Greetings, I'm not exactly new to writing, but i am rather new to being any good. I've been trying my hand at screenwriting, but currently focused on reading before i move on from outlining and plotting. I have Screenplay by Syd and Anatomy of Story by Truby under my belt. Currently finishing up The Writer's Journey by Vogler, with Story by Mckee next. I have several unfinished or terrible short stories on my HDD, but i'm trying to write better ones when the bug hits me. I have no idea if any are good at all, so i figured i'd finally join a forum to get and share advise. Thank you for taking the time.
Welcome to the forum. Looking at the content that other people submit here is a half-decent way of determining the strengths and weaknesses of your own writing. Better yet, if you want input on your own writing it is good to make an effort giving your input to other writers. If you want valuable insight into your own stuff should you decide to post in the workshop, it's often clear who's doing it simply to receive reciprocation. Try your hand at dissecting the output of others. You might be surprised at the flaws you can point out. Screenwriting isn't my area, but I wish you well. When I was writing often I found switching between reading and writing worked well, rather than one or the other. Don't be afraid to upset people with critical input even as a new member. Just make sure it's justified. Peace.
Thanks for the input. I've been looking around, seems like a good lot. And i have been switching back and forth. When i'm reading the books, i get all these ideas for characters or structure, then when i finish the book, i take those notes and apply the new knowledge and techniques. Thank you for taking the time.
You ought to look into Aristotle's Poetics if you haven't yet. It's the basic instruction manual on story, all the rest are either built on it or aimed against it. I feel like Truby is mostly trying to make a name for himself by coming up with something outside of the 3-act structure, though I think all he really did was divide it up into smaller pieces and call those acts. But from his book I really did latch onto the character web. Incredibly helpful and insightful. You should definitely have a good handle on 3-act structure before delving into McKee. He takes it to insane heights, way beyond anything I think you'll ever need. But I read through it several times in the spirit of boot camp—you know, something way harder and more strict than you'll ever actually need or be able to use, in order to develop the concepts and the discipline. And after that everything else is way easier and more understandable. I got a really decent little book called Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters by Micheal Tierno that gave me a good solid grounding in the basic concepts of story and how it works.
Thanks for the input! I too mostly focused on Truby's character web! I figured Screenplay was good for 3 act structure, Anatomy for character, Journey for ... the journey and the worlds the hero moves through, and then Story to tie it all together again. Poetics has been mentioned here and there for me in certain resources, but i've never read any of it myself. I'll check out Micheal's book when i find the time. Thank you!
