There's lots of websites that will teach you the art of writing, but it's not always as easy as it sounds. Now I am by no means an expert on writing, but these are all tips that have helped me in the past & I hope they can help you going forward with creating your own project!

Write the way everyday people speak! We are all programmed the way our English teachers had us write... it was all complete sentences this & proper sentence structure that, however, when you are writing a screen play it's best to write the way people actually speak. When we talk to one another there are awkward pauses, we start, stop, think, break up our sentences & jump from idea to idea. I feel writing this way adds a certain realism to what is being said.
Write about what is interesting to you! What would you want to see on screen, what film genre do you feel is neglected that needs some fresh ideas? Can you give a new spin on an old concept? The more interesting the subject, characters & story are to you... the easier & more genuine it will be to write about said subject. You'll feel it pour out of you when you are really engaged with your own idea. If you're not feeling this way about your project, then you may want to reconsider the idea or reinvent it. Add a new twist & see where the ideas take you.
Take into account the filming mechanics of your script & ask your self whether it is actually feasible! Robert Rodriguez was quoted as saying that if you are on a tight budget when it comes to filming, you should write & use what you already have. You wouldn't want to set your film in Africa or on the International Space Station as both may become much to difficult to produce. So if you have a great location you know of then write a story around that location. If you have a very unique object just sitting around your house, why not write a story about that object. Use what you have & you may end up with a compelling story of your own.
Base your characters off real people that you've met & allow them to write the story for you. This one really helped me when writing Metronome. Once I had great characters in mind, they are really the ones who took the story from me & ran with it. You can feel them writing the story for you... all you're doing is typing out their words, but you really have to sit down & listen to the story play our in your own mind.
Last, but not least. Just Start! Start writing, start formulating ideas, start letting these ideas & characters take you on a wild adventure all your own. Writers commonly talk about writers block or struggle to get started, I've definitely had that same feeling come up. I find the best way to deal with that is to search for inspiration. Give the writing a break & go out into the world in search of ideas. Perhaps you'll catch the last part of a coffee shop conversation or you'll see a random object or interaction that will give you that spark of an idea you'll need. Just be ready for that idea because you never know when it may appear... you may even have a random dream that'll give you an idea. Write down these ideas even if you're not sure how to use them at first. An idea you write down this year may become part of a new screen play 3 years from now.

The point of all this is if you've ever had a desire to write your own script, it's important to just start. Allow it to flow out of you & go from there. You may end up going back & rewriting everything 300 times, but that's okay, it's all part of the creative process. Metronome started as just a simple, very basic idea & somehow exploded into a full on production with different characters, a villainous organization & a huge concept. What are your thoughts or ideas when writing? Share them with me here or on social media!

Onward,

5 Top Writing Tips - in my own words...

Gabe S.