Screenwriting
No Good Trailers Today, Some Writing Tips Instead
Yep, that’s right. No good movie trailers were released today. Or, at least not for movies I’m interested in. So there.
On the other hand, I did get a lot of writing done, so today wasn’t a total loss. In fact, I think I’ve finally figured out some problems with a script I’m working on, which is always a good feeling. Of course, fixing some problems can often lead to finding others . . . And so it goes.
Speaking of writing, screenwriter (among his movies is Big Fish, one of my personal favs) and snazzy iOS app developer John August has a great podcast (co-hosted by Craig Mazin) for all you aspiring screenwriters out there. I’m sure I’m late to the party on this and you’ve all been into the podcast from the beginning, but I’ve listened to almost all of the episodes now and I’ve learned a great deal.
Yes, I can still learn. So can you. Come on, you can do it.
Mr. August offers a lot of other advice at his website as well as several examples of his writing work for your reading pleasure. It’s a great resource and one I recommend highly.
I’m not alone in this, of course, but I’ve always believed one of the best ways to learn to write something like a screenplay is to read a lot of scripts. It helps to read good ones, too, as Mr. August’s are. No, that’s not brown nosing. They’re just very good and I don’t mind saying it.
In truth, I’m a big fan of reading in general. I guess if you’re reading this, you probably are too.
Writing On the iPad with Final Draft and More
Even though I’ve had an iPad since day one, I haven’t really embraced it as a pure writing tool and it hasn’t completely replaced my laptop for that purpose as I hoped it would. I have used it for some writing, and various other tasks like watching videos or perusing Flipboard, but I still found myself turning to the laptop for any work for The Flickcast or for this site, especially when editing pictures or embedding video were involved.
However, I recently discovered that the iPad is particularly great for writing at least one thing: scripts. I discovered this fact when I finally got around to using the Final Draft Writer app for the iPad that I’ve had installed for some time but basically ignored in favor of its Mac OSX-based brother.
In short, the Final Draft Writer app is quite intuitive and works extremely well. And, much to my surprise, it’s very usable without an external keyboard. I just type on the screen. That’s a big plus when it means you only need to carry an iPad in your bag which, even compared to my 13" MacBook Air, is still lighter and much more portable.
Plus, the Final Draft Writer app integrates with Dropbox so I can work on scripts and then save them to the Cloud for later editing on the MacBook Air, desktop or even the iPhone (if I’m really bored in line at the DMV or something). Sorry, no Google Drive integration yet, just Dropbox. And yes, to take advantage of this feature you do need an iPad with a data connection (I have the Verizon 4G LTE version) or, of course, available WiFi.
Still, the combination of the Final Draft Writer app, Dropbox integration, the retina display and long battery life of the iPad and no need for an external keyboard, makes this an excellent alternative to a laptop or desktop. In fact, I’m going to try using the iPad exclusively to work on my various scripts for the next couple weeks and see if I can leave the desktop and laptop behind.
I’ll keep you posted.
And before you ask, no, I’m not writing a script called “The Swans of Brooklyn.” That’s a demo script that comes with the software.