Wise words

The world does not owe me an audience, I need to earn it but delivering what they want, how they want it, when they want it... and surprise them too!
Chris Jones

Review: David Tennant in True Love | Radio Times

Review: David Tennant in True Love | Radio Times

This is why writers sweat, panic, re-write - rewrite again and again, draft after draft into the early hours of the night, carry a notebook around for getting the ideas that pop up noted, delete most what they have been sweating over for hours, days, weeks, months because they know this great scene & line really doesn't fit any more in the story. And that is why this didn't work - because no actor will do this - he will take the idea & the character and create a great scene - but without the proper long period of brooding out a story the scenes and dialogues gets lost. Because there is no story frame to hang them on!

There are people who are writers there others who are actors - let us both agree on this fact that we both have part to play in the creation of great TV and movies and theatre. But let stick to our part of the job as otherwise it will run into a muddle of confusion and prattle --- these great actors deserved a proper scripted scenes! This may work for fringe theatre where a few cult followers will join actors to see something different but it's not for TV or films.

You really should try to come!

In October the third London Screenwriters Festival will be held – and as I have been there for the first and second event I can promise you it’s really great fun, a lot really useful information to help you as a writer and especially friendly people around. All keen to learn, meet others like them or not quite like them and just spend a weekend learning, updating and rebooting thier energy to keep writing — the speakers are interesting AND know about what they are talking so you really learn from them AND they don’t mind to talk to those who are not yet within the business. So no need to belong to an old boy network, to have gone to the right schools, to belong to the inner circle of friends.
There are also payment schemes to make it easier for you to go. Just visit their webpage – http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/

Believe in what you write

Something to think about!

http://collegelackey.com/2012/06/07/do-you-believe-in-what-you-write/

An other blog with a lot of info

Looks an interesting blog for screenwriters ....

http://scriptshadow.blogspot.be/

A new kind of competition

perhaps a good way to get noticed?

https://scriptvamp.com/dq_first_ten_pages.html

More competitions for screenwriters!

I know I always keep finding something that could have been posted with a previous blog --- still I'm sure this may interest some of you?

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=lxhynjeab&v=001Sr5a1LSTp6MNWuAx95-VIEPMmP2PloUXqhtprJNyoMoAQKOV-_gyI1Q2MXmssI0rMFIS9c-DwiM2YNaBaNUs_g-_vKm8I1qe7R3NY3-UAW1YBCHae0BcmX5RGAjeXxerBU3T-tv5DqbBcxa1dcqjMX7mxaMlNKISWKhiQ9JMP3Y%3D

Opportunities for script writers?!?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/tv-drama-writers-festival-2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunities/international-radio-playwrighting-comp-2012

Open letter to all screenwriters!

An Open Letter To All Screenwriters:

"The Surprising Truth About What Hollywood Execs Want,
Why They Rarely Find It...
And The Surefire Way To Deliver Every Time."

Dear Friend,

Congratulations. In the act of writing, word by word and page by page you're taking those all-important first steps toward your future, and one good pitch meeting could change your life forever. But those of you who are serious about realizing your dreams know as well as I do that you need to maximize every possible opportunity to advance your project and get noticed.

Like you, I'm a creative person with a passion for story. I've made a lot of movies and TV series happen in the past 10 years, but I wasn't always as successful as I am now. In fact, far from it. I remember my first few projects well. I was long on enthusiasm, short on experience, and what I didn't know ended up hurting me, big time. To be honest, I fell flat on my face. All the time, money, and hope I'd invested always seemed to come to nothing.

Since then, I've spent years working with some of the best and brightest writers, directors and producers in the industry and with companies like Lionsgate, Anonymous Content, and Jerry Bruckheimer TV. In helping set up over 2000 projects, what's the number one thing I've learned? That the real players in the industry don't just rely on luck, they build lasting value for a lifetime.

Click here for free access to a 5-part video training series that reveals their secrets.

Whether you're looking to build a paying career or take just one truly great project all the way to the finish line, you've got to take the industry seriously and be helpful to others over the long term. It's about cultivating a deeper understanding and making a contribution.

You've probably heard that entertainment is a business of relationships, but most emerging screenwriters don't really know what that means. It's not about having the most friends at the cocktail party, or having someone's business card--you've got to serve a purpose in the marketplace, and deliver something that other people can benefit from.

