[[ THE STORY SPOT ]]

Call for Canadian Comedic Screenplays

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:15:00 +0000

This just in via InkTip, the membership-only site that provides "24/7 access to the best selection of screenplays and writers anywhere on the Internet. Access is free to qualified producers, directors, agents, managers, and name actors." (From the InkTip site). Byron A. Martin Productions Inc. - Comedies from Canadian Writers We are looking for completed feature length-comedy or dramedy scripts from Canadian writers. Please note that, due to funding purposes, this lead is only open to Canadian citizens. Please do not submit horrors, thrillers, or scripts in any other genre with elements of comedy; we are only open to comedy or dramedy submissions. Submissions must be for contemporary material with no scenes requiring large numbers of extras, no stunts, special FX or visual FX. ...

Lions and Tigers and Vampires! Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:54:00 +0000

What is it about scary stories? We, collectively, just can't get enough. Whether creepy wet girl-child, voraciously sexy vampire, gangrenous undead, or senselessly psychotic scythe-wielder waiting to kill, we keep coming back for more. Horror consistently tops the bestselling and box office lists, whether presented as out-and-out gore or more seductively as true crime or psychological thrillers. Just what is the secret to keeping an audience on the edge of their seats when they know the bloodbath is coming? Would you be surprised to know that a similar construct is at work in romantic comedies? Consider: in both genres, you pretty much know what you're signing up for the moment you see the poster or cover art. Boy meets girl. Boy kills girl in nightmarish bloodbath. The draw is how....

NaNoWriMo Approacheth!

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:04:00 +0000

For those of you unfamiliar with the psychosis-inducing exercise that is National Novel Writing Month (inconveniently known as NaNoWriMo), behold. Every November, hoards of slightly *off* writers plunk down at their keyboards and legal pads hellbent on composing 50,000 words that will, with some luck, jell into the beginnings of a novel. It takes thirty days of frenzied doing and it's a crazymaking good time. New writers find NaNoWriMo to be an expectation-free way of diving in to what appear to be an impossible achievement. And novelists with a few on their shelves? Well, they find NaNoWriMo to be an expectation-free way of diving in to what appear to be an impossible achievement...or to start a new project or just for a bit of silly fun. Birthing 350 pages can be daunting to anyone...

The Purity of Imagination. Witness!

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Extraordinary cuteness aside, I wanted to share this with you. You, storytellers. You, weavers of imaginary worlds. Little Capucine reminds us of the sheer pleasure there is in allowing stories to appear right before our eyes, without forethought, software, or seminar-approved paradigms and definitely without straining for the best word. Sometimes the thread is all there is and it is good. Without further adieu, I present Capucine! Via the blog of my cherished friend, novelist Susan Taylor Chehak.

Peas in a Literary Pod

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:13:00 +0000

As you know, dreaming up worlds and the characters who inhabit them is work done mostly in the company of one's self. For those moments when our creations become vivid in our minds, it is just us and the page -- even when working in a writers' room or a collaborative partnership. So I thought I'd offer this post up to you to share some of the places where writers gather to let off steam, ask for advice, chat about the weather, or just lurk secure in the knowledge that there are other oddballs out there holding imaginary universes aloft and alive. It's a bit LA-centric so I'm counting on the rest of you to fill it out! SheWrites. "A new social network where women writers working in every genre—in every part of the world and of all ages and backgrounds—can come together in a space of...

Screenwriter's Assistant/Typist Gig in Silver Lake

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:06:00 +0000

This seems to be ideal for you LA-based novelists out there who have asked about learning screenwriting or for someone entirely new to the game who wants a bit of low-stakes experience. From the Mandy.com Weekly Production Job Alert: SCREENWRITER ASSISTANT - Buce Films, Silver Lake. Starts: Possibly Monday the 14th Sept (About three months.) I’m a professional Italian screenwriter who is looking for a screenwriter assistant. The candidate needs to be a native English speaker with a MFA in Screenwriting or Creative writing. The perfect candidate would be someone who has recently graduate and he is looking for experience. The script we’ll be working on is an original drama with a flavor of Once. You’ll write on my laptop connected to a big screen using Movie Magic Screenwriter....

