Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay, Part 1
A guest post by Art Holcomb Part 1 of 2. In June, I’m speaking at the Greater Los Angeles Writer’s Conference on how to adapt a novel into a screenplay and I’m really looking forward to it. A good part of my practice, both with students and professionals, comes from taking a story from one […]
Case Study: This is What SUCCESS Looks Like
I’m delighted to share a WIN this time. A middle-grade Young Adult novel in the making. Can we learn from a case study that models a solid grasp of concept, premise and the First Plot Point? That sets up a story with the inherent dramatic tension and drama, conceptual appeal and heroic arc that will […]
So Much Social Media, So Little Time
A Guest Post from Mindy Halleck www.MindyHalleck.com I love social media and all its quirks. I even own a Youtube channel for which I get more and more YouTube views from the marketing heaven, as it’s the only company I have found till date who uses the legal form of marketing techniques to get more […]
Every Writer Should Watch This 60 Second Video
Malcolm Gladwell is on to something. He spends a lot of time interviewing successful people to get to the heart of how they got there. What results is some combination of commonality and theme… and inspiration. Jim Carrey, like or love him or not, is one of the most successful comedians in the world. Talk […]
Case Study: When Your Concept is Also a Paradox
Some concepts can end up being too much to handle. The more layered and complicated, the greater the upside if handled brilliantly, and the deeper the abyss when it’s not. Trouble is, some writers aren’t aware that they’re already tumbling into a black void. Such concepts — it’s good to recognize them as such, and […]
How to Write a Story: The Creative Process… One Writer’s Take
A guest post by Mike Robinson One small illusion has sold many books, seminars, writer’s retreats, and workshops: the illusion that the process of writing a book is like reading a book. (“If only I were good enough …” or “As soon as I buy one more thing …”) We innocently assume that fiction isn’t […]
Turning Your Novel into a Screenplay, Part 2
A guest post by Art Holcomb To read Part 1, click HERE. We’re talking today about adapting novels into screenplays. Last time, we talked about the basics of the art of adaptation that I use with my students and professional clients. Today, let’s dive right into the meat of the subject – actually writing the […]
Getting Published: “Self” vs. “Traditional”… the “Great Debate”
With all this horse shit, there’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere! (Reputed to have been Ronald Reagan’s favorite joke.) The linked email exchange, introduced here, actually happened. It was edited only slightly, simply to help clarify. (If you’d like to cut right to it, click this to skip my contextual intro: The Great […]