(Written before my news yesterday)
I went back to study the small print on the Scriptmarket website even more closely, and discovered another discrepancy: the main text says 400 words but the form says 250 words. Sigh. I have asked for clarification. But as I was sitting on the train I thought I'd have another go.
My attempt to get inspiration from what other people had written as a synopsis of Monsters didn't really work either. I couldn't get it short enough - not even down to 400 words, let alone 250.
Something I read ages ago about writing treatments (I completely forget where I read it) suggested that one approach is to imagine you're starting with "Once upon a time" and go from there.
So I wrote "Once upon a time there was a girl called Chloe..." and off I went. And finished 230 words later. The problem is always what to leave out because it's only a full treatment that has everything. I can be vicious with my editing but my training tends to stop me completely removing things, hence the limit on how short I can make the synopsis.
Working from the other end, and using the "Once upon a time..." method, helps focus on the protagonist alone and alone including those things directly relate.
So I'm a slightly happier bunny.
What's on the turntable? Not a thing, the boy is watching Pokemon on the TV
2 comments:
Sounds like a nice little idea that. I may try it when I come to doing the outline.
On a complete tangent I am currently having problems with the speed it takes to write things in general as I can only seem to write all my stories on paper first and then transfer them to the computer.
I find that if I work from the computer I always edit things rather than just letting it come out...ARG.
It is more time consuming.
Charles
Try doing ScriptFrenzy you don't have time to edit.
But personally I'd just say - do what comes naturally. I tend to edit as well. It just is what it is.
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