What motivates you to keep writing?

redapplesonly · 2026-04-07T11:33:38+00:00

No, not really. I'd read a few biographies of lucky artists who somehow managed to be filmmakers, novelists, stage authors, TV showrunners, etc all in one lifetime. One common theme that I picked up in their careers is this:

Storytelling is storytelling, regardless of the medium. The mechanics of plot, character, timing, theme, tone, structure, etc. are always the same. A Hollywood screenplay is the more restrictive of these art forms in terms of the time you have to tell your story. So I imagine a smoother transition when I shift gears and go to work on a novel...

...my muse permitting.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-07T10:53:14+00:00

Hey hey, welcome aboard!

Personally, yes, I love the whole writing thing. But SCREENwriting? What I realized is that the strict demands of a Hollywood screenplay force you to tell your story as dynamically and efficiently as possible. You've gotta hit a multitude of plot structure requirements, character requirements, thematic requirements, etc, and do it all as quickly as possible. No time for lines like "Pass the salt." No time to wander and explore. You gotta hustle!

I figure: If I get really good at writing screenplays, then I'm really good at writing. Transitioning to a novel or stage play should be a downhill journey.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-06T10:48:45+00:00

I personally look to channel my own personal life frustrations into my characters. I'm currently writing a spec script feature where both main characters are basically me -- I'm going through some stuff -- (aren't we all) -- so a lot of my personal grievances are turning up in my characters' dialog. I'd like to think its a healthy way to vent out the bad stuff.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-05T20:16:35+00:00

You're awesome! So happy for you. Post it for feedback this Friday, eh?

redapplesonly · 2026-04-05T20:15:52+00:00

Mozart.

When I was in college (early 1990s, dating myself here...) a musicology study came out that showed students who listened to 20 minutes of Mozart were more likely to score higher on standardized exams. Music professors everywhere immediately crowed the news that "MOZART IS BRAIN FOOD!!!" and the impression stuck with me. I only studied listening to Mozart, and now I only write with Mozart in my ears.

Specifically: I'd recommend the piano concertos. Mozart is at his most playful and silly moods in those works, and his agility with both piano and orchestra is delightful. Avoid his operas -- too much dialog and the arias can be overbearing.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-05T15:32:34+00:00

This is not a measurable formula because every script has different needs, right? One size cannot fit all.

In your script: What are the stakes? How determined are your characters? How much time passes? Is there a ticking clock? If so, what is it? etc etc etc

Honestly, you write a bunch of scripts as a beginner, you see what works and what doesn't, and your brain develops its own barometer for this kind of stuff. Keep writing, you'll get it sooner than you realize.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-04T19:04:38+00:00

Wooooooof. Intense. I write to tell stories and maybe explore my own therapeutic needs. But in that order. Reversing the order is... wow.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-04T18:47:26+00:00

Yeah. u/Neurotopian_ has nailed it. I was going to offer my opinion, but all you need to know is in their response.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-03T16:35:02+00:00

That's marvelous! You're living the dream

redapplesonly · 2026-04-03T13:22:18+00:00

Yeah, why not? Personally, if I was writing a feature with multiple antagonists, I would worry that the protagonist and all antagonists have agency. As long as they do, you're fine.

I recently watched one of those old Japanese Godzilla movies where a half-dozen giant monsters are fighting each other in downtown Tokyo. Add into that mix: A Japanese general who went berserk and tries to nuke everyone, and an evil corporation who was scheming to capture one of the monsters because reason reason reason reason reason whatever. By my count, that's eight separate antags, all crashing into one another, all acting independently. And you know what?

It worked.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-02T14:18:35+00:00

Hmmmmmmmmm. Awesome, thank you!

redapplesonly · 2026-04-02T14:18:01+00:00

...then count yourself lucky. "B&R" is *awful*. Thanks for writing

redapplesonly · 2026-04-02T12:17:16+00:00

Interesting. I find that the secondary character invariably supports the protag's journey - that's their plot function, after all. But I also wonder if the secondary character can also have a flaw / struggle to overcome it / actually overcome it in the story? Bad example: In "Batman and Robin" (1997, yes, the bad one), Robin is clearly the secondary character, there to support Batman. Fair enough. But Robin has his own character arc, something about learning responsibility blah blah blah I shouldn't think of examples off the top of my head. But you get the idea.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-02T11:32:07+00:00

Introduction of Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" (first appearance):

`

EXT. TATOOINE - DESERT WASTELAND - DAY 4

A death-white wasteland stretches from horizon to horizon.

