Authoring & Playwriting

I was in NYC in October and unfortunately couldn't get tickets to Oh! Mary - I wish I could have! I wish I was a bit closer so I could go and see more off-Broadway shows too, though I did absolutely love the "Twenty Sided Tavern" D&D improv show :)

Thank you! Now if only we had a list of film festivals/ competitions and awards on FilmFreeway to avoid at all costs - that would be awesome! :-)

It is nice of you to share this list with us, their actions, and to warn us. You are a Christmas angel.

Kobo.com and draft2digital.com are good too for self-publishing

Very good resource, thank you :) I’m still crazy enough to want to get trad published though lol

Thank you for this list. The writing environment is full of pitfalls. I appreciate the warning.

Probably best if you tackle this ... head over to Amazon and search for political satire books, and find out whom published them. Great starting point. There's also a book of publishers that lists all of them and what they publish. See if there's a copy in a library, or if the library can get one on loan. Beats forking out the cash. Break a leg, Mark!

Thanks for sharing, Ashley Renee Smith ! While I think a lot of these tips apply mainly to non-fiction work, I can see them useful for fiction writers too. I always approach writing a book as first writing something that I would want to read, but I do try to make sure that it's communicated well to my readers.

This article has some great tips for non-fiction authors, which can be a much different experience if you're a fiction author.

Also, I'd strongly caution you to be careful about self-publishing through a company. Most are a bad risk.

First do your due diligence. Most of the time, you'll be giving up a percentage of your royalties for crappy editing, a badly designed book cover, and little to no marketing and promotion. And you might have paid a hefty fee to work with them. Depending on the contract, you might be stuck working with that company.

Debra Holland agree with practicing caution. One dirty secret of publishing is that if the press is on the cheaper side (less than $25K to publish with them), you'll likely be disappointed. The only legit hybrid publishers I know charge $25K+ and typically have a vetting process. Also, they typically only do nonfiction titles. The small presses targeting fiction authors with $2K-$5K editing/marketing packages are predatory at worst, naively inept at best.

Jonathan Jordan Gosh, I've always been intimidated by people with writing routines. Either I'm writing all day on deadlines when I was working in media, or write last minute to meet a deadline because procrastination is my jam. With books, I can chip away periodically, and then when it gets to a certain point, dive right in and finish it in two weeks. So yeah, my writing routine is dysfunctional at best. lol. And yet, I eventually get stuff done. Or not.

I am the person who still needs to cut and paste pieces of paper on the floor to organize thoughts, chapters. I just can't do it via computer. I have to see it physically in front of me, like a story board except it takes up way more space. Because most of my books are non-fiction, I figure out the topic list, then group them into chapters. My printed off research is cut and paste under neat the topic heads (usually on a blank 8.5 x 11 paper), then once organized, I write in the computer in order. Yes, I had the interviews and other research ready to insert. And then sculpt from there.

Screenwriting is completely foreign to me so I plan to just going to chip away at storylines and practice A LOT. One thing for sure. There is no such thing as retirement for a writer.

Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to do this.

I'm in the beginning stages of writer a screenplay drama/suspense if anyone interested in joining me. I work full-time and write in the evenings mostly. The last time I collaborated it worked so well, we split the assignments up in half and bounced our scenes with one another. His goal was to produce the movie in NC which he did, Marked for Trade on Amazon Prime.

I have no writing routine. Sometimes, I don't write for weeks. I still have managed 34 books and 3 pilots and 1 feature. Now, it's easier if I work at least a bit on a certain story every day, even if it's not actual writing.

I had moved from all screenplays to ghost writing books for clients. It's a matter of $. They LOVE what I produce, so much so that 2 of them have started with me on book two of a series. And people that read what is produced love the writing. And yet, on here, the screenplay readers of my writing say things that are totally contradictory...like 'too many words...non-dialogue lines should be three lines long, no more...more white on the page...too descriptive...more descriptions in fewer words...more dialogue, less action lines...who is the protagonist...I love that your have an ensemble of protagonists...arggh. And yet I have sold screenplays in the past...I read submitted scripts sent to me by people on here that are supposedly 'technically perfect' but boring; they criticize my technique, and never discuss the CONTENT...one suggested a secondary character should be the main one, one said the word'started' has only one meaning, and sent comments in illiterate English...and on, and on...seems to me that the look of things is more important than the content to most readers.

Mozart, when told that he had 'too many notes' by Joseph2 of Austria, asked the Emperor which ones should be removed... crickets...then...'' just take out a few, then it will be perfect".

Now I write on demand when provided notes by the book clients, by phone conversations, or emails. I'd LOVE to get more screenwriting jobs, but most on here or elsewhere want a collaboration and offer no pay. Tnen I do almost all of the work and no results.

And I am very fast- a full feature in 2 weeks. This is a weird business.

