A Secret to a Hollywood Career

From Stephanie Palmer at Good in a Room:

http://goodinaroom.com/blog/how-to-be-a-writer-executives-want-to-hire/

Why Most Screenwriting Advice on the Internet is Crap

I saw a tweet the other day that wasn't directed at me (at least, I don't think I've made enough of an impact to inspire anyone's tweet), but it sure could've been directed at me. So, I wanted to address it. It basically said, "The only thing you've ever written is advice to other writers on how to sell their work", or something like that. It had been favorited and retweeted many times so clearly it's a sentiment that many people share about a variety of self-professed writing gurus.

If you look at my bio, you'll see that I readily admit I have no publishing credits, no optioned or sold screenplays, and I probably shouldn't call myself a writer. So, why do I call myself a writer, since I obviously suck so bad? Because I don't suck, and I am a writer, and I have written a lot of work in my life that you'll probably never read.

People tend to think that selling work as a writer is easy. It can be easy, or it can be extremely difficult. There are a lot of factors other than the quality of writing that determine whether or not one's writing sells. I may be one of the greatest screenwriters in the world, but I'm such a jerk that nobody wants to do business with me. Or maybe I have a medical condition that makes pursuing my dreams nearly impossible. Or maybe I have legal and financial obligations that preclude the screenwriting career I always dreamed of. Or maybe I'm just BSing you and I don't know anything about writing.

Basic Vocabulary: Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is something almost all writers know about even before they pick up the pen to write. Foreshadowing is simply the process of putting hints into the story about major future events.  

What you may not have thought about is how either are two distinct kinds of foreshadowing: direct foreshadowing and indirect (aka ironic) foreshadowing. 

Direct foreshadowing is exactly what it sounds like -- a scene that directly parallels a future scene. Nazis come in at the first act, drag our a business owner for assisting Jews, and shoot him. Then, the protagonist spends the whole film helping Jews, only to be confronted at the end by Nazis looking to shoot him. It's a direct parallel that, in this case, build a sense of danger of dread into the story throughout the second act. 

In GOODFELLAS, Joe Pesci's character kills a made man in the mob. It's explained at the time that made men were untouchable, off-limits. Later on, Pesci's character is tapped to become a made man in the mob at a private ceremony, isolated from his friends. Without giving spoilers, even if you've never seen the movie you probably can guess what's going to happen. 

Indirect foreshadowing is when you have an event or series of events that are the exact opposite of what's going to happen. Let's say a character makes a series of thematic, over-the-top suicide attempts where they will almost certainly be stopped that never really come closer to working but are mostly for show. These attempts may be ironic foreshadowing of the characters events suicide. Maybe this character hangs himself or shoots himself in a remote location. Or a character can continually put himself on dangerous situations thought the story, always coming out alive, only to die by being hit by a bus while crossing the street or fall down icy stairs. In this case, all that foreshadowing was meant to lull the audience into a false sense of security. Think about THE GODFATHER, when Vito dies. We hardly expect his death because he's survived so much. 

Ironic foreshadowing can also be used to set your protagonist up for a stellar ending. A protagonist who fails at one particular challenge throughout the story, only top be confronted by this same challenge at the climax, is being set up to fail. When that protagonist succeeds, because of newfound strength out help from unlikely allies, the audience is both surprised and happy. 

Use foreshadowing like a horseradish garnish: light and gently. Used effectively, it can really elevate the audience reaction to your story. 

- The Illiterate Writer