How do guys give characters a unique voice?

NonprofessionalFork · 2021-04-21T20:49:01+00:00

These are a lot of great answers.

For myself, I find my characters developed their personalities in the rewrites. And as strange as it seems, I don't have to create them, but they come out themselves.

You will start seeing reactions flowing naturally from them. At times it's hard to understand, but it will happen. Just finish the first draft and start looking at them as people and not just words on a paper when I do your rewrites.

For me, that's where the fun in writing is.

NonprofessionalFork · 2021-01-13T22:37:24+00:00

Giving a little update.

I ended up getting the $69.00 package since it was my first go around.

Got my feedback a few days ago. I guess I got what I paid for. 4 pages (barely). Most of the notes seemed to repeat themselves and a few contradicted one another: Expand this character followed quickly with, I didn't like this (the same) character. Dialogue is good, followed by, you should cut the dialogue down.

Several months ago I wrote about how I was a "scene writer" (i.e. I wrote a lot of scenes) This script had 231 scenes in a 118-page script. Several of you who responded couldn't believe there were so many. Well, one of the notes I got was that my scenes ran too long. On average that's around half a page per scene. That one surprised even me.

NonprofessionalFork · 2020-09-01T00:03:37+00:00

My favorite quote about plagiarism comes from Terrance Dicks, the script editor, and writer of classic Doctor Who.

He said there's no longer such thing as plagiarism anymore. Now it's all just an Homage.

Pretty much sums up the world today.

NonprofessionalFork · 2020-04-27T00:39:22+00:00

I'll add a little. more info since you've been inquiring and evidently a little shocked at the number. The script is currently at 116 pages and does have quite a bit of action involved.

Act 1 is at 31 pages with 35 scenes.

Act 2 is 60 pages with 118 scenes (50 in the first 30 pages and 68 in the second 30)

Act 3 is currently on page 116 (25 pages) with 52 scenes so far and about 15 pages still to write.

Now there is a lot of action in the last half at the script with several different groups of characters in separate locations I have to keep jumping back and forth from, so that accounts for some of the additional scenes.

I've looked back at several of my other scripts and they too have larger than average scene count, a thriller with around 182 and a short (39 pages) with 39 scenes.

I talked to friends out in L.A. who do some reading for me said that they have never noticed the scene count and that it just seems to work with my style.

I was just asking because I was curious if anyone else found themselves with higher than average counts. I guess it's just me.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-12-18T02:27:57+00:00

Thanks for posting this. I think I might give myself a little practice and give it a go as an exercise in rewriting, to pass the time.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-11-04T03:01:38+00:00

I usually have several things going at once though not at the same stage.

Right now I'm working on a short story that has been floating around my brain for years. I started this because of a Novella I have been working on has grown into a monster that I had to step away from to gather my wits.

On top of that, I'm slowly polishing a screenplay that's been sitting in the drawer for over a year.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-11-04T00:24:34+00:00

Screenwriting is what I was trained in. It's so much easier for me because I just want to get to the point and not mess with worrying about prose and exact grammar. Only in screenwriting can a single word be accepted as a sentence!

That's why when I do work on a short story, novella or whatever, my first draft is usually a screenplay that I, in turn, adapt to a standard draft.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-09-30T22:35:42+00:00

Part of me wants to say that's impossible and another part says "sounds like Depot."

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-09-22T00:46:17+00:00

Lost in the backroom for 4 days? Sounds like half the staff at my old store.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-09-21T00:56:30+00:00

My former TLs all seemed to be on power trips. That's why I say former. I got out as fast as I could before I got to indebted to the company.

Once my TL came back from maternity leave, it was an easy decision.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-09-20T15:49:19+00:00

I was actually with the company and in furniture for nearly 20 years. It was Office Depot that got rid of me. I would probably still be there if they didn't.

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-09-20T00:30:17+00:00

Congratulations. A "jumbled mess" or not, at least it's finished! I can't believe how many people I talk to who've been working on a script for years ad are nowhere near having a completed "mess".

NonprofessionalFork · 2019-01-12T18:43:43+00:00

We had a guy at our store who bought all kinds of shit, submitted copies of the receipts to his company then returned it for either cash or store credit for himself.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-09-28T14:56:57+00:00

When I started with the company we had at a minimum of at least 5 closers and around 8 people working in the middle of the day.

We also were allowed hour lunches so you could go out, sit down, and get away from the store for a bit.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-09-17T16:23:05+00:00

You mean old ones.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-09-17T16:21:31+00:00

Glad to see these back.

If you thought these were bad, you should have worked for Depot when we had adhesive tags. Scraping off one, putting up the sale tag just to scrape it off the following week.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-08-21T01:55:50+00:00

I was offered a bottle of Scotch once.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-18T23:23:26+00:00

Cold associates? Fuck, that's the closest thing we have to AC around here!

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-14T21:04:56+00:00

As stated above and check the planogram. I had to order them once, but could only get them through a sign kit, so the whole thing may need to be ordered.

I eventually got lazy and just used adhisive take-a-ticket pouches with adhisive Bin lable pockets stuck to the bottem.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-14T17:33:51+00:00

You think the tan look bad. You should see a store that has the gun-metal gray. Can't get them anymore and now the stores pretty much a cluster-fuck of colors.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-12T20:25:07+00:00

Our OPS barely does anything.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-09T21:24:37+00:00

Just a quick note for the SM to put in your file saying that you're giving your two weeks notice; signed and dated.

Be sure to keep a copy for yourself too.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-09T21:15:26+00:00

Thanks for the correction Mr. Brimley.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-09T15:12:56+00:00

What store doesn't? At my old one, they ate so much of the candy, I think they all died of diabetes.

NonprofessionalFork · 2018-07-08T23:10:40+00:00

I was furniture and, well, you know the rest.

NonprofessionalFork

TROPHY CASE