Script newsletters

Here are the latest Script newsletters for my followers to peruse:

Increasing your odds of success.

Screenwriting Success – Confidence Game In week's screenwriting tip, Ray Morton explains how confidence is an important part of screenwriting success. So what can you do to boost your confidence? Stop making excuses and get your story out. Don't miss the upcoming online class Write Your Drama Pilot in Six Weeks, starting November 23rd with successful TV writer, William Rabkin. Inside The TV Writers Room: How To Go From Writers Assistant to Staff Writer by Adam Gaines, 11/30 Spec Market 101: How to Sell Your Script by Greg Gertmenian and Jason Scoggins, 12/7 List of All Upcoming Live Webinars List of On-Demand Webinars By Ray Morton I received an email yesterday from a guy who told me he had a major opportunity to offer me – an opportunity that was so good he was sure I wouldn’t be able to turn it down. “What could it be?” I wondered. Most of the offers I receive via email concern people in Africa who promise to send me millions if first I send them thousands; unbelievably low mortgage rates that I have to see to believe; or ways to increase the size of a specific portion of my anatomy in ways certain to make me extremely popular with the ladies. As it turns out, my correspondent wasn’t offering me any of these things. Instead, he was offering me a screenwriting gig. He told me he had a great idea for a script – one that was so great, so creatively brilliant, and so commercially surefire that it was guaranteed to sell for a million bucks.  Read More...

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman Jeanne is the Editor of Script and adapted the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name. Her screenplays were selected as Top 25 Tracking Board Launch Pad, CSExpo Finalist, Second Round Sundance Episodic Lab, and PAGE Awards TV Drama Finalist. Twitter @jeannevb.

	by: F+W, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200 Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA
	Week in Review Letter from the Editor On ScriptMag.com this week, we share advice on making time to write, tips for working with Hollywood and more! Check out our full list of contributors and follow them on Twitter too. If you're struggling creating a page-turning script, check out our bundle of products, Critical Tools to Create an Emotional Connection with Your Audience to help you write more powerful stories AND save hundreds of dollars! Now get reading and get writing! Read More... How to Schedule Your Screenwriting Time Paula Landry shares tips on prioritizing your life and finding time to write without overwhelming your schedule. Read More... How to Work with Hollywood: Crossing the Chasm from Book to Film Doug Richardson, writer of Die Hard 2, Bad Boys and Hostage, takes an author through the process of book to film and what an author can expect when working with Hollywood. Read More... Susan Kouguell Speaks to Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker Joe Berlinger About Intent to Destroy Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger has never shied away from taking on controversial subjects. Berlinger’s new film Intent to Destroy is no exception. Read More... SELLING YOUR SCREENPLAY: Producer Dana Lustig on Jungle, Starring Daniel Radcliffe Ashley Scott Meyers talks with producer Dana Lustig about her new adventure film, Jungle, and how it all came together. We also talk about the early days of her career as a producer and how she found scripts for her first few films. Read More... Online Screenwriting Classes: Writing the Comedy Feature Film In this class, you’ll start by creating and discussing funny loglines, and learn the criteria for determining which premise should advance to the outline stage. Then you’ll create a detailed outline with one-on-one instructor feedback. Once each student has a winning story plotted out for a comedy screenplay, we’ll workshop the funniest ways to execute that idea as a feature-length script. Finally, each student will begin writing a comedy screenplay, which can be completed after the class. Enroll Now... See full list of self-paced online courses here. Webinars: Live and On-Demand Our webinars include both access to the live webinar where you may interact with the presenter and the recorded, on-demand edition for your video library. You do not have to attend the live event to get a recording of the presentation. See full list of upcoming live online webinars here. Inside The TV Writers Room: How To Go From Writers Assistant to Staff Writer by Adam Gaines, 11/30 List of All Upcoming Live Webinars List of On-Demand Webinars Highlights from the Producers Guild of America’s Produced By Conference NY Script shares the highlights from some of the top panels at the Producers Guild of America's Produced By Conference in New York City. Read More... GEORGE the Blogging Writer: Confessions of a First Commission Here's George the Blogging writer attempting to scale the mountain of her first commission on long running series Westenders. She is learning the hard way, so you won't have to. Read More... WRITERS ON WRITING: Eric Heisserer on Adapting Arrival Alien first contact is a long-held traditional theme in cinema, but rarely has it been shown with such delicate beauty as in Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapted for the screen by Eric Heisserer. Read More... BREAKING & ENTERING: Your Writing Routine – Make An Action Plan Now! The holidays are about to hit! By the time you get back to the keyboard, you may feel rusty. Make an action plan now to get back to writing in the New Year. Read More... Screenwriting Tutorials: On-Demand Video Classes Get a single video for $16.99 or subscribe for access to all the videos starting at only $16.33 per month! See all videos and subscribe for All Access here. Our growing library of over 175 video tutorials covers both the creative and business sides of screenwriting, offering instruction from top industry experts! Watch Previews of All Videos... Hacksaw Ridge Writer Robert Schenkkan on Taking Notes, Writing Routines & More! HACKSAW RIDGE screenwriter, Robert Schenkkan, discusses the 10-year process of getting the film made as well as taking notes from Stephen Spielberg, finding his writing routine and more! Read More... Notes from the Margins: Tick, Tick, Tick…Boom! How Inserting a Time Clock Can Help Your Story No matter the genre, using the device of a time clock in your story – a deadline, a ticking clock, a moment that must be met, etc – is a great way to naturally raise the stakes in the story and for your character. Read More... Free Screenwriting Resources Download invaluable free screenwriting resources as our gift to you! Step-by-Step Guide to Creating High Concept Ideas; How to Vet a Script Consultant; How to Find a Literary Agent; Creating Short Film Ideas; Proper Screenplay Format Tips; Creating Strong Protagonist; How to Navigate a Pitchfest; TV Pilot Kit; How to Write a Screenplay Webinar, and MORE! See Full List of Free Downloads... Jeanne Veillette Bowerman Jeanne is the Editor of Script and adapted the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name. Her screenplays were selected as Top 25 Tracking Board Launch Pad, CSExpo Finalist, Second Round Sundance Episodic Lab, and PAGE Awards TV Drama Finalist. Twitter @jeannevb.

