Authoring & Playwriting

Bill McCormick I tried to open your pdf, but it wouldn't load. I was using MS Edge - it may be a browser issue. I did enjoy checking out your webpage - congrats on your many accomplishments! I wound up on your Goodreads page and read about your Kirkus review and just had to pause and celebrate with you. I just received my Kirkus Review for Alien Neighbors and it's wonderful - with a recommendation to "Get It"! I always have to explain to people that Kirkus is one of the most reputable names in the book reviewing sector, so it's super cool to share with you since you already understand the significance (and how hard it is to get a positive Kirkus review!!). From my Kirkus review: "The rare SF yarn that emphasizes the positive." https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nancy-golden/alien-neighbors/

Yeah, Nancy Golden, Edge isn't really the best thing going. Try Chrome or Firefox. I'm glad you enjoyed the site and congrats on your Kirkus review as well. This was my second and it still gives me the warm fuzzies.

Nancy Golden Yes, you're right that the Authors Guild has been heavily involved in challenging AI companies' use of authors' copyrighted works to "train" their generators.

I've worked in tech, specifically hardware marketing and sales, for nearly a decade. I am disgusted by how flagrantly my industry is willing to cast the creatives they've leveraged over the years for AI tools to save a buck, but I am in no way surprised. Because I can tell you that they've always felt that the human component of the industry was a burden to work towards removing rather than a feature that adds character. And this is especially true for how they feel about the creative/marketing teams. Marketing doesn't generate a direct measurable ROI, so it's always the first thing people complain about when looking at profit and loss numbers. I once worked for a company where the engineering and sales teams literally called for dismantlement of the company's entire marketing team of about 40 people, believing that marketing was required to generate profits. I have been blessed to not lose my employment to AI, but I can absolutely say that AI has encroached on my work responsibilities over the last couple years, leading me to worry considerably about my future job prospects.

Amen Terrence Sellers - follow the breadcrumbs. AI has been created and released into the world by the elite for two reasons: money & power. We'll see how it all ends up.

John Roane So your class is more about how to write better or is it more in terms of spelling and grammar? If it's on writing, you could talk about stories, ask what they think of the main characters, how they would do it differently, and how changing the genre would affect the story. and you're right on the whole high school is a mess, the memories of my high school years still hunt me to this day. had some really bad English teachers.

Hmmmm. Gregory, I think I'm voting for John Roane as a teacher of writing, not a grammarian who would flip out if I don't use the serial comma correctly to his taste.

John, I love the way you express, in long form, your feelings, frustrations, and uncertainties, with a few blatant insults thrown in for color. It's really wonderful, hahaha. Just bloody keep writing.

Susan: Thanks for the comment. I have a publisher, but that's about it. I went to a local writing event and the publisher had a local rep there. She overheard me telling a friend about my novel. She called me over and asked me to send her twenty pages. I did and two weeks later I had a contract. All the provisions were generous but no marketing. The publisher is a small romance novel publisher out of New York. They edit for me, really well, and do the art work. The staff love my work, but that doesn't sell books. Unfortunately, romance novels sort of sell themselves. She's asked me to try to write one, but I can't think in that mode. My narrative keeps sliding off into forensics and graphic descriptions of murder. She told me to write a hundred thousand page novel, then go back and edit out all the gruesome stuff. That should leave about sixty to seventy thousand words, which is about right for a medical thriller. So I think I'll roll out the IBM and go analog.

Lynelle: I do teach a novel writing course at the community college under the banner of the adult continuing education department. Last semester, I had five students. I hope to do more than that this fall. I'm trying to build this thing up and will have to see what happens. I fly by the seat of my pants on this, developing my lectures as I go.

Gregory: My course is the form and structure of the thriller: how and where to begin. It's a "prime the pump" approach. I had really great English teachers in high school. As for my English class, I may change genres this fall, but I cannot get to complicated. I asked them: what do you think of these characters?, do you like them? (this really scored with them), what is going on in the narrative?, what do you think is happening?, and so on. In class, I ask them to explain their conclusions. I used a move in my class, the first one, Blade Runner, the final cut. I thought I had a great idea. It bombed. Half of them didn't watch the movie and tried to wing it by reading comments on the internet. Some watched the wrong movie. The head of the English department told me not to use movies. I'll keep trying to make a connection. I had one thing that really got their attention. I write to several inmates in the Texas Department of Corrections. I'm down to one, because two have been paroled and are doing well. I asked the last guy to send me an email of his day to day life and asked his permission to read it to the class. I had one of my students read it. Absolute silence, like deer in the headlights. We did this at the end of the class. They walked out speechless.

Lynelle Paulick I wasn't sure so I had to ask. Now John Roane I will say that I'm not a romance fan because most of them now are sex fantasy stories, I'm a sci-fi fantasy action adventure fan with a mix of mystery and thriller. I read mostly the classics and the only thriller books I read were one by Clive Cussler and a Tom Clancy book. I've been thinking about taking some fiction writing classes but am short on cash. if you want, you can use some of my stories here for your class and let me know what they think. but I think we need to stick to the topic of AI in writing.

Hi, Georgette Skolnick. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know that I moved your post from the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge to the Your Stage Lounge since your post is about books. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks, Maurice.

You're welcome, Georgette Skolnick.

I think there can be a benefit in starting with a blank slate and letting your characters and story develop to a point. But eventually, you should step back and determine who your characters are and where they are going. In the end, every story is about your protagonist. It's their story. The plot needs to be driven by their motivations, strengths and weaknesses. If plot becomes more important than the characters, you'll lose your readers. People read to experience human challenges, failures, and successes.

