How to Write a Movie in 21 Days

Viki King's Inner Movie Method is a specific step-by-step process designed to get the story in the writer's onto the page. This method guides the would-be screenwriter through the writing of a movie. It answers such questions as:

• How to clarify the idea you don't quite have yet

• How to tell if your idea is really a movie

• How to move from what you want to say saying it

• How to stop getting ready and start

Once you know what to write, the Inner Movie Method will show you how to write it. It also addresses such issues as:

• How to pay the rent while paying your dues

• What to say to your spouse when you can't come to bed

• How to keep going when you think you can't

For accomplished screenwriters honing their craft, as well as those who never before brought their ideas to paper, How to Write a Movie in 21 Days is an indispensable guide. And Viki King's upbeat, friendly style is like having a first-rate writing partner every step of the way.

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.


Glad I Finally Bought It   October 5, 2000
 59 out of 62 found this review helpful

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!


Excellent guide for any starting writer   March 20, 2002
 31 out of 31 found this review 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.


REALLY WIERD!   January 17, 2000
 19 out of 36 found this review helpful

I thought this book was the strangest I've ever read regarding screenwriting. Screenwriting and spirituality may or may not mix, but spirituality really has nothing to do with writing a good screenplay! I have to agree with the previous reviewer who gave the book one star and say that I, too, found little practical advice in this book and the premise is even stranger. Why 21 days? Why does the author suggest that we whip out a screenplay in only 21 days? Isn't quality better than speed. I recommend Syd Field and Lajos Egri instead. Both are real pros and their books offer much detail and useful advice.


Great insights into movie writing, writing, and life   February 4, 2002
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

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.