A great way to challenge yourself to be more creative is by asking yourself what if your hero or heroine could go back into their past, define and then change one thing that has prevented them from achieving their dream? How would your story change? You might find an amazing twist or an unexpected ending, like the one in the film, Back To The Future. In which Marty McFly hates his life because he is tarred with the same brush as his "loser" father George, who in the present is still being bullied by Biff, the same person who did so when his father was a school child. Marty blames his father George for his own failure as a musician. What happens to get the story started is that Marty has the chance to rearrange his future by getting sent back to the past.
While in the past, in order to make sure his parents to fall in love so that he can be conceived, Marty succeeds by getting his father to stand up against Biff. Because Marty has actually changed history, from having a father who’s a wimp, to one who is a hero, when he returns to the present, Marty discovers that his father has become the successful and confident man Marty always wanted him to be. Marty is then able to realize his own dream of playing his guitar at the prom. By allowing your character to actually change their history, it naturally changes their present and future.
I'm not suggesting that you actually use the idea of going back to the past in your script. Instead, take the idea as a game of the imagination where you borrow this concept as a process to help you improve and deepen your own original conception of your main character.
Here's the simple 2–step technique:
I teach writers to borrow a basic principle from Actor's Craft, which is to think of ourselves as the primary character in their story. Stanislavski, the great acting teacher wrote "Behavior is Character." If we understand what we would do in such a situation, we can then know what our characters would do.
Step 1. Ask yourself to think about the one major thing in your life that you would have like to have changed because you feel it has interfered with you achieving your goals in life. This could be a sports injury, a love affair, or something closer to Marty's problem with his dad. If this hadn't happened, where would you be today? How would your life be better or worse, the same or different?
Step 2. Now, set a timer for 15 minutes and writing as your character, create a monologue about what you, as the character, would have altered if you could have gone "Back To The Future." Write out what actions you would have taken to change the past and then write about how your life (as the character) changed as a result. For example, if your character were Marty, you might have written, " If only I could have changed my dad. So I went back to the past and found a way to change my father' s life by getting him to fight the bully. As a result, my father has become more confident and successful and so have I." It is helpful to go into a little more depth when you’re writing than I have in this example, but you get the idea.
By imagining how your main character wants to change his or her past, you will add depth to your character and improve your script.
Good luck and happy writing,
Marilyn Horowitz
www.marilynhorowitz.com
P.S. Please join me for tomorrow night's FREE screenwriting teleseminar "Analyzing Back to the Future with The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting."
How to Enter the Free Teleseminar:
STEP 1 - On FEBRUARY 24th, at 9:15PM E.S.T. Call 1-218-936-7999
STEP 2 - You will then be prompted to enter in a 6 digit ACCESS CODE. That code is 383302
STEP 3 - The message will then read back the ACCESS CODE you entered, if it is correct press #
STEP 4 - The message will then ask you to say your name at the tone, speak your name and press #
DONE!!! YOU ARE IN THE TELESEMINAR !!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
What if your hero could travel back in time?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Cure For the Valentine’s Day Blues
In a past post, I referred to the "Mean Reds." But this is a good day to focus on another color... the blues. Some people want to just forget about Valentine’s Day but instead why not turn it on its head and do something for those people who are usually forgotten. Try to do something nice for:
The mailman
Elderly neighbour who seems to be alone
Old teacher who inspired you
A homeless person
Your dog (not your cat)
Kiss your plants
Family member
Doorman
Housekeeper
Your waiter
Cleaning lady
Someone who has experienced a loss
Someone in the hospital
Someone in a Senior Centre
Monday, February 9, 2009
What is your character's weapon of choice?
While preparing for tomorrow's teleseminar, I found myself contemplating what makes a character who they are. When writing your story, a powerful way to get a handle on the soul of your characters is to consider the tools they use to get things done, whether it's to find strength, get back to Kansas, or fight the Empire.
Popeye had spinach. Dorothy had the ruby slippers. And of course Luke had his lightsaber. We can think of their tool as a symbol that represents the essence of their character.
In my writing method, The Horowitz System®, we focus on developing character first. A core technique is to draw a simple stick figure picture of the hero or heroine and his or her family, and to attribute a symbolic object to each character.
