Book Review: "Rewrites: A Memoir"

"Rewrites: A Memoir"

by Neil Simon

"Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Goodbye Girl, The Out-of-Towners, The Sunshine Boys -- Neil Simon's plays and movies have kept many millions of people laughing for almost four decades. Today he is recognized not only as the most successful American playwright of all time, but also as one of the greatest. More than the humor, however, it is the humanity of Neil Simon's vision that has made him America's most beloved playwright and earned him such enduring success. Now, in 'Rewrites', he has written a funny, deeply touching memoir, filled with details and anecdotes of the writing life and rich with the personal experiences that underlie his work.

"Since Come Blow Your Horn first opened on Broadway in 1960, few seasons have passed without the appearance of another of his laughter-filled plays, and indeed on numerous occasions two or more of his works have been running simultaneously. But his success was something Neil Simon never took for granted, nor was the talent to create laughter something that he ever treated carelessly: it took too long for him to achieve the kind of acceptance -- both popular and critical -- that he craved, and the path he followed frequently was pitted with hard decisions.

"All of Neil Simon's plays are to some extent a reflection of his life, sometimes autobiographical, other times based on the experiences of those close to him. What the reader of this warm, nostalgic memoir discovers, however, is that the plays, although grounded in Neil Simon's own experience, provide only a glimpse into the mind and soul of this very private man.

"In 'Rewrites', he tells of the painful discord he endured at home as a child, of his struggles to develop his talent as a writer, and of his insecurities when dealing with what proved to be his first great success -- falling in love. Supporting players in the anecdote-filled memoir include Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Walter Matthau, Robert Redford, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse, Maureen Stapleton, George C. Scott, Peter Sellers, and Mike Nichols. But always at center stage is his first love, his wife Joan, whose death in the early seventies devastated him, and whose love and inspiration illuminate this remarkable and revealing self-portrait. 'Rewrites' is rich in laughter and emotion, and filled with the memories of a sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet life."

It's true that this book is quite good. I enjoyed it. I thought it was funny. 

Originally, I had picked it up because I thought I would learn something from it. There wasn't much to learn, except for a few things. Mostly that art imitates life and life imitates art. And I can understand why he had to be a writer to make money for his family. His few business endeavors never made any money.

While he's obviously a talented playwright, I felt there was nothing to be learned from his experiences because everything happened so fast for him. He wrote one play, got an agent that wanted to represent him right away, and then got a producer that wanted to produce his work right away. And then afterwards he was with him for most of the rest of his career. That's it, there was almost no struggle whatsoever. Like he was shot out of a cannon.

Now, I have yet to read his work, but I have heard of most of it and the commentary is almost always positive. There were a number of funny anecdotes about his small misadventures vacationing, working with crazy actors and a movie set full of crazy people. He has worked with legends of the stage and a few on the silver screen, but the only one I can remember is Bob Fosse, mostly because of his brilliant work ethic and because Simon mentions him so often in the book. 

It gave me an odd chuckle every now and then, and the ending was terribly sad, but I don't think it's something that will stick with me.

Now, as far as screenwriting is concerned, there isn't much to learn. Mr. Simon didn't like Hollywood. He liked the money, but he didn't like anything else. He didn't like California, or the way the studios ran, or anything. He didn't hate it, he just preferred New York and playwriting over screenwriting. I can see his point and one day I would like to write a play. 

I know that writing a screenplay and writing a play are two different endeavors and that, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't suggest they are the same. But I still think that there are things to be learned from the stagecraft and it could help people write better scripts. Mostly it has to do with dialogue, because plays have to rely on it more so it has to be better, whereas some movies can get away with a close-up, an awkward pause, or explosions. Sometimes, in that exact order.

Though he has worked on a few movie sets, there isn't much that he can tell you in regards to what helped him write. I suggest reading this book anyway, because it is funny, but don't expect to learn anything from it.

I give this book 3 out of 5 typewriters.

Screenwriter of the Month: William Monahan

Screenwriter, William Monahan.
Picture found here.

