Let's Get Physical!

"Do something scary that won't kill you" - Tony Horton

Inspiration can come from many places.  And, the more open we are to new experiences, the more opportunities we have to blossom as human beings.

I recently came across the above quote from fitness guru Tony Horton, the inventor of the popular P90x Extreme Fitness Program  and author of the new book, "Bring It."  The idea of doing something scary (reaching beyond one's perceived limits) stayed with me.  It's an exciting concept that I think applies to many areas of life, including writing.

I began to think that the richness of our stories comes from our ability to capture nuances of detail.  Detail is experienced through the body, and more specifically, the senses.  Working on our prose, many of us writers are sedentary in front of a computer monitor or bent over a desk, thinking, thinking, thinking, always living in our heads, in our imaginations.  Too much of this can deaden our senses.

Having a body that works as a finely tuned instrument has its own benefits, not the least of which is better mental functioning.  Nothing stirs up creativity more than physical activity.  It "clears out the cobwebs."  The adrenaline and the endorphins enrich not only the body but also the mind and spirit.  People who exercise are living happier healthier, longer lives.  It's as simple as that.

As writers we must dedicate ourselves to understanding our bodies. Our bodies are the vehicles we use to travel through the universe.  Keeping our minds and bodies sharp, alert and working at their full potential is in our best interests.  Take a look at what best-selling author and writing instructor, Julia Cameron, has to say on the relationship between writing and the physical body in her book, "The Writing Diet; Write Yourself Right-Size."  You'll find that your writing will benefit from keeping fit with renewed stamina and power.

This week's suggested website: The Writer's Guild of America.  (www.wga.org) The mission of the Writers Guild Foundation is to serve the community of writers and for writers to serve the community. Through events, outreach programs, library and archive they strive to educate and inspire writers as well as to promote and preserve excellence in writing. They are a 501 (c) 3 associated with, but independent of, the Writers Guild of America West.


This week's writing prompt:  Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time.  This exercise is meant to loosen up your powers of observation and your ability to make unpredictable connections between things.  It's an improv acting exercise that goes back to my theatre days in college.  Write a sentence starting with the letter "A."  Then continue with another sentence that starts with the letter "B."  (e.g. - Ana likes her new dorm room.  But, the school is horrible...etc.)  See how far you can get down the alphabet in five minutes.  Keep it fresh, keep it unpredictable.  Have a great writing week.

Screenwriting: 101 (Where Do I Start?)

I've always enjoyed being at the beginning of things: a new job, the first day of school, a brand new project.  I remember being filled with excitement at the possibility that something unexpected might happen whenever a new situation presented itself.  For many people, being at the beginning of a long journey or complicated process can be intimidating and scary.  But, if we move beyond our fears, doubts and distractions "beginnings" can offer unexpected magical power, wondrous surprises and foster our creative intelligence.

When working on a new project, I look forward to the prep time, the planning stages where everything is still possible and you're only limited by your imagination.  Before criticism and logic sets in.  It's a magic time when the world is your canvas!  If you like jumping off into the unknown, writing may be the perfect vehicle because it requires a certain amount of fearlessness.  Few things are as intimidating as the blank page. 

Recently, I have been traveling the country on the festival circuit promoting my film, WATERCOLORS.   Almost everywhere I go someone asks me,  "How did you get started?"  The simple answer is:  I just started.

If you've decided that writing for the screen is something you must do, and are willing to dedicate yourself to the many lonely hours ahead then training and practice will determine the measure of your success.  The practice is all up to you but for the training, there's help out there and lots of it.

The amount of literature available on writing for the screen (most of it very good) is exhausting to contemplate.  In fact there  is an entire industry devoted to teaching people of all ages to write for film and TV.  College degrees, workshops, online certifications, lectures, podcasts, books, etc. keep pumping out more and more content to supply the insatiable demand of aspiring writers.  And with all the new media being developed the hunger for content has never been greater!  This was not always the case.

I came upon the work of Syd Field early on in my career while studying communications and theatre in college during the early '80s.  Syd Field was the first to define and explain the foundations of screenwriting in a manner that was accessible not only to the seasoned professional but to anyone who ever had a great idea and dreamt of writing a movie.  His first book, Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting is still the book I keep coming back to after all these years.  His thoughts on character, plot, structure and the daunting task of crossing the desert that is Act II stand out in my mind today as clearly as they did thirty years ago.  It's a great place to begin.

In my view, Syd's book laid down the groundwork.  Over the years, professors, editors, writers, story analysts, network and studio development executives all contributed to the now massive canon of literature on the art of writing the screenplay.  My bookshelves are filled with them.  It's great fun reading them all and I absolutely believe that much valuable knowledge can be gleamed from them.  A few of the best I've sampled are Robert McKee, John Truby, Michael Hauge, Linda Seger, Christopher Vogler, David Howard, Pilar Alessandra, and the late Blake Snyder.

Ultimately, beginning a screenplay or novel just boils down to just a few simple things.  Firstly, taking the time to nurture and honor your creativity.  Even if you have to steal five minutes a day for your writing practice, make sure it's your five minutes, your privacy must be sacrosanct.  Secondly, you must sum up the courage to face the blank page and let yourself go. 

This week's suggested website:  The Writers Store (writersstore.com) The one stop shop for books, DVDs and everything on writing for the film and TV industry.

This week's writing prompt:

Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time.  Imagine your main character (or one your still developing) has just won a $10,000 shopping spree.  What would your character buy?  What stores who he/she visit?  (This may help you undercover some personal tastes and/or needs your character may not have "revealed" in the last exercise. )  Let your character indulge in any secret or illicit pleasures with the money too!  Write for five minutes.