Storytelling for a New Age

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Lance Weiler, an American filmmaker, writer, and director, tells Ireland's ScreenDaily.com about the ways story forms are adapting as audiences change. We don't often cover "new media" here on THE STORY SPOT but, as always, old is new again...The tools I use are no longer simply cameras ― they are mobile and feature real-time web apps. Storylines, characters or scenes now exist beyond one screen or format. My stories spill out into the real world and guide audiences from one experience to another.While the human need to share experiences in an engaging way endures, the ways we do so continue to evolve with society. Reality television, alternate reality gaming, Twitter fiction and other new forms may all feel vastly different from telling tales around a campfire but remember that the heart...

FilmFresh.com. Now with Studio Blockbusters.

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:44:00 +0000

The amazing international film resource that is FilmFresh.com has recently partnered with some of the big studio players and relaunched. This is exciting news to those of us who are already addicted to their catalogue of hard-to-find international films. Now we can ditch those who shan't be named for a smaller service run by true a cinefile, Rick Bolton. There are so many exceptional films made throughout the world, and few opportunities to see them. That's why we started Film Fresh. We collect great contemporary films from around the world and make them available to film lovers throughout North America at FilmFresh.com. On our Web site, viewers can discover new films, converse with interested viewers, and purchase films for home delivery, on DVD and via digital download.What more could...

Jim Krusoe's "Erased" On Shelves Now

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Novelist Jim Krusoe's latest book, Erased, has been named by The Los Angeles Times as a must-read for the summer. Krusoe discusses his work (see: Girl Factory)and reads an excerpt on KCRW's Bookworm. In Erased, Krusoe takes on a dead mother who mysteriously sends notes from the beyond to her grown son, Theodore, the owner of a mail-order gardening-implement business. "I need to see you," the first card reads. Theodore does what any sensible person would: he ignores it. But when he gets a second card that's even more urgent, Theodore leaves his quiet home in St. Nils for a radiantly imagined Cleveland, Ohio, to track down his mother. There, aided by Uleene, the last remaining member of Satan's Samaritans, an all-girl biker club, he searches through the realms of women's clubs, art, rodent...

Borrowing Books is the New Amazon Pre-Order

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:33:00 +0000

Photo Credit: svenwerk via FlickrBooks? For free? Whatchatalkin'aboutWillis? Recent economic troubles, it seems, has boosted library use. And why not? Libraries are in every community, often carry the latest releases, and are there just for you. So get back to your grade-school roots and check out and/or donate books. You'll make your local librarian happy and re-discover the joy of sharing. Do it in time for the weekend and you'll have picked up somewhere wonderful to get lost. Related stories: "Check It Out" at The Boston Globe "Library Use is Booming Because of Recession" on Treehugger Thanks @alissagrosso for the story tip. If you're a Twitter follower and have an idea for THE STORY SPOT, DM us! We'd love to hear from you!

826LA Screenwriting Seminar for Grown-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:05:00 +0000

We heartily support 826LA and it's with pleasure that we bring to you one event from their new series of seminars geared at adult writers. The Screenwriting seminar promises to be another winner. In true 826 fashion, they're calling out the big talent (amazing screenwriters including two, yes TWO, Academy Award nominees and a host we all know and adore) to raise funds for the extraordinary program. But don't take our word for it, check it out for yourself: Adult Writing Seminar Series: Screenwriters Thursday, August 6 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. 826LA West 685 Venice Boulevard Venice, CA 90291 Tickets are $35 A bargain! And every penny goes towards a very worthy cause: literacy. Looks like there are 19 tickets left (after I snagged mine!) Get yours while they're hot. Visit...

ScriptShadow: Recent Deals Served Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Scriptshadow is the blog by Carson Reeves that lets us eyeball screenplays that have been recently purchased in this big machine we romantically call "Hollywood". Makes a nice complement to your Done Deal Pro and IMDB Pro subscriptions, no? (Plus, it's free!) Here's how Carson describes his work: Scriptshadow started off as a small intimate blog whose purpose was to review and make available recently sold spec scripts for amateur writers to study so that they could improve their own writing. But then came The Man: Fortunately/Unfortunately, the blog has grown to a place where me posting scripts has become impractical. I've received enough legal urging to convince me it's not worth the risk. As a result, from this point on, I'll only be reviewing scripts and not linking to them.Still,...

