As I hunted through my resources this weekend, I came across some screenwriting DVDs I’ve enjoyed and wanted to share with you. 1. The Dialogue DVD Series: This series of DVDs includes interviews of successful screenwriters talking craft, breaking in, and the films they love. I’m a big fan of crawling inside other writers’ heads [...]
Mid-April isn’t most studios’ first choice for bringing out a tentpole. But Universal may start a trend if it hits a home run with Oblivion, directed by Joseph Kosinski from his own comic book adventure. An intriguing mystery wrapped inside a stylish postapocalyptic scifi thriller, Oblivion offers Tom Cruise his best action role in years – [...]
Last night, I had the good fortune of being a fly on the wall at the sort of event most aspiring writers would give plenty to attend: An afternoon for Madhouse represented writers as well as executives with the one and only Michael Hauge. Having done some work with the indelible Hauge, I had the [...]
To celebrate the launch of Jen Grisanti’s new column Story Structure, I’m sharing my top picks for screenwriting structure and writing style products at The Writers Store: 1. The Screenwriter’s Bible by Dave Trottier – Dave’s book was one of my very first screenwriting resources, and is still one I turn to when I have [...]
The process of starting a screenplay can be very difficult to say the least. When writing a story you have to keep track of events, characters, locations and slip in things like character quirks and attitudes. Organization can be daunting for people like me who can’t keep track of their keys and sneakers. There are [...]
Story structure constantly evolves and grows as the stories being told do the same. The traditional approach, “who wants what and what is getting in the way?” is still there; however, it has evolved and expanded to include so much more. I am going to describe two tools that are examples of how it has [...]
Hot off the presses for spring 2013 is a brand-new edition of The Hollywood Screenwriting Directory, featuring more than 2,500 listings (up from last edition’s 1,500). You’ll also find updates on more than 40% of the contacts, including verified information, like phone numbers, and street and email addresses. But as I often say, you only [...]
For all of those who went to Screenwriter World Conference in NYC this past weekend, CONGRATULATIONS on putting yourself and your work out there to execs and agents! I know from personal experience how hard that can be. Pat yourselves on the back! Now before you submit your work, make sure you have it registered [...]
I love hunting for treasure. In fact, I grew up with a mom who was a thrift store junkie. Once, she even bought a van full of dungarees for $100. Again, you see why my therapy file is so big… To honor my family tradition of treasure hunting, each week I’ll share with you my [...]
