i end up with a lot of one character letting down their guard, and letting something out. then they stop, and get prompted by the character who is listening.

a lot of the early part of editing a script for me is taking out all the unnecessary prompting. sometimes it is necessary, especially with characters who are more guarded. sometimes, it's just my conscious mind prompting my subconscious, and those tend to get removed.

sometimes that works though. one of my lead characters is a VERY guarded and shy individual. he gets written as such, with a lot of small inner-sentence beats as he thinks about what he is about to say before he says it, and has to be prompted correctly to reveal anything that would make him feel exposed. ironically, he is also the character with the biggest heart and endless, unquestioning love, but he's cautious.

dJJ said:

Yes, I want to write a book.

I don't know where to begin

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

cborgman said:

Ace said:

I don't know if that will always be the case. But, for this idea, that's the way it's happened.

What do you mean by "I tend to have characters prompting each other in the rough"?

again, everyone has their own process, but...

my process is rather like hemingway's process: i cant write sober.

when i try and write sober, i end up becoming rather OCD, and spending an hour constructing, obsessing over, and reconstructing the same 3 or 4 lines for hours. i also tend to end up making those lines sound really wooden and cold, cause i rework them to death from a grammar nazi's view.

so, i adopted hemingways model "write drunk, edit sober" and adapted it a little. i take a few hits of weed off my pinch-hitter, and write, and it FLOWS. i dont get high, i just get relaxed. i tend to be a rather guarded and inhibited person when i am sober (bad childhood), and the weed melts my inhibitions.

after a few hits on my pinch-hitter (which holds a pencil eraser sized amount of weed), i get really in the mood and mode of writing, and i just let it flow. whereas sober, a few lines takes me an hour, writing slightly stoned i can turn out page after page after page, typing almost in real time to the thought coming to my head. then, i edit later when i am sober.

as i am just letting it flow from my fingers, it tends to be rather stream of consciousness on the page, which is great for the dialogue. every little pause, every little nuance gets recorded. if the though process stops, i stop typing, thus the character stops speaking. often i will have the other character prompt the speaking character to continue, as it's my conscious mind prompting my subconscious mind to continue.

so in the rough draft, i end up with a lot of one character letting down their guard, and letting something out. then they stop, and get prompted by the character who is listening.

a lot of the early part of editing a script for me is taking out all the unnecessary prompting. sometimes it is necessary, especially with characters who are more guarded. sometimes, it's just my conscious mind prompting my subconscious, and those tend to get removed.

sometimes that works though. one of my lead characters is a VERY guarded and shy individual. he gets written as such, with a lot of small inner-sentence beats as he thinks about what he is about to say before he says it, and has to be prompted correctly to reveal anything that would make him feel exposed. ironically, he is also the character with the biggest heart and endless, unquestioning love, but he's cautious.

Interesting! I don't do drugs and I rarely drink (definitely not when I'm writing). But Seth Rogen seems to be high all the time and he and his writing partner have certainly had great financial success.

imago said:

I'm currently writing a novel now, and the process has been exhilerating, exciting, frustrating, humbling, and empowering.

Using spell-check is killing me.

Let me guess.

The front door is half open. The man stands in front of the door, walks a few steps towards the garden fence. He turns around and walks back to the door. He stands in front of it for a while. Contemplating.

i just wanna say I love this thread ... and it will motivate me ... and yes I will bounce ideas questions on you guys ... cus that is what org notes are all about !

(well that and perving ... )

Ace said:

dJJ said:

Yes, I want to write a book.

I don't know where to begin

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

I prefer "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times..."

"Blurst?"

No... I used to write songs...

By the way, does the Org no longer recognize double spaced lines?

Just double spaced this mf'er...

Triple-spaced this one...

4 spaces now...