A Short Biography: 

Born November 3, 1960, William J. Monahan is an American screenwriter and novelist. His second produced screenplay was The Departed, a film that earned him a WGA award and an Academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Monahan attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He moved to New York City and contributed to the alternative weekly newspaper New York Press and the magazines Talk, Maxim, and Spy. In 1997 Monahan won a Pushcart Prize for his short story "A Relation of Various Accidents Observable in Some Animals Included in Vacuo". Monahan was an editor at Spy during the magazine's final years, where he would come in at the close of the monthly issue to rewrite articles and improve jokes.

William Monahan's 

novel Light House.

Picture found here.

Monahan wrote a novel titled Light House: A Trifle, and Warner Bros. optioned the film rights. In 1999 Talk magazine debuted, and Monahan contributed a travelogue on Gloucester, Massachusetts, to the first issue. In 2000 Monahan's first novel, Light House: A Trifle, was finally published, and it garnered critical acclaim; The New York Times proclaimed, "Monahan's cocksure prose gallops along" and BookPage Fiction called Monahan "a worthy successor to Kingsley Amis." In the second half of 2001 Monahan wrote a fictional column at the New York Press under the pseudonym of Claude La Badarian, which ran for 13 weeks. The screenplay adaptation has not been produced. A few years later, he bought back the rights and took the novel off the market.

In 2001, 20th Century Fox bought Monahan's spec script Tripoli, about William Eaton's epic march on Tripoli during the Barbary Wars, in a deal worth mid-six figures in American dollars, with Mark Gordon attached as producer. The script was given to Ridley Scott to direct. Monahan met with Scott to discuss Tripoli, and Scott mentioned his desire to direct a film about knights. Monahan suggested the Crusades as a setting, reasoning that "you've got every conceivable plot imaginable there, which is far more exotic than fiction". Scott was captivated by Monahan's pitch and hired him to write the screenplay for Kingdom of Heaven. Tripoli was eventually shelved, but Monahan retained ownership of the screenplay and therefore the right to consider new offers at a later date. 

Ridley Scott on the set of Kingdom of Heaven.
Picture found here.

Kingdom of Heaven was the first of Monahan's screenplays to be produced into a film. Monahan had negotiated a production write-through contract for Kingdom of Heaven, which allowed him to be present on the movie sets to make modifications to the shooting script during production. It was poorly received by critics when it was released in theaters in 2005. Kingdom was critically reappraised when it was released on DVD in the form of a director's cut that contained an additional 45 minutes of footage previously shot from Monahan's shooting script. Some critics were pleased with the extended version of the film.

Monahan steadily secured work in the film industry throughout the 2000s. Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, hired Monahan to write an adaptation of Hong Kong director Andrew Lau's gangster film Infernal Affairs. Monahan respun Infernal Affairs as a battle between Irish American gangsters and cops in Boston's Southie district, and Martin Scorsese directed the completed screenplay under the title The Departed for Warner Bros. Monahan's work on the film would later earn him two Best Adapted Screenplay awards, from the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

William Monahan hugging
Martin Scorsese with the cast of
The Departed around them
at the 2008 Oscars.
Picture found here.

Monahan's second produced screenplay was The Departed, an adaptation of the Hong Kong action film Infernal Affairs. Jack Nicholson, one of the leads in the film, had an impact on the screenplay. "I had written the role as a post-sexual 68-year-old Irishman. Jack is post-sexual exactly never," Monahan said later. "What Jack did is great. Did he change the words? Not any of the good ones." Monahan received considerable praise from critics when the film was released in theaters in 2006, and was applauded for accurately depicting the city of Boston. Monahan used his intimate knowledge of the way Bostonians talk and act, learned from his youth spent in the many neighborhoods of Boston, to create characters that The Boston Globe described as distinctly indigenous to the city. By the end of 2006, The Departed had won many critics' prizes. Monahan was honored by The Boston Society of Film Critics with the award for best screenplay, by the Chicago Film Critics Association for best adapted screenplay, and by the Southeastern Film Critics Association with another best adapted screenplay award. Monahan took an unusual route for a screenwriter and hired a publicist to run a campaign promoting his screenplay during awards season. Monahan ended up winning two Best Adapted Screenplay awards for The Departed, from the Writers Guild of America and from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He received an award for his writing in film at the US-Ireland Alliance’s second annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring Irish Writing in Film" ceremony.

