#20 - What You Know
Edition #20 of the Lighthouse miniLetter!
You'll always get:
Three examples of great screenwriting
Two quotes about storytelling
One thing to think about
Plus some fun links at the bottom.
Three examples of great screenwriting
Blade Runner 2049
Story by Hampton Fancher, Screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green
Blood, body, fingers, Chopin, the taste of garlic.
I particularly like the way this small passage draws us into uniquely human things. Not only setting up a thematic throughline in this film, but maintaining a thematic throughline of the franchise as a whole. Plus, it’s all lived in, subtle, and idiosyncratic.
Scrubs (Show Bible)
Created by Bill Lawrence
I found this show bible online, which only goes up through episode 6 in season one. This screenshot is from a section underneath the episode summary, and I’d like to call attention to the Rounds and Body-count counters at the top. They are specific to this show, and I think it’s absolutely worth asking what is specific to your show. What should you be counting?
For Her Pleasure (Pilot)
Written by Katie White
There’s so much to like in this pilot, but I just had to share the last page. I’m a big fan of stark clear imagery for the ending of pilots, and this one doesn’t disappoint. But the thing that really got me was that MOAN TO BLACK transition. White doesn’t miss a single opportunity for her voice to come through. Brilliant work.
Two quotes about screenwriting
“There is no such thing as realistic dialogue. If you [simply recorded] the real conversation of any people and played it back from the stage, it would be impossible to listen to. It would be redundant . . . . The good dialogue writer is the one who can give you the impression of real speech.”
“The only reason ever to make a sequel is to spend more time with the characters that people love: to tell more of their story.”
One thing to think about
Are you really writing what you know?
"Write what you know" - we hear it all the time. But what do you know?
You may not know what it's like to compete in the Olympics. The adrenaline, the applause, the precise physical maneuvers of the sport - you’ve likely never experienced those.
But you have likely experienced a moment of triumphant culmination. The fruition of something you've strived for years. It’s an emotion you know, a feeling you've lived, and that's something you can write about.
Writing what you know doesn't mean replicating your life on the page. It's about taking the emotional essence of your experiences and infusing it into your characters. Your protagonist might be in a situation you've never faced, but they can still navigate it with an emotional compass that's familiar to you.
Emotional authenticity resonates with readers far more than logical authenticity. After all, we probably haven’t been in the Olympics either.
Are you really writing what you know?
Have a great draft,
David Wappel
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