Miscellaneous genres

First Time Screenwriter Needs Help

writerMark — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:48:54 GMT

I was wondering if I should put Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3 on seperate pieces of paper before each act?

Screenwriter

writerMark — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:35:44 GMT

I am a first time screenwriter and I need help with two things. I found the article on Screenwriting in the August 2009 issue very helpful, but I still need help with a couple of things. The first is how many times should rewrite before sending it to an Agent? The second is how do I avoid Talking Heads, when there are only two characters in a long scene.

Institute of Childrens Literature

wendywrites — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 04:10:42 GMT

I want to let anyone know who is interested in writing for children that the Institute of Childrens Literature is outstanding. www.institutechildrenslit.com. I've taken two magazine courses and am working on the novel writing course. You work with a successful published childrens writer to receive critique and feedback on your writing. The courses are outstanding. I'm sure impressed with the novel writing course. You work through the entire manuscript of a novel with two revisions before the end of the course. I'm working on a juvenile novel now. You can also work on three picture book manuscripts, if you prefer or a young adult novel. Nonfiction is also an option. Everyone is supportive and wants you to win. They also promote your writing and offer endless encouragement. The online forums give additional support and the chance to ask writing questions.

I wish I had signed up 15 or 20 years ago. Wendy

Other options than Viagra for Men who have ED

RD2000 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:53:12 GMT

There are many treatment option men can go through to help their Erectile dysfunction, a large number of men suffer from ED and most buy viagra to treat it. The biggest step to treating ED naturally is changing your diet. By simply adding watermelons, nuts and almonds to your daily diet can help increase libido in men and help blood flow to the penis. Do some more research on what foods to eat to help ED and you will find a whole list of good foods and herb to eat to combar ED.

Cheers

The mystery of the missing writers

jmar2 — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:01:51 GMT

Hey where are all you Dick Francis, Robert Parker, Agatha Christie, John D. McDonald, Rita Mae Brown fans. Let's get some action here. Someone must have something they're working on. Wait, I'm getting a vision: It was Mr. Plum in the library with the wrench!

Please, Santa. Send me a mystery excerpt to read.

John

Forzest for ED sufferers

katei4 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:07:25 GMT

Forzest is real breakthorugh medication for the people who suffer male impotence,called as Erectile Dysfunction.Erectile Dysfunction is the condition in which men can't get erection during sexual activities.So male can not satishfy his partener.ED is affecting sexual life of men which may lead to depression.FORZEST (Tadalafil) is an effective treatment for ED.FORZEST tablet is used to treat erectile dysfunction (impotence) in men. It can help men who have erectile dysfunction get and sustain an erection when they are sexually excited.For more,go to Happy And Healthy Living.

Newbie w/a ms protocol question!!

kiddie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:53:36 GMT

I posted this in another forum, too. Just really need some feedback on the protocol for this kind of thing.

I have written a picture book. My intention is that the illustrations will tell as much of the story as the text...that's the point of a picture book, yes?...but how do I communicate what the illustration should be in the manuscript? Is it completely ridiculous/bad form to have what the illustration should be in parenthesis?

For example: I don't want to add all the text it would take for the reader to understand that the result of Jim dropping the giant glass panda is that he has to spend his $5 to pay for the panda and not on his favorite action figure. All of that could be said in a fabulous, whimsical illustration that shows a pathetically bummed out Jimbo left holding only the $5 price tag from the panda and standing next to the store clerk who is pointing to a sign that says, "You break it you buy it" which happens to be right next to the other sign that says to "visit the toy aisle to get your very own $5!!". This is one example of an event that has to be told for the plot of the story, but it is better said in an illustration. Besides, I don't want to have too many words.

So, next question..... How much input, if any, does the writer have in the illustrations?

. I realize that for someone that has never been published, I am being more particular than I should be....fully recognize that....I just think that the WHOLE story should be told, and that means that the pictures say as much as the words. That's what would maintain the integrity of the book. I think that it's good for young minds to learn how to assess a visual situation, anyway.

I am looking forward to some feedback! Thanks in advance!!!

A Radio Play i wrote one day, only short ^^

Bookston5 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:56:04 GMT

FATHER MOTTLEWOOD

Andrew D. Wood

SCENE 1. In the Churchyard.

F/X: Church Bells, people in Background, Footsteps on gravel with footsteps running behind to catch up.

Mrs. Avery: Father Mottlewood, Father Mottlewood!

Father Mottlewood: (exasperated) Yes, Mrs. Avery?

Mrs. Avery: (panting a little) Excellent service Father.

Fr. Mottlewood: (uninterested) Oh, yes?

Mrs. Avery: Yes, I thought it so beautiful how you brought the story of Job into everyday context.

