Category Archives: Settings

Screenwriting: Genre, Setting, Concept

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In this post I share with you three other elements that are included in the proposal of a screenplay.

Genre:

In Save The Cat (see my previous post) Blake Snyder mentions ten types of genres. He cautions about staying away from “standard genre types such as Romantic Comedy, Epic or Biography- because those names don’t really tell me anything about what the story is.”

As a standard genre my story is romantic drama, but in following Snyder’s advice my genre falls under the Rites of Passage type. “These are tales of pain and torment , but usually from an outside force; Life.” Movies that Snyder classifies under this type include stories about puberty, mid-life crisis, old age, romantic break-up, and grieving stories.

Settings:

Although my series takes place in part in India, Italy and Boston I have omitted these scenes from the screenplay. I do mention the character going to India but I only speak of her impressions upon her return. Similarly, I do not have the character go to Boston or Italy. The reason for doing this is that film producers are money minded. Having the crew travel to film a scene ups the costs which might make a producer reject the screenplay.

So my settings are: A women’s center in a middle-class area of a city. Bars and pubs, restaurants. The characters’ apartments. Conference hall. Art Gallery. Inside taxi cab. Backyard garden. Museum. Gym. Office. Golf Course. Library. Construction site of a donut shop. Inside a car.

These are easily filmed on set or at least in the city where the film is being made.

Concept:

This is the synopsis of the story. One thing I was told to keep in mind, is that the agents/producers/directors are busy people and don’t have time to read through pages of what your film or series is about. What they will be more interested in is the script itself which I will talk about in another post.

The concept is the heart of the proposal and includes:

An introduction to the idea of your story along with main emotions and theme. Here you can include one sentence story examples.

A paragraph which outlines the story in each episode – its beginning and ending.

Visual Elements that are in the story. Is it entertainment, an interview, narration, animation. Is there a host?

Finally, clarity and brevity is key.

Please note that I will not be as active on Social Media for the next while as my family is preparing a funeral for my brother-in-law and in the weeks that follow I will be involved in helping care of my sister, who is eighty, and will need support as she begins her grieving process.

Based on my Getting To Mr. Right Series

Please visit my author page on Amazon

Getting Organized

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I am a messy writer. When I am working on a story I have notes on index cards, in journals, on random pieces of paper lying around my apartment, on my computer. Piles and piles of notes.

I kept telling myself  

YOU NEED TO GET ORGANIZED

And so I did. I made myself two notebooks in which I could keep a few facts about my characters and settings and a place to keep ideas together.

Note that the preview may not be working. To look inside click on the titles or the links at the bottom of this post.

Author Notebook: Characters

Facts matter. Organize your writing by keeping track of your characters in one easy to access space while saving you time.

No more scattered notes, or messy files on your computer. No more having to search through your manuscript for factual information about your characters that keep your writing consistent.

 The details that are on the worksheets include the character’s physical appearance, place of residence, education, family ties, childhood, mannerisms, jobs, flaws, traits and goals.

Whether this is your first book or you’ve written several or have characters that appear in a series the Author Notebook will help you stay organized and focused on your writing.

The notebook has two parts. On the right is a fact page for you to fill in for each of your characters. On the left is a blank page for you to add notes as reminders, inspirations and ideas as you go along writing your book. It measures 6 x 9” (15.24 x22.86 cm) in size and has 102 pages.  

Author Notebook: Settings

A setting can bring life to your book, especially if it is fresh and unique. That is why it is so important. However, it is also important to vary your settings so as to keep your reader interested.

This notebook on settings is to help you keep track of the places your characters inhabit and their physical and emotional interaction with the setting.

A setting can conjure up memories that can help advance the plot and while different characters can be in the same setting, depending on their mood and past experiences, they will notice and react differently to the details of the setting.

The Author Notebook sheets help you to describe places, weather, seasons, sensual details, feelings and memories which a setting can trigger. This enables you, the author, to notice at a glance, whether you have varied these details and how your character relates to them.

The notebook has a sheet on the righthand side with the title of your book and the character’s name followed by three blocks of setting details.

On the left is a blank page to add your notes as you go along creating your story world. It measures 6×9” (15.24×22.86 cm) and contains 102 pages. 

Both notebooks are now available on Amazon:

Character Notebook

Setting Notebook