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How to Write a Film About a Writer Who Owes Money

Most people know how hard it is to write a novel or a play. The odds are usually against you. You sit at a desk, all alone, trying to force the characters to live in your head. Finally, you push the white-penned paper to be done, only to find that you have a lot of correcting to do. Then, you begin the laborious process of formatting and editing. Finally, you hope that someone, somewhere will want to read your work. But, for whatever reason, they don’t – so you end up never getting paid for your efforts.

The problems don’t end there. Once you have finished your manuscript, you have to find a publisher. Maybe you meet with some editorial people at a publishing house and you put your manuscript into the hands of an editor. But even then, you have to wait until the publisher makes a decision and, after months or even years of trying to get your book out there, you finally have to take the option of self-publishing. Even then, you have to take care of all the distribution, which can be a pain. So much time and effort, and still no guarantee that your book will appear on the shelves of major bookstores.

But movie magic is a different ballgame. There are a few major studios that specialize in film production and they will take on your average script with little to no effort. They have teams of people who can help you navigate all the ins and outs of putting a screenplay into production. On the other hand, you have a whole other ballgame if you want to self-produce and direct your own film. You can use all the tools at your disposal and, if you have a good enough eye for storytelling, you can come up with a beautiful movie that will make your friends say “Omgoodness.” But it won’t be easy. You will have to find the money yourself, unless you have a very wealthy father or uncle who is willing to back you.

Choose A Suitable Film To Write A Screenplay About

You don’t want to waste your time with something that won’t be relevant to you or your own experience. For example, if you are writing a screenplay about gangsters, you don’t want to use your actual name. You don’t want to portray yourself as a gangster, because that will only lead you into trouble. So, instead, you could use a made-up name for the main character. But, if you do use your real name, you have to work extra hard to prove to the world that you are not associated with any bad acts. If you do end up getting arrested or convicted for anything, your career will be ruined. And don’t write about subjects that you don’t understand. Simply because you heard or read about something doesn’t mean that you automatically know how to write about it. That’s a dangerous assumption to make. It’s much better to find out as little as possible about a subject before you write about it. That’s what makes it so much fun. That’s what makes it creative. That’s what makes it original. You want to challenge yourself and write something that will interest readers and audiences everywhere.

The Four Stages Of Writing A Film

Just like with any other story, there are specific stages that you have to go through to put a screenplay into shape. These stages are called the “trilogy” of writing a film. They are:

  • First Draft
  • Revision
  • Production
  • Post-Production
  • Distribution

These stages are the basic building blocks that any film requires. You can’t just decide one day that you want to write a film and then, after a couple weeks of thinking about it, start typing away. You have to sit down and start writing as soon as you can, because time is of the essence. Once you get into the habit of writing down your thoughts, ideas, and the characters, you will find that the story begins to come alive. And, at this point, you can’t stop. Even when you think that you have written the best script that you can, there are still things that you can do to make it better. Revision is a critical stage because it is here where you can make big changes, polish the story, and get a fresh perspective on what you have written. If you are fortunate, you will have an editor, who will help you find the awkward words, the repetition, and the plot holes. Sometimes, you have to go through multiple drafts before you have something that is satisfactory. But, in the end, it’s all worth it, because you created something that you can be proud of. You made the effort, you put in the time, and you proved to yourself that you can write something that will entertain and engage an audience. And that is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?

Choosing a Suitable Film To Write A Screenplay About

Once you have decided to write a screenplay about a writer who owes money, the next step is to choose a suitable film. Like with any other story, you want to find a story that is relevant to yourself. But, you also want to avoid choosing a film starring one of your friends or family members, because you don’t want to hurt their careers. So, you will have to go through a list of possible films that you can write about, looking for one that is big enough to accommodate your writing talent but, not so large that you will be overwhelmed by the amount of work that is required. Once you have found that perfect film, the rest is mere triage.

Deciding What To Include

If you decide to write a screenplay about a writer who owes money, there are certain topics that you want to include in your story. These topics are known as “money topics,” because they are usually the focus of a screenplay about someone who is struggling financially. It is always a good idea to include a few of these topics in your story, just to give the screenwriter credit for being realistic. Some examples include:

  • Late Fees
  • Repossessions
  • Mortgages
  • Bankruptcy
  • Foreclosure
  • Credit Cards

As you can see, these are all very relevant to the writer who has incurred a lot of debt and is now trying to pay it off. So, you have to include these topics in your story, otherwise it won’t be believable. And what is more, these topics usually involve poorly written legal documents and a lot of yelling. That’s how most people experience the legal system, so it’s only natural that you would include that in your screenplay. Also, it is essential that you write a screenplay that is as authentic to the source material as possible. This means that you have to research all the money topics that you write about, because you would not want to give the impression that you don’t know what you are writing about. Your research should not be done in a boring way, either. You want to use your creative writing skills to explore all the aspects of each topic, including the psychology behind it all. For instance, when you are writing about mortgages, you will have to look for the underlying causes of why people are losing their homes. And, when you are writing about late fees, you will have to dig into the minds of people who are struggling with their credit card debt. You want to give the audience the full picture, so that they are not just seeing the surface, but are getting an insight into the why’s and the how’s behind each and every money topic.

Make A Plan

After you have decided what you are going to write about, it’s time to make a plan. Just like with any other story, you want to have an idea of how you are going to approach the writing process. For example, are you going to use a first-person point-of-view for the entire script or are you going to switch back and forth between the first and third person? Are you going to write in chronological order or do you want to jump around, giving the audience a glimpse into each character’s life, before bringing them all together in the end? What kind of language will you use to write the script? What is the overall tone? These are all important questions to ask yourself, so that you can begin to form a clear picture in your head of how the script is going to flow and what you are going to include in it. Once you have that plan, you can start to write, knowing exactly what you are aiming for and why you are aiming for it. And that is the key to successful screenwriting.