Authoring & Playwriting

Hi, Youku Youhan. Is this from your novel?

Thank you so much for this post, Debra Holland. This is an unconscionable occurance and so many friends and family members are hurting and dealing with the loss of their homes, businesses and valued possessions and, in same cases, those they loved. Your generosity and thoughtfulness here is really appreciated.

Thanks, Sam Sokolow. I'm doing what I can to help.

The suspense and uncertainty add to the problem here; what is the magnitude of the loss? It is still going on.

Exactly, Virginia Youngren. We still have winds to worry about, with increasing the fire risk. And magnitude can keep increasing. First we mourn this loss and then the next loss, and the next....

Not yet, but I haven't been at it that long. My agent is pitching my TV sitcom pilot, and it will be a matter of time before we see whether that bird flies.

Hi Susan

Thanks for this post! My IP Is a children's adventure fantasy novel, Cloud Kingdoms. Suited to animation also for film or tv series. Unlike you I haven't succeeded yet in learning screenwriting.

May you get the advice you're seeking

www.cloudkingdoms.au

Karlyle Tomms Good Luck to you Karlyle!

Anne Maree Durnan Thanks Anne Maree and good luck to you!

Hi, Fatema Elmahdy. I've had cravings to write. I will either write my main script, think of ideas for my main script, write random scenes, write a short script, outline a story, or do research for a story.

mmm ,that's nice, I liked this part " write randomly" cause sometimes i feel that when we put a frame for our writing will kill the creativity flow

At the end of the day, I'm going to write from the soul Pamela Jaye Smith. If I was working for Netflix on a show, I'd be a paid employee that would need to heed their request even if it's not something I would do on a spec. I would do it out of respect for the company who is paying me. Would I like it or agree with it? Not a chance. Nor do I believe that it's good for the audience. It kills brain cells and I hear those don't grow back. LOL

Good one Mike Childress - all I know is we give a show a decent 5-minute watch before deciding dumb vs not-dumb and move on. There's so many to choose from but there's also a lot that leave my dumb-founded as to how it got past a reader's desk. Then, show's like Ted and Murders keep my hopeful :-)

As an aside - Agatha is 7 hours of our lives we'll never get back ;-(

Matthew Kelcourse I mean streaming and triaging in 2024 is not videotaping (over your sister's ballet recital) on Beta and VHS in 1994! Much easier to sample and abort these days. Re: the aforementioned series I tried to watch it, but definitely not my cup o' tea (witches brew).

My first comment is a good example of, when you "Dumb Down" presentations. Q; Should anyone want that for themselves or "recommend" for another? Great conversations collectively!

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - "One shitty page a day gets a novel written."

Susan Wile That's great haha

I love Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, Story Genius by Deborah Crom & The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. Good luck to you!

Vanessa Lillie Good stuff, I had no idea there's a Save the Cat! novel version, thanks!

Vanessa Lillie Also Stephen Pressfield authored one of my favorite books, "Gates of Fire".

I agree with Jonathan Jordan, EXCEPT about using a small press. You are often giving up a percentage of your royalties for bad editing, poorly designed covers, and little to no promotion. The exception to this would be to find a small press that focuses on horror.

First, go to Amazon and look at the covers of the publisher's books and the reviews and read the samples. Reach out to the authors through their websites and ask about their experiences.

Make sure you are NOT paying them to publish your book. Make sure the royalty split seems fair. Make sure you can get your rights back if you are unhappy with your experience.

Since your stories are probably already professionally edited (I hope you kept the edited versions) you should consider self-publishing.

There is probably a Facebook group or groups for self-published/indie horror authors that you can join for more specific advice.

Debra Holland definitely agree with you that most small presses aren't worth it. At best, they're new and don't know what they're doing yet. At worst, they're scams. But yes, some genre presses are legit.

If you have the files ready to go, then self-publishing is probably the best/easiest way to get them back into the world. Gives you complete control and likely better royalties too.

I agree with David Gates. Meantime, check out Jane Friedman. Former head of a major publishing company, she's a book publishing expert with a WEALTH of information. She includes a line by line checklist on self-publishing for editorial, production and distribution. https://janefriedman.com/category/self-publishing/

Susan Wile thanks so much, this is great!

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.

I've had numerous scammers try and approach me this way. A quick search on the "deal" they're offering reveals them to be the charlatans they are.

THANK YOU, Debbie Elicksen!!!

Thank you very much. It's good to know who the bad guys are.

Lois Sullivan If it feels too good to be true, it absolutely is. Publishing is cutthroat and traditional publishers aren't much better. They pay zip for royalties (5 to 10%) and you own nothing.

Wow. Super interesting, Debbie Elicksen. Most of these I've never heard of so good to know. I used to use KDP and D2D exclusively but I also added in Ingram which is the bookstore distributor. They're great to work with.

I've used Amazon KDP and D2D (who incorporated SmartWords that I also utilised into their fold) - no complaints from either here.

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.

I don't have writer's block. But I do have writer's avoidance. To get through that, I make myself THINK about what comes next in the story or what A (not THE) next point in a nonfiction piece can be. If I can't start writing or write down notes, I'll dictate my ideas into an app on my iphone.

Chatgpt helps me...

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 :)

I wish I could see Death Becomes Her on stage! I'm a big Megan Hilty fan. It's not mentioned, but I'd also love to see The Outsiders.

Did you hear, I'm pretty sure they're (finally!!) bringing Smash! to Broadway?? I may have to book a trip just for that, honestly (and the Phantom of the Opera immersive experience...)

Dawn Prato