Customer Reviews

How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method

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...at least not one that's actually sellable, or that has enough depth and craftsmanship to survive in the real-world marketplace. To think otherwise is to be laughably naive. Having said that, I strongly recommend this book!

Why the discrepancy? Simple. I've been writing for years, off and on. I've read dozens of screenwriting books, and taken a few of the big screenwriting courses. I've started writing about 50 screenplays, and completed about 3 of them.

One of the troubles I had (sound familiar?), is that I would begin writing, get about 30 or 40 pages into it, and then stop. Either I went off-course, I began to hate my concept or characters, thought my writing was atrocious, or came up with "a better idea." The result? Dozens of half-completed screenplays.

A writer writes. And writing is re-writing. You'll never fully appreciate these clichés until you ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND WRITE! And don't stop!

The script I wrote when I actually APPLIED this book (about 2 years after I bought it) was written in about 48 days. Hmmph! But you know what? It was WRITTEN. It was complete. It was my first, fully-completed screenplay. And it was actually pretty darn good.

Truth be told, when you finish writing the script Viki King helps you get out on paper, it will likely be only a FIRST DRAFT. Chances are, there'll be a lot more work to do. Re-writing. Making it more organic. Adding depth and breadth to your characters. Expanding your subplots and building elements necessary to your story that Viki's book overlooks (things experience will teach you). But if you've never written a screenplay before (or never completed one you like), this book will talk you through it. And it will give you the basic tools needed to actually complete it. Because before you can re-write, hone, and perfect... you need to get it on paper in the first place!

Make no mistake about it. If you buy into the idea that you'll get this book and have a sellable screenplay a month later, you'll be disappointed. You're not a writer. You're a get-rich-quick wishful thinker. Writing screenplays is a tough business, let alone a difficult process. It just doesn't happen overnight.

The power and beauty of this book is its ability (if you actually FOLLOW it) to help you get through the battle that happens inside, when you sit down to write. It will get your script on paper. It will make you a writer. The quality of your writing gets better with experience. Applying the principles of this book will give you that experience.

Also: Others have accused this book of being "spiritual". It's not. It's motivational, it's inspirational, it's conversational. Just what a first-time or would-be writer needs to overcome his battle with himself.

Some people talk. Other people act. Those who act will get value out of this book.

As I write this review, the script I wrote (in, umm, 48 days) is currently in post-production. And the script I'm working on now is even better.

It's a process. And this is a wonderful first step. A wonderful tool to help you through the self-imposed barriers to succeeding at this craft.

I'll admit, I put off buying this book for some time. C'mon. A movie in 21 days? I'm not into "get-rich" quick scams. So I bought other books, and more books, and finally this one. I love it. I honestly don't think anyone will write a movie in 21 days by using this book and in my opinion the title should be changed. But what I love most about this book is this - *it gets you writing*.

I was sitting there with about a dozen good ideas but not really doing anything with them. Sure, I'd sit down and peck out my thoughts on one of them every day - procrastinating in the guise of progress - and then Viki King's book arrived in the mail. Through her writing I learned how to pick the best idea from my pool of several, how to develop it, and how to write it in the most effective way. Her main point is that we write from our hearts and then rewrite from our heads. She clearly instructs the writer how to accomplish this seemingly intangible task.

The book is also filled with great tidbits on various aspects of the writing life... paying the bills until you sell a script, dealing with loved ones, etc.

And lastly, as I mentioned earlier, this book gets you into gear and *writing*. She provides several easy and productive "assignments" that move you in the direction of completing your script. I hope this was helpful!

As a writer, my biggest problem is slowing down to fix what I'm writing before I've finished writing it. It's very easy for me to get so caught up in making something sound perfect that I never get around to finishing the piece--just write it off as another imperfect work-in-progress and go on to something else.

King's approach gets you writing, writing, writing, writing, writing. You don't even think about editing until the whole story has been written down--even if it's written down in a thoroughly unreadable form. Her reasoning? It's easier to make something good from something mediocre (or even bad) than it is to make something good from nothing.

I've written a few screenplays (none sold yet, doggone it), but only one using exactly the plan outlined in this book. I found that, while her method works and works very well, just going through it once showed me where the span of my writing approach needed her kind of support and where it stood firmly on my own abilities.

I continue to use her 8-minute exercises because they are wonderful for getting you writing while preventing you from thinking about writing: if you only have 8 minutes to cover a topic, you'd better get those words onto paper as fast as you can. 8 minutes is the perfect limit because it's enough to get a substantial amount written--but only if you don't spend your time diddling with the words. Longer than 8 minutes and an old diddler like me will be tempted to diddle.

I don't use her "write 20 pages in 2 hours" approach, but I do write each scene in a block from beginning to end without stopping, for as many pages as that first visceral "heart draft" of the scene needs to be.

It's been a long time since I've read this book--though I do give it a once-over before I start a project--and many things she teaches in it have stuck with me as personal approaches to writing. It's a small book, but that's only because she doesn't waste time getting to her point.

A very rich find--it should serve every screenwriter well.

This book managed to motivate me when no other book or situation could. Viki King's Inner Movie Method gives small enough building blocks that writing a screenplay becomes possible, even though doing it in 21 days seems like such a difficult goal. King helps the writer define the movie's essence and then begin writing.

