Knock out that first draft!
As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one rule about a first draft and it’s this: “Get the damn thing done!”
Easy to say. Hard to do.
That’s why I created the Pages I: The First Draft writing workshop, a structured online environment — 10 weeks, 10 lectures, 10 writing assignments — to empower a writer to get from FADE IN to FADE OUT.
If you have a story you’ve pretty well developed and could benefit from:
* Weekly due dates to compel you to knock out script pages
* Lectures to steer you through the writing process
* Feedback and support from a community of fellow writers
* Analysis of your pages from a professional screenwriter and educator
* Teleconferences to drill down in your story and the craft of screenwriting
I have found the approach we use in the workshop, breaking down each weekly assignment to 10 pages or so, basically one or two sequences, makes the writing much more manageable. That in combination with several other factors make the success rate in my writing workshops — writers actually completing their scripts — quite high.
Some testimonials from writers who have participated in the workshop:
“Having read almost every screenwriting book out there, none can hold a penny to Scott’s approach of story driven by character, which can not only have you confident in your writing abilities, but can also solve the worst case of writers block (as it did for me).” — Aarthi Jayaraman
“A great experience. I didn’t just get a 99 page first draft out of it, I got all the notes, comments and ideas to start my second draft.” — Michael Waters
“I would highly recommend the Pages I course. I was hesitant to spend the money, but Scott Myers is a fantastic instructor: knowledgeable, encouraging, genuine, funny, and generous. The class set up and size is optimal. And although, personally, I was unsure how much I would get from the peer feedback — I found that incredibly rewarding as well.” — Stacey Fernengel
Consider enrolling in the upcoming Pages I workshop. Instructor: Yours truly.
It begins next Monday, January 5th.
Go here to learn more. Or if you have any questions feel free to email me.
Let me end with a some writer quotes about first drafts:
“First drafts are for learning what your story is about.”
— Bernard Malamud
“The first draft is nothing more than a starting point, so be wrong as fast as you can.”
— Andrew Stanton
“Then comes the great leap which is the first draft, I call it ‘the muscle draft,’ where you just muscle it out. You don’t worry about what you’re missing, you just get through it, get to the end.”
— Darren Aronofsky
“Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. That first draft is just spaghetti on the wall.”
— Dennis Lehane
“Sometimes you’re swinging your way through a first draft like a blind miner with a pick-axe. That’s OK. Get it done, nothing else matters.”
–Justin Marks
“The first draft, the first structure is really important… Do it fast, don’t get stuck.”
— Oliver Stone
“No matter what you write, good or bad, it’s an improvement to a blank page.”
— Chris Sparling
Why not start off the New Year by taking on a new screenplay? I look forward to the opportunity to work with and support you in knocking out that first draft!