StoryLink > Articles > eZines > June 2009
StoryLink eZine - June 2009
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What's the first question you ask yourself when you start writing a screenplay? According to storytelling guru John Truby, if it's not "what's my genre?" then it might be time for you to re-think your writing approach. This special edition of the StoryLink eZine features a new article from Truby entitled Secrets of Genre, in which he reveals a hidden truth: Hollywood doesn't buy and sell movie stars, directors or writers. It buys and sells genres. In this insightful piece, Truby breaks down the top genres, complete with recent top-grossing film examples. Wondering how you can start using the secrets of genre in your screenplay? Then check out Truby's Blockbuster 5.1 software, the only program of its kind to focus on writing for specific genres. With add-ons for Action, Comedy, Horror and more, Blockbuster can be easily tailored to fit your specific type of script. Blockbuster 5.1 is on sale today at The Writers Store for $179 (reg. $249). Also on special are Truby's genre courses on audio CD. This is a rare opportunity to get Truby products at discounted prices, so after you read his article, be sure to visit WritersStore.com to pick up these effective screenwriting tools. Best regards, Your friends at StoryLink |
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What's my genre? That's the single biggest question you should ask yourself when that great premise idea first pops into your head. Why? Because of the First Rule of Hollywood. Most writers work at a tremendous disadvantage because they don't know this rule, which has to do with what producers and studios want to buy. Hollywood doesn't buy and sell movie stars, directors or writers. The First Rule of Hollywood is: it buys and sells genres. If you're not selling them what they want, you're out of luck. Genres are different kinds of stories, like Action, Detective, Love and Thriller. More importantly, genres are really good stories, the all-stars of the story world that have been popular with audiences for decades and sometimes centuries. That's why Hollywood buys and sells them, and why you need to know not only which genres you're using in your script but also how to write them well. Many writers wrongly believe that they are competing against the 100,000 scripts written every year. In fact, they are competing against the other scripts in their genre. Which is why you have to know your genres cold. Mastering your genre seems like it should be easy, since these are forms we have all seen at the movies since we were kids. Unfortunately, each genre is a complex story system where all the crucial elements exist under the surface in the structure. Each genre has a unique hero, desire line and opponent, asks a key question, uses a specialized storytelling strategy and expresses a highly detailed set of themes. Most importantly, each genre has anywhere from 8-15 unique story beats that must be in your script or your script will fail. What's more, you have to twist each story beat, write each in an original way so your script stands above all the others in your form. But here's the good news: all the techniques required for a great genre script are very precise and can be learned. There's no reason you can't become a master of your form and write a script that presents your genre to the Hollywood buyers in a fresh new way. Continue reading... |
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Truby's Blockbuster 5.1 puts hundreds of professional techniques at your fingertips to help you create a great story, in a fraction of the usual time and effort. Based on an interface that teaches as you write, Blockbuster shows you the deep structural weaknesses that are likely to be in your script and takes you through the ideal order for fixing them. Truby's Blockbuster 5.1 is on sale today at The Writers Store for $179 (reg. $249). Visit WritersStore.com now to pick up your copy. |
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John Truby has brought his screenwriting expertise to more than 30,000 students, teaching the art form all over the world. Now, he's put his critically-acclaimed approach to story writing into genre courses on audio CDs. These courses are on sale today at The Writers Store. Visit WritersStore.com now to get them at special discounted prices. |