The Word Cloud

Hi new to this site, I've never written anything in my life and up till three years ago I decided to start learning how to write screenplays, as I love movies. It's more of a nothing wish, wishing that you could do this,that and the other, but never actually doing anything about it.
So I started to, and now I wish I'd started it a long time earlier.
My question is= Can anyone give me any great tips on how to research? I find this quite hard.

Thanks Elliott.

I use the search engines, I love google, you can put something obscure in and it brings up information on it. I would advise joining the British library and Wikapedia can be useful for some subjects. A lot of it depends on what you are actually researching. You will probably find a plethora of books on factual information. If you are researching a place, then a visit there will be extremely useful. As I said, it depends on your subject matter. I'm housebound, so can't get out and about to research, but I found the computer together with google invaluable.

I am considering a part time new adventure on top of my own writing as well as other events that might take over on the domestic front as my mother wants to move but judging by the economic climate due to a change in government in this country, it is doubtful as to whether mum will get a decent price so we might sit tight once again and see how the land lies. In the meantime, I am aiming to set up as a Freelance Research Assistant service as the government are encouraging people to become self employed. If anybody amongst you might be interested in this opportunity, feeling a little hard pressed to fit this alll in your work schedule then you can contact me if you wish on the following email and I will send you a questionaire. This will enable me to present the 'bareometer of response' which I hope will be positive to my Workwise advisor next week.

QUESTIONAIRE:

Market Research for Fiction and Non Fiction Writers

This is a market research survey which I hope will help me and you in return so thereby I hope there is nothing too intrusive other than to give me a barometer of your time spent in carrying out research for your writing, whether it be fiction or non fiction and how much time is involved with other tasks related or domestic that might eat into your time. If there are some areas you would rather omit, then do so but it would be helpful if you could give me some idea. You might be quite surprised but give me a rough estimate on first question

Name

Address

Tel No.

Email

Website

How much time is spent on domestic arrangements? [Includes care of pets, childcare and elderly dependents]

Does your writing include other disciplines [e.g. short story, articles, academic papers etc? {How much time is spent on the research? [Rough estimate of time spent

Are you or have you been a Writer in Residence? If so where, when and what did it entail? [School or prison visits]

Do you teach in colleges, schools or prison literacy classes, if so, how often? [Days or hours – Rough estimate]

If you were offered the opportunity of any work carried out by a Freelance Research Service to help in some of the research, would you take it? [Yes/No]

*PS[Nothing too technical or scientific but this should be particularly suitable for historical and crime writers]

Either send the completed questionnaire by email to fionaejohnston@btinternet.com or via snail mail to the following address, whichever is easiest for you.

Miss F.E.Johnston

Church’s

Swingleton Green

Monks Eleigh

Suffolk

If you prefer, just fill in the appropriate sections here which will save you asking for it if you prefer

Hello Elliot and welcome, you might be glad of the above opportunity

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Oh, and every success story begins with a wish or a dream so you keep at it. Good for you! I wish you all the success in the world with your scripts.

Gah. What the hell happened to my post?! I copied it to notepad then on to here and it still comes out like dog puke? I give up.

Researching for what?! Unless you're contemplating a documentary you have the entire length and breadth of your imagination to put onto the page. This is the creative spark of the process - you shouldn't feel constrained by SP location, sets or budget (although the marketing and sales people will) What sort of stuff do you know about? Elliot Grove says in 'Write and sell that hot screenplay,' "I've seen a lot of reasonable stories badly told," meaning that so long as you write with passion, clarity, brevity and action your-hero-next-door-Joe Soap's trip to the office could be fraught with danger/conflict/disaster and mortal mayhem (and if played by Harrison Ford) none of which would be discernible by his facial expression !!

Well, within reason, I am not in total agreement, JtF, background detail is quite important. The trouble is I am sure for a lot of people, its time factor. I am sure a lot of writers have other related commitments, to say nothing of domestic which is why I am trying to fill that gap for them

Thanks guys for the help. Is it possible to up load a spec script for constructive criticism? Well at lest the first ten pages?

Don't know if this helps, but my motto is, "Write what you know, learn what you don't".

Good motto. I think I've been working that way for a while, it just gets tricky when it comes to needing facts to keep the story going along.

Are there any screenplay writers on this site, who've been optioned? Or have gone further? I'd love to ask one or two things.

The motto I work by - and tell my students - is "Write what you want and make me believe you know it." The purpose of your research isn't to explain stuff, or do non-fiction work in your fiction, it's to make me believe...

Having said that, I usually find that I use very little of what I originally went looking for, but invariably stumble on things I didn't know were there, but send fireworks off in my brain, or solve a problem, or open up a whole raft of ideas/images/metaphors/connection. It's one reason, Widget50, that I doubt if I'd use a research assistant, even if I could afford one: what I told an assistant I was looking for might not turn out to be the stuff I wanted. Which isn't to say that others wouldn't use one.

Emma

Hi Emma, I like your take on your motto. ' Make me believe'. I've been reading what I can on screenwriting and I've picked up on what should not be written and what to use sparingly. As I've read, screenplays are meant to be written as visual. The making you believe part is quite hard, especially as I'm not great with words.

I can relate to only using a little of what I've researched or, not using it at all. And like you, sometimes it can trigger a new idea. But sometimes I get lost with my idea, because I'm looking for the right word to discribe something I don't know the name of. And the impression I get from the books is, to know what your talking about in order to look believable and professional. This is not easy at all. But I do enjoy writing screenplays.

Elliott