The Young Storytellers Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Here in Los Angeles, The Young Storytellers Foundation pairs writers and actors with kids who need help with literacy skills. Together, they write short screenplays, rehearse, then put on a "Big Show" where the young scribes can see their work come to life. It's brilliant! So why not volunteer today? Schools served are all over town--there's sure to be one near you. An eight-week, one-on-one screenwriting program dedicated to increasing literacy and self-esteem in fourth and fifth grade students. Visit The Young Storytellers Foundation and tell them THE STORY SPOT sent you.

Jerry Lewis. Just Because.

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Good writing, everyone!

Five Steps to Tame Your Logline

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:31:00 +0000

Loglines are hard. It's true. Creating those snappy compressed bites of your story can feel more draining than writing the entire story itself. No one said they were easy but they are essential. Here are a few tips on how to create a great logline for your story. Start with one page. Get out a blank sheet and challenge yourself to say all you can about your story on that single page. If it's your first try, this will seem impossible but be assured it is not. Try to ignore that naysaying voice on your shoulder and just write. Start with the opening. Jump to the ending. Then insert the middle as best as you can. Write as if you are speaking to a friend you've met unexpectedly on the sidewalk. In fact, talking it out often helps. You'll fill that page in no time. Once you've reached the end...

Plot vs. Story

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

It has occurred to me that with all this talk about story that it might be useful to clarify the differences between STORY and PLOT. After all, we casually use the terms interchangeably but they are indeed very different and that difference is everything. It's probably easiest to begin with plot. After all, when we talk about writing, we're often focused on that thing that might happen next. That's plot. It's the what happens. A UPS driver is attacked by deranged alien globs of goo seeking to absorb human life in order to save their own species. The events of the attack make up the plot: aliens come to Earth; aliens eat hero's best friend while they nibble donuts; hero retaliates and saves the planet. Events. Actions. They are the physical happenings that get us from one end of the...

Michael Hauge: "Everything I Know in 100 Words or Less"

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Always a source of great writing advice and inspiration, screenwriting coach Michael Hauge offers us this short nugget of wisdom on his site (www.screenplaymastery.com) that I'm sharing with you here. EVERYTHING I KNOW IN 100 WORDS OR LESS Q: Can you describe some of the things writers need to think about in writing a salable story? A: Since my entire career has been built on answering this question for writers and filmmakers, it's pretty hard to reduce it to a single answer. But the best advice that comes to mind to cover all situations is to suggest that writers ask themselves three questions about every screenplay they write: 1. What is each character desperate to achieve? 2. What makes that goal seem impossible? 3. What terrifies each character? Writers willing to dig deep...

Writers Can serve.gov Too

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:33:00 +0000

This morning, the Obama Administration launched www.serve.gov its program to encourage and support each of us to contribute to the health of our local communities. Here are a few ways in which we literary types might share our wealth: provide escape and hope by teaching children living in shelters to read adventure novelsrecord audiobooks for the visually impaired introduce kids to the world of creating comic books and graphic novels work with adults in need to improve their literacy skills mentor middle-schoolers who, with your help, could make it to college put your perfectionism and love of books to good use There's a search engine powered by ALL FOR GOOD to help you find activities in your area. Or maybe you want to create something of your own. Just because the art of the word comes...

Jay Walker's Library of Human Imagination And You

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:35:00 +0000

We writers are imagineers. We are seers. We create emotional experiences for tomorrow's readers, viewers, and listeners through our stories today. Inventor Jay Walker is the curator of the Library of Human Imagination. The private library is his personal monument to human ingenuity -- without which we writers would be lost. It is, without doubt, glorious. This TED talk offers not only an interesting bit of history about the printed book but also Walker's take on creativity: So how do we create? [...We] create by surrounding ourselves with stimuli, with human achievement, with history, with the things that drive us and make us human. The passionate discovery, the bones of dinosaurs long gone, the maps of space that we’ve experienced, and ultimately the hallways that stimulate our mind...