Here are the top 3 mindsets I've learned that every emerging screenwriter absolutely must know:

1. Be Good. It's not just about having a good idea. You've got to be really good at what you do – your craft, your pitch, your ability to work well with others - all the time, every time.

2. Be Interesting. Find out what you're truly passionate about and where it intersects with what audiences find compelling (and will pay money to see).. So don't pretend to be something you're not. Authenticity + Market Demand = Success.

3. Be Helpful. This is the big one, the one that if you master, Hollywood will truly open its doors to you. Interestingly enough, this simple notion is the cornerstone of all effective sales and marketing: identifying others' problems and solving them.

Even if you're not trying to establish a full-time career in the industry you still need to present yourself as a professional when you pitch any project, because the gatekeepers are always looking for reasons to say no.

So here's your inside track to professionalism: I've put together a special video training series for GAPF members... for FREE. For some of you, networking and selling might be hard. This is the best and fastest way to learn these skills and get taken seriously in the industry. Click here to get instant access.

You'll get a week's worth of video training from 5 high-level execs who have spent years in the industry in key decision-making roles at CAA, HBO, Alcon Entertainment, and the Weinstein's company. Enough said for now, they'll fill you in on the rest.

Good luck,

Nat Mundel
Voyage Media Founder and CEO

PS - If you're coming to the upcoming Pitchfest, come see me in our booth on Saturday to talk more. We've got an exciting give-away worth $600, and we're also offering free massage therapy to loosen up those shoulders you've have had hunched over your computer screen!

The video training series I mentioned above will only be available for free for a limited time. To get instant access to your free gift worth $297 Click here

This is an interesting read!

One of the most interesting reads since a while for historical novelist!

http://writerscircleworkshops.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/the-mystical-world-of-historical-fiction-by-novelist-stephanie-cowell/#comment-272

Well not even the great writers got it allways right?

Found this on this page:

http://www.jamesnfrey.com/articles/hamlet.html

Quote:

To: W. Shakespeare,
Re: Critique of Hamlet

By Barbara McHugh

Critiquing fiction requires more than the blind application of the rules of craft. See below, and come to your own conclusions as to how the author should have received the criticism of his play.

