By Ella Henke
Screenwriting is hard. Writing a feature-length screenplay is hard. Finding your voice as a writer is hard. We could go on. But what does it actually mean to “find your voice”, and how can finding it help you finish that feature script that’s been collecting (virtual) dust for too long?
Simply put, your voice as a writer is the unique viewpoint that you bring to a story. It’s less about the story you’re telling and more about how you tell it. There’s no one way to “find it”. The journey can look completely different for every writer, but here are 5 ways to help get you looking in the right places.
1. Study Film
Watch as many films as possible. Then rewatch them with their scripts in your hand. This will help you study the craft of feature writing and give you an idea of what to work towards. Having an understanding of film history will help inform your own scripts and make them all the richer.
If you’ve already watched your fair share of cinema, you may have noticed that films often have a sort of relationship with each other, in the sense that they may make reference to each other or one film may pave the way for another.
This might look like the Marvel universe’s use of intellectual property, and how they mix and match whole worlds and characters. Or the decades-spanning film canon of Quentin Tarantino and how he makes playful nods to influential times in film history, like the spaghetti westerns of the ‘60s, for example.
You don’t need to be a fully fledged cinephile, but having some understanding of the influential films throughout history will help you understand what has been done - and what is yet to be done - and where your script might fit into this.
At Shore Scripts, we’ve put together a collection of 100+ of the best screenplays out there for you to sink your teeth into.
2. Write The Film You Want To See
Next time you’re heading to the cinema and browsing through the latest film releases, ask yourself what you think is missing from the lineup. What does the poster look like? Whose face is on it? What does their world look like?
If you can place the kind of story that you’d love to see that hasn’t been made yet, then there’s a good chance it’s a story worth telling. Remember that old adage - the audience is always right.
Pay close attention to the stories you’re most drawn to seeing play out on screen, as it will help you identify what your voice is trying to tell you. Analyze what the films you love to watch have in common. Do they often feature quippy protagonists who look askance at the world? Is their style of comedy off-beat? Camp? Do you like a happy ending? What can these things tell you about your own writing style?
3. Write A Lot and Often
With the 90-plus blank pages stretching out before you, feature writing can be daunting, but the only way to make it less scary is by doing it. Think of writing as a muscle you have to train. Use the muscle regularly, and the habit of writing will quickly become easier.
You can start by trying to find the right writing routine for you. This doesn’t have to mean waking up at 5 AM every morning to write with the birds - it just has to work for you, whatever, whenever that means.
Focus on repetition and exploration. There really is no shortcut to honing your own voice, but by getting lots of writing under your belt, you’ll be able to zero in on it in no time.
4. Learn Story Structure
Study the traditional structures that feature films typically follow. The most common being the three-act structure, which takes us from “set up” to “conflict”, and finally, “resolution”. Study each beat you should be hitting within each of these acts, and next time you’re watching a film, see if you can identify the various act beats as they play out. Ask yourself: When did the inciting incident happen? Did it follow the 10-page rule or come earlier? Did the end tie up all the loose ends? Was it in some way satisfying?
Structure models can sometimes feel restrictive to the writing process, but think of it as something to anchor you while tackling that daunting feature-length page count. Use it to give you a rough idea of what your story should be doing and when.
Also, from a production standpoint, securing financing for a feature-length film can be one of the hardest roadblocks in the industry to overcome, so producers and financiers typically like to know your script is following some sort of reliable structure that has been tried and tested.
5. Let Your Personality Shine Through In Your Writing
When trying to find your voice, it can be easy to fall into mimicking the style of other famous writers on the way - in fact, it’s basically a writer’s rite of passage. Embrace this stage of your writing journey, but don’t let yourself stay in it too long.
Once you’ve gained a little more confidence in your ability, try to hone in on your unique sensibility and worldview. What makes your perspective different from other writers you admire? What’s the story only you can tell? Or more specifically, how can you bring your personality into crafting, say a boy-meets-girl love story, so that it’s different from others that have gone before it?
As helpful as it can be to seek out advice on finding your voice, remember that the journey is a personal one, unique to you, and closer to home than you may think. Maybe the key is to stop searching for your voice like it’s hiding from you in a treasure chest somewhere, and try looking inward instead. Remember that it’s your voice - it lives within you.
Maybe you just need to listen to it.
Our Feature Contest is now open! We’re looking for feature writers who are ready to gain representation, sell their screenplay, and get staffed on writing assignments. This year, we’re awarding 5 extra winners in dedicated genre categories. There’s never been more opportunity to move your screenwriting career forward. Find out more.
