I frequent quite a few blogs, many of them posted by professional screenwriters, literary agents, and editors. While some are listed in my blogroll (left), I thought I’d post them and some others, along with commentary on why I read them regularly.

Screenwriters

John August – He’s written many successful films, including Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also wrote one of my favorite dark comedies, Go. His blog is filled with useful, and very practical, information for screenwriters. Lately he’s been documenting his experiences as the director of The Nines, a film he also wrote. At the time of this writing, The Nines is in limited release.

Ken Levine – He was a head writer for M*A*S*H (one of my favorite shows), and has written for The Simpsons, Cheers, Frasier, and many more shows. While he mostly posts reviews (including a comprehensive recap of American Idol, which appears to be his favorite show), favorite clips of famous comedy shows, and personal anecdotes, he also occasionally shares script samples and great tips for screenwriters, particularly TV writers.

Alex Epstein (Complications Ensue) – A Canadian screenwriter and former development executive. He also wrote Crafty Screenwriting (which I read and found very informative) and Crafty TV Writing. He posts regularly, and often answers reader questions.

Jane Espenson (Jane In Progress) – A TV screenwriter/producer with credits like Buffy (she worked with Joss, how cool is that?), Battlestar Galactica, Tru Calling, and Eureka. She answers reader questions often, and offers a lot of great advice for aspiring TV writers.

Literary Agents

Pub Rants – One of the better blogging agents (the best, Miss Snark, is gone; more on that in a sec.) She answers publishing, querying, and writing questions, and offers insider advice on the publishing industry.

Miss Snark, the literary agent – Though she retired, her informative, witty, blunt, and, well… snarky blog remains available. This is a must read for any aspiring writer.

Editors

Evil Editor, why you don’t get published – A humorous look at the slush pile. With staples like New Beginning, which allows blog readers (minions) to finish someone’s opening page, and Face Lift, an amusing critique of submitted queries, this blog illustrates why most writing is unpublishable. But you definitely learn a lot as you laugh, and cry.

Flogging the quill – Home of the Flogometer. Ray Rhamey takes a more serious look at how hard it is to get published. He evaluates the first page of your novel, and explains in great detail why he would or wouldn’t turn the page. His editing comments are well worth the exercise.

Just Plain Funny

101 Reasons to Stop Writing – You might as well give up right now; it’s just not worth it. That’s the message of this site. This blog is a humorous look at how bad most writing is, and why you wouldn’t even want to be a writer in the first place. Not everyone finds it funny, as you will see in the comments, but the posts are often hilarious–and sometimes informative. And don’t forget to check out the worst cliche’ poll.

I checked Final Draft’s Web site this week and they had posted the semi-finalists for the Big Break screenwriting competition. I wasn’t on the list.

I quickly went through the stages of grief. Denial – I checked the list three times to make sure my name wasn’t on it; Anger - Don’t they know a great script when they see one?; Depression - I suck and will never write again (that only lasted a nanosecond :lol:); and Acceptance - What’s my next idea?

I’m not too disappointed, really. First, the script was an update to my first, which was written in 2003. I figured it would be awesome if it placed, but since a screenwriter doesn’t hit his or her stride until about the 5th script (so I’ve heard), placing would just be gravy — albeit good gravy, and maybe a little bread :D.

Second, judging is extremely subjective, and not everyone likes supernatural thrillers. That’s why I’ve already entered a second contest, Red Inkworks, which offers feedback to every contestant (it doesn’t hurt to get more feedback). And I’m considering the Gotham Screen competition, which caters to lower budget ($2-12 million) films. With the results of three contests, I’ll have a better feel for where this script fits in the screenwriting world. Maybe nowhere. But that’s okay; I’ve learned a lot since writing that script, and have many, many more ideas.

A lot, actually.

First, and foremost, I became a daddy. ZOMG I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT! She’s so tiny and sweet and cute and…okay, I could go on for hours. Suffice it to say my wife and I couldn’t be happier.

And did I mention she’s cute?

Anyway, when I’m not feeding her or changing her or just holding her for the hell of it, I’ve managed to find some time to work on several tasks, some for Timewarp, some just for me.

I submitted a full-length script to Final Draft’s Big Break Competition. The deadline was June 15th and I just squeaked in at the last minute. Many thanks to those who proofread and offered feedback; I missed a few embarrassing typos.

I’ve heard mixed things about screenwriting contests in general, but I wanted to give it a shot so I could see how my writing compares to other potential screenwriters–at least in the eyes of the Big Break judges. If I place, I’ll be ecstatic, not to mention the nice prizes they offer. And if some A-list prod. co. is interested in the script, awesome! Final Draft, in case you’re wondering, is one of the premiere screenwriting packages on the market. It’s used by many industry professionals, and is my software of choice. “Just add words,” is so true.

I’ve also been working on the Dead Hunt DVD set due to be released this summer (We’re hoping to have copies for sale at Horrorfind in August). This is the most ambitious DVD project I’ve worked on. The 2-disk set will have 2 audio tracks for the feature (including commentary), a stills gallery, alternate endings, bloopers, making of, and even an Easter egg. I have a few more tweaks, then it’s off to the presses. For those interested, I’m again using DVD Lab Studio for the authoring.

Finally, I’ve started research for a new feature I’m writing for Timewarp (while I am a wannabe Hollywood screenwriter, I do write for our low-budget film company.) I’m looking into the world of Military Special Forces, so to say the film will be action-oriented is an understatement. But don’t worry, it will have plenty of suspense and horror as well.

And for those eagerly awaiting news about Crawler, fret not, for my team and I will be picking up the pace once the Dead Hunt DVD is completed.

My wife noticed that at the bottom of the Fantasy Novelist’s Exam is a link to a filmmaker’s exam. It’s even funnier for us filmmakers.

http://rinkworks.com/filmmaker/

This hilarious post imagines a rejection letter to someone sending a spec script to the producers of 24. If you know the show, you will laugh.

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2007/01/writing-spec-24.html

Screenwriter John August, whose blog I surf to often (I actually set up an rss recently), posted some great advice for aspiring screenwriters: How to write a scene. Among the pearls of wisdom are questions to ask ourselves while coming up with the who, what, and why of the scene. Many of his suggestions become “almost unconscious” with practice, but it’s nice to see them written out when you’re still struggling with what comes after the slug line.

If you’re looking for screenwriting software and can’t afford the $150 or more price tag of the top brands, give Page 2 Stage a try. It’s free!

While I can’t speak too much to how well it works, I did tinker with it a bit. I was able to flawlessly import a 120 page script that I exported from Final Draft (as RTF), and then easily edit random spots. P2S has many of the most popular features, such as multiple views (outline, index card, etc.), auto complete for character names, smart tab for paragraph style, and pagination (my favorite :D). It won’t make you an award-winning screenwriter, but it will take some of the banality out of creating your masterpiece.

And if you’re looking for a complete production suite including development and planning tools, you can try another free screenwriting package called Celtx.

Hell, try ‘em both.