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Tally Knoll: Toronto writer, cat lady, and layabout

[tally-knoll]

Check out this show I’ve been working on! 

If you’re in Canada and for some reason can’t see this Canadian show on YouTube, check it out on CTV.ca!

[scriptwriters-network]

Characters don’t have to meet “cute,” but they should meet in an “active” way. What will make this introduction memorable?

Pilar Alessandra’s 200 Writing Tips / On the Page

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Strengthen your script by rewriting scene transitions. Use themes, images and premise setups to link one scene to the next.

Pilar Alessandra’s 200 Writing Tips / On the Page

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There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

Ernest Hemingway

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SCRIPT GODS MUST DIE: Character Arcs - Order, Chaos, Reorder - Script Magazine

Paul Peditto examines famous movies with great character arcs to explore where the character arc begins, where does the character change, and where does he/she end up by the end of the story.

[crisp-sweet-pink-lady]

The preview for next week’s episode, Star-Crossed Sisters

[tally-knoll]

My very close friend wrote this episode! I'm so stoked!

[scriptwriters-network]

Lessons on Screenwriting: How to Pace a Fight Scene

When it comes to great action-packed fight scenes, it's all about timing.

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The story…must be a conflict, and specifically, a conflict between the forces of good and evil within a single person.

Maxwell Anderson

[dearscriptwriters]

Challenge.

Dear Aspiring Scriptwriters,

If you want to improve at writing, here’s a little challenge:

Handicap your best skill

If dialogue is where you shine, do a story without it. If action scenes are your forté, try a court drama, political thriller, etc. If everything you do belongs in fantasy, take a whack at non-fiction. See what it’s like writing without your ace in the hole.

Sincerely,

Dan

[improv-is-easy]

I told Miyazaki I love the “gratuitous motion” in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are. “We have a word for that in Japanese,” he said. “It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally.” Is that like the “pillow words” that separate phrases in Japanese poetry? “I don’t think it’s like the pillow word.” He clapped his hands three or four times. “The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness, But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb.”

Roger Ebert, on Hayao Miyazaki (via moonbrains)

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There are no rules about writing methods. Do what appeals to you. If you like writing pencil on paper then do it.

Nicholas Murray (in ‘Writers in Black & White’)

[tally-knoll]

MYSTICONS | You're Not the Boss of Me Sing Along | MUSIC

[brittalundin-deactivated2021120]

heyyy i was wondering how a teleplay writer usually gets started in the industry.. especially if you're the one who creates the show and need to present your idea to an agent. do you need an outline of a season or of the entire show? or do you need a teleplay for an entire season? ik i'm asking so many question, but i'm soo curious i'm sorry 😂

Usually when you start out, you’re not creating your show. That’s the big leagues. A great way to start out is to get a job as a writers’ PA or a writers’ assistant or a showrunner’s assistant, and learn how the writers’ room works. Write a lot of scripts and pilots and learn how to do that well. Then, work your way up, get an agent, and get staffed on a show. Do that for awhile, and then maybe you might be ready to start pitching your own TV show!

[tally-knoll]

Mysticons Theme Song | Lyric Video | MUSIC

This AMAZING show I’ve been working on! Coming in a few scant weeks to the US and fall EVERYWHERE!!

[friendlyannoyance]

Here’s a trailer for the TV show I’ve been animating on since May 2016! It is such a fun show and can’t wait until it comes out and I can share it with all of you! I even have few shots in here that I worked on :D

[tally-knoll]

I’m so chuffed for this! This is the first show I got staffed on as a writer, and I’ll have my first TV credit in 2018! It’s the best first show I could have EVER hoped for!!

[annerocious]

Definition for Your Hook

Your hook is how your script’s central conflict is played out in action. A strong hook suggests the story and engages the reader’s imagination immediately.

Most spec scripts have a very weak hook: Two friends go on a road trip to Vegas for Spring Break after one of them has a bad break up. 

This is not a hook. It’s a set up. The hook happens when you take a setup and add a second act and a final conflict.

Add definition to the setup by creating an interesting situation as a framework for their emotional journey: Two friends on their way to Vegas unwittingly pick up a hitchhiking criminal.

Okay, now there’s some shape. The story is about a specific situation. You’re already waaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the game. It’s almost a hook.

Now find some high contrast to suggest the nature of the conflicts: Two high school cheerleaders pick up a hitchhiker on the way to Vegas, only to discover he is an escaped psychopath intent on the Mexican border.

It’s not a hook yet. A hook is what sets a story like this apart from all the others in its genre.

Do some character development. What unlikely thing about the young women arms them to do battle for their lives in a punishing wasteland?

Who’s the guy? Is he a Dexter psychopath or a Hannibal one ?

This is where it’s up to you to take your setup about the road trip and find the fresh story in it.

Keep doing these reps until your hook pops out, fat-free and ripped as those underwear model abs.

[writerlyn]

Perf.

[scriptwriters-network]

How to Create The Perfect Show Bible - ScreenCraft

By Valerie Kalfrin If you want to pitch a TV series, consider the metaphor of a road trip. You don’t just pack a bag or talk about what you’d like to see and do at your destination. You also want to know who’s coming with you, whose vehicle you’ll use, and your general route and possible stops along the way.