By Forris Day Jr.
You’ve heard the expression “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. That is what I think of as I read Pilar Alessandra’s book “The Coffee Break Screenwriter – Writing Your Script Ten Minutes at a Time”. Screenwriting is a journey. You’ll have many obstacles along the way and perhaps even get lost a few times, but like that thousand mile journey, if you break writing down into it’s smallest components it doesn’t seem as daunting a task.
Alessandra’s “The Coffee Break Screenwriter” is broken into sections that cover individual aspects of writing a script such as story structure, outlining, creating characters and so forth. The chapters are short and to the point. No wasted words, just information and exercises to put into practice what you have learned. The exercises are called “Take Ten” and are designed to do just that, take ten minutes apiece. Sprinkled throughout the book are “Ten Minute Lectures”. These short paragraphs are designed to teach you screenplay theory and language. At the end of each chapter is a “Ten Minute Chapter Review”. Pretty self explanatory, it’s a quick overview of what you have just learned in the previous chapter.
If you are a new writer or just starting a new script it’s probably best to go chronologically through the book. It doesn’t hurt to dive in a read the book straight through but the value here is actually taking the ten minute blocks of time and doing actual writing by following the exercises. You will start with brainstorming ideas for your script and by the end of the book you will be pitching the finished product. Imagine having a feature length script ready to sell and doing it on your breaks at work or during the kids nap-time.
Stop wasting your ten minute opportunities on Facebook. Use those short blasts of time to create and market a movie script! You know you have the blocks of time. If you say you don’t have the time you may be fooling yourself. Just jot down on a piece of paper what you do throughout the day. You may be surprised when you discover a pattern where you actually do have ten minutes periods available. Pillar Alessandra will be right there by your side guiding you through the process of writing that script that is locked inside your brain.
A genuinely informative read that inspires you to grab the free moments in life and turn them into productive writing sessions. Follow along and you’ll create a complete movie script ready to pitch to the networks and production companies. I recommend this book wholeheartedly if you find yourself too busy to get your story idea onto paper. You will learn that you can do it, and hopefully you’ll be sipping on your favorite cup of java.
