Authoring & Playwriting

Well done on your journey Debbie Seagle you're doing incredibly well!

Funnily enough, I did the opposite of killing a darling for Finding Elpis; in its original iteration, it had a more typical plot development involving a conflict with Earth after the band was abducted, complete with feds spying on everyone and the earth's president being incredibly power-hungry and seeing the band as traitors for siding with Lor Salviator and even seeking to mobilise all of Earth's citizens into a pointless war against Lor Salviator. In a way it was supposed to be a general critique of how backwards Earth likely is compared to other planets (since we all love saying "this is why aliens don't talk to us!" every time you hear a famous person in particular say and do something stupid), but mostly to show that Lor Salviator is insanely powerful but decides to be a fanboy for the band instead.

As time went on I got less and less sure about that development, since it seemed like there was no way to satisfactorily strengthen it. The time it really hit a nerve though was when I got feedback from the last contest I entered it in and the reader said that that particular development had a lot of potential, that when s/he got to it the story "finally felt like a movie" but it was really late, and even that I could've beefed up the antagonist and made her a genuine threat rather than a joke. I realised if the weakest part of the script would have someone telling me it was more interesting than the intended focus (to the point where the reader was practically gushing about where they envisioned the arc going, a stark contrast to how they reacted to the rest of it), and I had come to flat out hate that arc for being a plot tumour, then it was a good sign to get rid of it entirely. I initially came up with it to give the band a moment of awesomeness and actually live up to their peace ambassador reputation by stopping Earth from being cringe, but admittedly it was hard for me to effectively work that into the story. Plus, I noticed that its sequel also needed a big rewrite since it had A LOT of bloat, so I saw that removing the problem arc freed up a lot of room to transplant some of RoP's heft into Finding Elpis and rework them both.

I think it was a good move ultimately, especially since I still want there to not be a true antagonist/villain until later and also didn't want to have Léon be anything more than a fakeout antagonist (which I realise is a controversial choice in western media lol), and he was a much more tonally/thematically appropriate antagonist to Lor Salviator anyway than President Mulligan ever was. Not only that, but as I wrote out the rest of the series it became clear that the now-removed arc was so inconsequential that it literally was only mentioned as a throwaway line and that throwaway line was really all it needed to be xD

Wow that's incredible! Banafsheh Esmailzadeh - you went the other way with that one. I appreciate you giving me so much of your journey with this. I hope you are proud of your hard work - a sequel as well as what sounds like a massive redraft! Good to know you have spoken to a development team already and I think you're placing yourself to be in a good position for lots of growth in the industry. Keep me posted on your journey and what comes next - sounds like a great story!

Thanks Lauren Hackney, yeah, I arguably killed someone else's darling even though I was the one who wrote it XD but to be fair it did result in me killing an actual darling or at least resurrecting it later in RoP: Doomer earning the title of Endymion, which in the first draft happened because he took an active role in that problem conflict alongside Princess Almas. I realised since I still want him to earn that title (which gives him the most overt sign of change/growth in the band), I'll have to give it to him another way, which I'm working on right now in RoP. I definitely am proud of my work, especially since I'm more than halfway done the series (carefully eyeing how the plot goes and if I'm wrong about it being a pentalogy when it's potentially a hexalogy or God forbid even bigger lol). I actually haven't spoken to a development team yet but little by little I will :D this project is my latest life's work for a reason~

Lauren Hackney, I haven't worked with an editor at all on my book outlines. I've shared them with some trusted friends to get feedback, but otherwise I've been making cuts myself.

That's very cool Wyman Brent!

That's amazing Ashley Renee Smith - I'm also sorry for YOUR loss! Grief and loss do have a way of sparking some amazing things in us. Sometimes people ask me if I've composed anything lately, and my reply, NOPE! I'm happy right now hahahaha :)

Kat Spencer, I have a big fridge next to where I work. That way I can store all my ideas so that they stay cool.

Wyman Brent Hahaha

I completely get that, Kat Spencer!

I will be there or I will be square.

Lauren Hackney appreciate your comment. I really don’t know how to write a script

If you don't have a registered copyright for the written expression of your idea, the worst thing imaginable is to post the entire thing for all to use. Any litigation on your part for using your idea cannot proceed until a registered copyright exists.

Kevin Lopez Were you wanting to write a script or a novel? There are courses through Stage 32 https://www.stage32.com/education/search?term=screenwriting or you could ask questions in the screenwriting lounges. You could always start plotting, writing down bits and pieces... seeing what happens... either way your idea is beautiful!

Jeff E. Gregory Listen I think I would be the most happy man in the world if someone steals my work. I would never be able to produce this so…

I think your story idea definitely has wings. Best wishes as you move forward.

Great opportunity! Thank you for posting!

Can't wait to learn more. I'm clueless about the SAG-AFTRA signatory process. Thanks for sharing!

Great, thanks for sharing.

Yipee we will see you there

Thanks for sharing, Elmare Hendricks! This one is going to be amazing!

Michael Dzurak

Chiara Torrisi I see my named tagged, but no comment. What did you write there?

Michael Dzurak I've written that posting on social media should not make writers forget to write, so it's important to find a balance

I'm kinda with Chiara Torrisi with this one - trying to keep up with the social etc keeps me from writing - and that's why I'm here. I'm learning about Substack... but I'm learning about everything. Still very green over here!

True Lauren Hackneyharing knowledge here is a great way to evaluate the best tools and practices while avoiding wasted time. If we ever use Substack, let's share our impressions!

Ashley Renee Smith, I remember my first draft at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. Uhmm, that is what you meant?

Fantastic share, Ashley Renee Smith! The hardest part of writing a first draft is running into things I didn't think about when I outlined, then having to figure them out. And realizing things I came up with in the outline don't work and figuring out ways to make them work.

This was a wonderful video - and to the point... like a well-written novel. In my first book I hated the first chapter - starting my story. It was slow. My editor liked it. I still hate it! Wish I'd had the advice given here: Just delete the first three chapters! (OK, maybe the first two.)

Thank you for sharing this, it is a great help.

Good luck everyone! Fantastic opportunity - thank you for the reminder it's been extended for a week.

Thank you so much

Arthur Charpentier Jon Shallit Morgan Aitken Ipg This was an Australian writer who attended a pitch session at an Australian writing conference. She is not a big name and the publisher is a traditional publisher. I interviewed her recently on my YouTube channel to hear her road to publication. I found her journey interesting so I had to ask the question.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to give me your answers and letting me know what you think!

You're welcome, Lauren Hackney.

Lauren Hackney, In Russia, there are many writers who publish their books at their own expense and send the entire print run to libraries. All of this is done in order to become a member of the Writers' Union. By the way, this fake success is relatively inexpensive.

Thank you Arthur Charpentier for letting me know what happens in Russia - it's always great to know how it's done around the world!

Hi, Mary Joy. Welcome to the community. Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

Stage 32 had its monthly Community Open House the other day. The recording will be available to watch soon (www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-august-community-open-house). It's free to watch. It'll also help you navigate Stage 32 and connect with creatives and industry pros.

I suggest using a photo of yourself as your profile picture. People will feel more comfortable networking and collaborating with you if they know what you look like. You can upload a picture by clicking the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner and selecting “Edit profile” in the drop-down menu, then clicking the red button underneath your location and choosing "Update profile picture."

My biggest challenge when trying to grow my readership is figuring out the best ways to promote my screenplays and other projects on different social media platforms.