In Star Wars, Luke's parents are gone, so you might draw a stick figure of his aunt, a housewife, holding a pot, and his uncle, who is a farmer, riding a tractor or holding a pitchfork. Then you would draw Luke as a stick figure with his lightsaber. A question for pondering is whether to draw Darth Vader in that picture, as Luke does not yet know Vader is his father.
This technique often gives writers surprising insights into their main characters. Try it for your obstacle or villains as well!
FREE Screenwriting Teleseminar (STAR WARS)
My third FREE Screenwriting Teleseminar is at 8:45pm tomorrow (Tuesday, February 10, 2009). I will be discussing how to apply The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting to Star Wars.
For complete details, please CLICK HERE.
I hope you will be able to participate.
Directions How to Enter the Free Teleseminar:
STEP 1 - On FEBRUARY 10th, at 8:45PM E.S.T. Call 1-218-936-7999
STEP 2 - You will then be prompted to enter in a 6 digit ACCESS CODE. That code is 383302
STEP 3 - The message will then read back the ACCESS CODE you entered, if it is correct press #
STEP 4 - The message will then ask you to say your name at the tone, speak your name and press #
DONE!!! YOU ARE IN THE TELESEMINAR !!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Writing the Treatment
Tomorrow I will be presenting a seminar entitled "Writing the Treatment" for the OTF in New York City. I hope to see you there.
WRITING THE TREATMENT - Marilyn's FIRST LIVE Seminar of 2009!
DATE: Saturday, February 7, 2009
TIME: 12:00-1:30pm
LOCATION: ArtMar Training Institute, 60 W. 71st Street, #1A, New York, NY 10023
PRICE: $30 for OTF members; $35 for general public.
EVENT DESCRIPTION: This rarely taught skill is invaluable both for the creation of new material, to analyze and improve current scripts and a compelling way of getting your ideas read. The treatment can be more difficult to write than the script so let Marilyn show you a foolproof method for writing a strong treatment every time. REGISTER NOW at: otfrsvp@yahoo.com
LISTEN to a FREE audio sample of the seminar.
BUY a DVD of "Writing the Treatment".
READ a FREE copy of Marilyn's article "The Treatment"
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
How to Write a Screenplay in 10 Weeks at The Writers Store
Just a quick note to let you know that my book is now available at The Writers Store. I've recommended them to my students for years as a great place to buy script resources and it's so exciting to see my own book among the titles. A big thank you to Dana (and all of my other friends there) for including me.
The 5 Principles of Screnwriting
Dear Friends & Students:
I love to teach because the process of helping writers realize their screenplays and novels is thrilling. As a writer myself, who has made every mistake at least twice, I love helping writers past the pitfalls and challenges and watching them create their stories.
In my "Finish Your Script" class, my students spend the 9-week session writing a first draft or working towards a final one. In each session, we complete a full draft, and students often repeat the session until they have completed their final draft. There is equal pleasure for me in seeing a student get the story that's in their head out on paper, as when they eventually finish their final draft.
During each session, I pair up each student with one of their fellow writers and it's the partner's job to help the other make dates to write, etc. Also having someone to brainstorm with who knows your story is a tremendous boon. The biggest thrill for me is when I discover that my students have continued to collaborate for years.
Here are the 5 Principles of Screenwriting my students use to finish their scripts fast:
1) When you begin, create for yourself first. Be your own first fan.
2) Don't get it right -- get it written! Just get it down on paper, warts, missing parts and all.
3) All good writing is rewriting. So get that first draft written.
4) Tell the story from beginning to end. Never get caught up in what you don't know yet! Just keep going.
5) Make appointments to do the work. And stick to them.
Looking forward always,
Marilyn
http://www.marilynhorowitz
VISIT http://www.marilynhorowitz
for FREE Screenwriting TIPS, EXERCISES and ARTICLES!
MARILYN HOROWITZ offers classes and consulting services for screenwriters of all levels. REGISTER TODAY and FINISH YOUR SCREENPLAY!!!
WRITING THE TREATMENT - Marilyn's FIRST LIVE Seminar of 2009!
DATE: Saturday, February 7, 2009
TIME: 12:00-1:30pm
LOCATION: ArtMar Training Institute, 60 W. 71st Street, #1A, New York, NY 10023
PRICE: $30 for OTF members; $35 for general public.
