screenwriter's toolkit creative screenwriting exercises (Get the book for all 101 exercises)

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Editing Practice

10.08.2005 · Posted in Rewriting/Editing

Editing our own scripts is sometimes wrought with our own defensiveness and inability to let go of what we originally put on the page. Practicing with other scripts can improve our skills and help us see that no matter how done we think a script is, it can always use a little more work. Your ...

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Being The Writer I Want To Be

05.06.2005 · Posted in As A Writer

What internal or external forces impede your ability to write? Our capacity to understand and permeate these forces can build our power as a writer. The Exercise List 10 things that stop you from being the writer you want to be. Brainstorm three possible solutions for overcoming each obstacle on your list. Plan a date ...

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Feedback: Out Loud

06.28.2005 · Posted in Rewriting/Editing

The first time I had my screenplay read out loud, I immediately knew many of the things that had to change. Try it! Your Task: Get hold of a finished screenplay. Get a group of people (at least 2 others). Assign parts to each person and read the screenplay out loud. Finished? Now, have each ...

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Fear

05.13.2005 · Posted in As A Writer

Acknowledging our fears can release their grasp on our work. The Exercise  A mind map is a visual display of images and words that flow from one to the next. To create one, draw a circle in the middle of a piece of paper. Write your topic in that circle. This is the center ...

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Passion

05.06.2005 · Posted in The Idea

Sometimes, seeing where other people have taken an idea can inspire us with new ways to develop our own. Your task: Make a list of five things you are passionate about. Identify as many movies you can think of that cover the first item on your list. Do a 5-minute free-write with the starting sentence, ...

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Letting It Get to Me

01.15.2006 · Posted in Scenes

How do movies influence, change or effect us? How can 1 scene have so much staying power in our lives? I’ve seen it many times. Friends will refer to a specific scene from a movie to relate experiences in their lives. They’ll use scenes in movies to justify a decision. It goes on. Your Task: ...

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Tarrantino Exercise

10.19.2005 · Posted in Hal Ackerman, Writing Dialogue

Written/Contributed by Hal Ackerman 1.Open the phone book Yellow Pages to two random pages, and select two businesses. Move two characters from Point A to Point B by whatever means you invent. Invent a good reason for the journey. Reveal that intent skillfully. If it’s huge, understate it. If it’s trivial, exaggerate. 2. Pick one ...

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Editing for Character Consistency

12.28.2005 · Posted in Rewriting/Editing

Sometimes we get so into the challenge of finishing our screenplays that we forget to go back and make sure our characters have a consistent voice. Your Task: Read a screenplay that you or someone else wrote. Get into the mindset of one character and read it thinking of them. While you read, consider what’s ...

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Plot Device

05.06.2005 · Posted in Plot

A plot device is a person or object in a story that is used to advance the plot. Your task: Identify the plot and at least one plot device in 5 movies. ...

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The 3-Act Structure

10.01.2005 · Posted in Outline/Structure

The three-act structure has been one of the most influential tools for screenplay development. An understanding of its history and applicability is essential to the burgeoning screenwriter. The Exercise Write a four-page essay on the three-act structure. Where did it come from? What is it and how is it used? What are some of the ...

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