Authoring & Playwriting

Where to start? I think its easier to say if I'm still reading the same author after their sixth novel, they are probably one of my favourites. E.g. Connie Suttle 32 titles, Dannika Dark 13 titles, Phoebe Matthews 12 titles. etc

I rarely read past the first two pages these days if they don't pull me in. Life, as they say, is far too short...

I have SO many favorite authors that I can't even list them all. I'm an avid reader and add new authors to my favorites all the time. (Thank goodness for the Kindle being able to store thousands of books!)

But I do often mention Sarah Woodbury as a favorite. Sarah has several series set in ancient Wales. A couple are mystery, one is a King Arthur type, but my absolute favorite is After Cilmeri, which is time travel to ancient Wales. It's a comfort read series, which I've reread many times.

When I first read the series there were about 6 books. Now I think it's 17. I was so impressed that I looked up the author and emailed her. At the time, I was acquainted or knew of most of the big indie authors and she wasn't one of them. In my email, I asked her if she belonged to the writers' organization Novelists Inc (NINC) which puts on fabulous conferences every year. Sarah lives in a relatively small town in Oregon and didn't really know many authors. I encouraged her to join NINC and attend the conference so she could become plugged into the author community and learn more about the publishing industry.

She did. But by then the hotel was sold out. I told her she could share my room, and she agreed. From there, we became great friends, and we still share a suite at the conference every year. I don't know how many years it's been. 13, maybe.

Sarah has extensively studied historical Wales, spent a lot of time there, and even learned the language. In one of her mystery series books, a character that I'd come to love was killed in battle, and I actually cried! I called her up and said, "Sarah, you killed NAME! I'm so sad, I'm crying." She said, "I know, I did too when I wrote that scene. But I had to. In reality, he really was killed in that battle."

Sigh, the time travel series is much easier on my heart, because Sarah is able to manipulate real history.

Carol M. Salter, I'm the same way. A couple of pages. There are SO many good books now that I don't have to continue reading to see if a book will develop into a good one.

Hunter S. Thompson.

I learned to give the explanation because if I just leave it at that, then people think I'm a crackhead.

Well, I discovered him when I used to be one, a druggie. But what he does and what he taught me to do is something that pretty much saved my life.

He always partied too hard, took it too far, but he ended his self-destruction sessions by putting pen to paper. It was a way to explain himself, why he lost it and did what he did.

When the world sees that message, physically, he looks like a maniac. Just some addict who you shouldn't listen to or be around.

But when it's on paper, his crazy thoughts made sense and had many, many real messages. He became human on paper and was no longer incoherent and awkward.

I was wild, and I have a mental disorder. I blurt things out; it's almost out of my control and what comes out of my mouth sometimes isn't what I intended. Hunter was the first person that introduced that people like me--who feel they're misunderstood for how they've lived life--can start to be understood better if they put what they're experiencing on paper in an intellectual way.

I walked away from real drugs as a kid, but I kept the depression writing. I can honestly say if I didn't see Fear & Loathing and feel so drawn to journaling, I not only wouldn't be a writer, but I probably wouldn't be alive.

So dark and crazy if you read his stories, but I appreciate him.

He introduced me to a way to express myself, one where the right message gets across.

...

Totally do miss gonzo journalism, though, to be honest. It was a lot easier to sell my stories when I was young, wild, and explosive lol People love crazy! It is what it is.

I have a lot, it depends on the genre. But some top favs are R.F. Kuang, Grady Hendrix, Sarah J. Maas, Darren Shan, and Jeaniene Frost.

I got a smile from that as well, Lauren. Good luck with the project.

Kat Spencer, I absolutely relate to that feeling of being surprised by your own story. The book I’m currently working on is the first in a planned trilogy, and I spent an entire year worldbuilding and outlining before I wrote a single page. During that time, I also roughly mapped out books 2 and 3 to make sure the full arc felt cohesive.

One of the biggest discoveries that completely snuck up on me was realizing that my original antagonist, the one I designed the whole first book around, is not the true antagonist of the series. He’s still very much a force of evil and a personal threat to my protagonist, but as I dug deeper, I realized the story needed a larger, more insidious evil working in the shadows. It shifted the emotional weight of the final book and gave the entire ensemble a higher-stakes mission beyond what I initially imagined. That realization changed everything.