Dear Bill,
Although your play has potential, it requires work. You've written some exciting scenes with good conflict, and you've chosen a setting appropriate for this type of drama. Your use of language is inventive, and the basic story -- that of a son seeking to avenge his father's death -- is a compelling one. However, your characters often act at less than maximum capacity; many speeches are verbose and over-written; and there are far too many coincidences and contrivances for any audience to swallow.
The play opens at the right place: with the hero in terrible trouble, which immediately becomes worse when Hamlet receives the hero's "call to adventure" -- that archetypal event that launches almost all stories, from ancient epics to modern novels. In true heroic fashion, Hamlet brushes off the "guardians at the gate" and confronts his father's ghost. However, when the ghost demands that Hamlet avenge his murder, Hamlet whines and waffles, indulging himself in intellectual monologues that fail to move the action and tell us nothing new about the protagonist. Why not have Hamlet simply tell the ghost he mistrusts him, and that he requires some sort of proof? Instead, we get a wimpy monologue where Hamlet complains that the ghost might have come from his own mind, or be a trick of the devil.
When Hamlet finally decides to act, he fails to engage our sympathies, because he is not at maximum capacity -- that is, he fails to act with the intelligence that audiences have a right to expect from a person in his particular circumstances (see J. Frey’s definition of this term). He starts out well enough, with an ingenious idea (although some audiences might think it contrived) to put on a play where a man poisons his brother, a king, in precisely the same way Claudius murdered Hamlet's father. Hamlet hopes that Claudius, while watching the play, will reveal his guilt by faltering, turning pale, or even breaking down and confessing. But then Hamlet does a very stupid thing. Had he been at maximum capacity, he would have gathered a group of followers to witness Claudius' guilty behavior and thereby become Hamlet's allies in his quest for justice. Instead, Hamlet alienates all would-be allies by pretending to be mad!
Worse, after Hamlet decides on his course of action, we are subjected to a whiny, self-indulgent soliloquy that interrupts the play for no apparent reason. This speech starts out by using the most abstract verb possible. "To be, or not to be," followed by another passive construction, "That is the question." Why not simply say "Should I kill myself?" The monologue whimpers on, full of self-pity and mixed metaphors. "Take arms against a sea of troubles" -- how does one take arms against a sea? Cut this whole silly speech: this play is about revenge, not suicide.
All too often the play avoids conflict, violating the first rule of effective drama. For instance, Hamlet approaches Claudius, meaning to kill him, only to stop (without Claudius even seeing him!) because Claudius is at prayer. Why not have Hamlet follow Claudius after his prayers and confront him? Later, as the play is supposedly rising to its climax, even more conflict is avoided when the hero is sent off to England! Major scenes occur off stage: Hamlet's escape from the ship is a contrived mess (something about pirates!). Also, the scene where Hamlet tells the story of his adventures in England is an example of hack writing at its worst. We learn -- out of nowhere -- that Hamlet is an accomplished forger, and therefore he was able to substitute the sealed letter ordering his death for a letter instructing the deaths of Rosencranz and Gildenstern. Also, he informs Horatio that he can easily vanquish Laertes in a duel because he's been practicing swordsmanship in recent months. However, except for the one scene where he kills the unarmed Polonius, we have not seen him so much as pick up a sword.
The female characters also suffer from a lack of maximum capacity. Ophelia is a passive victim, submitting to Hamlet's cruelty in a static way, praying for heaven to help him (she utters essentially the same line twice), and never once exhibiting spunk or fire. Her final solution is to go mad, which is bad orchestration, because we already have one madman (Hamlet) on the scene. Note also: Ophelia's death is yet another key event that occurs off stage.
Gertrude is a murky, static character. She manages to confront Hamlet, but backs down when Hamlet displays portraits of her present and former husband and demands that she compare them. Are we to believe that she has never before noted the physical differences between them, so that now she realizes that Claudius is not nearly so attractive as she formerly thought? And what sort of reason is this for her to conclude that she has been wrong about her husband -- after failing to do so before now, even when confronted with Claudius' own guilty behavior? Perhaps she is only humoring Hamlet: certainly in later scenes she appears unchanged by what went on between them.
Claudius is a decent villain, although one might well wonder why he didn't make more of an effort to conceal his guilt to begin with by postponing his hasty wedding -- especially since in other respects he does seem a religious man. His inner conflict adds dimension to his character. But like Hamlet and most of the other characters, he engages in excessive self-pity.
Polonius, although he is a good device for humor, is inconsistently drawn. He seems to act foolishly according to the author's needs. At other times, he seems a pragmatic sort -- certainly he was right to warn Ophelia about Hamlet.
Laertes, unlike Hamlet, is a hero who acts. As soon as he learns of his own father's death, he sets about to seek revenge. Consider making Laertes the hero of this play.
The entrance of Fortinbras and his army at the end to bury Hamlet is coincidental to the point of absurdity.
Overall, I liked this play in spite of the many changes you need to make. Eliminate contrivances! Murder those darlings! I strongly advise making this play a one-act, starring Laertes.

Another competition for screenwriters!

Follow this link:

http://writemovies.com/

May be best win --- or should that be the 'lucky' one! LOL

Interesting service for playwriters!

Seems to be an interesting place to get some attention for your script for a play?

http://www.scriptcircle.co.uk/

Found this --- the link is to the page where it was originally posted.

http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2012/04/who-really-determines-the-fates-of-aspiring-screenwriters.html

“Who Really Determines the Fates of Aspiring Screenwriters?”

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Scott

I was all set to load up a new Reader Question, but then Gavin Polone came out with his weekly Vulture column today. While all of his columns are excellent, this one is a must-read for aspiring and even working screenwriters:

