Writing

I actually started writing this when I was 18. When I had done with it, it was a mere 18 pages written. It was terrible, I actually still have a copy of it. I was just writing at the time, writing as I went along. I wrote about 4 of these types, all around 18 pages long. It sat around in my notebook and on my computer and especially in my head for a few years. This January, I received "The Hollywood Standard" and read it, re-read it, and re-read it again. It made me realize the craft of screenwriting. I think the more I read it and memorize it the better my work will be. Its just like a job, it takes forever to get the hang of first, but after a while, its second nature. I highly recommend it.

Funny thing, the guy that gave me a copy hasn't really read through his own copy and hasn't really done much, and he's much better than me.

Back to the writing. What I did was write a first draft(showing no one draft) and that came out to about 30 pages. After that I had the basic story in my head. So I went back and wrote every scene on those 3x5 cards we used in high school. I came out with 50 cards, each one a minute, then just started adding in scenes. By the time i was done, I had 100 3x5 cards and the entire story in order, so all I have to finish is to write it in format to be readable.
Its been a long learning curve for me, basically 8 years for this one, but now that I'm about to be done, I'm on a roll.

Just remember its a job and its not going to be great all the time, but if you don't keep working, you won't get paid. Start with the Hollywood Standard, and since you've read Story, I'd recommend Adventures in the Screen Trade. What I did was any movie they referenced, I'd put it on my Netflix queue. So then I'd read other people's screenplays, write my own screenplays, watch movies, and make movies. Its a hell of a lot to do, but I feel like I know more than most about making movies now.

Stay cool, read those books.