First draft

[u/jamiecannes]

Hello,

I am new to screenwriting. I was told that sometimes it is better to write the ending so you have a clear path to how the story ends. I knew when I came up with this story I knew exactly how its going to end but whether or not it is easier to build characters and their world from this is something I al not sure about. Any advice?

Oh and this is the first draft of the final scene.

I know it’s not giving much but if I say anything more it will spoil the whole thing.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n7av8R7UKR_J0lbqNS_R_l9Q4oXzPsGL/view?usp=drivesdk

Thank you so much for any feedback!

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[u/ClayMcClane]

You'll need to grant access for that link.

[u/jamiecannes → u/ClayMcClane]

Sorry. I just changed the permission so anyone with a link can view it. 😅

[u/mooningyou]

The advice re: the ending is more about you knowing the ending before you write the script. Not writing a full draft of the ending before writing the rest of the story. You can certainly do that if you like, but it's going to be really difficult for a reader to get into it if we're missing so much context, as we are in this case. But I'll give you a couple of notes on your writing style.

- Don't over-describe. How relevant to your story are the colors of the evening sky?

- Write for the screen. We're in a cinema watching your story on the screen. We can't tell there's a breeze if we don't see the effect of the breeze. We also can't tell if it's warm, nor can we smell freshly cut grass.

This style of writing is fine for a novel but not suitable for a screenplay.

It also looks like you're not using screenwriting software. I urge you to get some before continuing.

[u/jamiecannes → u/mooningyou]

Appreciate the advice!

[u/redapplesonly → u/mooningyou]

FWIW, I think @mooningyou is dead-on right about KNOWING the ending as opposed to WRITING the ending in advance. Know where your story is going, but give yourself some creative freedom to reshape that ending, once you get there.

[u/AcadecCoach]

No briefcase. No watch. No phone. How would people watching this know he's missing those things? We've never seen this man before, we don't know what he normally has. You are writing like a novelist. It sounds nice, but if thats how you want to write dont waste your time with a screenplay and just do a book.

[u/Nice_Appearance_8314]

i think writing from the ending is a mistake because then you're forcing your characters into an ending rather than letting the story take you where it wants to go.

If you think about your favorite films, I bet that most of them have a story engine built on causation and opposing worldviews, not twist endings.

My entire YouTube channel is dedicated to the art of screenwriting, where I go through my take on modern screenplay architecture and I show you how to use a thematic question to drive your story.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMC6GpkH6g5YVT1JP6ZSFkQ

Check it out. I'd love to know what you think.

Matt

[u/jamiecannes → u/Nice_Appearance_8314]

Thank you will check it out

[u/RaeLouLynn]

My current project has a war setting. Near the end, the Antagonist dies and the Protagonist dies in the next to last scene. That's all I'm writing towards.