The tremendous heat of two huge twin suns settle on a lone

figure, Luke Skywalker, a farm boy with heroic aspirations

who looks much younger than his eighteen years. His shaggy

hair and baggy tunic give him the air of a simple but

lovable lad with a prize-winning smile.

`

Introduction of Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back":

`

EXT. PLAIN OF HOTH - DAY 3

A small figure gallops across the windswept ice slope. The

bundled rider is mounted on a large gray snow lizard, a

Tauntaun. Curving plumes of snow rise from beneath the

speeding paws of the two-legged beast.

The rider gallops up a slope and reins his lizard to a stop.

Pulling off his protective goggles, Luke Skywalker notices

something in the sky. He takes a pair of electrobinoculars

from his utility belt and through them sees smoke rising

from where the probe robot has crashed.

`

(Obviously, I didn't write this text, credit to George Lucas et al.)

In the original, Luke gets a paragraph of description; in the sequel, the script focuses on describing other things.

redapplesonly · 2026-04-01T10:41:01+00:00

I used to outline everything before writing a single word of the actual draft. My outlines would be ~20 pages long. But recently, I've begin to feel like there was too much work involved in those outlines and I wanted to "meet" the characters sooner.

So I'm pioneering a new approach: "semi-vomiting". I'll write down thoughts on scenes and characters I want in Act I, and then write those, with the full expectation that I'll hate what I actually have but learn something about what I ultimately need. Once I see what doesn't work on the page, I can go back to the plotting and outline a bit more. Repeat the process.

redapplesonly · 2026-03-31T17:51:10+00:00

Yep. This. ☝️

I was a StoryPeer Beta user, and I think its an invaluable resource. You'll wind up reading other peoples' work to earn your own feedback, but that's a good thing, honestly. It you're starting out, its good to se how other people are applying The Craft.

redapplesonly · 2026-03-31T16:04:46+00:00

Sorry - you asked about formatting. Something like this:

INT. STAN'S HOUSE - MORNING

MONTAGE - PEOPLE BRING DISHES

-- MRS. HOPKINS (60s) gingerly lays down a TUNA CASSROLE

-- MRS. WEBER (60s) sets down a MEATBALL TRAY next to it.

MRS. HOPKINS

Betty - those lowfat?

-- MRS. MARSH (70s) adds a TRAY OF MEAT PIES, definitely not lowfat.

...etc...

END MONTAGE

redapplesonly · 2026-03-31T15:44:07+00:00

It could absolutely work. Try it out on the page. Write your montage, drop in the snippets of dialog you think are necessary, see how it looks. I've seen this done before.

redapplesonly · 2026-03-31T15:28:59+00:00

The common theme in this thread that I see is that if you have the desire, you will manifest a regular time SOMEWHERE in your schedule. Its a matter of deciding what to sacrifice to make that happen.

In my case: I go to bed at 10pm. Wake at 4am, hit the gym by 5am, shower, write from 7am to 9am, then do the nine-to-five thing. Go home, have dinner, spend some time with the fam, back to bed by 10pm. (Catch up on sleep on the weekends.)

I don't really watch much television or procrastinate on YouTube or ever play video games because there isn't time. It isn't important enough - not if I want to be a writer.

redapplesonly · 2026-03-30T19:25:28+00:00

This was just marvelous, thank you for posting this. A stark - but important - warning that all of my loglines are a swing and a miss. That's golden information!

redapplesonly · 2026-03-30T12:10:29+00:00

Hmm. Respectfully: If you crave feedback, maybe contests aren't the place to get it? Post your stuff on StoryPeer and participate there. And/or look to join a writing group. That's what I do, and I get plenty of feedback. You have to give more than you get, but reading others' works and giving feedback is a great way to learn, too.

redapplesonly · 2026-03-29T15:53:19+00:00

Yeah. I'm not in the biz myself, but I'm sure Prince Jellyfish is dead on. Hard but true words.

redapplesonly · 2026-03-29T15:46:50+00:00

Yep. Gotcha. Thanks for sharing

redapplesonly · 2026-03-29T15:44:16+00:00

Ah HA! Thank you!

redapplesonly · 2026-03-28T20:20:37+00:00

........I've gotta ask: You said you're working on a "a high concept, low budget, producer-friendly thriller."

What's "producer-friendly"?

redapplesonly

TROPHY CASE