Fr. mottlewood: Yes, well, we are all being... tested... by god aren't we, Mrs. Avery.

Mrs. Avery: Oh, yes indeed father, I know exactly what you're on about, Why only yesterday i felt like i could rip my hair out!

fr. mottlewood: Yes?

Mrs. Avery: Well, Father, it's my neighbour, Brenda Maceworthy. Oh! She could yap the back legs of a donkey, father! She peered over my garden fence and saw me, and boy did i get an ear full of it. She were bangin' on about her husband, and how he never lifts an finger, did you know that he never lifted a finger the other day when poor Brenda had to scrub the kitchen carpet after what t'dog did on it, He's a right charlatan you know.

Fr. Mottlewood: Look, Mrs. Avery...

Mrs. Avery: And then she'd go on for hours about that ruddy dog of hers, May the good lord pardon my language father, but i mean, it's a dirty great bull mastiff! What does she expect? Eats like a horse and dumps like an elephant.

Fr. Mottlewood: MRS.... Avery... Please, I have a lot of work to do.

Mrs. Avery: (Fades Out) Oh, I know what you talking about father, I came home from the charity shop I work in, you know, down in Delph, and I'd forgotten to take the account books out of my bag and give them to Debbie, so i hat to sit for three hours doing them....

SCENE 2. Mottlewood monologue.

F/X: Outdoor noises fade, and slight reverb on Fr.'s Voice, In church.

Fr. Mottlewood: And that's basically when I lost my passion for the work Lord. I mean, don't get me wrong, as the old saying goes, I'm not giving up the ghost. I just need either some inspiration or some... change, Lord. I mean, let's face it, The Bible isn't as popular as it used to be. And the only people i ever get to talk to any more is my rather, erm, aged flock. Well, thanks to Mrs. Avery I really haven't the patients to be talking to them anymore. I suppose I kind of feel like Noah, Something big is happening, and I'm trying to tell everyone, but only the same old crew are willing to listen, they laugh at me, just like the laughed at Noah, But, I'm sure even Noah didn't get his windows smashed by teenagers. What sort of world do we live in, Lord, when we have to put Bars on church windows? I just have a feeling that maybe religion is a little too soft nowadays. It's the same boring lectures that have been going around for centuries. I just want something...

F/X: Door creaks open.

Grace Harry: Hello?

Fr. Mottlewood: Hello? Who are you?

Grace: I'm Grace, Grace Harry.

Fr. Mottlewood: You look a little lost.

Grace: Oh, No, I'm just not used to anybody being here, that's all.

Fr. Mottlewood: What d... Do you come here often?

Grace: Every Sunday at this time, I am kind of embarrassed because my friends think religion is for wimps, But i believe in God, and I try to worship him, but if they saw me, i'd be ridiculed.

Fr. mottlewood: What reason would they have to ridicule you, my dear girl! You're their friend, are you not?

Grace: Yes.

Fr. Mottlewood: Well, they should, by rights, be your friend no matter what you believe in.

grace: I suppose. But i think that we can worship God in our own way at any time, and Sunday is no different to any other day of the week.

Fr. Mottlewood: True. In fact, You are just the person i have been looking for, really.

Grace: I... I am?

Fr. Mottlewood: How's about I give you a private service, now, this time every Sunday.

Grace: Would you? That would be amazing. Thank you so much.

SCENE 3. Monologue 2

F/X: Same as begining of last scene.

FR Mottlewood: Thank you, Lord, thank you, You actually do listen when i pray to you. Not only do I feel great because I have a young flock member that I can guide and have meaningful conversation with, But I feel a great sense of achievement after helping a poor lost soul find religion and the true meaning of your love. Thank you yet again and thank you also, for helping my find the passion in this work that I was so afraid was lost and forgotten.

END

BOOK READING/SIGNING

TomSarc — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:00:38 GMT

I have just published a children's picture book. In 2002 I published a humor book. I would like to write to book stores and offer to do a reading and/or book signing for my children's book. Should I charge a fee for my services? If so, does anyone have any sample letter that I would send to the store? Thanks for your help. Please email tsarc@aol.com

Metaphysical themes

Quissett — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:47:52 GMT

I have self-publsihed two highly successful novels, with methaphysical threads in the plot, Quissett, had spirit guides leads two young lovers to clues about an "accidental death" on Cape Cod, and The Hyannis House, were an estranged college sweetheart reunites with his only love and now widow to a murdered husband helps solve the mystery with his personal psychic abilities.

As I continue with this sub-genre including Near Death Experience in the plot, I find agents and publisher shy away from the story. This surprises me since TV, Hollywood, and the generarl public have disclosed they believe in the metaphyscial world and want to explore more of it.....either in fiction or non-fiction

Any comments or suggestions for agents/publsiher who have an open mind?