Poster of original
Confession of Pain.
Picture found here.

In 2006, Monahan negotiated a first-look producing deal with Warner Bros., which gives the studio the first right of first refusal on any films produced by Henceforth, a production company he started. In return Henceforth received the film rights to produce John Pearson's true crime novel The Gamblers, which Warner Bros. had acquired the rights to.

In 2007, Monahan was hired to work on two film projects: an adaptation of the Hong Kong film Confession of Pain and an original rock and roll film, The Long Play. Monahan will executive produce and write the adaptation for Confession of Pain which will be called Nothing in the World. The adaptation of Confession of Pain will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, for Warner Bros. Pictures. Monahan's other assignment is to rewrite a screenplay about the history of the rock music business called The Long Play. The Long Play is the creation of Mick Jagger, lead singer of The Rolling Stones, and was nurtured at Jagger's production company, Jagged Films. Martin Scorsese became involved while the film project was at Disney but subsequently negotiated a turnaround deal to bring the The Long Play to Paramount.

Monahan's directorial debut was London Boulevard, released in 2010.

(Source #1)

His Movies:

Director's cut
dvd cover of
Kingdom of Heaven .
Picture found here.

- "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005) - "It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages - the world shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. A blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom) has lost his family and nearly his faith. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealing himself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. In Jerusalem at that moment--between the Second and Third Crusades--a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), aided by his advisor Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and the military..." Written by Sujit R. Varma (Source here.)

Poster of
The Departed.
Picture found here.

- "The Departed" (2006) - "In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish-American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. But is either willing to turn on the friends and comrades they've made during their long stints undercover?" Written by Anonymous (Source here.)

- Won for the Boston Society of Film Critics Award 

for "Best Screenplay" of 2006.

- Won the Oscar for "Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay" for 2007, 

based on the 2002 screenplay by Alan Mak and Felix Chong.

- Nominated for a 2007 BAFTA for "Best Writing - Adapted".

- Nominated for the 2007 "Best Writer" Award 

from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. 

- Won the 2007 "Best Screenplay - Adapted" by the 

Central Ohio Film Critics Association.

- Won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award 

for "Best Screenplay - Adapted".

- Won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for 

"Best Motion Picture Screen Play" of 2007.

- Won for the Florida Film Critics Circle Award 

for "Best Screenplay" of 2006.

- Nominated for 2007 Golden Globe 

"Best Screenplay - Motion Picture" award.

Body of Lies poster.
Picture found here.

- "Body of Lies" (2008) - "Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a CIA operative in the Middle East; Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) is his control at Langley. Cynicism is everywhere. In Amman, Roger works with Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), Jordan's head of security, whose only dictum is "Don't lie to me." The Americans are in pursuit of a cleric (Alon Aboutboul) who leads a group placing bombs all over Europe. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse (Golshifteh Farahani). Satellites and cell phones, bodies and lies: modern warfare." Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com> (Source here.)

Edge of Darkness poster.
Picture found here.

- "Edge of Darkness" (2010) - "Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a detective who has spent years working the streets of Boston. When his own daughter (Bojana Novakovic) is killed outside his own home, Craven soon realizes that her death is only one piece of an intriguing puzzle filled with corruption and conspiracy, and it falls to him to discover who is behind the crime." Written by alfiehitchie (Source here.)

London Boulevard
poster.
Picture found here.

- "London Boulevard" (2010) - "Fresh out of prison, Mitchel (Colin Farrell) wants nothing to do with crime, but he accepts a kip from Billy (Ben Chaplin), a marginal grafter, and accompanies Billy on rent-collection trips. He's also old school, wanting revenge on two youths for assaulting a mendicant he's befriended. He's got a strung-out sister to protect, and he's offered a job protecting a famous actress (Keira Knightley) from paparazzi. The plot lines join when Mitchel finds himself attracted to the actress and Billy's Mob boss, Gant (Ray Winstone), finds ways to force Mitchel work for him. He also warns Mitchel off revenge against the assailants of his friend. What are Mitchel's options: is there any way to avoid Gant, protect his sister, and find a path to love?" Written by jhailey@hotmail.com (Source here.)

