The March Scriptshadow Newsletter is in your inboxes!
A quick reminder that the Scriptshadow Newsletter just hit your inboxes. Make sure to check your Spam and Promotions folders if you didn’t receive it. E-mail me at carsonreeves1@gmail.com if you want to be added to the list.
In this month’s newsletter, I discuss a new method to ensure your screenplays never get boring. I share my thoughts on the next Showdown, which will be a radical departure from previous Showdowns. I give my thoughts on that new Lord of the Rings trailer, as well as a spec sale, a book sale, and a short story sale. I also highlight one of the spookiest horror shorts I’ve ever seen. Finally, I review a script that should be the prototype for making the Black List.
Okay, it’s FINALLY time. Starting tomorrow, you are going to begin writing the first act of a new screenplay! I am going to guide you through the process, going through all the little details of what each section should look like so that your first act rocks. After this de facto class, you’ll never struggle with writing a first act again.
The schedule is going to be messy, though. I’ll typically post three “First Act” articles a week, as well as one script review a week. All script reviews will focus on the script’s first act. However, there are snags we’ll have to deal with. We have the Amateur Showdown winning script review on Friday. I also plan to review the new Batman movie next Monday. So each week will probably have a small bump in the road.
In getting you prepped for tomorrow, let’s remind you what a typical first act looks like.
You’ll start off by introducing us to a character living an unfulfilled life. The reason they are unfulfilled is because that gives them room to grow (and transform) over the the course of the story. In addition to meeting your hero, we will follow them through their daily life, where we will learn about their job and the people in their orbit.
Something will then happen to jolt your hero’s life off its axis. This is often called the “inciting incident,” and it throws everything into disarray. Your hero will resist the change this new event brings. At a certain point, however, he will reluctantly accept the challenge, and he will go off on an adventure. Once he walks out that door, your first act is over.
The Hero’s Journey is the most traditional story and follows a character who’s yanked away from their home and thrust into a wild adventure. For that reason, The Hero’s Journey is the easiest first act to write. All the beats are clearly laid out for you.
Unfortunately, not every story lines up this way. You could be writing Cloud Atlas, which will have an untraditional first act. You could be writing a contained thriller, like Cloverfield Lane, that doesn’t have an adventure. You could be writing “Old,” where everybody just gets stuck on a beach. You could be writing “Before Sunrise,” where two people meet and just start talking for 90 minutes. You could be writing Pulp Fiction, where the non-linear first act is showing us things that happen after as opposed to before. You could be writing Joker where all the first act does is set up a disturbed character. There’s no “adventure” in that movie.
The point is that every story has different requirements. There is no one-size-fits-all first act. However, if there is a main character and that character has a goal they must achieve, then the first act steps I lay out this month should work for 95% of you.
As for page-writing requirements, technically, you only have to write one page per day. However, the schedule I’m laying out for you will have you moving a little quicker. I want you to write ten pages a week. That’s because I want to use the final week to go back into the act and clean it up. Here’s a rough outline of the posting schedule.
WEEK 1 – FIRST 10 PAGES
First Post – Figuring out whether to write a teaser or not. The pros and cons of teasers.
Second Post – The introduction of your main character and their flaw.
Third Post – Setting up your hero’s daily life; job, family, social.
WEEK 2 – SECOND 10 PAGES
First Post – Scene-writing. How to make sure you’re not just setting things up but rather keeping the reader entertained with well-written scenes.
Second Post -The Inciting incident. Your hero’s world is thrown into disarray.
Third Post – Introducing a memorable antagonist.
WEEK 3 – THIRD 10 PAGES
First Post -Dealing with all the excess exposition and setup involved in first acts.
Second Post – Refusal of the Call. The hero will cling to his flawed life, do anything to avoid change.
Third Post – Setting up that all important GSU.
WEEK 4 – THE CHALLENGES YOU WILL FACE
This week will be dedicated to the specific issues that come up over the first three weeks. I’ll address common questions, common concerns, and share certain hacks I’ve discovered over the years for dealing with first act frustrations. The quality of these posts will depend on you. So make sure you’re asking plenty of questions in the comments!
You should already have your concept picked out, a bare-bones outline written, and a good sense of who your main character is as well as their major flaw. If you have that, you should fly through this challenge. For those who have chosen a more “thrown into the lion’s den” approach to your first act, don’t worry. I will be there for you every step of the way and I *WILL* make sure you have a first act at the end of this.
Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with. Warm up those fingers and I’ll seeya tomorrow!