Dialogue tips!

SCREENPLAY FORMAT: Action and Dialogue For this week's screenwriting tip, Dave Trottier, AKA Dr. Format, discusses proper screenplay format when dealing with action and dialogue. If you need help writing powerful dialogue, Dave's upcoming online course, The Nitty Gritty of Spec Scripts: Writing Strong Action and Dialogue, runs from November 16th to November 23rd. First Ten Pages of Your Drama Pilot by Peter Russell, 11/9 Inside The TV Writers Room: How To Go From Writers Assistant to Staff Writer by Adam Gaines, 11/30 List of All Upcoming Live Webinars List of On-Demand Webinars By Dave Trottier QUESTION: What is the proper format to use for an animal that makes animal sounds but who also talks? For example: A dog barks. Then in a human voice says, "Hey, cut that out!" ANSWER: Animal sounds should be written as narrative description. That’s because only words are considered to be dialogue. Thus, you would write your example as follows.  Read More...

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman Jeanne is the Editor of Script and adapted the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name. Her screenplays were selected as Top 25 Tracking Board Launch Pad, CSExpo Finalist, Second Round Sundance Episodic Lab, and PAGE Awards TV Drama Finalist. Twitter @jeannevb.

Writing Powerful Endings Importance of the Right Story Ending You may need to grab a reader's attention on page one, but don't underestimate the importance of your story ending. Professional studio script reader Ray Morton shares insights on how to create a stellar film ending. Get 50% discount on select, popular on-demand webinars for a limited time! Act fast before the sale ends! First Ten Pages of Your Drama Pilot by Peter Russell, 11/9 Inside The TV Writers Room: How To Go From Writers Assistant to Staff Writer by Adam Gaines, 11/30 List of All Upcoming Live Webinars List of On-Demand Webinars By Ray Morton The ending is the most important part of a dramatic narrative: The ending is the part of a drama in which the conflict between the story’s protagonist and whatever antagonistic force is standing in the way of the protagonist achieving his primary motivating goal comes to a head and is finally resolved. The ending of a dramatic narrative is important because that is the part of the story in which the plot – which is set-up in the story’s first act and developed in its second – is finally concluded; in which all the piece’s dramatic questions are answered; in which the protagonist completes the arc he has been making throughout the story; and in which the dramatic potential of the premise is paid off (this is the point at which a comedy should be at its funniest; a horror film at its scariest; a love story at its most romantic; etc.). The ending is what makes a dramatic story a story – without it, all you have is a series of events and incidents that might be entertaining, but that ultimately don’t go anywhere or mean anything. (One of the problems I have with modern TV is that most series today are serialized and so just go on and on and on without ever resolving anything. I end up feeling like I’m watching endless second acts and eventually I just lose interest). But wait, there's more to consider...   Read More... Jeanne Veillette Bowerman Jeanne is the Editor of Script and adapted the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name. Her screenplays were selected as Top 25 Tracking Board Launch Pad, CSExpo Finalist, Second Round Sundance Episodic Lab, and PAGE Awards TV Drama Finalist. Twitter @jeannevb.