Well done, Ashley. And how cool you got the follow-on books mapped out as well. Your words make me want to pick back up a trilogy I haven't worked on in a while. Thanks for that nudge.

In my book THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE I present the classic observation that there are Three Levels to the Dark Side. 1 - A character's own foibles, phobias, faults (like Indy's fear of snakes in RAIDERS, overcome later on to help save the day). 2 - The Dark Forces of nature (like in TWISTER, ARMAGEDDON, or DON'T LOOK UP) . 3 - The Dark Ones, the big baddies or systems on high levels and with great strength (like the President and the tech bro in DON'T LOOK UP).

So we want to have at least two in a story: 1 - Personal, 2 - Impersonal, 3 - Supra-personal.

Best to you all in crafting wonderful, engaging, fulfilling stories!

The defining moment for my protagonist was when he chose to not do a good deed out of selfishness and greed. This later causes him great regret throughout the rest of the story.

Wow Ashley Renee Smith I can't wait to read these :)

Deadlines.

I think someone else's opinion, for sure. Us writers, we can see it so clearly but it's so hard to get somebody else to understand that vision in your head.

In my opinion-and it's just an opinion--the story is ready when I love it so much I don't want to change anything and it's been reviewed by some sort of executive and they said it's definitely good, too.

I try to ignore the other ten execs who said it stinks lol

There's a nice quote from the writer of "The Little Prince" that says, "perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).

As we build a story, we initially tend to add scenes, characters, and dialogue, but there comes a moment when we need to start deleting things that aren't relevant. It's like letting a shrub grow to then cutting it to its finest form.

It’s rough how subjective feedback is for creative writing but two tricks I’ve learned is never send out a first draft for anything serious.

And rewrite until feedback stops picking on your story’s foundation. Once that story starts hitting it’s ready.

Well said Ismael Kralll - even in our complicated written worlds, we need to remember less is more.

There's been a lot of times when I felt like throwing in the towel on projects and goals, Randolph Randy Camp, but I kept working on them. I have a bunch of unfinished projects and goals I haven't given up on. They're just on the back burner, and I'm working on them here and there while I work on my main projects and goals. Thanks for sharing this post. Hope it encourages others.

Thank you for this. We all need these words of wisdom.

I actually didn't do anything. I had timing and luck on my side. Publishing is very different now.

First of all, make sure your book is expertly edited. And by more than one editor. Have a developmental editor who looks at your plot and characters and then after you've made those edits have another editor (or two) for line edits and proofing. Have a professional cover designed and someone with experience look over your blurb for the product page on Amazon and other sites. If your book doesn't look professional and read professionally, it won't matter how much time and money you throw at marketing.

Detour sounds interesting, Ashley Renee Smith! I write with adaptation in mind. I mention in the pitch deck, treatment, etc. that the script has potential to be a show, video game, etc. And I mention that there's merchandise potential (action figures, clothes, bookbags, etc.).

I mainly write scripts, but I wrote a short story years ago. It was difficult to switch from writing scripts to writing a short story. I had to get used to writing in past tense and describing things in more detail. I have written short stories before that short story, but that was back in elementary school and when I was 13.

Looks like an interesting read. :)

Maybe I should turn one of my film ideas into a book first. Then somebody will want to turn it into a film

I saw The Electric State, Amanda Toney. It's a fun movie! I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of the movies mentioned in the article, especially Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, The Long Walk, and The Thursday Murder Club!

Some of these look really good. I'm most looking forward to Part 2 of Wicked. :)

I post projects on my Stage 32 profile, Davin Gomez. I sold four short scripts to a producer that way (plus networking). You could post your projects on your profile. Click the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner and select “Edit profile” in the drop-down menu. Scroll down to “Loglines” and click “Add/edit loglines” to the right of “Loglines.” You can also post your projects on your profile this way: www.stage32.com/loglines (near the top where it says “Add a Logline”)

I also post pages of my scripts, script posters, loglines, and short pitches (like two-word pitches and three-word pitches) on social media. I've gotten interest in my projects and script requests that way.

And some writers have websites and web pages to showcase their work. I've been thinking about doing it.