I wrote this very short blog post a few years ago, to encourage my fellow writers. Know that writing is a process, and that when you first start writing you will be going through many iterations of editing. My first science fiction novel - 400 pages - went through 5 drafts. As you go through each draft you revise to improve (plot, characters, etc.) and edit to make your manuscript tight. The good news is, as you gain experience, the number of drafts go down. For my last effort I had 3 drafts, and my current effort will need 2. But it should be fun! We are actually revisioners - check out my blog post to see why :) https://nancygoldenbooks.com/2019/06/21/revisioners/

@Gregory -Could you share the Pinterest? Love to see it.

Michael David just go to pinterest.com and make an account and in the search bar type what your are looking for.

Good advice from so many fellow writers. Good luck, Eric. And may you always enjoy the process of writing.

Matt Watters, absolutely! There are a lot of programs out there that can help you organize all of this electronically. However, I'm someone that likes to do a bit of both. I ALWAYS have a physical notebook on my person, in my purse, on my desk, on my nightstand, etc. I tend to remember things better when I physically write them down. I've also found that when I'm brainstorming or outlining, I like to start on paper as a rough idea and then type it up later, giving me the opportunity to refine and edit a bit at that point.

Ashley Renee Smith I also used to have a small notebook and pen in my pocket, then I got an iPhone in 2008 and since then I've used the Notes app because I always have my phone with me. I write or dictate notes, email them to myself if need be, and then copy and paste them into a word doc. Saves me a lot of time. I tend to dictate much of my work because I'm slow on the keyboard. Nuance's Dragon Professional is another great piece of kit for writers.

Ashley Renee Smith First of all - congratulations on writing a fantasy novel! It is no easy task! I am almost done with book two of my fantasy trilogy and it has been quite a journey. In the writing world - we usually have plotters (those who outline) and pansters (those who sit down and write what pours out of them, without prior structure). For me, I am a panster. My motivation for getting in front of the keyboard is that I can't wait to find out what happens next :) Of course, my books go through at least 2-3 revisions, but I find that method works for me. Having studied my craft for years, I am delighted that a 3-Act structure with proper beats usually naturally unfolds. I think about my current scene and let it roll around in my head the possibilities for the next one, and it just pours out when I start typing :) The great thing about being a writer is that we can find out what works for us personally. That said, I am currently considering adapting my science fiction novel to a screen play - but I could not imagine attempting a screen play without an outline. I think it depends on the artist and the medium as to what works best :)

I agree that it's medium and sometimes even story-dependent, Nancy Golden! I've always been more of a pantser in the past. This is actually the first time that I've attempted this detailed and complete of an outline. Being that the world is so complex, I wanted to challenge myself to really think it through before starting so that I don't hit a wall later. it's new for me, but it's been rewarding in a different way so far.

How exciting! Have fun with the world building! My son also writes fantasy, and he outlines everything, too. I must agree it can get confusing to keep all of the different elements, factions, subplots, etc. in one's head straight. I can't walk away from my book too long or I have to start rereading it to remember where I am and what I have done, so there are definitely advantages to an outline. Best wishes on your current endeavor!

I remember you using Evernote, Geoff Hall. I’ll have to take a look at Zoho but the more I think about it, the more I want to use physical notebooks. I think it would be neat for grandkids to see after I’m gone. But I plan on living for another hundred years. Lots to do.

Thank you for sharing, Geoff Hall. I LOVE Neil!

Ashley Renee Smith have you watched The Sandman series on TV, Ashley? I’ve loved it and hope for a new series soon.

Leonardo Ramirez I use Zoho Notebook mostly when I’m researching a story and use the webclipper. It’s a great tool for pulling together resources, ideas and concepts.

Geoff Hall, of course! I devoured it as soon as it was released. I also HIGHLY recommend The Sandman audiobook, both part 1 and 2. It's fantastic! Neil does the narration, but the characters are voiced by an A-list cast. And the Netflix Sandman spinoff series, Dead Boy Detectives is also a ton of fun.

Great points, Nancy Golden! And hilarious video! We can give notes/suggestions, but it's up to the people receiving the notes/suggestions to apply them or not.

I love the whole "don't use adverbs" bit, Nancy Golden ! I've heard that critique before, it's like saying take all the salt out of your recipe, when having just the right amount of salt makes the dish taste good.

Yes, what Tom & Mark says is good advice, Melanie. I would also add that getting an IMDBpro subscription will let you look at production companies with their contact info behind films in your target demographic. Back in the day you had to pause the VHS tape to see the credits and look at the Hollywood Creative Directory at Samuel French for contact info. I love technology!

Tom Lapke, and William Joseph Hill I am working through locating the producers of some features in my genre that are well-done and locating them on my IMDBpro account. Mark Deuce, I am now in the Writer's Room. Thank you for the suggestion! admit, the numerous platforms, dozen producers per movie, etc. to find the right ones is daunting. But I'm determined!

I would love to take a look at your script, Melanie Lang

I took a faith-based/inspirational screenwriting lab through S32, taught by Nathan Scoggins. He's fantastic and might offer other services here. Also Brad Wilson periodically takes faith-based pitches on S32. Definitely contact Martha Caprarotta or attend one of her noon (pst) writing sprints via Zoom. She has experience in what you're writing and may have suggestions. The links/invites are always posted on the days we meet, Writers Cafe, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Fantastic news, Melanie Lang - looks like you are taking all the right steps. Best of luck!