Last week, during the Supreme Court hearing on the president’s health-care law, Justice Antonin Scalia asked an attorney, “You really want us to go through these 2,700 pages? … Or do you expect us to — to give this function to our law clerks?” Never before had I felt such appreciation for something that came out of Justice Scalia’s mouth. Probably the most consistent frustration I — and most others in the film and TV business — experience is how much we’re expected to read. And, just like Justice Scalia, I would assume that those of us with the wherewithal to employ minions below us push much of that reading down to others. Aspiring and established scriptwriters likely fantasize about a high-powered exec or producer personally discovering their genius after a cold read and calling their agents, demanding a meeting. And those dreamers might be distressed to know just how much of their fate — when it comes to getting a staff writing gig on a TV show, a feature-film assignment, or the possible sale of their spec script — is in the hands of inexperienced low-level executives, assistants, and even interns.
Here’s the short list of what I do read: For a project I’ve sold into development at a film studio or television network, I will read and usually write notes on each new draft; if the changes made to that script were small, I will only read the pages that have been changed. (This is easy to do, since most writers use screenwriting programs that either star or highlight changes to the last draft.) I also closely read scripts that my friends send me or those that have been submitted by writers with whom I’ve worked before. But other than that, scripts submitted to me as possible development projects are given to my development executive and our assistants, who write a synopsis and critique on each. When an agent calls and says, “I’m going out with this project that I think you’ll love,” I always reply, “Thanks, I’ll read it right away,” but both he and I know that what I really meant by “it” was the write-up from my assistant, not the script. If my assistant really liked it and my development executive concurs, I will read about twenty pages; if I like those twenty pages, I read on until I don’t like it anymore or I finish. If I get all of the way through, I probably will get involved with the project in some way; if I pass (which is the usual outcome), I will send an e-mail to the agent thanking him for thinking of me but declining to produce the project. I’ll offer some reason as to why I’m passing — maybe I didn’t “relate to the premise” or “connect to the characters” — but, of course, anything specific I say is actually plagiarized from the document my assistant gave me urging me to pass. If this seems disingenuous, keep in mind that the writer’s agent probably didn’t read the script either: A more genuine process would be to have my assistant deal directly with his assistant, since they’re the only ones who did read it. But to preserve the illusion on all sides, when the agent calls his client and goes over the list of producers to whom he submitted the script, he will say, “Gavin Polone passed,” not “Gavin Polone’s assistant told him to pass.”

If this seems distressing to you, I don’t know what to say. It just is. Hollywood has always had gatekeepers. Here’s a scene from the 1950 movie Sunset Blvd. [written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder & D.M. Marshman Jr.]. Sheldrake is a movie exec. Gillis is a screenwriter.

  A-11    SHELDRAKE'S OFFICE

          It is in the style of a Paramount executive's office --
          mahogany, leather, and a little chintz.  On the
          walls are some large framed photographs of Paramount
          stars, with dedications to Mr. Sheldrake.  Also a
          couple of framed critics' awards certificates, and an
          Oscar on a bookshelf.  A shooting schedule chart is
          thumb-tacked into a large bulletin board.  There are
          piles or scripts, a few pipes and, somewhere in the
          background, some set models.

          Start on Sheldrake.  He is about 45.  Behind his wor-
          ried face there hides a coated tongue.  He is en-
          gaged in changing the stained filter cigarette in
          his Zeus holder.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 All right, Gillis.  You've got
                 five minutes.  What's your story
                 about?

                            GILLIS
                 It's about a ball player, a rookie
                 shortstop that's batting 347.  The
                 poor kid was once mixed up in a hold-
                 up.  But he's trying to go straight --
                 except there's a bunch of gamblers
                 who won't let him.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 So they tell the kid to throw the
                 World Series, or else, huh?

                            GILLIS
                 More or less.  Only for the end
                 I've got a gimmick that's real good.

          A secretary enters, carrying a glass or milk.
          She opens a drawer and takes out a bottle of pills for
          Sheldrake.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 Got a title?

                            GILLIS
                 Bases Loaded.  There's a 4O-page
                 outline.

                            SHELDRAKE
                      (To the secretary)
                 Get the Readers' Department and
                 see what they have on Bases Loaded.

          The secretary exits.  Sheldrake takes a pill and
          washes it down with some milk.

                            GILLIS
                 They're pretty hot about it
                 over at Twentieth, but I
                 think Zanuck's all wet.  Can
                 you see Ty Power as a
                 shortstop?  You've got the best
                 man for it right here on this lot.
                 Alan Ladd.  Good change of pace for
                 Alan Ladd.  There's another thing:
                 it's pretty simple to shoot.  Lot
                 of outdoor stuff.  Bet you could
                 make the whole thing for under a
                 million.  And there's a great little
                 part for Bill Demarest.  One of the
                 trainers, an oldtime player who
                 got beaned and goes out of his head
                 sometimes.

          The door opens and Betty Schaefer enters -- a clean-
          cut, nice looking girl of 21, with a bright, alert
          manner.  Dressed in tweed skirt, Brooks sweater and
          pearls, and carrying a folder of papers.  She puts
          them on Sheldrake's desk, not noticing Gillis, who
          stands near the door.

