Helpful hosts for today are: Our awesome co-hosts today are Chemist Ken, Suzanne and Shannon Lawrence! and of course always, the Awesome Alex.
So my words of encouragement for today are these: TRY NEW STUFF.
I am currently trying to convert A Shot in the Light to a Screenplay and it is hard, but it is also stretching my brain and making me think differently. The cadence of something I'd like to be a mini-series is totally different--I am jumping between characters more often so the watcher can feel the tension--rather than two "chapters" from each main character they are getting snippets of a minute or two here and a minute or two there... I have no idea if it's working, but I definitely feel like making it visual is a good exercise.
What could YOU do to stretch a bit? Maybe give it a try.
21 comments:
I bet it's working.
I'm stretching quite a bit today.
Hooray for stretching your brain! That always feels so good :)
~AJ from Naturally Sweet
An April A-Z co-host
Excellent reminder, Hart! Good luck with your project!
Thanks for reminding us to try something different. Best wishes on your new project.
New stuff? Ew... new stuff is bad!
:P
Sometimes we surprise ourselves when we try new things!
I really like your idea of quick-cutting back and forth between characters. Your screenplay really is gonna be awesome.
I keep thinking I should try screenplays, but fear holds me back. Good for you for trying new stuff!
Right now, any writing that isn't for the blogs is a stretch! I will get back into it. I started writing flash fiction to help me edit and refine my longer works; learning to write concisely and still get in a full story.
I don't stay focused on one thing for long so I am always trying new things. Good luck with the screenplay.
So very true. One thing I'm doing is switching back and forth between two very different manuscripts. It keeps me fresh to switch protagonists and genres. Good luck on your screenplay!
The most adventurous I've been is to write outside my genre. :-)
Here's my link if you'd like to drop by :-)
Anna from Shout with Emaginette
Cool way to stretch your writing!
Blogging is what has stretched my writing! It has really energized me with my non-blogging writing, and it has taught me so much. I think it's a great idea to try adapting a book to a screenplay, although it must be challenging! New always forces us to stretch, and in the process we often find something unexpected in ourselves. Good luck, Hart!
That sounds like a great project. And, yes, the pacing is different when the story will be acted out. You'll have visuals. Do you also write in what the landscape shots should be? I don't know how to write a screenplay. I write stage plays and add minimal stage direction, maybe too little, I don't know.
Play off the Page
I've seen a few people talk about writing their story into a screenplay. Never tried it myself. After I get a first draft done, I struggle to see it as another way. Maybe one day I need to challenge myself and try.
I'm trying my hand in writing for different age groups--that, for me, is a challenge. :-) Will probably try writing a play soon. Lots of luck with your screenplay!
What an AWESOME idea. I'd go to see it. I've always wanted to write plays (theater). The first thing I ever wrote (sixth grade) was a play. hahahaha
I wrote a short story for an anthology in another genre (urban fantasy) ... TOTALLY outside my comfort zone.
A Shot In The Light screenplay? Interesting.
You mention snippets of a minute or two here and a minute or two there which makes sense, instead of going with "chunks" from a main character...
Usually when I try to rewrite a short story into something longer is how I stretch my writing muscles. Plotting and pacing is so radically different between the types that I often find myself just a tad lost in the process.
Father Nature's Corner
That would be hard since the formatting is so different, but nothing ventured nothing gained. You have yourself a marvelous day Hart.
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