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By Devon Forward & Joel Mendoza

Writing a script isn’t easy, but of all the genres to write, a romantic comedy is perhaps one of the most fun and painless processes to work through. In my experience, once you have a handful of key ingredients in place, the script practically writes itself. It’s true! Take two great leading roles with an abundance of romantic chemistry, a ‘third-wheel’ character that spices up the humor, and a unique set-up that challenges convention, and you are more than halfway there.

Most follow a well-established, tried and tested formula, with a multitude of variations thereof, and most if not all rom-coms see one if not both of their protagonists come to a realization and undergo a fundamental change in order to move forward. And lastly, in order for your rom-com to be truly satisfying and resonate with your audience, the story must end on a positive note one way or another, whether the couple end up together or not. It can be bitter-sweet, it can even be a little depressing, but ultimately there must be some kind of light, some kind of positive change, that will ultimately lead to happiness.

Here are a few tips for writing your next romantic comedy that practically writes itself.

by Joel Mendoza (Fresh Voices)

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING, YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW, TO SELL YOUR SCREENPLAY?

The end! You’ve done it. You’ve completed your script and you are ready to finally see it get made. From here you send the script to a few people you know and from there it’s in God’s hands. You’re not a producer, you don’t know the business end of the industry, you just don’t have the connections.

Networking is the key to business – not just the film business – any business. No one can sell anything without a potential buyer. Common sense, right? This is where your network and your ability to network are essential.  Your network is your power cord. It’s your rolodex, your family, your Facebook friends. Its whoever you reach out to when you have news. The value of your network is directly correlated to the extent of its reach.

But beyond networking your family, friends and neighbors, how do you proactively expand your network to meet the right people who can help get your script over the finish line? Afterall, film is one of the few forms of storytelling that require a multitude of people to all work towards the same vision, every step of the way. You cannot do this on your own. You must meet people from all walks of life, be able to develop relationships with all different types of personalities, and work closely with many of these individuals along the way.

6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon is no joke. The more you network the more your network will intersect, and the world will suddenly feel ridiculously small. At the end of the day the industry seems large and impenetrable from the outside, but once within its walls, you will quickly realize how small and malleable it really is.

Here are a few ways to network and meet the right people when you’re just getting started, that are all but free.

By Luke Warrington

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.”

~Mark Twain

I often think about this quote from author and humorist, Mark Twain, whenever I hear someone remark disdainfully about a film, “That’s not how that would happen in real life,” or, “That’s not what being a doctor is really like.” And while they may be correct about the veracity of the representation of said occupation in film and television, they are incorrect in their inherent assumption that the fundamental purpose of what they’ve just seen was to be as accurate to life as possible (looking at you, YouTube channel that just posted yet another video titled “Real Life Lawyer Breaks Down 10 More Scenes From Law & Order”.)

On a fundamental level, the purpose of film and television, at least in Hollywood, is to entertain. The purpose of life, on the other hand, is. . . well, probably something best left for another article! In all seriousness, life is, at the risk of oversimplifying things, chaotic. Things seemingly happen at random every single second of every single day. Whether it’s running into an old schoolmate whom you have not seen in years or getting into a fender bender with the Duke of Boysenberry, things happen randomly to which you have no control. In fact, ironically enough, if often feels as if the more we try to plan, the more random and inexplicable things become.

By Arik Cohen

You know that pop song that gets stuck in your head?  You know, the one you end up loving despite all your defenses against it?  It’s sort of a lazy song actually, perhaps it’s even bad, but boy is it catchy.  British pop singer Cher Lloyd has a few tracks that I admit I love, even though they are sort of horrible and have titles like “Swagger Jagger”.  I’ve heard people mention “Call Me Maybe” as a song they hate to love.  I would bet every person reading this has a pop song that you absolutely adore, have on a Spotify playlist, have synced onto your ipod, but wouldn't play in front of your significant other until at least ten years into the relationship.

Well, what happens when a script reader comes across the screenplay equivalent to this pop song?

It’s an interesting question.  As a judge in a screenplay competition, it’s my job to give every script a fair shot to impress, so what happens when I subjectively love the ever-loving crap out of a script that I objectively hate?  What happens when a script is sort of terrible, perhaps even lazy, but somehow I still like it?  It happens more than you think.

Secrets of Screenwriting #29 - Commitment

Screenwriting is not an easy game. You will be tested every step of the way. It is not a sprint but a marathon, and you must recognize the long game and be in it for the long haul. There are too many distractions, too many exits along the way, for those who get easily distracted to make a quick escape. These opportunities exist to tease and divert us all along away.

To succeed as a screenwriter, you must have a laser-like-focus on your goals and inner-strength to keep going until you exceed them.

By Arik Cohen

I have an actor friend (in Los Angeles? WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!)  Let’s call him Fred.  Now Fred was in a small play in the area, though it was big enough to attract a review from an online LA theater site.  He read the review, and it was positive for the show, but not for him.  Poor Fred got a critical review.  It wasn’t angry, it wasn’t worded as “Fred sucks” or anything like that.  It was all legitimate criticism.  As expected, Fred didn’t take it well.  Fred is a man with a big, delicate ego (in Los Angeles? WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!)  He dismissed the fair criticism entirely.  He passed it off as jealousy or envy.  “He’s probably just pissed he didn’t make it as an actor,” Fred claimed, “And he’s taking it out on us actors with the guts to go for what we want.”

Priscilla Davies' "The Power of Three" Takes Gold

HOLLYWOOD, CA.

Priscilla Davies’ Romantic-Comedy THE POWER OF THREE took top honors at the Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition it was announced this week, scooping up the 1^st place in the Comedy/ Romantic-Comedy Genre and the Grand Prize Award.  

A graduate of the New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts acting program, Priscilla toiled as an elementary school teacher in New Jersey before chasing her dreams as an actress and moving to Los Angeles nearly ten years ago.

It was a daring move that proved prescient. Priscilla has worked on several TV series including HBO’s EUPHORIA and the Netflix show THE FIX, as well as national commercials for McDonalds, Uber and Volkswagon. She is currently recognized for her comedy improv work at Hollywood’s Second City and Upright Citizen’s Brigade. 

Selected from nearly 1,400 screenplays, THE POWER THREE is a timely tale of millennial dating in the 21^st century. When Lexi can’t get the man of her dreams to commit to their relationship, her close friend introduces her to a dating technique called the Power of Three. Armed with a newfound confidence in her dating life, Lexi ventures out into the dating world to discover that love is not always in the shape that you want or are expecting, but will sometimes find you in less expected forms.

By Armaan Uplekar

One of the most foundational elements of any story has to do with the nature of the world that your script takes place within. Whether your screenplay is set on a lunar space colony or on a 17th century pirate ship, it’s your job as a writer to establish the “rules” that make your story possible. On the outset, this might seem like a daunting task — the very term “world building” can sound enormous. And while, yes, world building can sometimes be a sizable undertaking, it will undoubtedly make you a stronger, more confident writer, and equally important, it will make your script feel more cohesive and accessible.