How to be a screenwriting success – Not just 10,000 hours part 2

A few days ago I talked about how Malcolm Gladwell focused on three traits of geniuses from Einstein to the Beatles – numbers one and two were that they loved what they did and that they were lucky enough to be able to work on what they loved for long periods, around 10,000 hours!

I promised to tell you number three.

Before I do, don’t underestimate the power of #1 and #2. I don’t think there’s a single successful artist of any kind who didn’t have a passion for their work, indeed wouldn’t have done if for nothing given half a chance. (Some of them, of course, had no choice!)

And nobody succeeded without putting in the leg-work – sheer hours on the page, reading, writing, networking, training to be better.

And all that is nothing without #3

Breaking the Rules

All great artists – writers, film-makers, musicians, etc – think outside the box. They learn the rules, and then they learn to master them and break them. They break them so effectively that they make new rules for others to keep.

To break the rules you need to know that there are three kinds of rules.

The breakable rules that others have made and that you can get away with if you know how. Check out your favourite films. I guarantee they’ll all break some rules (and keep others).

You’ll find subtle rule breaks and unsubtle: unusual characters, flashbacks, voice-overs, multiple story-lines, tricky openings, surprising endings, stylised dialogue, and many many more.

Ask yourself which rules they keep and which ones they break – and how they make it work. To break them takes skill: you need to know not only how they work but also why they exist, and how to avoid the pitfalls.

Then there’s the rules that you make for yourself, and may not even be aware of, and that you absolutely must break. What are you totally wedded to? What would you never ever do in a million years? What dreadful thing would happen if you broke these?

And finally the rules that are fatal to break. There are only a few of these, but breaking these will torpedo your script faster than, er, a torpedo…

But then maybe one day someone will break even those.

So, over to you – time to shatter your chains.

If you want to know how to master the rules, break the rules and make them for other people, then I dealwith breaking the rules in  all my workshops in particularly the Screen-PLAY three-day Summer School check out the next one, in London.

It’s one of my absolute favourites. We’ll be dealing with all the rule breaks mentioned above and much more. It will get your brain buzzing. Click here to learn more.

Go on – break some rules now. You have nothing to gain but your freedom!

More…

Tips from Linda Aronson

It was great seeing so many people last night at Euroscript for the conversation I had with Linda Aronson (writer and guru!) – she was in good form and full of useful advice on all kinds of screenwriting, including the importance of breaking the rules and knowing how to do it. If you keep reading, I’m giving two of her thought-provoking tips below. I was also delighted that she sold every copy of her book that she brought along – and the UK publishers are also having to reprint due to the demand. However you can still get the book online at less than the cover price – click here.

Tip #1 – Remember the Spark It’s important to have a great, enticing pitch, Linda said. However she sees hundreds of scripts where the writing doesn’t reflect the underlying idea. “Find where the central “spark” of the story is –  what is it that makes people’s eyes light up. When you’ve found it, make sure that spark is there in the script – all the way through”. If necessary, rethink the plotting or build up elements to strengthen that element. Tip #2 – Don’t be betrayed by your own talent! “Talent can be a big problem” she says. “A talented writer can make any scene, any dialogue, look good – superficially. However that surface may be concealing the fact that the scene actually doesn’t work.” She also knows many talented writers who only write to 40% of their ability – coasting rather than working to their fullest capability. Don’t be fooled by your own ability to write well – make sure that everything works 100% – push yourself, keep learning, training and improving. Like I said, her book The 21st Century Screenplay is selling out everywhere, but you can still order it online at less than the cover price by clicking here. If you’re interested, I’ve got more details about it in my book recommendations.

The 21st Century Screenplay

One of my all-time favourite screenwriting books has been Linda Aronson’s Screenwriting Updated – and now she’s updated it! The 21st Century Screenplay adds 50% more.

The breadth is enormous – from the psychology of creativity right the way through the basics. You could base a whole career just on the first chapters – and then she really takes off into the stratosphere of alternative structures, flashbacks, multiple protagonists and more.

I declare an interest (a) Linda is a personal friend (b) I’m quoted in the new book (twice!).  But that’s not why I sing the book’s praises. (And I’m not the only one – there are testimonials from much more famous people than me).

What I particularly like is that she covers some of the areas of screenwriting that few others do. There are parts that many of the books just don’t talk about – and they are often the most important. Unblocking creativity is one – breaking the rules is another.

I’m also looking forward greatly to interviewing Linda tomorrow night at the Euroscript Free Networking – talking about her career and her ideas and signing copies of her book.

If you’re near London maybe I’ll see you there. Come and say hi.