Baseball, Screenwriting, and "The Writer's Journey": The Pitch

In baseball, the pitcher stands at the center of the diamond. He strides atop a mound of dirt and hurls the ball toward the plate to start the action. The batter has a fraction of a second to determine if the pitch is a fastball or curveball, if it's close to the plate or further away, and if he should swing.

In screenwriting, coming up with the main idea starts the action. Those ideas can involve plot, characters, setting, or theme. Those concepts can cover the whole story, a vital sequence, a pivotal scene, or even a single line of dialogue.

Just as a batter waits for the best pitch to get them on base, the writer needs to determine which ideas will make for an effective story that an entire team (managers, agents, producers, directors, actors, crew members, etc.) can turn into a movie or TV pilot.

Ideas form the center of any story. Why else do you think they call the process of selling your concept "pitching"?

Unfortunately, at least in this analogy, there's no such thing as a "home run" in screenwriting. No writer can knock the ball over the fence, trot around the bases unopposed, and get the project in front of an audience on their own.

In the screenwriting game, writers have to take it one base at a time. You can't score until you make it to first base. 

That's where Story Into Screenplay comes in. We offer script analysis, one-on-one consulting, scriptwriting, and rewriting services.

Check in with us tomorrow when we'll look at how to reach first base: getting your script in the best possible shape. 

This week, Story Into Screenplay is offering a professional analysis of the first ten pages of any screenplay (TV pilot, short film, or feature film) for only $10.

To take advantage of this offer, email storyintoscreenplayblog(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject "10 Pages for $10".