William Monahan.
Picture found here.

Current & Future Projects:

Monahan made his directoral debut with his film "London Boulevard" which he also produced. His next production where he will write, produce and direct is called "Mojave" which is in pre-production and due out late 2013.

He also helped pen the screenplay of the much anticipated "Sin City" sequel, "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" due out October 4th, 2013. It is being directed by Rob Rodriguez and Frank Miller, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel series. It will star Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Alexa Vega, Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Mickey Rourke, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, and many others.

(Source #2)

There are two unproduced screenplays which are: Jurassic Park IV and Blood Meridian. Jurassic Park IV based upon the movie franchise Jurassic Park which is based off of the best-selling book Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Blood Meridian is an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's 1985 western novel Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West.

Oblivion poster.
Picture found here.

Korean version of
The Chaser.
Picture found here.

There are other projects being produced, among them: Wartime Lies, The Chaser, Oblivion, and Nothing in the World, which was perviously mentioned. Wartime Lies is based upon a semi-autobiographical novel by Louis Begley first published in 1991. The Chaser is an adaptation of a 2008 South Korean crime movie of the same name. Oblivion is an upcoming 2013 science fiction film based on the Radical Comics graphic novel Oblivion by Joseph Kosinski and directed and co-produced by Kosinski. It stars Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Zoë Bell, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The film was initially scheduled to release on July 10, 2013. Since the 3D re-release of Jurassic Park was set for a July 19, 2013 release date, the project was moved forward to April 19, 2013.

(Source #1)

His Tips/Quotes on Screenwriting:

There is an entire article with William Monahan discussing how to create great dialogue, located here. Here's a snippet:

"What you’re doing in essence is fundamentally unnatural. Nobody is doing less natural dialogue than Shakespeare, but he’s the best dialogist that’s ever lived--still is. You don’t want to hear the way that people really talk. Look at me now. I’m not exactly talking in rolling periods or Augustan phrase. I’m just sort of bumbling around. That’s what most people do in real-life conversations. Unless you’re Christopher Hitchens, who speaks in whole paragraphs, or God bless him, used to speak in whole paragraphs. You’re sort of fumbling around for meaning, whereas in written drama, you have to get at it."

There's an interview with Monahan located at Collider.com. It's a very interesting read. Originally, I found it at GoIntoTheStory.BlckLst.com. Here's a quote:

"The thing about this business is that you have to come out of your shell and deal with certain realities of commerce and collaboration and still come up with a masterpiece at the end of it. And you know what? The masterpiece also has to make money. It’s not easy to walk into that set of problems and come out with a work of art at the end of it, but it can be done. As far as getting notes is concerned, I‘ve spent thirty-odd years studying English drama, so I’m personally at a point where I’m post-conscious about craft, but that’s a pricey personal evolution, that’s a thing I chose to do, and you have to remember not everyone’s had time for it, any more than you can expect some other guy off the street to know kung fu or biochemistry. So yeah, there I am, and I sure I know English drama, plus film, and sometimes the other guy knows what somebody at a class told him a screenplay needs, and there’s a difference, but I tell myself what I’d say to my kids or anybody else: when your boss is talking, you listen. The studios catch a lot of crap from the peanut gallery but they’re the guys who pay for the movies and they are rightfully concerned about their investments. I don’t expect an MBA to be Northrop Frye, but I do want to hear his opinions and I’d ask for them were they not given. Do I want to hear “arc” and “journey” and how does someone “change” through the course of the movie? No, I do not. People change in stories about people changing, not in every story. Not every story is A Christmas Carol. You get this crap about “story” because of these chuckleheads out there running script classes, who really prey on confusion about art and people’s genuine desire to learn. It’s shameful what they’ve done to discourse about motion pictures and to film itself. Writers literally get fired in this business because they aren’t providing enough “journey” in a story that doesn’t call for any. There are no general rules to any sort of writing. Each work has its own inherent rules. You discover them. You don’t import them."