Children's: Haley's Wheels...What do you think?

Southern Writer — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 21:35:31 GMT

Haley’s Wheels Haley sat in the window of her bedroom, twirling her long blonde hair around her fingers. She watched the playground across the street. The other kids were playing basketball on this beautiful spring day. She wanted so badly to join them, but she couldn’t. Her Mom would never allow it. She hadn’t ever been allowed to play with the other neighborhood kids since the accident. So, since her ninth birthday, she had sat in the window and watched. At school, tryouts for the junior varsity basketball team would be in a few weeks. That was what all the kids were practicing for and Haley wanted to practice with them! The desire to play made her grab the low windowsill and try to stand, but when her body weight lifted up; her wheelchair slid out from under her. Haley gasped as she fell in the floor, her wheelchair now halfway across the room. Her Mom heard her crash to the floor and ran into the room. "Haley! Are you okay?" Haley felt her Mom start tugging on her arms, as she lifted her thin body back into her chair. "Sure, Mom. I’m fine." "What happened?" her Mom asked, as she folded her arms across her chest. "I was just trying to see out the window better, and I pulled too hard." Her Mom turned to look out at the kids on the playground. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she turned to hug Haley. "I know it’s hard, honey. I just don’t know what to do." "You could take her down and let her watch her friends from there." Mom’s eyes widened, but Haley’s Dad cut her off. "The accident was over a month ago. You can’t expect her to stay in her room all the time." Haley turned hopeful eyes around on her Dad. "Could I? Please?" "Haley, I’m afraid for you to go down there." Mom argued, finally breaking into the conversation. "I’ll take her," Dad said. He walked across the room and started pushing her chair down the hallway. He shut the door on Mom's last complaints. 
*** Once at the playground, Haley grinned from ear to ear. She couldn’t believe that her Dad had brought her all the way out here to watch. The other kids saw her watching from the sidelines and waved or called out to her. Haley couldn’t stop waving and calling back to them, so her Dad left to go sit on a bench a little bit apart from the basketball court. Haley was so engrossed in her cheering and watching that she didn’t notice that her best friend, Matthew, was watching her. He left the game and came over to her chair and pushed her out on the court. The other kids stopped playing, and he yelled for Tim to toss him the ball. "Haley, why don’t you give it a shot." Matthew said, as he laid the ball in her lap. Haley didn’t know what to say, but she turned to look at her Dad. He was standing and watching, but he made no move to stop her. "Go on, Haley!" "Try it!" "Play with us!"
"Yeah, like you used to!" Some of the other kids started calling to her. Haley smiled again. Matthew pushed her up a little bit closer to the goal. "Go on," he whispered to her. So, Haley lifted the ball and flung it at the goal. She missed, but Matthew ran to retrieve the ball for her. He handed it back to her. So, she tried again and again. She kept missing but the others kept bringing the ball back. Finally after several tries, she sank the ball. Cheers echoed around the playground, and Haley had never felt so happy. Her Dad got up and hugged her, "I’m so proud of you."

Children's Lit Authors/Illustrators

lawmummy — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:31:08 GMT

I'm blogging about children's lit for 451 Press at www.tinytreasury.com (I didn't dream up the name). If you are a children's lit author or illustrator, and you would be amenable to being interviewed - or have a book that you'd like me to blog about, drop me a note. Thanks.

Challenges of Horror Genre Writing

LivelyCorpse — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 21:29:37 GMT

I have a vampire novel scheduled to be published this fall by Mundania Press, with another Victorian period vampire novel to be published in three parts beginning in the spring of '07. Now I'm in the market for a literary agent.

I seems there are a relatively few literary agents who handle horror and, perhaps, fewer of those who come recommended based on their business practices. I'd like to hear from other horror writers and their experiences.

Thriller Writers

turtle — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 18:17:53 GMT

Hi. Are any thriller writers in this group planning to attend the 1st annual Thrillerfest convention in Phoenix on June 29 - July 2? The agenda looks to be outstanding and I'm looking forward to it.

Irv

Good Book on Scriptwriting for Radio?

Teslawriter — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 14:09:44 GMT

Hello:

I have a question: 20 years ago I was an English major, but I never took a creative writing class until now. I'm taking one at my local library, and it's pretty good, not that I've got much to compare it to.

I want to write a play for an internet radio station to broadcast. It will be a drama about world events in the present day, either a parody or some other consciousness-raising swipe our asleep-at-the-switch pop culture.

Can anyone recommend a good, short/readable guidebook on playwriting or radio scriptwriting? I will have limited access to sound effects technology, but I still want to take a stab at this.

Thank you.

Teslawriter