Screenwriters Beat

I love reading about screenwriters, as it inspires me. But most of what I’ve found on the web — outside of some great blogs — are advice from A-List screenwriters. It’s good advice, but I want to know what’s happening in the trenches! So, I decided to create the show I needed when I was breaking into the biz — by tapping into my online community of working screenwriting friends. That has now become Screenwriters Beat!

Screenwriters Beat now has a whopping 12 episodes, and 2 Strategy Sessions with Industry veterans. The main show is a group of working screenwriters, like myself, who have been in the biz or a few years. We’ve gotten those first handful of jobs and we’re sharing our experiences. Plus, we’re talking about how we continue to get out there and find work in the mid to low budget movie market. Please raise your hand, if you’d like a re-write assignment!

The strategy sessions are something new and interesting. I’ve interviewed a Hollywood Actor (Bruce Gray) about how actors read scripts AND a Hollywood Contest Reader (Howard Casner) for his tips to wow a reader.

We record the show through Google Hangouts, which is like a Skype session. It’s positive and informal. Then the shows are posted on my YouTube channel, where they can be viewed over and over again.

Come on over and join us sometime!

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What Inspires Us to Write?

As a question, the one about finding inspiration comes up for all writers. I’ve seen it several times in that last month, and it got me thinking: what really inspires me? I have a stock answer – other writers. It’s a truthful answer. I love hearing success stories, as it makes my writing goals feel obtainable. I love reading good writing, also, as it challenges me to write well. But, beyond the truthful stock answer, I have to admit that I’m inspired to write in many different ways. Here’s my short list:

– Deadlines – whether it’s one I force on myself, like wanting to enter my work in a contest, or the real ones that come from a contract with a publisher or producer.
– The Bills – I like to pay my bills and eat.
– Respect – when I complete my writing goals I thrive on the respect I get from family, friends and other writers. But mostly my family, since they don’t understand the creative process, but they completely understand a completed book or script.
– Me, Myself & I – while I can be my own worst critic, I’m also my number one cheerleader.

Inspiration is a funny thing. It ebbs and flows, so it’s good to have more than one source!

Characters Unite!

I don’t know anything, unless I know one thing…

Characters.

That’s what the shrink lets me call them. Who am I kidding? I can’t afford a shrink. So, I’m gonna let my characters run wild all over this blog. They are the good guys, the bad guys, the sidekicks, the jokers, the femme fatales, et al of my current screenplays.

They rarely play nice.

They always cause trouble.

Perhaps they’ll get all that out of their systems by the time I’m ready to put them on the page.

Fingers crossed — although that makes it hard to type.

the Screenwriter