King stresses that the writer's first draft should be from the heart, and then subsequent rewrites and editing sessions should be conducted from the head. This frees the writer up to just write and think about the movie after something is on the page.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who gets intimidated just thinking about writing, to anyone who hasn't managed to write a screenplay yet but has a burning desire to do so, and anyone who needs some motivation or has writer's block.

In this short (less than 200 pages) book, Viki King explores both a method for writing a movie and some of the basic issues that all writers must face from time to time. Although King is writing specifically about the movie business, her lessons are generally applicable to all types of writing. King addresses issues such as what to write, how to go about writing, and how to overcome obstacles.

Writers are frequently faced with the challenge of how to write when the rest of the world is calling on us to do something else. King's suggestions on the `junk job,' writing with (or without) partners, and creating time and place to write are universals that are valuable to all types of writers. I also enjoyed some of her tricks--creating the whole book with blank paper and an end note, then filling in the rest as you went--to overcome writers block. Writers who want to explore screenwriting, or who just want to look at writing from a different slant will enjoy HOW TO WRITE A MOVIE IN 21 DAYS.

Although I don't write screenplays, I re-read How to Write... occasionally just to remind myself of what I'm trying to do (write novels) and how to keep the priorities of my life straight. My wife, who does write screenplays, has adapted the Viki King approach to meet her needs--she finds that having her task for the day set out makes it a lot easier to get it done than if she was just given the formatting and plot and had to take it from there.

If you've ever thought about writing a movie, or if you're a writer looking for a little inspiration, I highly recommend this book.

If you have at least a glimmer of an idea for a screen play, this is the book for you to get it into manuscript form. It's writing by the numbers, i.e., the first crisis by a certain page, but it's an exceptionally easy formula to follow. In addition, the author gives specific instructions to set up the page format in acceptable script form. I know college writing classes where this little book is required reading before you can even enroll. I write stage plays, 12 that have been produced, several off-Broadway, and I have found this book helpful for that medium as well. Again, if you've got the idea for a plot, follow the instructions herein, and you will have a completed script in 21 days using this painless method. But, there's the rub -- you do need an idea.

I've used this book not only to write screenplays (one of which I sold for a very nice sum) but also to write a novel. This book contains a lot of information, and you honestly don't need to (and shouldn't) follow all of it. But, if you need something to get you started and to at least get you to that point where you have a rough, tangible manuscipt in your hands, this is a good book to get you there.
Following the regimen this book prescribes, you WILL write yourself a rough draft of a screenplay in twenty-one days. But then, you'll probably need to spend months, maybe even years, working on it some more.
You should know that, but that's not to say you shouldn't use this book. You should. It will help you get started, and it will give you good advice. Don't take it as unbreakable law though, because ultimately it's just some experienced person's opinion. I recommend buying it though, and I recommend using it with "Elements of Style for Screenwriting" by Paul Argentini, which is just a good, alphebetized, glossary of screenplay terms; the good, old-fashioned "Elements of Style" by Strunk and White (especially their notes on using the active voice); and a stack of actual screenplays. Between all of these, you have the chance to write something great.

"How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method" is a MUST HAVE for any beginning writer. I read Viki King's book prior to writing my first screenplay and was completely hyped to begin writing.

Probably, like most writers who have read (or will read) her book, I believed I could stick to the 21-day Writing Schedule she outlines. Ok, a little honesty here, I was certain I could finish my project in less time because I knew my story and my characters like the back of my hand. This was no big deal.

Wrong! Everything Viki said would happen, did happen. Some days I would write aimlessly and other days it was pure genius. When I completed my screenplay, I was on top of the world! However, when I realized I had 200 total pages, I dreaded climbing the mountain of Editing! As I trimmed it back 80 pages for industry standard, I felt like I was being asked to give my child up for adoption! As I reread my script and looked to see if I had honestly told my character's story, I realized I had not.

However, as I kept picking her book up and reading it, and reading it, and READING IT some more, Viki's voice came through very calm, almost as if to say "we've all been there, it's going to be fine." So, I didn't finish my screenplay in 21 days, but I did finish it, thanks to Viki.

This book is a quick and entertaining read and if you follow it, you will be able to write a movie in 21 days -- but not a GOOD movie. The book provides a method for producing pages, but gives you nothing about creating a good story, characters, dialogue, or the so very important HOOK. I suggest you read other books, read articles on screenwriting, take a screenwriting class, read good produced screenplays. Go through the process of writing a screenplay with the needed elements -- a screenwriting class can help you do this. Then, after you understand what writing a script is about, then you might be able to use Viki King's book as a discipline guide to help you put out some pages. Fact is, writing a screenplay is NOT easy, NOT quick, and once you've done one and gotten legitimate critique on it, then you will learn what all of the produced screenwriters preach -- writing is re-writing.

Thank you thank you thank you Vicki King. I put off buying this book for a long time because I thought it sounded like a gimmick. What it really does is teaches you discipline. Follow King's advice and you'll be on your way to a completed screenplay (I used this book to write my second feature-length, and I will use it to write all future projects too).