                            BETTY
                 Hello, Mr. Sheldrake.  On that Bases
                 Loaded.  I covered it with a 2-page
                 synopsis.
                      (She holds it out)
                 But I wouldn't bother.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 What's wrong with it?

                            BETTY
                 It's from hunger.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 Nothing for Ladd?

                            BETTY
                 Just a rehash of something that
                 wasn't very good to begin with.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 I'm sure you'll be glad to meet
                 Mr. Gillis.  He wrote it.

          Betty turns towards Gillis, embarrassed.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 This is Miss Kramer.

                            BETTY
                 Schaefer.  Betty Schaefer.  And
                 right now I wish I could crawl
                 into a hole and pull it in after
                 me.

                            GILLIS
                 If I could be of any help...

                            BETTY
                 I'm sorry, Mr. Gillis, but I
                 just don't think it's any good.
                 I found it flat and banal.

                            GILLIS
                 Exactly what kind of material do
                 you recommend?  James Joyce?
                 Dostoosvsky?

                            SHELDRAKE
                 Name dropper.

                            BETTY
                 I just think pictures should say
                 a little something.

                            GILLIS
                 Oh, you're one of the message
                 kids.  Just a story won't do.
                 You'd have turned down Gone With the
                 Wind.

                            SHELDRAKE
                 No, that was me.  I said, Who
                 wants to see a Civil War picture?

                            BETTY
                 Perhaps the reason I hated Bases
                 Loaded is that I knew your name.
                 I'd always heard you had some
                 talent.

                            GILLIS
                 That was last year.  This year
                 I'm trying to earn a living.

                            BETTY
                 So you take Plot 27-A, make it
                 glossy, make it slick --

                            SHELDRAKE
                 Careful. Those are dirty words!
                 You sound like a bunch of New
                 York critics.  Thank you, Miss
                 Schaefer.

                            BETTY
                 Goodbye, Mr. Gillis.

                            GILLIS
                 Goodbye.  Next time I'll write
                 The Naked and the Dead.

          Betty leaves.

This movie is 62 years old and even back then they covered scripts. It’s just a fact of life in Hollywood: Everybody gets covered. And that almost always becomes the pivot point of whether your script advances up the food chain or not.
What can you do? You can piss and moan about the state of affairs, or you can embrace it as a fact of life:
* Understand that this first line of defense is your ‘audience.’ And that ‘audience’ is a young male or female, fresh out of college, severely overworked and underpaid, but with big ambitions to make it in the film business.
* Assume if they are there working as an unpaid intern or low-level assistant, they have a passion for movies, otherwise why else would they put up with such working conditions. And if they have a passion for movies, that means they will have a passion for great stories.
* Keep in mind that 95% of the scripts they cover are either poor or pure crap. The upside is (1) this means these gatekeepers desperately want to read a great script and (2) good writing will stand out, even to readers who have little understanding of the craft.
In fact knowing that these are Hollywood’s threshold guardians can actually benefit you. How? Because if the image of your ‘audience’ is an exhausted young person who has just spent the weekend covering five scripts, they desperately want to go to bed and get some sleep when they look down on the floor… and there is your script. One more God damn script to cover! They pick up your script and already hate you.
That is the standard you have to hit in your writing. You need to make every single scene, every single line, every single word work together to pull that haggard, weary young soul out of their lethargy and into your story universe, sweeping them up into the relationships of your characters and the events of their lives.
In other words, use the reality of Hollywood’s gatekeepers to compel you to produce your very best work.
For more of Polone’s article, go here.
By the way, Polone quotes my first agent Dan Halsted who sold K-9.

Colin Dexter quote...

Colin Dexter - creator of  Inspector Morse (books and TV series) & Lewis (TV series) and Endeavour (TV series) was interviewed for Radio Times (the 12-18 May 2012 issue)

And I would like to quote this...

'The only thing I ever learnt in life, my saving grace, is initium est dimidium facti - the beginning is one half of the deed. Most people leave everything until tomorrow, but I just write, forget how bloody awful it is, and next day it doesn't seem half bad.'

Joined the sisters in crime...

Managed to join the Sister in Crime --- thanks for having me!

