Updates, Trying New Things, and Getaways

I know I haven't been on here too much lately.  There's been a lot going on, and hopefully some more announcements later on this year.  For now, I can safely say I have been very busy with my writing.  I am getting closer to releasing my first official novel, and have sent two movie scripts out to a producer in Hollywood.  Currently, I am working on my first horror script and outlining my second horror script.

It's ironic that I am now getting into writing within the horror genre.  So much of my story ideas, books, and poetry were dangerously close to being considered part of that genre, but lingered on the sides of drama and suspense.  This is my first time crossing the line into the horror realm.  It's exciting but at the same time it's making me over think things. 

Most managers or agents frown upon changing your writing style.  But that's more for their clients that have found complete success in the genre they've been writing in for years.  But to me, writing a horror script is more than just choosing a different genre or writing style.  I spent years watching horror movies and criticizing them.  I have a profound respect for them and their writers, but there are also so many that were unfavored by many.  My scripts are going to breach the different sub genres.  The one I'm working on now is going to be a horror/suspense.  I figured it would be the easiest way for me to begin my journey through horror realm.  I have several others that go from slasher films, to psychological thrillers, and classic horror.  But for now I will focus on one the first script and write an incredible story that you will one day see on the "Big Screen."

The last thing I want to discuss is using a getaway to your advantage.  A getaway can be anything from taking a trip out of the country, jumping in the car and going on a long drive to a known or unknown destination, even just changing your normal routine.  These getaways are a way to relax, rest up, or even provide motivation and inspiration to create something amazing. 

For the last week, I have been away from my normal routine.  Despite the constant annoyances and added undo stress, I was able to get more writing done than I have in the previous weeks.  Maybe it was being back on my own for the first time in a while, maybe it was the silence that filled the house, or maybe it was derived from pure boredom.  In any case, the week alone proved to be beneficial to my writing.  So I encourage others who need to find clarity, inspiration, motivation, or just some sort of stress relief to always take time to find some form of a getaway and take full advantage of everything it has to offer.

Dreams

Ever wonder where writers get their ideas from?  They can come from anywhere or anything.  When I started writing poetry, I would be sitting at work; thinking about random things.  Sometimes I would come up with nothing, but other times I would have a great idea or remember something from my past.  When I did write, people said I went into some sort of trance.  I was staring at the wall or out a window.  After about ten minutes I was done and ready to type it up on the computer. 

My brother has his own way of coming up with ideas.  He listens to what people say and gets an idea instantly.  He comes up with elaborate storylines in a matter of minutes that would be great to see on the big screen. 

Another way of coming up with ideas is through dreams.  That has been the way I have been getting new story ideas, and from what I have read a lot of other writers get their plots from dreams they had as well.  They are usually weird and abnormal, but most dreams usually are.  Sometimes they feel too real.  Some have you portraying the main character in the dream and other times you are a spectator watching everything unfold. 

There are many more ways people can find ideas on what to write.  Taking a walk through the park, the beach, observing people's interactions with each other, interactions with family, old jokes either with friends or family, songs, poetry, reading, and the list can go on and on.

The best piece of advice I can give when it comes to searching for something to write about, is don't discredit anything.  Write any and all ideas down; either in a notebook, type it on a computer, or enter it into a cell phone.  Don't ignore the thoughts that come to mind.  Keep them and look to them when you decide you want to write something.  If you think you can expand on it then go for it.  If you can't, don't scrap the idea; keep it for another time.

Re-Writes

Rewriting is the one thing writers don't like to do.  No one likes to hear their idea doesn't work or that it should be better than what you wrote.  That's what the writer interprets it to mean when you tell them they need to rewrite a story.  That's not what it actually means.  Critics, Literary Agents, Publishers even friends and family are offering advise on how to make your story better. 

Something I learned while doing constant rewrites is the more you write and rewrite, the better your writing becomes.  I have written and rewritten my first novel several times before I was satisfied with how the story flowed.  It has been about two and a half years since the last time I worked on that novel.  I started to write the movie script based on the novel to help shop it around more and found the beginning changed as I started to write it.  The beginning to the script seemed more eye catching and at that moment I understood what others told me a while ago. 