(Source #4)

Sources:
- #1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Monahan
- #2 - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1184258/
- #3 - http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682092/oscar-winner-william-monahan-on-how-to-write-unforgettable-dialogue
- #4 - http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2010/02/william-monahan-with-some-strong-words.html

Essay of the Month: The First Act

This is going to be a long one. There is a lot to go over concerning most of the shape of the First Act, which consists of the opening moments of the story; the inciting incident, or incidents as there can be more than one; and the last bit, the first act turn.

This is going to be based on a three-act structure, which most writers use and most people prefer to watch. The first act is basically where you set everything up, as was stated in the previous Essay of the Month: The Elements of a Story. Here's a recap if you have trouble remembering:

"Also called 'exposition', the 'beginning' is where everything is set up: you have a place, a time or time period, characters that will meet and conflict ensues. The characters are usually the source of the conflict. Maybe they don't like each other for whatever reason - it has to be a pretty strong reason or the story will fall flat. Although other characters don't have to be the conflict in the story. Maybe the main character decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery and there is no one to blame but themselves."

"Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist 

in creating out of a void, but out of chaos; 

the materials must in the first place be afforded; 

it can give form to dark, shapeless substances,
but cannot bring into being the substance itself."

~ Mary Shelley

The First Thing That They See:

"Begin with an image. [...] The eye picks up details much more quickly than the ear, and nothing's more disconcerting than staring at talking heads. In a way, you haven't earned the right to open verbally. Your audience doesn't yet know the people speaking; they haven't decided whether the characters are interesting enough to pursue. Let your audience watch your characters for a bit, assess their actions, and make some initial assumptions. Doing so keeps your audience actively involved in guessing what your story will be.

"Also, everything that happens in the first moments of a film is important. If you provide vital information verbally, your audience is likely to miss it in their quest to appraise the environment visually. People come to the movies to see pictures in motion. Why begin with anything else?" (Source #1)

Ultimately it is the director's decision on what to shoot. But if you can hook somebody in with a concise description of something visual from the first moment, you're a lot more likely to get read and considered. It also depends on the genre. For a horror movie, you could open with a plain, brick wall with drops of red paint dripping down its side; and then pan slowly backwards to reveal that there are severed heads on the wall.

Picture found here.

The Opening Moments:

Within the first ten pages or so, much of the back story must be explained here: what time period it is, who the main characters are, and what their 'problems' may be. Tip: Once you set that up most of the audience is going to expect that these 'problems' of theirs will be 'fixed' in some way at the end of the story.

For an example, in a romantic comedy, or rom-com, the main character is lonely and searching for love for a variety of reasons. Or just one *cough* sex *cough*. Those reasons must be stated somehow or their 'problems' won't get 'fixed'. In an action-adventure picture, the main hero, or heroine, must defeat the bad guy, usually by taking a very long trip and kicking ass the whole way. The bad guy may not be bad at first (usually it is very obvious who the protagonist's opponent is), that may come later and be explained by actions or decisions he/she makes that causes the inciting incident.

But, no matter what the genre, try to make your characters worth a damn (or at least the cost of a theatre ticket). Also, you're writing what will (hopefully) be turned into something visual, so keep that in mind.

"The first ten pages provide an initial criterion on which to judge the ensuing story. They should provide just enough information to establish a clear world without giving too much of the eventual plot away, and they should create enough mystery to keep the audience wondering what's in store. Your first ten pages should accomplish the following tasks:

• Introduce the main characters
• Establish the primary environments
• Convey a distinct mood or atmosphere
• Establish the time period
• Illustrate a routine or way of life
• Provide any relevant backstory (events that transpired before the story began)
• Introduce the antagonist

"If you haven't already settled on an ending to your script, now is the time to do it. If you don't know where the script is going, how will you determine which pieces of information to highlight at the beginning?

"Everything that happens now is a setup for what comes next. So you have to know what comes next.