If you are writer - writing mysteries and a woman --- this could also
be interesting for you --- the bigger they get the better changes we have
to make our mark!

www.sistersincrime.org

PS:  I really should be writing --- honestly I will ----

This sunday

Spend too much time getting this blog up and running --- had planned to do some writing (well some re-writting!) but didn't get too it --- if I ever want to get to THE END or FADE OUT this is not the way!

Must confess - it have been a few bad months lately for me --- I don't seem to get any thing done (writing I mean!) don't know if it's the writer block thing that stops me from writting or all sort of other things/problems that keep getting in the way --- it's not  good to find excuses not to write  --- but it hasn't been easy to stay focussed and keep the engery to stay behind the keyboard.

I am hoping to enter a project in a competition and that has a deadline --- early June --- that is next month --- in about four weeks --- and time does fly doesn't it? SO I better get cracking and get that draft polished and finished ---

If you are interested --- this is the competition --- perhaps if you are a writer feel free to enter!

http://awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com/

Hope you had a fine Sunday and a good week ahead ---

Wish my week will be good for writing --- I really need to get this done ---

Books on writing - part one!

Books on writing ---

In order to write well one should read. Not only novels or scripts of established or great authors but also manuals on writing. It’s true that no handbook or teacher can ‘give you the ability’ to become an author. Still even talent need nursing and study.  Reading books or scripts of great authors can give you in inside of how they do it but it are good instruction manual that tell you how to get there.

However not all manuals will help you the way you had hoped – partly because some are not what they promised to be. Partly because they don’t suite your needs or their approach don’t fit your way of doing things. That makes it hard to pick the books that really can help you --- of course if you got money to burn and an ocean of time to squander you can perhaps afford to buy a few hundred of them --- and sift those out who will benefit you. Plus you don’t need to read further --- but if you are not one of those lucky few --- this list of my reviews of the few manuals I read may well help you ---

Of course we all know the list of those manuals every writer should read – The Writer’s Journey (Christopher Vogler) – Story (Robert McKee) – The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell) -

So I’m not wasting time on them. Only one observation about some of those manuals --- these must read books have also a down site. They introduced a formula – a Hollywood standard because everyone reads them and follows the advice given. And sparked off an eruption of well manicured scripts & stories with predictable story lines – stereotype characters who lack freshness. Its true each good story has three acts - a beginning, a middle and an end. And if we don’t want to confuse or alienate our viewers & readers too much we have to respect this line up.  Even the ancient Greeks knew that. But believing that act one should end on page 10 and the next act on page 30 etc. is a step too far. I feel story acts should fit the story – the story should not be constrain by a concrete format. The story has to flow – have its own live and own pace. If the beginning is a bit longer than normal but it benefits the overall story then why shouldn’t it be a tiny bit longer? Should we for this reason cut up - knock about something good because it has to fit the format? Does each story benefit from the rigid  set ‘turning-points’ or ‘climax’ on this and that page of the script? Don’t think so. As long the writer respect the ‘flow’ of the story – the credible plot with convincing characters and the tempo suited for that particular story what happens on page thirty or fifty or seventy five doesn’t matter. As the viewers & readers will be to enthralled in the story of the characters to notice the turning-point is a bit early or a bit late!

Now about the books who helped me improve my writing ---

The Soul of Screenwriting – On writing, Dramatic Truth and Knowing Yourself (Keith Cunningham) In this book Keith Cunningham brings together the knowledge he accumulated over more than twenty years of his screenwriting and story development seminars.  Inspired by the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell and psychologist Jean Houston.  It digs deeper than just any other manual on writing.  It’s not one more book about getting the plot points right and screenwriting by the numbers but an profound study of the art of creating a story that works. (from the back cover: Keith Cunningham argues that it is only stories that have a voice that truly speak to the audience – and to gain that voice, the writer needs commitment, enthusiasm, and an urge to get to the core of the dramatic conflict without resorting to escapism.)

Published by www.continuumbooks.com ISBN 978-0-8264-2869-1

Keith Cunningham is a screenwriter and consultant who divides his time between the US and Europe. He can be found at www.keithcunningham.net.

The art of plotting. (Linda J. Cowgill) She starts her introduction in the book with a question.

What is screenwriting?

