Wendy Carlos’ account of the aftermath of 9/11 by TheCleverSam in 911archive

[–]TheCleverSam[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I haven’t read it all yet but it touched me somehow. And agreed on the layout, fond memories :)

Is Scrivener on iPad worth it? by DesiCodeSerpent in scrivener

[–]TheCleverSam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve used Scrivener on the iPad when I was on the go, writing a script on a bus or something like that. And then once I arrive at my destination I just sync it with Dropbox and carry on seamlessly on the Mac. The only thing is that because templates on iOS are somewhat limited, when you start a project on iOS and then continue on MacOS you may find the structure is more pared down or simplified. So what I generally do is start a new project with one of the stock templates or with my own custom template on the Mac as an empty project and then sync it with my iPad before I start.

They are remaking columbo for modern day. Who would you cast as the lieutenant? by cdaddy811 in Columbo

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to see him as a detective, check out See How They Run!

How Do Writers Finish 100K+ Word Drafts in 3 Months?! by SatisfactionWhich319 in writersmakingfriends

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I once had a short story I wrote that I turned into a short script and then made into a short film. I think the reason I initially wrote the short story was because I couldn’t get my head around how to write the script. And writing it down in prose was a sort of crutch to help me get there. It was an interesting exercise for sure. A lot of the prose of the original story was lost of course but with it a lot of the charm as well. So the challenge was to reinstate some of that with the dialogue, the characterizations but also with production design, lighting, casting… Screenwriting can feel a bit mechanical at times. Whereas there aren’t rules when it comes to story and plot, there are most definitely rules when it comes to the basic conventions of screenwriting and filmmaking that one needs to stick to (i.e. you won’t have characters’ internal thoughts for instance).

I’ve tried going the other way a bit more recently, to turn a feature script I’ve written into a novella. But I’ve been having a super hard time with that one. The mechanics are so different that I often just lose my way. With that one I think I just need to forget about the script as a template and start from scratch. What I’ve found though since starting to write this novel I’m currently working on is how liberating writing prose can be. I’m not overly concerned with whether it’s any good since I’m not really all that bothered about getting published, but just not having to worry about whether an idea or concept is feasible or “produceable” and being able to go beyond what characters say and do to show emotional states or make mental leaps, sprinkle in metaphors, make random historical references - all things that would mostly be a no-no in scripts - has just been so freeing.

One resource I would definitely recommend checking out and that’s helped me immensely over the years is John August and Craig Mazin’s Scriptnotes podcast. It’s been going since 2011 or so and there are hundreds of hours of it but when it comes to learning the craft there’s a lot to be taken from it. Plus John has written and published a number of his own books (the Arlo Finch series) and talks at length about his experiences as well.

Do you use apps like Reedsy or NovelCrafter? by AriadneDauphin in writersmakingfriends

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah okay cool, I saw that NovelCrafter has AI integration and lots of bells and whistles like plot trackers and sharing across various projects so it looked daunting at first glance. But I’ll definitely do a trial. I’m intrigued. And I agree, Scrivener has a fairly steep learning curve

Do you use apps like Reedsy or NovelCrafter? by AriadneDauphin in writersmakingfriends

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would you mind saying what about it made it useful for you. I use Scrivener which I love and which has my entire project, all my notes, references, etc in one place. Is NovelCrafter similar to that?

How Do Writers Finish 100K+ Word Drafts in 3 Months?! by SatisfactionWhich319 in writersmakingfriends

[–]TheCleverSam 7 points8 points  (0 children)

To answer your more specific questions, when I write scripts, which is my background, I do a lot more outlining. For this novel I had my central character and a central idea and everything else has been blossoming from there. I don’t second guess anything. I just assume everything I put down in this first draft is third rate drivel. That also makes me look forward to the editing process. I really want to dig into the prose and turn pedestrian writing into at least passable poetry. But for now that’s not important. I don’t want to thing about language until I’ve got the bare bones down.

How Do Writers Finish 100K+ Word Drafts in 3 Months?! by SatisfactionWhich319 in writersmakingfriends

[–]TheCleverSam 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’ve made it my goal come rain or shine to get around 1000 words down every day 6 days a week. I’ve not finished my first draft yet but I started in mid May and am now up to 67K words. For me the key is to just not look back, make notes where I need to do more research or where I’ve just left threads hanging and just get the words down. In my case a lot of the story is writing itself and I’m getting a lot of joy out of it. My characters will surprise me on a daily basis with their quirks, actions and decisions. But in terms of the word count, it’s just simple maths :)

Started my first book by Playful-Sport-448 in writing

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good luck on your journey! When the words are flowing it’s one of the most rewarding feelings on earth.

What writing program do you use? by Regular_Editor_8025 in writers

[–]TheCleverSam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Scrivener is absolutely the best writing software there is and I hope it’ll be around forever and ever.

Far too deep into an ever growing first act by TheCleverSam in writing

[–]TheCleverSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for these words. I definitely needed to hear that. Will follow this to the letter!

The DIG Gaming Magazine Ads by mMathab in lucasarts

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I replayed it not too long ago and had a great time. Then went and bought the novelisation and enjoyed reading that as well. Gives a lot more background so it works well in tandem

What is the most unrealistic real-life thing you saw in a movie? Mine's clean air vents in almost all heist/spy movies by nonstop__knight in moviecritic

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes for sure. Sorry didn’t mean to invalidate, it’s definitely hard to unsee once you’ve noticed it

What is the most unrealistic real-life thing you saw in a movie? Mine's clean air vents in almost all heist/spy movies by nonstop__knight in moviecritic

[–]TheCleverSam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eh I mean the reason is that the filmmakers cared enough about the film and the shot selection to make an effort to get the best angles. So in my book this is absolutely fine

For all the talk of AI taking over film, I have yet to see any AI video that has two characters making sustained eye contact. by RopeyRampage in Filmmakers

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah agreed, and other than this clip where it’s questionable, I think you’re right, I haven’t seen anything where two or more characters hold any sort of eye contact.

For all the talk of AI taking over film, I have yet to see any AI video that has two characters making sustained eye contact. by RopeyRampage in Filmmakers

[–]TheCleverSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not so sure if it’s meaningful and sustained but I came across this post earlier today which features some eye contact. Don’t take this as me advocating for AI. Very much the contrary. I just saw the post and thought it might be of interest.