Welcome to GITS (redux)!
[I am posting this again today because yesterday was July 4th and a slower traffic day than usual].
I’ve had a spike in traffic on the site the last month or so. And seeing as it’s mid-year, I figure it’s time to do my semi-regular GITS tour. So go ahead and get on the virtual tram. I’ll be your driver. Watch that step. Okay, everybody strapped in? Here we go!
GITS stands for Go Into The Story. Why Go Into The Story? Because of this exchange that actually happened with my youngest son:
Awhile back the night before I started writing my next screenplay, on a whim I asked my three-year-old son if he had any advice. He looked at me with his huge blue eyes and without hesitation said, “Go into the story, and find the animals.” I laughed — pretty funny. Over time, however, I’ve discovered wisdom in my son’s words. As writers, we do, indeed, go into the stories we create. And the animals? How about characters, plot, theme, dialogue, subtext, and all those other mysterious, magical creatures prowling in the jungle of our imaginations?
What started out as a whimsical name for the blog has evolved into a full-blown philosophy about the writing craft and a reflection of what I try to do here: Immerse readers in the world of writing by providing tips, news, insight, and inspiration.
To wit, I have a daily and weekly schedule for posts (all times Eastern Time U.S.):
Monday-Sunday, 6AM: Daily Dialogue
Monday, 10AM: On Writing
Tuesday, 10AM: Screenwriting 101
Wednesday, 10AM: From Script to Screen
Thursday, 10AM: The Business of Screenwriting
Friday, 10AM: Great Characters
Saturday, 10AM: Written Interviews
Saturday, Noon: Saturday Hot Links
Sunday, 10AM: Video Interviews
I generally run a weekly series of posts at noon each day.
And about every other month, I open things up for your questions, and answer those at 6PM each day.
GITS regulars will notice a change in the schedule: I have retired Hollywood Tales and swapped it out with From Script to Screen. Each Wednesday, I will post a script excerpt and its corollary scene as a video clip. I have said on many occasions that one of the best learning practices you can embrace is reading a script while watching the movie. To see how filmmakers translate what the screenwriters wrote can be a huge eye-opener. Scenes trimmed or expanded, dialogue cut or added, bits of business switched around in terms of their order. Each week we will put ourselves in the mindset of the filmmakers and ask, “Why did they choose to interpret the script this way in terms of staging, shooting and editing?”
People often ask me why I post as many items as I do. Typically it’s 6 items per day (6AM, 10AM, Noon, 2PM, 4PM, and 6PM), and sometimes more when there are special news items such as spec script sales. I post frequently because that is part of my vision for this site: A place writers can visit from time to time over the course of the day when they need to take a break from their writing. If you’re not a professional writer, similarly you can drop by GITS during the day to catch up on news related to the craft of screenwriting as well as get some inspiration and information.
Since I started this blog in May 2008, I have written over 6,000 posts. If you go to the right side of the page and scroll down to Blog Archive, you can go through every single one of them.
I have also aggregated posts per topic which you can find — also on the right side of the page — under Lists.
But perhaps the single most helpful way to access the archives is use the Google search function which you can find under Search This Blog. Type in key words and within seconds, you will have about 40–50 links to GITS posts related to your chosen topic.
One of my goals here is to collect as much content featuring screenwriters and TV writers as possible. In part I do this to honor screenwriting and those who practice it professionally. But more importantly, I believe one of the most important things you can do to learn the craft is engage yourself with primary source material. Whether that’s breaking down scripts, analyzing movies, or reading, listening or watching interviews with professional writers, those are excellent opportunities to immerse yourself in the mindset of the craft. So avail yourself of these archives:
A few more items. First, one of the most popular series on the site is The Business of Screenwriting. Here is my description:
The Business of Screenwriting is a weekly series of GITS posts based upon my experiences as a complete Hollywood outsider who sold a spec script for a lot of money, parlayed that into a screenwriting career during which time I’ve made some good choices, some okay decisions, and some really stupid ones. Hopefully you’ll be the wiser for what you learn here.
This speaks to the basic attitude I take to the content I post on GITS. I don’t see my function to provide you with happy talk. That would be a disservice to you because if you are interested in screenwriting, you must understand this simple fact: It is a damned hard business to crack. As I am prone to say, “Movies don’t owe anybody a living.” So you get a good deal of unvarnished truth on this blog. If it’s particularly harsh from time to time, then let that be a reminder I’m not trying to sell you some cheap, easy way to break into The Biz. There is no such thing and anybody who tries to tell you there is is a liar or a fool.
On the other hand, every day I wake up and look at my face in the mirror, I am confronted by another fact: I broke into the business of screenwriting as a complete outsider to Hollywood. As easy as it would be for me to give into cynicism about anyone’s chance of success, I can’t — ultimately — go there because of my own personal history.
It is possible to become a professional screenwriter and TV writer. If ever you doubt the possibility, that alone is sufficient reason to visit this site.
Good information is critical in improving your chances at success. That’s a big reason I track spec script sales and the Hollywood lit acquisition scene daily. For general GITS conversation and spec script sales, there is my main Twitter feed:
@GoIntoTheStory
For all lit sales, I have a second Twitter feed:
@ScreenwritingMC
I welcome / encourage / implore you to sign up as a GITS follower (you can do so on the right-hand side of the page). I only have a few ways to track whether what I’m doing is connecting with readers: Email, comments to my posts, and GITS followers. By officially following the blog, you not only get notification every time I post something here, you let the world know you are serious about your writing. Currently there are:
Twitter (@GoIntoTheStory): 3,304
Twitter (@ScreenwritingMC): 823
Google Reader: 2,226
Google Followers (Google Friend Connect): 1,242
So kudos and a special dose of creative juju to those of you who choose to follow the blog.
Finally a word of acknowledgement to the GITS community. Much of what goes on here derives from readers. You send me links for articles, suggestions for posts, questions to answer, interesting comments to respond to, and in general participate in an ongoing global conversation about screenwriting, TV writing, writing, creativity, and movies.
So allow me to thank you for making this humble blog a part of your life and taking the time to contribute your ideas and energy to the site.
My deepest and sincerest wish is for you to write great stories, make great movies and TV, and find a career in the entertainment business, either in Hollywood or in your home country.
Read scripts.
Watch movies.
Write pages.
And always… trust the process.
Peace. Out. Write.