JMS: Writing and Beats.

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: JMS: Writing and Beats.
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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+  1: Jun 24, 1996: tmclean at chat.carleton.ca (Tom McLean)
*  2: Jun 25, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
+  5: Jun 28, 1996: mjhaynes at woodlawn.uchicago.edu (   T'Nia)
*  6: Jun 28, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: tmclean at chat.carleton.ca (Tom McLean)
Lines: 12

	Say, I just got back from a week-long intro to scriptwriting
workshop where they told us all about beats.  I was wondering if, in the
writing of your scripts, you follow the odd-number beat rule?  

-Tom

<Life's only certainty is death> Thus began the morbid years.

Email address: tmclean at chat.carleton.ca
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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 14

"I was wondering if, in the writing of your scripts, you follow the
odd-number beat rule?"

Nope.  Don't even know what that is.  I hate rules and generally avoid
them.  TV writing has too many of them, used by too many people, creating
formulaic writing.  




 jms




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From: mjhaynes at woodlawn.uchicago.edu (   T'Nia)
Lines: 31

Jms at B5 (jmsatb5 at aol.com) wrote:
: "I was wondering if, in the writing of your scripts, you follow the
: odd-number beat rule?"

: Nope.  Don't even know what that is.  I hate rules and generally avoid
: them.  TV writing has too many of them, used by too many people, creating
: formulaic writing.  




:  jms

Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! Thank you! Thank you!

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm kindof tired of being able to 
lay out the entire plot of a show after only seeing the teaser.  At first 
I thought it only applied to bad sit-coms, but after a bit (I'd say by 
the time we're 10 or so) it's all of them... 

Someone 'round here has a sig that says B5 will spoil you for regular 
tv...  That's dead on.  So go ahead, please - spoil us!

We follow willingly....  into the Night



--
T'Nia of Shanai Kahr             
mjhaynes at midway.uchicago.edu


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 20

Thanks.  The problem is exactly as you state, too much formulaic writing
in TV.  That's why I object to the seminars and individuals who say they
can teach you to write like everybody else, using a formula.  First, if we
already HAVE everybody else...why do we need you?  You need to have a
distinct voice we can't GET anywhere else.  That's the only real commodity
you've got.  Second, the formula some offer is mechanical and works only
at a minimum level; you'll never produce anything of value or real
interest using it.

So when I did my original writing book, and the new, expanded revision
coming out this October, I had to find ways to direct people in their
writing without telling them what to write or how to write it.  That, I
think, would be a mistake.  So it's an odd sort of book, but I think it
worked in the end.


 jms



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