EVENT DESCRIPTION: This rarely taught skill is invaluable both for the creation of new material, to analyze and improve current scripts and a compelling way of getting your ideas read. The treatment can be more difficult to write than the script so let Marilyn show you a foolproof method for writing a strong treatment every time. REGISTER NOW at: otfrsvp@yahoo.com
LISTEN to a FREE audio sample of the seminar at http://www.amazon.com/s/re
BUY a DVD of "Writing the Treatment" at http://www.marilynhorowitz
READ a FREE copy of Marilyn's article "The Treatment" at http://www.marilynhorowitz
APPLYING THE FOUR MAGIC QUESTIONS OF SCREENWRITING TO STAR WARS - FREE Teleseminar!
DATE: Tuesday, February 10, 2008
TIME: 8:45pm EST
LOCATION: FREE Telephone Seminar (TELESEMINAR) is available to everyone (everywhere!)
PRICE: FREE!
EVENT DESCRIPTION: Join award-winning NYU professor Marilyn Horowitz for a FREE 45-minute teleseminar. In this cutting-edge class, Marilyn will use the classic film Star Wars and her revolutionary new method of structuring a screenplay to help you structure your script. These techniques were first presented at the 2008 Screenwriting Expo. Whether you are beginning a first draft, or rewriting a current script, these powerful ideas will help you move your work to a whole new level. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit: http://www.marilynhorowitz
THE CREATIVE BUSINESS OF SCREENWRITING - Marilyn's 1st NYWIFT Seminar of the Year!
DATE: Thursday, March 12, 2009
TIME: 6:30-9pm
LOCATION: NYWIFT, 6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200 New York, NY 10016-0112
PRICE: $35 for non-members
EVENT DESCRIPTION: This informative seminar will show you how to accurately assess the market for your script, who the players are, and what you need to do to establish contacts and productive working relationships. You'll learn to write a great logline and query letter, how to make better industry contacts and pitch to them effectively on the phone, in print and in person; and how to protect yourself legally, tax-wise and story-wise. The workshop includes a complimentary workbook. SIGN UP NOW at: http://www.nywift.org
LISTEN to a FREE audio sample of the seminar at http://www.amazon.com/s/re
BUY a DVD of "The Creative Business of Screenwriting" at http://www.marilynhorowitz
HOW TO WRITE YOUR BEST ACT II EVER - EXCLUSIVE to NYCScreenwriter.org!
DATE: Saturday, March 28, 2009
TIME: 3pm
LOCATION: 400 W. 43rd Street, Ellington Room, New York, NY
PRICE: $15 for NYCScreenwriter.org members
EVENT DESCRIPTION: Many screenwriters agree that the "long middle" of the screenplay is one of the hardest parts about writing a script, and is usually the difference between writing a an original, professional quality, commercially viable screenplay versus a 60-minute story with filler. But now, in this intensive two-hour seminar, exclusive to NYCScreenwriter.org, award-winning NYU professor and writing coach Marilyn Horowitz, will teach you her revolutionary method of writing a compelling Act II and how to:
-Dramatize and expand the basic conflict of Act I
-Approach the action of Act II as a nightmare that leads your main character to a new adventure by employing the perfect plot points for your genre
-Maximize the action and sustain momentum throughout your screenplay
-Build a plot that is organic, original and easy to rewrite
JOIN THE SEMINAR TODAY at: http://nycscreenwriter.org
FINISH YOUR SCRIPT! - JOIN Marilyn's PRIVATE CLASS!
DATE: April 1, 2009 (Wednesday class) or April 2, 2009 (Thursday class)
TIME: 6:30PM
LOCATION: ArtMar Training Institute, 60 W. 71st Street, #1A, New York, NY 10023
PRICE: $725
EVENT DESCRIPTION: Get across the finish line. Whether you've got a polished first draft, a project that's been sitting on the shelf, or you're about to launch a query mailing, this class can help. In-class exercises delve into analyzing producer notes and coverage, solving long-term structure and character issues, and improving dialogue and pacing. At the end of 9 weeks, Marilyn will read each script and provide a FREE detailed 45-minute script consultation (a $900 value). Applications for the winter semester are now available. ONLY THREE SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE - REGISTER NOW at: http://www.marilynhorowitz
