Great book, and great guy! We'll be returning tomorrow to wrap up the workshop.
Looking Back on My Screenwriting Journey
One of the highlights of that weekend was having the opportunity not only to attend David Trottier's workshop, but also to speak with him personally. Our Austin Screenwriters Association had flown him in from Los Angeles to teach the workshop, and as an aspiring screenwriter at the time, I was eager to learn from someone whose book, The Screenwriter's Bible, had already become one of my favorite writing resources.
During the workshop, I had the chance to query him about a screenplay I was writing. Although that screenplay was never completed for the screen, I haven't given up on the story. In fact, I hope to turn it into a novel one day. It has nothing to do with homesteading or my Miles Away survival series. Instead, it's a story centered around elderly people being given another chance at life—a project that has remained close to my heart over the years.
Before attending the workshop, I had also taken several screenwriting classes through Austin Community College, where I studied the fundamentals of writing for film. Looking back, I don't see myself pursuing screenwriting professionally, but I don't consider that time wasted. Quite the opposite.
Many of the lessons I learned in screenwriting continue to influence the way I write fiction today.
Screenwriting teaches writers to:
- Begin a scene as late as possible.
- End scenes with a reason to keep turning the page.
- Keep dialogue natural and purposeful.
- Show rather than tell whenever possible.
- Keep the story moving forward.
Those same principles have helped me write novels, and I believe they've made me a stronger storyteller overall. Even though my path eventually led to publishing books instead of writing screenplays, I'm grateful for every class, workshop, and conversation along the way.
Sometimes the skills we learn for one dream become the foundation for another.
1 comment:
Have fun and eat some cheese for me.
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