John Ceperich: Author, camera operator and editor in Indianapolis, Indiana.

You're welcome, Nancy Wilkinson. That's generous of you. Stage 32 published blogs about networking/meeting and collaborating with creatives and professionals (www.stage32.com/blog/tags/networking-41).

My friend Jared was a famous linebacker on Nebraska's football team back in the day. Volleyball sounds very demanding. A spike I guess, rewarding as all Getty up!

Spikes, Pancakes, digs, blocks, Overloads, shoot sets, etc. etc.

That's awesome! Congratulations!

Congratulations Sandi. That’s awesome!

I know it is 7 months old but this is amazing to see!!! It made my day better, I wish you all the best Sandi!

Happy Introduce Yourself Weekend, Michael A. Clement!

Maurice Vaughan : Yes, I take a break on a rewrite. When I've finished a draft, I'll put it aside for a week or two. Another thing that helps is having MS Word read the story to me (under Review, Read Aloud).

Congratulations on finishing the draft, Michael A. Clement! I take a break after finishing a draft too, but sometimes I jump right into the rewrites. I use Read Aloud in MS Word. It helps me catch typos.

With so many options for screenwriting software out there, formatting issues shouldn't even be a problem. It's not possible to throw out all formatting principles except for 1 page = 1 minute because it's the format of that page that makes it that way.

Yes, scripts that get sold are going to be rewritten for many different reasons. Maybe they want to change the location the story takes place in, maybe they feel like there's a character they want to add or take out. And it's not just studios, a director can just as easily decide that they want to make changes to fit the vision they have for the film as well.

I think it's vital that writers focus on the story they want to tell because it's all about getting the reader to see it in their mind and get excited about it as well. The story is what we are really selling. But if there is no formatting to it then you're really just offering them a book and yes, books get optioned for their rights all the time but then they have to hire a screenwriter to convert it to an actual script.

There's also the issue that the chances of actually selling a spec script are very minimal, especially to the major studies which it sounds like you are tilting at, they are mostly used to showcase the writer's ability and voice. Productions companies buy up rights to IP, come up with ideas and story concepts that they believe will make them money and then they go shopping for a screenwriter that they believe best fits that project.

From what I’ve heard (though I could be wrong), judges in screenwriting competitions are pretty strict since they’re picking a winner. But if you send your script to a manager, they’re more likely to look at its potential and not sweat the small stuff.

Smart industry members are just looking for good material. When it comes to things like formatting, the amateur world and professional world are pretty much at odds. Sadly, that can of worms was opened long ago and we're down the rabbit hole now.

The answer to any situation is that the story is presented in the way that's most easily consumed for that specific industry member at that specific time, in context to their relationship with the writer. In an elevator, that's probably a logline. In an email, that's probably a synopsis. Over lunch, that's probaby a pitch. During a flight, it's probably a script.

Savvy screenwriters have multiple ways to communicate what they are offering and know how to best leverage someone's time.

When I was on set in Sept, someone came up to me and said "Hey, Jane Doe says she wants to do a modern day western", and I quickly rattled off a title and concept I have been noodling with for some time now. It was short, sharp, and compelling and went straight back into a text message. I didn't ask for an email address to send a finished script to one day. I didn't give a lengthy pitch. I gave enough to suggest I had something exciting there and was ready to go. You have to roll with the punches.

There's a lot of naval gazing and preening that goes on in the amateur world. Writers polishing drafts endlessly when they could be developing something new. Writers unable to bang out a quick synopsis for something because they don't know what they're writing until it's finished. That's probably holding most people back a lot more than the minuscule discrepancies over formatting.

No matter how good my idea is, my greatest thrill comes from sharing it with someone who I feel will appreciate it. A good voice requires good ears.

Great to see you, Maggie Grant! Are you working on anything new that you’re excited about?

Couldn't share your passion and enthusiasm any more, Maggie Grant

Robin Gregory Thank you. I will

Melanie Lang Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to reintroduce yourself to the community, Tiffany Taylor! Happy Introduce Yourself Weekend!

John Ceperich Thank you I appreciate this!

Maurice Vaughan Nice to meet you! I will absolutely check this out!

Hi Evmorfia Manousaki welcome. Keep on chasing will one day your dreams come true.

Whatsa hoppanin' a hot stuff? Welcome Laura!