"Some films reveal the antagonist as the villain right away. The opening text of The Untouchables delineates Al Capone as the film's key scoundrel. The shark in Jaws consumes its first victim in the first five minutes. By contrast, the true murderer in Ghost seems to be a nice guy until well after the protagonist is killed. When you reveal the villain is up to you; you certainly don't have to do so in the first ten pages. However, make the conflict clear shortly thereafter. If you wait much longer, you risk having a restless audience that's impatient for the action to begin." (Source #1)

Picture found here.

What is the "Inciting Incident"?

"In contemporary screenplay theory, every story must have an 'inciting incident'. The inciting incident is an event near the beginning of the story that initiates the protagonist on his or her journey. It represents a change in the equilibrium of the character. It has been described as an external event which creates a desire on the part of the protagonist, the 'primary cause for all that follows'." (Source #2)

" 'Inciting' comes from the Latin word incitare which means 'to put into rapid motion, urge, encourage, and stimulate.' And that’s exactly what your inciting incident is: it’s an event that catalyzes your hero to 'go into motion' and take action." (Source #3)

"The 'inciting incident', also known as the 'catalyst', marks the film's first turning point. It tilts the story from order to chaos, from complacency to combat. It's the point of no return. In this moment, you answer two questions:

1. What do your characters want?
2. What might prevent them from getting it?

"Together, these queries make up the film's premise, or what it's ultimately about. [...] A strong premise clearly defines a need and an impediment. As soon as an audience senses these details, you can pose the central question:

• Will your protagonist(s) succeed?

"If the answer is yes, you may have a happy ending; if it's no, a tragedy is in the works. Your inciting incident isn't complete until you pose this question.

"An inciting incident generally occurs in one of the following ways:

• An action plunges the characters into conflict.
• A piece of critical information arrives.
• A sequence of small events prepares an audience for the story.

(Source #1)

Examples of inciting incidents are:

• In The Line Of Fire - Frank goes to an apartment to check on a routine call and discovers a serious threat to the life of the president that he must investigate.
• Stars Wars IV - R2D2 ends up in the hands of Luke Skywalker.
• Casablanca - Ilsa returns to Rick's bar.

(Source #2)

Picture found here.

When Should the "Inciting Incident" Happen?

When it needs to. Seriously.

If you would like to get technical about it, you could put it at around ten pages into the story. That should leave enough time for the audience to find out and embrace the characters and their lives, but not enough time for them to become bored before the events unfold in front of them.

"As the above examples [in the "What Is the Inciting Incident?" section] show, deciding which event is the "inciting incident" is somewhat arbitrary. In Star Wars, the inciting incident could have been Princess Leia putting the plans in R2D2 in the first place. Or, it could have been the Empire boarding her ship. Similarly, in Casablanca, Ilsa does not appear until almost thirty minutes into the story. Many important events have occurred before we even meet her. Are any of these events the "inciting incident"? If not, what are they? Many thoughtful screenwriting theorists and teachers do not place significant emphasis on a single event which begins the story." (Source #2)

In Hamlet, there are two inciting incidents, one that happened before the story even begins and another one that is a sort of series of events. Hamlet's father is dead, supposedly by natural causes. It leaves Hamlet feeling rather suspicious about it, since his uncle starts acting weird: he marries his newly single sister-in-law for one thing, overreacts to a play that Hamlet wrote for him, and sends Hamlet off to another land with the intention of having him killed there. Which brings us to the 'First Act Turn'....

Picture found here.

The First Act Turn or Plot Point One:

"'Plot point one' is the first big turning point in your script. It occurs at the end of the first act, approximately 30 pages into the action (with a script length of about 120 pages), and propels an audience into Act II. It must do the following things:

• Push the action in a new direction
• Force the protagonist to make a choice and take a risk
• Raise the central question for the first or second time
• Raise the stakes

"Pivotal events, like 'plot point one', are usually surprises. Audiences know that something grand will happen eventually. They might even know what the result of that event will be. But don't allow them to guess the details of the event itself or you'll spoil the surprise. [...] Stories that hint too thoroughly at upcoming events become overly predictable and less exciting to watch. [....] The first plot point may be as shocking as the death of a loved one or as gentle as the touch of a hand. Both actions have the power to launch a great story." (Source #1)

The 'First Act Turn' for Hamlet is when he sees his father's ghost, who pretty much says he was murdered and by whom. Hamlet stages a play for his uncle's enjoyment that depicts a murder that is oddly similar to the murder he actually committed. Fearing for his life, his uncle sends Hamlet to be executed in another land. After finding out that his uncle means to have him assassinated using his so-called friends, Hamlet has his 'friends' killed and goes back to his homeland to kick some ass, all the while spouting off the most depressive and emo lines ever. 

