Authoring & Playwriting

Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences. I will be opened minded with next steps. I have learnt so much from this single post. Will keep you all posted.

I highly recommend Micky Levy's Stage 32 webinar on adapting books into screenplays - its great - here's a link so you can check it out: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/The-Adaptation-Journey-Adapting-an-exis...

Thank you Sam

Hi Sam Carbon! Definitley recommend looking into Adaptation Reviews!!>>>https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/coverage/buy?id=66

One of the best moves you can make is to go back through your manuscript and decide on what you're dead set on keeping vs. what you're willing to leave out. This is mentally and emotionally taxing when it's your own work you're adapting! Translating a manuscript into a script is "show don't tell" on steroids, so you want to hone in on visual cues.

I would also recommend outlining the script based on the character arc, not on the chapters structure of the book. You'll often find the character arc moves at a different pace, so making it central makes more sense for a script. This will also allow you to see which parts you can combine or skip altogether because the character arc remains intact.

A query letter depends on the venue you're sending the query to. Here's my successful query I did for an on-line publication: Dear Editor: Given the overturning of Roe v Wade, your audience might want to read a 700 word, Christian's Biblical defense of exceptions for rape, incest, and health of the mother in anti-abortion laws. I had a year's contract with the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper as a monthly columnist (2005), was the editor/writer for the Brawley Tribune newspaper (1993), and was a regular contributor to the Imperial Valley Press Reader's Write Column (1994). Writing sample attached. Regards ... Editors take little time to wade through a bunch of blah-blah. As for a novel, make sure your material is something the agent/publication handles. Editors are notorious narcissists, so mention you did research on them, and share their interest in circus animals (or a pet cause, how you share their politics, etc.) but the most important thing you can tell them is about your "platform" and how you can and will help with marketing, and the famous people you know who have read the novel and called you the second Jane Austen. Include your "intersectionalities" and areas of expertise. It's outrageous, but publishing is political. Don't believe otherwise. My tip: Be prepared, be brief, and deliver.

Bill Albert I do not have Query Tracker. I will check it out.

Emily J I just sent you an email.

Best wishes with this!

Terrence Sellers I highly recommend the podcast "The Shit No One Tells You About Writing" because every episode, they read real query letters and critique them...tell you what works, what doesn't work...specific to novels, which is substantially different than querying a script. Best of luck and keep us all updated to cheer you on!

What a great lab to share, thanks Sam!

Anna is awesome! Can't wait for this!

Sure to be of a deep delve!

Anna is amazing. If you like her AMA imagine working with her directly on your own rewrite!

Now you can. Anna is hosting a Stage 32 screenwriting lab where you will rewrite your TV pilot script under her mentorship. Here's a link so you can check out Anna's lab and grab one of the last spots: https://www.stage32.com/classes/Rewrite-Your-TV-Series-Pilot-Script-In-8...

Thanks Sam Sokolow! Sounds like an awesome lab!

"The funny thing is now I feel lazy. I was doing too much for so long that now it feels normal. So not overworking myself now feels weird, like I'm doing something wrong."- I completely understand this, Terrence Sellers! I tend to run a million miles an hour until I exhaust myself, but whenever I try to slow down I deal with this exact same problem. I'm also trying to be better about this moving forward, but it's not easy.

I think that after so much work you need to rest Terrence Sellers . Your brain will be happy and your whole life too. It's normal to feel lazy, I know what you mean (I'm hyper productive, I don't know what is to rest) The process of submission is rather stressing. I will soon have a novel published (I worked a long time on it), but the submission process and waiting for a reply was even worst. I found great advices for the query process in Jane Friedman's site, if you want to take a look. Good luck.

As someone who's spent the past ten years making movies (based on books, mostly) while also writing book after book after book (25+ books later...), I think it's important to rest briefly in between projects - enough to wipe the mental slate clean from one project before starting another. Otherwise, my mind veers into worry and doubt. Even in times of important rest, it's important to keep 500 words daily in practice (a piece of advice an NYT bestselling author told me years ago) even if you delete them later. Just enough to remind yourself the next wave is coming and you must be ready to catch a fish (or many!).

Doing too much, feeling guilty about resting and I can add, waking up to write a new idea at ghostly hours, is probably a 'writer's ailment'. I want to rest but I always pull my laptop feeling guilty for wasted time. I have become a creature of habit when it comes to writing.

Andrea Zurlo Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out. Currently, I'm preparing to query a novel for the first time and am looking for examples of good novel query cover letters.

A+ info! (And) Much needed on a hot button topic (subject) of today; where folks referencerust out.

Agreed, Kenneth Adrian Ellis - such an important topic and an excellent and useful read here.

Absolutely, Kenneth Adrian Ellis! We have to take care of ourselves and sometimes it's easier to do that when others remind us how.

Ashley Renee Smith; agreed!

Rooting for everyone to reach their goals in 2024! You got this!

I'm hoping to read more this year! I want to read at least 12 books by the end of the year.

Ashley Renee Smith I hope to read more this year too. I've spent the last few years writing a lot, but didn't have much time for reading. I literally just finished The Dark Tower Book 1 for the first time and hope to complete the series this year.

I need to get back to reading plays and finding scenes and monologues. Also, I want to write that Stage 32 blog that Ashley Renee Smith asked me about months ago. lol

Hahaha, you just let me know when you're ready, Suzanne Bronson!

David E. Gates glad you're thinking about getting other eyes on it! If you plan on using beta readers after your revisions, a couple tips to consider: 1) Seek out beta readers who prefer the genre of the book, not just any ol' reader. 2) Define what kind of feedback you're looking for. Pacing? Characters? Dialogue? Grammar? A lot of authors get frustrated when all their feedback is about dumb typos and nothing about whether the reader actually enjoyed the story! 3) Filter the feedback. Just because someone gives you a note doesn't mean you have to take it. Sometimes authors try to make everyone happy and incorporate all the notes they get back, which takes the book off the rails. Take the feedback that best aligns with your vision for the book. Best of luck!!!

Agreed - a break is healthy and usually nets great results for the project and you, as an artist. Thanks for the share, David E. Gates!

Happy New Year to all, I'm especially happy because my most recent book, "Mafia, Money, and Mahem," which I have always thought would make a great movie, now has six 5-star ***** reviews on Amazon. I'm trying to figure out how to get a screenplay made.

Congratulations, Lois! And good luck with the next steps to seeing it on screens.

Dear Pamela, Thank you for your very kind words. It seems that mature women really enjoy this book and the many laughs it gives them, which is why I have such a strong feeling it would make a great movie.

Happy New Year, Steven Gamella! Hope you have an incredible year and get your projects in the right hands!

Happy New Year, Steven Gamella!

Happy '24!

Happy New Year, Steven!

That many books -- impressive and inspiring, Steve. Thanks for the nudge to many of the rest of us.