Creating emotion. There is a better way.

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:33:00 +0000

The sometimes brusque Flannery O'Connor is quoted as having said that you cannot create emotion by using emotion. More precisely, from Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose: The fiction writer has to realize that he can’t create compassion with compassion, or emotion with emotion, or thought with thought. He has to provide all these things with a body; he has to create a world with weight and extension. [...] The reason is usually that the student is wholly interested in his thoughts and his emotions and not in his dramatic action.For writers of all forms, this is a point not to be overlooked. Practically, it means that we may want to rethink a character--let's call her Mia--uttering the words, "Gee, Larry, I'm just so terrifically sad" if we actually want the audience/reader to feel...

Alex Epstein's Webinar on The Hook - July 25, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Screenwriter Alex Epstein (of Complications Ensue fame) will be teaching a webinar in July on one of our favorite subjects: The Hook. Webinars, as you know, are great, accessible brush-up classes for those in the trenches as well as a low-pressure, low-cost subject intro to new writers. Support your writing (and Alex's writing life -- full-circle, people) by signing up today. The Hook - Get your script read! $69.99 Saturday July 25th from noon-3pm EST / 9am-noon PST Webinar via Topjian THE HOOK Want an agent, producer or studio executive to read your script? Want your agent to sell your script? You don't need a well-written screenplay. What you need is a hook: a fresh, compelling story concept that makes anyone want to read your script -- and makes the audience...

Five Tips for a Killer Rewrite

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Photo credit: Jonno Witts via FlickrWriters can often be heard grumbling about the drudgery of rewriting. Those of us who make a living from "the rewrite" are no exception. But I'm here to tell you, there are great joys to be found within those looming pages. Really. Rewriting is the work you do on a manuscript or screenplay (or anything else) once that first tremulous blush of committing fresh words to the world has passed. It can be a general pass to see what crops up or a focused pass solely on, say, diction. It may be a combination of both. Everyone's process is different. The one constant is that rewriting is what makes good work, brilliant (okay, at least much, much better). Five tips to make your rewrite shine, after the jump. Rewriting offers the rush of creativity and the...

Scene Openings: a Scriptcast from John August

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Those of you who read THE STORY SPOT regularly will know that we're fans of screenwriter John August's highly entertaining and informative blog. Recently, he posted a little video about tightening up the openings of your scenes. Just because it's screenwriting-focused, doesn't mean it's irrelevant to you novelists and memoirists out there. In a nutshell, the illustrious Mr. August illustrates how to get to the core action of the scene right away while adding a bit of visual color along the way. Good stuff for writers at all levels. "Writing Better Scene Openings" at johnaugust.com (feel free to click through to his site to read his full post.)

Good Writing & Editing To You!

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:28:00 +0000

...and you and you. Seems as if the story elves here at the SPOT have been up to their eyeballs in rewrites and new projects. So this week's post is simply a wealth of good wishes sent out to you as we all do what we love to do best (pens still work in tanked economies so we hope you are all creating brilliance out there!) If you are so inclined, we'd love to hear what it is you're working on this spring. It's a nice reminder that while production and publication fads come and go, the stories we all crave stay the very same. Comment or Twit back, y'all! /djw

Battle Scenes: How Not to Write Them

noreply@blogger.com (dianejwright) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:03:00 +0000

In all these years, believe it or not, I'd somehow managed to avoid writing a good old-fashioned, dragged-through-the-mud, elbow-to-the-eye battle scene. Until now. Like you, I have certainly read my share. From hissing cat-fights to laser-gun fueled space war, I've read scenes that were so animated and spot-on that I had not a word to say. Or, in other cases, I had given notes that asked the writer to please, for goodness sake, use the generic situation (the fight) to convey story information (character growth, plot advancement, etc.). But somehow none of my rewrites or personal projects required more than brief physical confrontation. Today is a different day. Yesterday, actually, I committed to paper my first true mano-a-mano brawl complete with kicks, dodges, leaps, and body slams....