Craig Mazin, a working screenwriter, had some interesting comments about paying for a screenwriting consultant, or buying a book written by one of the so-called screenwriting gurus. He makes some good points, and I think his heart is in the right place. But not every reader agrees. There’s a heated discussion in the comments section. Whether you agree with him or with one of the readers, that post is well worth checking out.

Personally, I’ve read quite a few screenwriting books, and I believe there is some value in them, but you can’t expect to read books and become a career screenwriter. And Mazin is definitely right when he says,

“You’re far better off reading screenplays (lots of places on the internet to do that) and watching movies.”

But I do like to read books, and as Terry Rossio put it in comment #22, 

“You might have overlooked one of the main reason why many people buy screenwriting books, from authors who don’t actually write screenplays.

Procrastination.”

Read the post here.

screenwriting

Related articles

• Those who can’t write, teach seminars (johnaugust.com)
• Reader Question: What is the best way to learn screenwriting? (gointothestory.com)
• Tips for Revising Action in Your Screenplay (brighthub.com)

Two out of three ain’t bad.

I was elated when I heard I placed in Red Inkworks. It takes a lot of work to write a feature-length screenplay, and I can’t think of a better way to gage one’s writing ability than becoming a finalist in a contest (other than an option deal, I guess). Plus, the feedback they offered was excellent.

And today Screenplay Festival announced their semi-finalists, and there I was in the Horror/Thriller category. Boy, that felt good. Of course there are about fifty screenplays in each genre, so the competition is pretty stiff, but I’m hopeful.

My plan is to enter one more contest with this script before possibly starting to query production companies and/or agents. Placing in two out of three contests has given me some confidence, and I feel the changes I’ve been making to the script have greatly improved it. So it seems the time is approaching (after the strike, of course) when I need to get out there and build some interest. I do, however, plan to research the dos and don’ts of querying before navigating those treacherous waters.

By the way, the final contest I plan to enter is the Bluecat Screenplay Competition. Its early deadline is Jan 1, and I should be finished tweaking by then. Bluecat is not only high profile, it offers coverage to all entrants, and a hefty cash prize.

Three out of four would be awesome!

Sean Lindsay over at 101 Reasons to Stop Writing has this to say about the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Hint: remember the Infinite Monkey Theory?

Thank God he didn’t get into NaBloPoMo.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I entered a few contests to see how my first feature-length screenplay would fare against other aspiring screenwriters. Well, I’m happy to say that I was selected as a top-50 finalist (27th to be exact) in the Red Inkworks competition, the second contest I entered. Woohoo!

As a result, my script’s title and logline¹ will be posted on their Web site, and will also be e-mailed to various industry professionals, who may be interested in reading the script.

So, does this mean agents, managers, and producers will be beating down my door? That would be cool, but I have no illusions. I mean, I hope someone sees the listing and finds my story intriguing enough to contact me. But I doubt it’ll be that easy. This is merely the first step in a long process. Albeit, an important step for my confidence.

One reason I entered this contest in particular, besides the fact that it’s well reviewed on MovieBytes, is the feedback they provide. I found it very insightful, and was happy the suggestions were for minor changes only.

Folks, the notes alone were worth the entry fee. I highly recommend this contest for any new screenwriter who wants an objective opinion on his or her script–with the added benefit of possibly being exposed to “the industry”.

¹A logline is a brief description of a script, usually 1-3 sentences, that is often used as a calling card. Loglines are harder to write then they may seem, but can be invaluable in conveying the gist of the story.

Here are a few blogs I failed to mention in my previous post, Great Blogs for Writers.

Scriptwriting - Oscar-nominated Roger S. H. Schulman shares knowledge from his experiences writing for TV and film.

The Artful Writer – Craig Mazin, who wrote Scary Movie 3, talks about screenwriting, with a focus on the WGA.

Seriocity - TeeVee writer Kay Reindl (Haunted, Millennium, The Dead Zone) shares witticisms on genre writing for the boob tube. Block some time for these posts; they tend to be long.

The Rejecter – A literary agent’s advice to aspiring writers who want to get published. The bad news is about 95% of you won’t.

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 found this little gem in one of Miss Snark’s posts. I followed the link and found a hilarious, yet true, take on fantasy fiction.

Enjoy.

http://rinkworks.com/fnovel/

P.S. A novel I tried to read recently couldn’t get past question 1.