"Act turns exist to re-energize the potential of a story’s problem, not to satisfy page-counting readers or paradigm-happy script gurus. Connecting the two first plot points to this problem, and making sure that they aren’t simply the same event, will give an audience something to engage in and something to become invested in. The fact of the matter is that no audience member can resist the draw of the problem solving process as it unfolds on the big screen; it’s human nature to see what greater meaning can be gained from how the resolution plays out." (Source #4)

Picture found here.

I hope this has been helpful. The next Essay of the Month will feature the second act or at least feature in some way how to keep people engaged in the story after the first act. 

"Determining the events or decisions that escalate a story’s problem should be Job One for the working dramatist. It is one thing to create an opening scene that wrecks havoc on the characters in the film and forces them to deal with this new problem, quite another to ensure that the inequity persists until the closing curtain." (Source #4)

Until next time! If there is something you would like to see in the future on this blog, please let me know in the comments section below!

Sources:

- #1 - http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/writing-act-i-of-your-screenplay.html

- #2 - http://screenwriting.wikia.com/wiki/Inciting_Incident

- #3 - http://scribemeetsworld.com/2011/screenplay-writing/inciting-incident-definition-examples/

- #4 - http://storyfanatic.com/articles/story-structure/plot-points-and-the-inciting-incident

I wanted to leave a video detailing the first act and there are quite a few of them on the web, but I chose the one starring a puppet. Although Alan Denman does a good job explaining things as well.

Here is the "Inciting Incident" as explained by BitterScriptReader:

And another one describing the "First Act":

Tip & Quote of the Week: "A Lot, Allot & Alot"

There is much confusion over these often misspelled words. 

To be fair, I use "alot", a word that doesn't even exist, 

a lot more often than I ought to; usually when I text.

a lot [uh lot]

noun

1. lot ( def 14 ) .

Often, lots. a great many or a great deal: 

a lot of books; lots of money.

adverb

2. lot ( def 21 ) .

Often, lots. a great deal; greatly: Thanks a lot for the ride. 

I care lots about my family.

Usage note: As a noun and adverb, a lot is frequently misspelled as alot.

al·lot [uh-lot]

verb (used with object), (al·lot·ted, al·lot·ting).

1. to divide or distribute by share or portion; distribute or parcel out; 

apportion: to allot the available farmland among the settlers.

2. to appropriate for a special purpose: to allot money for a park.

3. to assign as a portion; set apart; dedicate.

Picture found here.

"Those who have seen little 

wonder a lot."

-unknown author

A Lot and Allot Usage Cheat Sheet

Word/Phrase	Meaning	When to Use
A lot	A large amount	When you want to describe an excessive quantity of something
Allot	To give or apportion something	When you want to indicate that something has been assigned or doled out
Alot	N/A	Never

Examples:

A lot

He drank a lot of wine last night.

Her family has a lot of money.

I have been getting a lot of sleep lately.

Allot

They always allot a certain amount of 

money for their family vacation.

I will allot you 30 minutes to watch TV.

Did your teacher allot days for each child 

to bring home the class pet?

Tips

- Another helpful way to remember is to insert an adjective in between the two words, for example, a sizeable lot.

- Turn on your spellchecker, and you will see it underlines a lot.

- Remember the simple tip - it will always keep you correct in your spelling.

- Substitute "a lot" with formal words and phrases, such as "a great deal", "many", "much", "enormous quantities of" etc. If you are using a more formal writing style, "a lot" is considered to be informal (colloquial) and should be avoided in formal writing contexts.

