How to Write Movie in 21 Days

Rating:
Summary: A Great Encouragement!
Review: "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method" is a MUST HAVE for any beginning writer. I read Viki King's book prior to writing my first screenplay and was completely hyped to begin writing.

Probably, like most writers who have read (or will read) her book, I believed I could stick to the 21-day Writing Schedule she outlines. Ok, a little honesty here, I was certain I could finish my project in less time because I knew my story and my characters like the back of my hand. This was no big deal.

Wrong! Everything Viki said would happen, did happen. Some days I would write aimlessly and other days it was pure genius. When I completed my screenplay, I was on top of the world! However, when I realized I had 200 total pages, I dreaded climbing the mountain of Editing! As I trimmed it back 80 pages for industry standard, I felt like I was being asked to give my child up for adoption! As I reread my script and looked to see if I had honestly told my character's story, I realized I had not.

However, as I kept picking her book up and reading it, and reading it, and READING IT some more, Viki's voice came through very calm, almost as if to say "we've all been there, it's going to be fine." So, I didn't finish my screenplay in 21 days, but I did finish it, thanks to Viki.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide for any starting writer
Review: As a writer, my biggest problem is slowing down to fix what I'm writing before I've finished writing it. It's very easy for me to get so caught up in making something sound perfect that I never get around to finishing the piece--just write it off as another imperfect work-in-progress and go on to something else.

King's approach gets you writing, writing, writing, writing, writing. You don't even think about editing until the whole story has been written down--even if it's written down in a thoroughly unreadable form. Her reasoning? It's easier to make something good from something mediocre (or even bad) than it is to make something good from nothing.

I've written a few screenplays (none sold yet, doggone it), but only one using exactly the plan outlined in this book. I found that, while her method works and works very well, just going through it once showed me where the span of my writing approach needed her kind of support and where it stood firmly on my own abilities.

I continue to use her 8-minute exercises because they are wonderful for getting you writing while preventing you from thinking about writing: if you only have 8 minutes to cover a topic, you'd better get those words onto paper as fast as you can. 8 minutes is the perfect limit because it's enough to get a substantial amount written--but only if you don't spend your time diddling with the words. Longer than 8 minutes and an old diddler like me will be tempted to diddle.

I don't use her "write 20 pages in 2 hours" approach, but I do write each scene in a block from beginning to end without stopping, for as many pages as that first visceral "heart draft" of the scene needs to be.

It's been a long time since I've read this book--though I do give it a once-over before I start a project--and many things she teaches in it have stuck with me as personal approaches to writing. It's a small book, but that's only because she doesn't waste time getting to her point.

A very rich find--it should serve every screenwriter well.

Rating:
Summary: for the procrastinating screenwriter
Review: I roll my eyes and sigh every time a screenwriting book mentions tired old forumula's and routine screenplay templates such as plot point number 2 has to fall on page 45 or the turning point has to be on page 90, etc.

This book is riddled with them.

However, I found this book to be a nice roadmap for the writer who deliberates much too much in their head and thusly produces nothing in effect. I followed the 21 days writing excercise and managed to get a first draft on paper roughly around 27 days.

For that alone, I recommend this book. But if you want to learn how to 'write', don't look for any book to teach you that. It's true that every story has a beginning, middle, and end but when you rely on Hollywood standards you end up with a generic film script.

Rating:
Summary: I'd give it more stars, if I could.
Review: If you have at least a glimmer of an idea for a screen play, this is the book for you to get it into manuscript form. It's writing by the numbers, i.e., the first crisis by a certain page, but it's an exceptionally easy formula to follow. In addition, the author gives specific instructions to set up the page format in acceptable script form. I know college writing classes where this little book is required reading before you can even enroll. I write stage plays, 12 that have been produced, several off-Broadway, and I have found this book helpful for that medium as well. Again, if you've got the idea for a plot, follow the instructions herein, and you will have a completed script in 21 days using this painless method. But, there's the rub -- you do need an idea.

Rating:
Summary: Great insights into movie writing, writing, and life
Review: In this short (less than 200 pages) book, Viki King explores both a method for writing a movie and some of the basic issues that all writers must face from time to time. Although King is writing specifically about the movie business, her lessons are generally applicable to all types of writing. King addresses issues such as what to write, how to go about writing, and how to overcome obstacles.

Writers are frequently faced with the challenge of how to write when the rest of the world is calling on us to do something else. King's suggestions on the `junk job,' writing with (or without) partners, and creating time and place to write are universals that are valuable to all types of writers. I also enjoyed some of her tricks--creating the whole book with blank paper and an end note, then filling in the rest as you went--to overcome writers block. Writers who want to explore screenwriting, or who just want to look at writing from a different slant will enjoy HOW TO WRITE A MOVIE IN 21 DAYS.

Although I don't write screenplays, I re-read How to Write... occasionally just to remind myself of what I'm trying to do (write novels) and how to keep the priorities of my life straight. My wife, who does write screenplays, has adapted the Viki King approach to meet her needs--she finds that having her task for the day set out makes it a lot easier to get it done than if she was just given the formatting and plot and had to take it from there.

If you've ever thought about writing a movie, or if you're a writer looking for a little inspiration, I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: 21 days to write it and 1 second to reach the bin !
Review: It simply didn't work for me.If you are beginner, you need more than this little book.The Screenwriter bible by David Trottier is the ONE.Do not expect to write any good stories in 21 days.Stop dreaming and start writing.This book is kind of hard to read so if it's for beginner, it is just done to to make your learning more difficult than anything else. Forget it and follow my advice above.

Rating:
Summary: for the procrastinating screenwriter
Review: Thank you thank you thank you Vicki King. I put off buying this book for a long time because I thought it sounded like a gimmick. What it really does is teaches you discipline. Follow King's advice and you'll be on your way to a completed screenplay (I used this book to write my second feature-length, and I will use it to write all future projects too).

Rating:
Summary: Get started in ONE day
Review: This book managed to motivate me when no other book or situation could. Viki King's Inner Movie Method gives small enough building blocks that writing a screenplay becomes possible, even though doing it in 21 days seems like such a difficult goal. King helps the writer define the movie's essence and then begin writing.

King stresses that the writer's first draft should be from the heart, and then subsequent rewrites and editing sessions should be conducted from the head. This frees the writer up to just write and think about the movie after something is on the page.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who gets intimidated just thinking about writing, to anyone who hasn't managed to write a screenplay yet but has a burning desire to do so, and anyone who needs some motivation or has writer's block.

Rating:
Summary: Worked for Me!
Review: This is a gimmick book with substance, if such a thing is possible.

At the risk of sounding like a cheesey testimonial, I want to say that I bought the book, read it, followed the simple advice she offered and the result was a finished screenplay.

Viki King understands all the things that prevent people who want to write from doing so. She can chase away all the negative thoughts that cloud a writer's mind. I also appreciated the way she assures you that quitting your job and selling all you own will not make it any easier to finish something if you are not in the right frame of mind.

Have I sold my screenplay? No. But the satisfaction I got in finally finishing one was worth the price of the book and then some.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully helpful!
Review: Viki's system is a good kick in the pants. It motivates you to write, but it forces a three-act structure on your screenplay. Great for "Lethal Weapon" and the like, but a bit intolerant for something more innovative.

But typing "Lethal Weapon" in 21 days is a good deal as well! Not a bad intro to screenwriting, but not great. Take her page-by-day deadlines and apply it to something with deeper character structure initially.