I’m in the middle of I’m reading a book titled “Writing Down the Bones, Freeing the Writer Within”. Written by Natlie Goldberg. At the beginning of the book she talks about “practice writing.”
I’ve read quite a few how-to books about screenwriting and I’ve never heard about practice writing. So, I guess she’s talking about other kinds of writing… novels, essays, short stories, etc. But, I’ve decided to see if I can apply this “practice writing” to the art and craft of screenwriting.
So, I have made the following commitment… Every day, I’m going to spend fifteen minutes “practice writing”. I will write (in screenplay format) dialogue, descriptions, and action. What I write doesn’t have to make sense. It is, after all, just “practice.”
Haven’t worked out all the details yet… I’m going to start by opening up a word file, putting a date at the top of the page and then write. I’ll record the results later.
Just another page in “A Screenwriter’s Journey.”
Faith – I came to your website form MoviePoet. I liked this article on practice writing. It reminded me of a book my mother gave me – Bird By Bird written by Annie Lamott. I don’t know if you read it, but it a great, short read. In it she talks about short assignments – write everything you can about what you can see through a 1 inch picture frame. Just start with that one little thing. She’s not talking about writing screenplays, but I think that same concept can work just as well.
MF, Thanks for stopping by. Although I’ve only been doing it for a couple of days, I’m really enjoyng my “practice writing” time. If anything, it allows me to get rid of some of the clutter in my tiny brain!
I’ve read that book and really liked it although after a few days of “practicing” I kind of gave up that idea and started to work on my novel. But it was fun
I’ve just discovered your blog and really enjoyed it!