On a writing routine-write like a demon when you get notes or are hired to do a job-the pressure of creation leads to an acceleration of intensity from rapidly firing synapses-you access the 'muse' who whispers in your ear-it's a religious experience-you contact the divine when the words flow like water, and you can't type fast enough, and you start hitting wrong keys like a madman...and that's GOOD!

I like to go visit possible locations for a script, and ask myself what the characters would do in that space. Then they start talking, and you just take dictation. So easy.

Thanks again for having this AMA, Jonathan Jordan! Happy Holidays!

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.

Great question, Ashley Renee Smith ! I always enjoyed reading books. "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" was a childhood favorite - I saw the "Willy Wonka" movie on TV as a kid and then read the book in 4th grade. That taught me a lot about how movies and the source book differ. Then it was the movie novelizations that got me really interested in writing my own films & books. I'm excited that I actually get to do it now!

Thats a great one, William Joseph Hill! I also watched the original movie before reading the book and I was surprised by how different they were when I was a kid. I enjoyed both, but the movie is one that I can watch literally any time.

I don't know if it was any one book, but the Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series were the first books I remember reading that A) I loved and had girls who loved books and story as much as I did in them and B) girls who wanted to be writers. I don't think I knew that could be a possibility, until I read them, and I think something clicked. After that, it was a LOT of fantasy novels!

"Portrait of Dorian Gray". & "King Solomon's Mines".

Samuel, if you have the sales data or anything close to it about how the stories did sales wise, then reach out to publishers. If they did sell, even in other compilations, then a publisher may been interested in picking them, you, up. After a good hunt, and if no publisher takes you on, self publish.

Lindbergh E Hollingsworth good thought about using data to persuade publishers. Lark Anderson yeah, to be honest this is more about legacy than profit but I still want a high quality product - something that would be worth buying, regardless of how many people actually do.

Since you have the rights back, republishing via self-publishing a collection makes the most sense. Selling to a traditional publisher will be trickier given that they typically avoid material that was published before unless you have some proof of why it will sell NOW (recent demand, marketing plan, etc.) You could also go with a small press to republish as there are plenty out there. But the big question you need to ask yourself first is what is your long-term goal with re-publishing these. That goal should determine whether you pursue trad, hybrid, or self.

Jonathan Jordan good point on the "why now" component of re-publishing

I agree Jonathan Jordan

If you missed it live, you can watch the full video here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDh7FPsyad9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&...

If you ever need to switch focus to a new article, Mary Helen Norris, I’m here to help you out. Lol! Happy to help you work through that writer’s block. =)

Hey Banafsheh Esmailzadeh, it's been a huge help for me to recognize that "Writer's Block" can be broken down two issues: (1) Page Fright: anxiety over what to put on the page, uncertainty, imposter syndrome, or (2) Idea Constipation: an absence of ideas. Once you know which one of those you're facing, you can start to take real action. If you're in the US or UK and use Audible, I wrote a book with 5 strategies for overcoming Writer's Block and I'd be happy to share a code with you to download it for free. Just send me a message. (That goes for anyone on here, btw.)

Page Fright - I like that term. And imposter syndrome is huge.

For me, stepping away and not thinking about writing helps to clear my mind. A lot of my best ideas come when I'm exercising. It's like a Zen meditation.

I've never had writer's block. Listen to the characters talking and just write what they say and do. Divorce yourself from interfering with their authentic voices. Hope that helps.

Hi, Caroline Dowdall. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Acting Lounge to the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge since your post is about book adaptations. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hey Caroline.

For the most part, studios think a movie based on your novel will equate to ticket sales if you have good circulation numbers and depending on the genre of the book. Action stories, while more costly, are better sellers than dramas, but there is a market for well produced dramas in the market. Ultimately, it comes down to the cost of the film and the strength of the story. In a theatrical release sense, it's all about getting asses in seats which is very difficult these days. Streaming, it's all about minutes watching the finished product. I'm still not sure how it all relates to revenue, but it has to be substantial for some of the deals to exist these days. The budget deal for the Road House remake was very strange for a film that was horribly lacking in anything remarkable.

However, be wary of the contract if there is one. There is a lot of legal jargon that equates to you getting nothing. Every contract offered to anyone has 2 major functions: 1) is to rip you off as much as possible and 2) TO COMPLETELY OWN THE WORK YOU CREATED BECAUSE IN THEIR MINDS, THEY ARE MORE CREATIVE THAN YOU COULD EVER BE.

Tread lightly or you'll fall into a trap where you may never escape from.

You're right to be superdy duper cautious here Caroline Dowdall. Lots of scammers out there these days trying this crap, preying on writers' hopes and dreams and then duping them into paying some kind of "producing" fee, only to never be heard from again. As is often the case, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I wouldn't stress about it too much and pour that energy into your next books!

Hi Caroline Dowdall ! Developing a book into a film is a very lengthy process that takes years to pull off. I would be suspicious of any unsolicited company offering to turn your book into a film. Just the scriptwriting process itself is extensive. Everyone else's advice here is very valuable, they're all listing good points especially in regards to retaining your rights as the creator.