6 Strategies Tony Gilory Shares About Screenwriting
I'm an amateur screenwriter. I struggle to call myself a writer. However, Michael Jamin, a professional screenwriter, says that if you write daily, you are a writer.
I pondered how best to spend my time currency writing.
The precious hours I have after coming home from job number two. Just before I reach for a therapeutic glass of wine, a comforting bag of chips, and my emotional support bit of chocolate.
I will write.
I collect writer role models. Whenever I watch content that moves me, I salivate over the credits to learn who wrote the episode.
Tony Gilroy gave television viewers one of the best Stars Wars shows of 2022. I have watched them all. Good writing elements exist in Kenobi, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett.
The writing of Andor is superior.
If Star Wars is not your cup of tea, I will assert that you should watch Andor anyway.
Gilory sat with scriptmag.com and shared valuable details about his writing process.
Know where you are going. To craft the most satisfying conclusion possible, find the ending fast. Sounds logical, right? Gilroy explains that he starts with the end in mind.
Gilroy says he needs to know where he's going before he can build the story. The ending of the scene, character, or episode acts as his foundation to build the structure of the story.
Ultimately, this strategy saves time. How do you know your account is headed in the right direction if you need to know where you’re going? Starting at the end spares the writing from meandering through pointless writing.
Determine how to use significant events. Gilroy uses important events as a vehicle for the convergence of other plots and characters. If you’ve seen the finale of Andor, you know what I mean.
Gilroy confesses that his plotting process is not linear. He asks questions. "How do I get character A to Location Y?" As you develop your story, the answers will come.
Gilroy explains that significant events in the plot should be handled with care. Played like cards in a deck. Pieces on a chess board. Have you considered how to use plot points to connect distant parts of your story or characters?
The writer is not omnipotent. Gilroy does not handle his characters and their universe in god mode. Instead, he for the right piece of the story puzzle to assemble his script. "Character X needs a piece of information. How do I get that to him?"
Gilroy writes within the constraints of his world and the limitations of his characters. The result is the production of clever plot turns and stakes the audience will be invested in. Gilroy refers to this story building as "carpentry."
Similarly, Margaret Atwood, in her MasterClass, explained the power of self-imposed rules. For a project, she stated that she would only use horrors humanity has inflicted on itself for the story. Those were the only events allowed to occur in the story. Which story? The Handmaid's Tale.
What constraints could you implement on a work in progress?
Understand your story world and your story calendar. You may not be writing an epic space opera with space magic, cyborgs, and political intrigue…or you might. Gilory says that it is necessary to understand the timeline of the story. Make a calendar. Learn it. Know it.
Gilroy writes for a world he did not create. Your experience may vary.
5. Know where your conflicts are. Gilroy works from a "negative" perspective.
He understands the characters he is working with; therefore, he can determine how to navigate his characters through the paths of his story.
Conflicts exist for the character. This type of conflict is typically a good thing. Conflict presents opportunities for growth, change, and movement. However, conflicts also exist for Gilroy.
Gilroy must consider all the events happening simultaneously in the Star Wars universe.
For a writer, it is important to understand what you “can’t” do. Frustration comes from events that should not happen in a film or TV show.
Are you able to identify potential conflicts in your story?
Write plays. Say your scenes out loud. These points come from Gilroy's regrets. These are two items he wishes he'd been doing before his work got a chance.
Plays perfect the art of telling smaller stories.
He confesses that nothing beats working a production job. However, he implores amateur writers to write plays and listen to their scenes if they're outside a production role.
Have you heard any of your scenes spoken out loud?
Conclusion
If you're a screenwriter, I implore you to watch Andor. If only as a case study, watching how Gilroy utilizes dialogue makes characters memorable and unique and pulls plotlines together.
Without a doubt, it will make you better. You will appreciate the time well spent. Write on.