- Learn a great deal of English grammar, and you'll be a great writer. Well, there is more to it, of course, but this is always a solid foundation that will help you to enjoy the language and all it has to offer a good writer.

Picture found here.

Also, if you're still unsure, a quiz is located here: http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/alot_a_lot_allot.htm. It's very short.

Sources:

- #1 - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/a+lot?s=t

- #2 - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/allot

- #3 - http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/A-Lot-and-Allot-Usage

- #4 - http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-the-Difference-Between-Alot,-Allot-and-A-Lot

Tip & Quote of the Week: "Eminent, Imminent, & Immanent"

These words look and sound very similiar, but mean completely different things.

eminent 

adjective

1 (of a person) famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession: 

one of the world's most eminent statisticians. 

• [ attrib.] used to emphasize the presence of a positive quality: 

the guitar's eminent suitability for recording studio work.

immanent

adjective 

1 existing or operating within; inherent: 

the protection of liberties is immanent in constitutional arrangements. 

• (of God) permanently pervading and sustaining the universe. 

(Often contrasted with transcendent.)

imminent 

adjective 

1 about to happen: they were in imminent danger of being swept away. 

2 archaic overhanging.

Picture found here.

"I have a spelling checker 

It came with my PC 

It plainly marks for my revue 

Mistakes I cannot sea 

I've run this poem threw it 

I'm sure your please to no, 

It's letter perfect in it's weigh 

My checker tolled me sew"

-- anonymous

Imminent is an adjective meaning “about to happen.” It comes from a Latin word minere meaning “to overhang” or “to be near.”

Obama’s court pick is imminent

Pfizer Chief Says Growth Is Imminent

PSPgo Relaunch is Imminent

Bush Says No Imminent Decision on Guantanamo

Similar in meaning to imminent is the word impending, literally, “hanging over.” Unlike imminent, impending has a negative, even ominous connotation:

How do human beings react to the threat of impending catastrophe?

Teachers appeal to AG to cancel impending dismissals

Peter could not keep silent. He laid hold upon his Master, 

as if to draw Him back from His impending doom…

Anxiety symptoms – Fear of impending doom

The expression impending doom, meaning “something bad about to happen” has become such a cliché as to be the name of at least two heavy metal bands.

Picture found here.

Immanent is an adjective meaning “dwelling within.” The word is most commonly used to describe a spiritual presence. It comes from a Latin word manere meaning “to dwell within" or "remain".

Is there a hierarchy in the immanent Trinity?

God is immanent in every form and whoever 

loves God must love God’s creation.

Colossians 1:15:20 says: God has become 

immanent in Jesus Christ

The word immanent has other applications in 

anthropology and mathematics.

Sometimes even people writing about spiritual matters mix up immanent and imminent, as in these examples from a web site about the historical Jesus:

Wrong: [Jesus] did believe that this 

restoration [of a Jewish state] was immanent.

Wrong: Critical scholars argue that the 

high priest feared that Jesus’ talk 

of an immanent restoration 

of an independent Jewish state 

would likely spark a riot.

Picture found here.

Eminent means “prominent, outstanding.” It comes from a Latin word meaning “to stand out” or “to project.” Eminent people stand out from the herd because of their personal and professional qualities and achievements. In a literal sense of “projecting,” an eminence can be a hill or other high place that stands above its surroundings.

The city squares by night are breathtaking when viewed from an eminence.

BOOK REVIEW: An eminent Victorian disinterred

UN Security Council Seeks an Eminent Individual for an Impossible Job

The legal term eminent domain refers to the right of a government to appropriate private property for public use, paying “just compensation” to the owner. The public domain stands out from the private domain.

The Alameda Theater and Cineplex in Alameda, CA, 

was built on property that was unjustly seized 

by the city through eminent domain laws.

A new eminent domain law in Utah authorizes seizure of some of 

the federal government’s vast land holdings.

Picture found here.

Sources:
- #1 - http://www.etni.org.il/quotes/spelling.htm
- #2 - http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conford.html#eminent
- #3 - http://www.dailywritingtips.com/imminent-immanent-and-eminent/
- #4 - http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/eminent.html