©Disney PIXAR

Write me the next “Toy Story”!

Oh, and did I mention there’s only $25,000 for the script?

UPDATED

The book publishing industry, like the newspaper biz, is on a glide path to oblivion.  It's just too easy and cheap to download a book to your computer, iPad or Kindle.

And that was last year!

Now it takes less time to publish your own book than it does to write a query letter to publishers, let alone send it out and wait for the rejection letters.

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is so easy it's frightening (to the publishing industry). How easy?

There are only two things you need to do to become a better writer: study and write.  The question is: are you studying and writing optimally?

I wrote screenplays for Columbia and Paramount on instinct, and wrote hundreds of animation scripts the same way.  But I’d never really “learned” how to write. I finally decided to get serious about my craft and read all the best-selling screenwriting books.  I learned quite a bit.  But one of the most important things I learned was that WHAT you read is only half of the journey.  HOW to read is the other. Learn the three R's and become a better screenwriter...

What is the #1 most important ingredient of every great screenplay?

Is it great characters?

Great plot?

High Concept?

It’s none of these.  The #1 most important ingredient of every great screenplay is...

The Old Man and the Sea ©Warner Bros.

Ever get a big fish on the line only to have it get away before you could pull it into the boat?  You probably didn’t set the hook.

Rule #1 in fishing: set the hook!

The same is true in screenwriting, only you’re not trying to hook a fish, you’re trying to hook the audience.  You don’t need a fishing rod, you need ten great pages.

Before you run off half-cocked with that shiny new animated six-shooter of yours, here are a few pieces of advice that will help you live long and prosper in this business.

It would be foolish to think you could become a good animation writer without first understanding a little bit about creativity, especially considering cartoon writing is one of the most creative forms of writing there is. Fortunately, creativity is not as ethereal as some might lead you to believe.

In my previous post, How to Turn Microsoft Word into a Terrific Screenwriting Program, I explained how to use Word’s “styles” to automatically create script formatting.

This review is for those who want to decide between using Word as a simple screenwriting program and a more robust program like Final Draft 8.

©DreamWorks Animation

One of the most useful maxims in life is known by the acronym K.I.S.S. I'm sure you've heard of it. It stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid”. But simplicity is not just the key to a happy life; it's also the key to great storytelling—which only makes sense because stories are about life.

Well-written animated features, no matter how complex they may seem upon first viewing, have basic character and plot elements that are very simple. To create a simple, well-constructed story you need only answer a few questions. Let me demonstrate using Kung Fu Panda...

 ©Jeffrey Scott

After being sold out for several months, HOW TO WRITE FOR ANIMATION is back in print!