So here I go again.  Writing my first novel over again to spice it up a little more; make it more eye catching.  For the first time, I'm not upset about it.  I look at it as a step in the right direction to improve on what I couldn't before and a step closer to making my dream come true.

Poetry, Novels, Movie Scripts pt3

Sorry for the delay in this post.  It has been a very busy week for me with writing.  As you can guess by the title of this post, this is part 3; movie scripts.  This is something I am getting more familiar with each day.  With writing movie scripts, the first thing you need to do is buy the Final Draft program.  This one program is what every agent and production company wants you to use and it also helps to guide you along with an in depth (and complicated) tutorial of how to use the program. 

When writing a movie script, you have to keep as much of the focus on the dialog.  The dialog is how you should be telling your story.  The Action portion of the script is used to setup the scene setting intially and when there is a need to describe a character's action.  The typical length of a movie script goes from 90-120 pages.  The industry does not want you to go over 120 pages because each page equates for one minute of film.  If you are writing 120 pages or more for every script, 1. you better make sure the content of the story and characters are excellent, 2. you need to cut down some of the pages if they're not excellent, 3. the production company will look at it and think there's not enough content and will pass on the script. 

I have found out first hand that it is harder to write a book and then go into writing a movie script.  When writing a book/novel, you are focusing on the details through both dialog and narative writing in order to get the reader interested and at the same time get them to imagine what they are reading.  When writing a movie script your focus to detail has an estimated page limit to get the reader/production company/actor to understand the characters, what motivates them, what the conflict is, and the story as a whole.  Also when converting a book to script, it is very difficult due to having to cut back on the original content to save on your page count.  This is something I am learning first hand currently, because I am taking my first novel and creating a movie script out of it.  Within the first 10 scenes I have written, I have thrown out more than 10 pages of the book and changed some of the dialog to make it fit better.

That's going to do it for this post.  Please feel free to leave a comment and check out my other posts as well. 

Poetry, Novels, Movie Scripts pt1

Over the next week I will be talking about the topics of writing poetry, novels, and movie scripts. There are many differences between these three genres of writing.

The first topic I will cover is poetry.  There are many types of poetry (way too many to cover in one post, but I will post a link that covers all of them.) http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/
Here are just a few as examples.

• Lyric poetry is a poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of a poet.  It does not tell a story of characters or actions.  The poet speaks to the reader directly; telling their own state of mind, feelings, and perceptions.
• Haiku poetry is a type of Japanese poem written in three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables.  It typically reflects on nature or creative images.
• Free verse is a type of poetry that can be either rhymed or unrhymed lines without a pattern.  This allowed poets to break from the typical structure of poetry and express their feelings.

When I first started to write poems, I was always under the impression they needed to rhyme in order for it to be considered a poem.  As I studied at New Paltz, my professor assured me a poem is fueled by the emotion behind it.  A poem is however you decide to write it regardless of its structure or rhymes.  As long as the reader can picture and feel the meaning of the poem in their minds,  it is a successful poem.

Now there are several outlets for poetry writers.  Most Literary Agents and publishers will tell you they do not accept queries based on poetry, and for the most part they don't.  There are a few agents that will accept poetry submissions but they are very rare to find.  There are websites, blogs, and contests where you can have your poetry published; which is the path that most poets take.  There are quite a few that self publish their poetry and sell it online or personally.  These are the best ways to start getting your name out there as a writer for future projects when contacting Literary Agents. 

As I stated this is only part 1 of the topic.  Stay tuned for part 2 where I will cover writing novels.  As always I welcome any thoughts and comments on my posts.  And feel free to check out my interview on the Anthony Charles Podcast: http://soundcloud.com/anthonycharlesofficial/episode-20-andrew-hess-author and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for other updates: https://twitter.com/ThePhoenix1369, http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheRealPhoenix13