TAKING THE FIRST SOLUTION
You’re trying to figure out a plot twist for your movie, but it won’t come. You think about it all day along. You set up in Starbucks, you brainstorm. Nothing comes. Finally, you’re at some Meinekee Muffler shop and it comes to you: It’s her sister AND her daughter!
You found the solution. Unfortunately, you also found a cliché. Chinatown did the sister and daughter thing. You claim innocence. You weren’t even thinking of Chinatown when you came up with the idea. Doesn’t matter. It’s been done and you’re guilty. Why? Because you took the first solution–which is, almost always, a cliche. Some movie you saw somewhere filtered into your subconscious and is coming out the other side in what you thought was an original solution.
How do you avoid this? Have a healthy distrust of the first idea.
When you brainstorm, never take the first solution. List every possible solution for a character or plot arc. Then work out how the story would play out in each case. Is there a better solution? Eventually, the plausible answer, the logical answer, will come to you.
Keep digging.
GIVING IT TO MOM TO READ
Are you serious? You gave it to your mother for criticism? Unless Mom is an agent at William Morris, I would seriously question the value of advice coming your way. Soothing as matzo-ball soup, do you really need to hear her tell you how great your script is?
When you finish the first draft, try giving the script to an “inner circle” of people who will not bullshit you. You need people who know movies, who want to give you a critique and how to critique. Seek out professional help if necessary.
An actor friend was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I went to one of his productions one night. Backstage, afterwards, I relate how wonderful I thought was his performance. He thanked me for my praise and being a good friend, and then he stopped me. He proceeded to ask what I really thought of the play. No bullshit. See the difference? Ego is one thing; the burning drive toward wanting to do good work is quite another.
God Bless Mom and her matzo-ball soup, but…
Don’t give her your script for critique.
WHO DO YOU KNOW?
Comes time to sell your script, the Unknown Screenwriter is at a loss. What the hell can he do to sell this thing?
The first question that needs to be asked is: Who do you know?
This is six degrees of separation. 1: Do you know anyone in the business? Yes? Make the call, send the email, get them the script. You just put four months in writing it. You believe in it. Make the call. Get them the script.
Don’t know anyone in the biz? Maybe you know someone who knows someone.
Your brother sweep floors on the Paramount lot? Does he know anyone? Get him the script.
Your dentist’s assistant has a friend who works at a film production company? Get her the script.
Friend just got Finals at the Nicholl Fellowship and got signed with CAA? Get her the script. NOW.
Inside sales trump cold-calling, period. Before you write one query letter, before you cold-call production companies with a telephone pitch, before you try screenwriting contests or Pitch Fests or Screenwriting Expos, ask yourself: Who do I know in the industry? Who can help me? Often times, new screenwriters are shrinking violets. They don’t want to push, they don’t want to make demands.
Do you believe in the script? You owe it to yourself to make every contact you have to make. Relationships are the key.
Control what you can control.
Who do you know?
