One Size Fits All Screenwriting

Good morning, Effers! The sun always rises on Just Effing! First of all, a huge thank you to Effer Dan Wasserman, who took the train through the Chunnel from Paris to London to see me today. AND he brought pastries! Dan has officially raised the bar! I don’t know if cupcakes’ll do it anymore, guys!

Wonderful Claire Duffy, a longtime reader and a first time workshop participant here in London sent me the most hilarious link – it was such a coincidence, as at the London workshop I had been talking about how SUPER specific methodologies for screenwriting are (for me) confusing and a little one-size fits all. I try to offer customizable mechanisms that writers can choose from, make their own or make into paper airplanes if they wish.

It is important to learn about lots of ways of looking at screenwriting but also important to remember that anything you learn should be in service to YOU – not enslave you with academic, jingoistic, silly acronymic or otherwise one-size-fits-all baloney. You can use index cards – or you can buy software that emulates them. You can understand basic structure and how it fundamentally works, or you can label structure infinitely and create lots of cute little names for each plot point. Whatever works FOR YOU.

Do not become a serf in the Save-the-Menage-a-Sell-Your-Script-in-60-Seconds-For-Emotional-Impact world. Learn, learn, learn, then chuck it and write.

Oh and get those short scenes in for the Paramount, Agent, Jelly Fish competition, folks!

And that’s all she wrote as she glanced wearily at the clock and noted that it’s quite late. Off to Bristol tomorrow to lecture at the University! And see Kodjo!