out of sequence

[rnbrewer]

I have to agree with everyone on this. However, and I mean every word of this, DO NOT be afraid to challenge yourself. I would recommend seeing a little movie called "Momento," by Christopher Nolan of the new Batman flicks. The story is actually told backwards from the point of view of the main character who has suffered a severe head trauma and has no short term memory. It's a very good flick and would be considered worthy research material for your own project.

[scripter]

Hi VG,

It might be wise to write the script before placing in your jump points. You don't wanna edit something that's not complete, plus, you might have additional ideas that come to mind along the way.

I understand your need for jump points if a person is recollecting her memory or such, but if they don't push the story along, I wouldn't use them just for the sake of it. You're taking a risk with regards to confusing the reader/viewer.   

Dean

[Queen Mab]

It shows what frame of mind she is in. The effect that the crash had on her brain and such. Sort of like Butterfly affect,but instead of changing the past she simply lives in it for a moment and I want to show how it affects relationships she enters into, just how it affects her life in general.
As far as it being confusing to me and confusing to everyone else, it is only confusing to me because I don't remember how recently I jumped before the next one. Not the reading that confuses me. But thanks everyone for your replies.

[ScriptNurse]

I don't see the part where you indicate the REASON you are doing all this jumping. How will this improve the story?

[CUT TO]

I want to jump back and forth in time more than anything, better said, I want to write out of sequence, very Pulp Fiction-ish or Tarrantino-ish if you will even though I know he didn't start that. I started a screenplay and a little through it I realized that this could work with this particular screenplay so I shifted notes around a bit and bended everything to fit into working that way. I eventually confused myself. Hahaha. First, is it better to write the whole screenplay first and then just jumble it up and add transitions in between the "jump" points, or to write the jump points into the screenplay as you are writing? The screenplay isn't about time jumping per se it is just showing different parts of her life at different times that I want to accomplish, jumping the story not the character actually time jumping. The second question is, how much jumping of the story would be too much to where it becomes almost obnoxious or confusing? Like how many pages should I wait before going forwards or backwards in the story? I realized as I was trying to write it into the story that I was jumping what seemed to be a whole lot, and I guess I broke one of the cardinal rules of writing, don't read it until it's done because you'll just drive yourself nuts! hahaha HELP! This story is my cardinal work out of about 3 or 4 ideas I have rumbling around up there and I am stuck at this.

I'd agree with Uncle Al in that you first need an outline of your story; you need to know where it starts, where it goes and where it ends and this should be in a linear manner.  It's nigh onto impossible to write a screenplay without this being in hand first, at least and be very efficient.  If your tale can be told with good effect without any time jumping, then you probably ought to tell it that way.  Jumping around in time should only be done if it enhances the telling, it shouldn't be done willy nilly or just for the fun of it, it has to have purpose, it has to enhance the drama in some way and it has to advance the story.  If it doesn't do these things it isn't worth doing.

I might also say that if this is your first script or if you are a relatively inexperienced screenwriter you might want to avoid the complications that time jumping presents and write something that can be told linearly, save the complicated stuff for later when you've developed your competence to a greater degree and can handle more complex modes of telling a story on the screen.  Once you become competent at linear telling you'll find that non-linear telling will come much easier.

[uncle_al]

First, is it better to write the whole screenplay first and then just jumble it up and add transitions in between the "jump" points, or to write the jump points into the screenplay as you are writing?

My opinion {and it's worth every pfennig you paid for it} is to have the whole thing plotted out first, at least in outline form, maybe on cards (a la Blake Snyder), then determine which points in the story are the best, most logical ones for your viewpoint shifts.

it is just showing different parts of her life at different times that I want to accomplish, jumping the story not the character actually time jumping.

This is a tricky thing, or I perceive it can be, so my recommendation is as above... get the sequential events set first before you dump it in the Cuisinart.

The second question is, how much jumping of the story would be too much to where it becomes almost obnoxious or confusing?

This question, I'm going to give you as good an answer as I can.  It might not be enough; let's see...  I say if you can follow it, and someone whom you give it to can follow it, then it's the right amount.  If you get confused, and you wrote it, how can anyone else not get confused as well? 
In summary, just write it so it makes sense to you, and try not to be deliberately confusing.  If people who might make up the target audience demographic for your movie follow it, then you did it right.

Write On!
Cheers!
Al B.

[Queen Mab]

I want to jump back and forth in time more than anything, better said, I want to write out of sequence, very Pulp Fiction-ish or Tarrantino-ish if you will even though I know he didn't start that. I started a screenplay and a little through it I realized that this could work with this particular screenplay so I shifted notes around a bit and bended everything to fit into working that way. I eventually confused myself. Hahaha. First, is it better to write the whole screenplay first and then just jumble it up and add transitions in between the "jump" points, or to write the jump points into the screenplay as you are writing? The screenplay isn't about time jumping per se it is just showing different parts of her life at different times that I want to accomplish, jumping the story not the character actually time jumping. The second question is, how much jumping of the story would be too much to where it becomes almost obnoxious or confusing? Like how many pages should I wait before going forwards or backwards in the story? I realized as I was trying to write it into the story that I was jumping what seemed to be a whole lot, and I guess I broke one of the cardinal rules of writing, don't read it until it's done because you'll just drive yourself nuts! hahaha HELP! This story is my cardinal work out of about 3 or 4 ideas I have rumbling around up there and I am stuck at this.