Hi Laura, you not only write funny, you look funny as well. What a talent. Do I have a tale for you! Please read it in Introduce Yourself.

Hi Haley welcome here you are on the right community for that you are looking for

The truth about Jim Morrison (DOORS) son Cliff is explained tonight by Floyd Bocox of Stage 32.

Welcome to the Stage 32 community, Steven R Mitchell! I hope you had a great time at the meet-up!

The best way to network here on Stage 32, is just to put yourself out there by posting, commenting, and connecting with people from all over the world. The most effective networking comes from building genuine relationships over time. A great way to start is by checking out the Stage 32 Lounges where you can join discussions, pose questions that you may have, provide advice or insights, and share news/announcements that interest you.

You can find the lounge through the toolbar at the top of your browser window. Simply click on "Lounge", which will direct you to a new page listing all of the current lounges available to you!

The Jim Morrison? Floyd Bocox from Stage 32 is working on a movie about Cliff, JIm's son. This is an interview from 2 weeks ago. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3sApKx3oGQ

Good to e-meet you Steven! I'm not going to the in-person meetup because I'm in New York. However, here’s the link to my free filmmaking guide, free creativity podcast, 50-page free Adobe Creative Cloud eBook, and free filmmaking tutorial videos on video editing, photoshop and more. I hope they help you on your filmmaking journey! http://eepurl.com/iuGSUY

Hey Morrison James , Happy IYW! Love that positive energy as always!

Nice to see ya!

Awesome to meet you! Here’s the link to my free filmmaking guide, free creativity podcast, 50-page free Adobe Creative Cloud eBook, and free filmmaking tutorial videos on video editing, photoshop and more. I hope they give you some value! http://eepurl.com/iuGSUY

Cool poster!!

Looks like ure doing it...making movies happen takes a lot of time and the "limbo territory" can be pretty vast...just keep on moving and GL.

Outstanding guidance and advice by Maurice Vaughan - those are great steps to follow. Keep us informed of your progress, Eliot Galán.

Excellent tagline that'll catch a producer's eye as they look through emails/scroll through social media and get them thinking, Lisa Lee! Or a director, actor, etc.

Great question Maurice Vaughan, I typically use my 'taglines' try to add "story" to my title to get a bit more info to my intended audience; title: STETSON, tagline: It 's not just my hat it the code I live by. Everyone sees the poster, an image of a cowboy partially hiding his face and gesturing "strength" with his hat in front of a sepia background.

Fantastic tagline, Paul Rivers! And interesting idea to use a cowboy hat to symbolize something! Yeah, screenwriters can definitely use taglines to get more information across to whoever's looking at the posters.

A pitch is about the story, Sebastien Dehi, but it's also about the delivery. A successful pitch also depends on the person's opinion about how you pitch and what you're pitching. And sometimes a pass has nothing to do with your pitch. You could get a pass because of how much it'd cost to make the movie/show, the climate of movies/shows, etc.

Stage 32 has written pitch examples (one for a movie and one for a show). You can email success@stage32.com to get them.

Stage 32 has resources for live pitching, like this free webinar (www.stage32.com/education?p=8944895721779) and the weekly Pitch Practices in the Writers' Room (www.stage32.com/writers-room).

John Mezes co-hosts the Pitch Practices (www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself/Hello-Stage-32-152). They're the best pitch resource in my opinion.

I so appreciate everyone chiming in with their stories. It can definitely be a challenge to keep the faith in the face of rough experiences (and in Dan MaxXx' s story, incredible dismissal. Truly awful. ) But to

Sebastien Dehi's point, I DO think are there specific methods that can be truly helpful, that can make a pitch soar above the story, in a way, to be present in the moment that the pitcher is in. Those include how's it's written out beforehand, rehearsal, reading the room, keeping it tight, etc. If anyone is curious, at www.pitch4reel.com I discuss those very tactics that can help elevate a pitch to the next level. Be happy to discuss that with anyone who'd be interested!

If you are like me and you perceive the Pitch as having psycho-emotional similarities to going "Cap-in-Hand" then you are likely going to give off conflicting vibes. Leading the listener to thing you are not confident in your story. Fact is when some people ask for things they come across as noble and deserving while others asking ...are found wanting. Strange dynamics... how to proceed? I suppose it begins with a story that we have utter faith in and with practice we can comfortably convey how special and timely it really is.