A.      An occupation

B.      An art form

C.      A disease

And this tells us already a lot of what kind of book it is. Linda J. Cowgill, has written for all the major studios and currently heads the screenwriting department at the Los Angeles Film School. And this gave her a good inside of the business of writing scripts that get into production as well as how someone can ‘teach’ others the craft of writing. Undoubtedly this adds to the quality of this book. It doesn’t deal solemnly with how plots should be structured but also how you can add emotion, suspense and depth to your screenplay. She also talks about film segments something that is not often included in other manuals alto understanding how those ‘segments’ work is an important factor to help you create a better story! She also wrote two other books on writing scripts – Writing Short Films and Secrets of Screenplay Structure but I haven’t read both of them. But if they are as good as this book it could be worth spending some money on them…

Published by www.watsonguptill.com  ISBN-13: 978-1-58065-070-0

How to Write a Damn Good Thriller (James N. Frey) A step-by-step guide for novelists and screenwriters it says on the front cover and it’s not a bold selling tagline but the trued. The book gives you everything to help you plot out and write a good thriller without falling in the trap of cliché and losing your plot in marginal sub lines or ideas. In spite of the considerable facts and advice he gives, he keeps the tone of his book light-hearted – what makes it also fun to read. Another book by him:

How to Write a Damn good mystery if you really into mystery and thrillers you should read this book too; it’s an in-dept study of what makes a story a mystery how the characters work in should stories, things to avoid (and boy there are a lot of ‘logic’ things that can make your mystery dull and boring!!)

James N. Frey is the author of several books on the craft of fiction writing and nine novels, including the Edgar Award-nominated The Long Way To Die. He teaches creative writing and is a featured speaker at writers’ conferences throughout the United States and Europe. You can visit his web site at www.jamesnfrey.com.

Published by www.stmartins.com  ISBN 978-0-312-57507-6

Writing for emotional impact (Karl Iglesias) Karl was one of my teachers at Writer’s University (L.A) and he also teaches at UCLA Extension’s Writer’s Program, the Screenwriting Expo and writes a regular column on the craft for Creative Screenwriting magazine.  While is himself a screenwriter and sought-after script doctor and consultant. This book helps you to put depth into your characters and the motif of their actions. Evil or good. It also tells you how to do it and what makes characters likable or disliked --- and when using a evil lead how to make sure the audience won’t be turned away by it. If you have purchased a copy of this book you’re also eligible to receive a free PDF file of The Emotional Thesaurus.

If you would like to know the upcoming classes – writing workshops run by Karl visit www.karliglesias.com

Published by www.grahamstudios.com  ISBN 1-59594-028-6

Screenwriting – The Sequence Approach (Paul Joseph Gulino) This book delve into the most overlooked tool that can make your screenplay great. From the back cover - A screenplay can be understood as being built of sequences of about fifteen pages each, and by focusing on solving the dramatic aspects of each of these sequences in detail, a writer can more easily conquer the challenges posed by the script as a whole.

The sequence approach was first used in early Hollywood movies – until the 1950s most screenplays were formatted with sequences explicitly identified. Then this procedure got  abandoned alto the concept is to a certain extent pick up again by film schools. The system is explained by breaking down well known – successful movies like Fellowship of the ring – The Graduate – North by Northwest. And I felt it was well worth to read this book in order to better understand how stories work. Paul Joseph Gulino is a produced screenwriter and playwright. He is Associate Professor of Screenwriting at Chapman University in California.

Published by www.continuumbooks.com  ISBN 0-8264-1568-7

Developing Characters for Script Writing and Writing Dialogue for Scripts both by (Rib Davis) both books are great tools to improve your skills for creating characters and understanding how dialogue works in scripts. The tone of the books makes them easy to read and most of it helps you remember his advice while you are writing! They are both part of the series Writing Handbooks from the publisher of Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. And certainly a must have for anyone serious about writing a good script!

Rib Davis has over fifty scripts performed on stage, radio and screen. He is an award-winning playwright and has worked as script reader for both the BBC and the Arts Council of Great Britain.

Published by www.acblack.com

Hello...

Finally got round creating a block --- so for those who urged me to get one be warned this could be a dangerous undertaken --- and you got no one else to blame then me ---

Also a warning to others --- my first language isn't English and I'm afraid that there will be a few (well a lot!) mistakes, spelling errors, pigeon English and plainly text that looks more than a blob of meddled up black spots ---

This block will meanly deal with 'writing' - like novels - scripts and some of my other interests. Silk painting, felting, horses and dogs ---

If it will be updated from time to time --- well I hope but this is not a promise!!!