Marilyn Horowitz
(NYU Professor)May 28, 2009: Marilyn Horowitz
Marilyn Horowitz is a NYU professor, writer, producer, writing coach, and script doctor. She won the New York University Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004. Marilyn has contributed articles to Screenwriter, Hollywood Scriptwriter, and Script Magazine. She is also the author of How to Write a Screenplay in Ten Weeks and Pushing the Script Towards Greatness, the workbooks used in her NYU classes.



http://www.marilynhorowitz.com/

Writers,

This is an awesome accomplishment, both for Cowrite and the participating writers who are so talented and team oriented. I am beyond impressed, and so delighted to be included in this revolutionary project!

In my writing system, I teach writers to look at Act 1 and Act 3 as being intimately related and as bookends that must be balanced. Each segment answers a specific question. Think about Act 1 answering the question: What is the character's dream? and Act 3 answering: Does the main character realize his or her dream?

For example, in "Say Anything," The John Cusack character wants "a dare to be great situation." What is Jonas looking for? Page 26 is a good opportunity for Harry to ask why Jonas has such a passion for being a spy, and Jonas’ explanation should delineate why he is into all this high tech stuff, isn't afraid to pick up and handle a gun, why he is working so hard on those pull-ups and perhaps how he wants to be part of something larger.

Now, In Act 3 of "Say Anything," John Cusack’s character gets to go to England with the girl. What will Jonas get is the problem to be solved in the upcoming final pages? I suggest revisiting Act 1 and answer the question, "What is Jonas' dream?" before proceeding. To get the girl? Be a spy? Stop evil? Or prove to himself and everyone he’s good enough to be a spy?

Keep the focus on Jonas. In the last set of pages Freddie seemed to be a little more effective than Jonas. There needs to be a clear set of obstacles for Jonas. More importantly, the climax has to pay off the special skills Jonas already has and the ones he has learned during the screenplay.

Some questions to possibly ponder as you go about your final entry could be:

How does Jonas get test answers and how could this give him a weapon to stop Cable?

What other earlier aspects of the story could you incorporate?

Deep down why does Jonas want to be a spy?

Why does Harry live next door and how long has he lived there?

What’s going on with Jonas’ parents? The "missing parent syndrome" can be especially lethal in an action movie when we need to understand a guy like Jonas. -----

Good luck with your final pages! I’m looking forward to seeing how you conclude the Cowrite screenplay.

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