I hear it all the time:
“Do I have to write a synopsis?”
“Why do I have to write a synopsis?”
“What the heck is a synopsis?”
Answers:
“Yes you do.”
“Because.”
“You better do a little research – seriously.”
Okay, plainly a synopsis can be a very different animal for every writer. But who it is for doesn’t change. It’s for the reader whether a script reader or a novel reader. It has to be short, succinct and really hook ‘em.
Speaking of animated web series (like the one in the article below), we came across this on one of TVWriter™’s favorite websites, Wordplayer.Com. A solid tip on getting your work produced the way you want it to be produced, from Terry Rossio:
On the Wordplay message boards, one of our contributors, Tom Scott, put it best.
“The truth is, there’s no ladder to climb,” Tom said. “There is no gate, nor are there gatekeepers. There are only those who are making movies and those who aren’t. The professional eyes browsing your work on Inktip are in the same boat you’re in. But my friend who taught himself animation, made a short, put it online and got a movie deal is in the same boat as Neill Blomkamp, Quentin Tarantino and James Cameron.”
“That’s the boat you want to be in,” Tom concluded. “And there’s plenty of room for anyone who ever wants to climb on board.”
NOTE FROM LB: Neither John nor TVWriter™ nor I write very much about politics. Most of the time here on the interwebs, Mr. Ostrander covers the comic book/tv/film interaction beat. What he has to say here is off that beat, but, more importantly, I believe what he is saying is, as the rallying cry went during some past, troubled times, “Right on!”
Twenty years ago this month saw the publication of the first issue of my twelve issue historical western, The Kents (which has since been gathered into a TPB and is on sale at Amazon, among other places; end of plug). The book chronicles how the ancestors of Clark Kent’s adoptive family came to live in Kansas and was set before, during, and after the Civil War.
Of all my work, this is one thing of which I’m exceptionally proud. I did a great deal of research for the project and while by no means a history per se, it has a great deal of history in it.
NOTE FROM LB: Troy’s article today is on four key written elements in today’s “reality” TV world. (They’re also key elements in “fictional” TV shows, but most of the time the networks take them out of your hands, whether you want them to or not.) You may not know the following terms:
Superteasers. Teases. Next Ons. Prev Ons.
Look these up! Master them! I know people who’ve had huge careers based on their handling of what Troy’s talking about right HERE:
I doubt this one will be brief, but it will have to be quick, because I’m about four weeks behind on a deadline, and I thought writing something, anything, would be better than nothing. So I’m writing this. Single draft, quick bang, brain to screen, let’s do this.
Right now, this is me:
For four weeks this has been me. Writing, scrapping, starting over, writing, scrapping. I took a five hour drive up to Mountain View last week just to clear my head and see what the open road would do for me. Long drives always inspire me. This one was no exception. I probably had ten great ideas come to me, and they’ve each been scrapped for the subsequent better idea. Listening to writers online helps. It’s how the above clip made it onto this post, as I’ve been listening to a lot of Charlie Kaufman. I writer who says he knows nothing. And I believe him—yet he still makes it happen, and does it brilliantly.