Screenwriting Tip #99 Voice-over usually feels like scaffolding. You know - something you left in there when you were constructing the first draft, but really should have torn out after it served its purpose.
Screenwriting Tip #120 Always remember that funny trumps everything. Your script could be written in crayon with your name spelled wrong on the cover, but if it's genuinely funny, none of that matters.
Screenwriting Tip #156 The easiest way to write kick-ass protagonists is to make them incredibly good at what they do.
Confused at the outline stage? Stuck in the swamp of Act Two? Don't know who your protagonist is or where she's going?
You might feel like a hack. But don't worry - you're not alone. Even the most experienced writers feel like this at times. Sometimes we just need a few short pointers and reminders to set us on the path again.
Xander Bennett worked as a script reader in the trenches of Hollywood, reading and covering hundreds of mediocre screenplays. After months of reading about heroic Sea World trainers, transgendered circus detectives and crime-fighting chupacabras, he couldn't take it any more. Xander started a blog called 'Screenwriting Tips, You Hack', a place designed to provide short, witty tips on screenwriting for amateur writers all the way up to journeymen scribes.
This book is the evolution of that blog. Dozens of the best tips (along with many brand-new ones) have been expanded into bite-sized chapters full of funny, insightful, highly-usable advice. Let Xander's pain be your gain as you learn about the differences between film and television structure, how to force yourself to write when you
really don't want to, and why you probably shouldn't base your first spec script around an alien invasion.
- Get valuable advice from inside the system, written by a former script reader.
- Go step-by-step through the entire process of writing a screenplay, from concept to first draft to polish to marketing your script.
- Expanded tips offer real examples of what works and what doesn't, written in a witty and conversational voice.
- Advice for all levels of screenwriter, from absolute novice to seasoned spec writer.
- A focus on Hollywood film, while also featuring extra advice for television and writers outside the US.
Xander Bennett is a former Hollywood script reader turned pro screenwriter. Inspired by the mediocre scripts he covered as a reader, he started the blog 'Screenwriting Tips,You Hack'. Screenwriting Tips has delivered a tip per day since 2009, and is the home of the online script notes service Hack Notes. Bennett has written professionally for film, television, videogames, role-playing games, and graphic novels.