Does this work with poem and art pieces aswell?

It might, Davin Gomez. It's worth a shot.

You're welcome, Aleksey Salikhov. Thanks for starting this discussion. I'm sure it's going to help writers.

Thank you so much, Aleksey Salikhov! I love hearing about your approach to Between Light and Darkness. I’m always drawn to magic systems that come with real consequences, and those contrasts you mentioned, like the warmth of family versus the cold unknown, are exactly the kind of emotional texture I love in fantasy stories.

For The Kindred, I think my favorite part of worldbuilding has been the history and mythology. I’ve spent a lot of time developing ancient stories, lost gods, and fragmented pieces of the past that my characters are slowly uncovering. It’s layered with political conflict, but at the heart of it, it’s a story about grief, legacy, and resilience. I also love creating small, intimate cultural details: creatures, games, traditions, or objects that hold personal meaning for the characters. Those things that make the world feel lived in.

My magic system is rooted in natural-born elemental gifts that most, but not all, are born with. But over generations, the people of my world have discovered ways to amplify their gifts or even tap into elements outside their natural abilities through the use of various crystals found and mined across the continent. Some of these crystals are common and used in everyday life, while others are incredibly rare, which has had a huge impact on the economy, politics, fashion, class systems, and even the black market. It’s been so fun to explore how something like magic, which starts as a very personal gift, evolves into a commodity that affects the entire structure of society.

I’d love to hear more about your magic system, It sounds like you’ve built something really rich and layered!

I love to read fantasy and the wonderful worlds people have imagined. Writing fantasy is fun, too, because you don't have to be grounded in reality and can create to your heart's content.

Hi Debra Holland , thank you so much for your kind words - I’m thrilled you enjoy reading fantasy and creating those imaginative worlds too! I completely agree, the freedom to let your imagination run wild is what makes writing fantasy so magical for me. In Between Light and Darkness, I loved crafting those family moments and then contrasting them with the dark magic tied to the stars, which comes with a heavy cost. I also find music helps me dive into that creative space; I’ve composed two albums and shared some songs with AI-generated visuals on my YouTube channel (@Aion-VOX) to set the mood for my story. Do you have a favorite part of fantasy writing - maybe world-building or character development? I’d love to hear more about what inspires you!

I find fantasy most magical when the supernatural elements aren't explained too deeply. I tend to not read much hard magicsystems because it makes the magic feel more like science than fiction.

I craft stories that blend fast-paced action with deep emotional conflict. My characters fight for justice, confront mysterious pasts, and face powerful emotional choices. Screenplays like “Burning Love” and “The Warrior Chef” explore how love, betrayal, and truth collide to create intense and moving narratives. My goal is to captivate audiences with stories that are both thrilling and meaningful.

Anthony Cloutier I write like the wind, never have writer's block, and can spot what's "not working" or needs polishing in scenes, written word, and music, very easily.

I'm told I do dialogue well.

I provide advice on the importance of copyright registration.

I would say I'm good at deep emotional insight. I can describe complex feelings easily aswell as give strong imagery and metaphors.

The importance of registering a copyright through the U.S. Copyright Office should be the Number One comment here.

I should never have wasted ten years of my life sending my novels to publishers. I'm not famous, or a celebrity. I could have saved myself the 176 rejection letters, mountains of heartache and dark moments of giving up.

Instead, I could have spent those ten years indie publishing earlier. Published my never-ending list of manuscripts which still sit in my computer and have more than eight fans.

Sorry I meant Literary Agents and publishers. When I started out there were less Agents.

Ah, okay then. I'll withdraw my comment.

...to write a Great Script; a storyteller must first write a great story and second rewrite it "Cinematically" as a screenwriter just for Hollywood...

What did the $24K cover?

It covers 1, Rebrand the book 2. Screen play 3. LA times 4. Webe-site 5. Trailer.....and others

Ahhh, okay. A lot of times, the director determines who best to write the screenplay. The rights to the screenplay may end up belonging to the screenwriter, but not always. That is my personal experience for Templar Odyssey.

I'm so sorry that you had that terrible ordeal. Hopefully I know you will overcome this storm and grow from this

Thank you Elmare Hendricks From South Africa. I lost my cows but not my mind and soul.