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Ericnycsm

Script Doctor Eric

Another post from TV Consultant Joey…And yes, I realize John August mentioned making playlists on his blog a little while back.  Maybe it’s in the zeitgeist?  -SDE

Before writing a script, we all find a million things to do instead of facing that inevitable blank screen.  My personal favorite: make a playlist.  For every script I write, I create its own music playlist.  I choose songs that match the mood, tone, or even subject matter of my script.

I see three benefits of this.

1) I make each playlist about an hour and twenty minutes — that’s about my writing attention span.  So it serves as my writing clock.   I sit down, start the playlist and then write (or rewrite) until it ends.

2) It helps me keep the mood consistent.  If my script is supposed to be light and funny — hopefully my music choices will remind me of that.  If my protagonist is supposed to be a high school girl, Taylor Swift’s voice will keep me on track.   If my script is supposed to be dark and edgy…well you get the idea.

3) It provides at least a solid 30 minutes that I can count as “working” toward the script (as I select and find the appropriate playlist) without actually having to start writing…yet.

-TV Consultant Joey

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