Tomorrow is the beginning of Script Frenzy, the write-a-screenplay-in-a-month challenge. Script Frenzy is nowhere near its sibling National Novel Writing Month in terms of popularity—it picks up about a tenth of the 100,000 or so novelists that participate in NaNoWriMo each year.
I was pleased to see that the Script Frenzy people have relaxed their rules a little bit: All participants have to do is produce 100 pages of some sort of script from April 1st to April 30th. Which means that you can now write a comic book script or a full-length play instead of a screenplay and still participate.
I can state from personal experience (two Script Frenzies and five NaNoWriMos) that Script Frenzy is a lot more fun than NaNoWriMo, and it’s just about a perfect activity for April in Seattle: When the weather gets shitty and wintery and you’re stuck inside against your will, you can funnel that energy into a script.
If you don’t have Final CutDraft or any of the other expensive screenwriting programs, you can download Celtx for free. It’s a fairly intuitive program for Mac or PC that allows you to work in movies, plays, or comics. I use Celtx for most of my scripts, but I’ve also used and can recommend Scripped, which is like a Google Docs for screenplays. Scripped is particularly useful because you can work on your screenplay surreptitiously while at work. Because a screenplay might be your most realistic retirement plan in the New Depression.
UPDATE: Gold Star Comment is the very helpful PeterF, who offers up some inspiration:
Some great Screenwriting podcasts I subscribe to (available for free in iTunes):
On The Page: Screenwriting
Creative Screenwriting Magazine
KCRW’s The Treatment
and also thanks to Skit McGrit for pointing out that I meant Final Draft, not Final Cut.
I think you meant Final Draft. “Final Cut” is video editing software.
Some great Screenwriting podcasts I subscribe to (available for free in iTunes):
On The Page: Screenwriting
Creative Screenwriting Magazine
KCRW’s The Treatment
I’m kinda tempted, but I know fuck-all about scriptwriting. I think I’ll stick, for now, to getting ~3,000 words into a novel before giving up the project.
KCRW’s The Treatment rules. Check out the archives for two brilliant interviews with magician/actor/recanteur Ricky Jay, as well as a rare interview with Pedro Almodovar!
There is also http://naplwrimo.org which takes place in November for these who don’t want to write novels then.