Alt Script: Why I Don't Read "How To" Screenwriting Articles Anymore - Script Magazine
Screenwriting articles are abundant, but Clive Davies-Frayne talks about his philosophy on screenwriting advice and how he weighs what to use and what to ignore.
http://www.scriptmag.com/features/alt-script-dont-read-screenwriting-articles-anymore
Big fan of this article and calling out these how-to writers. I’m a fan of Kurt Vonnegut’s ideas of writing. The idea that sustaining to the rules, often gets you white-washed with the rest of them.
If you’re a writer, and you’re writing based on plot and where you should go instead of where you need to go, then you’re doing it wrong. Feel out your characters, their motivations, and who they are as people. If your plot goes to ridiculous places for no good reason, then you’re doing something wrong.
I’m a fan of writing what you know. Not something you inherently know, like working at a restaurant, or living with roommates. But things you know, like your passions in life. Space, technology, politics, social inequities, money, and so-on. If you don’t know much of anything about anything, then travel, gain interests, know people. Get involved in your community, or just sit and listen to stories. Create a passion in your life that fascinates you. Writing about it will only come naturally after that, because you’ll have a voice to express about it.
