Time Flies as I type the story into reality

Every day I wake up and wonder what else I can learn today. I am writing a novel and its companion screenplay. Both are firsts for me! That is not a pun, just the simple truth. When I made the decision to take "On the Wings of Zion" to this level, the art of screenplay writing was foreign to me. I had no clue where to begin! There were many questions so I set out to find answers. I didn't even know how to set up the format. What I learned quickly is that the process is very involved and takes some skill, insight, patience and the will to use the edit button often. Put your ego away before you attempt to publish a novel or a screenplay if you are shy about getting it bruised!


The most intricate part of the entire process for me, at least, is creating the movie characters. After the inception of the story, a writer must create these personas to fill all the main players in that story. So the plot is generally created first but it can't really advance until the characters are defined and established in their roles and settings. This process takes more than creativity. It takes a complete immersion of body and soul into that character so the writer can work out all the nuances of their behavior. There are voice, tone, facial expression, language, body posture, physical attributes, and emotional tendencies to explore, define and then establish into the story.


As part of my own educational training process, I have studied and befriended some independent film makers. From observing their work and reading their material on social networks I have gained a lot of insight. I also took time to read some screenplays so I would better understand formats and styles. What I haven't done much of is to interview some screenplay writers and movie producers. That is the next step in my intentional process. The experience should yield some real gems in the art of screenplay writing or film making as a whole.