Introduce Yourself : Writer African Epic by Jackie Chimutashu

Hi Jackie Chimutashu, welcome to the community from Zimbabwe! I hope you find some great collaborators from the community. Congratulations on your published book, that is quite an accomplishment, and a second one being published in July, that's great! If you ever need help with your screenwriting we have a really great in-depth class on perfecting the basics of feature film screenwriting: https://www.stage32.com/classes/Perfecting-the-Basics-of-Screenwriting. And, if you ever wanted to talk with someone on what it is like to adapt your novel into screenplay format we have mentors that can help you with that: https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/coverage/buy?id=66

Hi, Jackie, it's nice to see you on Stage 32...it's a great community! I love the title of your upcoming novel, Nature's War. I'm looking forward to reading both of your novels and chatting with you in the future.

Hello Jackie :) I am also an aspiring screenwriter and author of fantasy book "Ogniak" (unfortunately it is available only in Polish now). Is your book "The Great Enclosure" available somewhere online so one can buy it? :)

Hi Urszula

Thanks a lot. The book is on Amazon but the revised edition is coming out end of this month. Hope to chat with you soon and you can tell me what your book is all about. I love fantasy.

Hey Marli

Thanks for the welcome. I'm just about done with the cover for Nature's War. And I'm also looking forward to it's publication.

Hi Amanda

Thanks for the warm welcome and the advice. It will be great to take the big step into screenwriting lessons.

Hey Jackie, nice to meet you! So great to hear about your books, congrats! My first book as well will be available in the first weeks of July (for the moment available only in Italian, but fingers crossed haha), so we're actually in the same boat! Looking forward to hear more from you :)

Hi Jackie maybe we can share ideas. I have an idea for an African film called Witch Doctor with the TAG LINE: Roots Run Deep Let me know!

Welcome Jackie & Good Luck!

Welcome, Jackie Chimutashu. I love the titles of your books. This lounge will help you become a screenwriter: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting

Super, I will check Amazon then for Your books :) My book is about an imaginary world (country), where people are inclined since birth to one of Four Elements and they can use these elements in magical way - good or bad. It is an adventurous story about bunch of guys who take their journey to take part in kind of competition in these elements' skills. But then their Gods interfere in their lifes...

I,m an old guy with a crime script and 11 other story lines. Love to work with somebody really doing it. I. BoB Garabedian

Hello and welcome Jackie Chimutashu. What is "Nature's War" about?

Hi @Amman. Thanks so much. Would really love to hear more about your story and would love to share ideas linking two cultures could be very exciting.

Hi @Rosemund Perdue.

Nature's War takes place in Maropa, a tiny country in East Africa where nothing much ever seems to happen but it has one thing which which sets it apart from any other country, it's special yam trees and unique woodlands known as Maringa Woodlands. Also known as just the forest, the Woodlands are rumoured to be a sacred forest that has been around for over 2000 years and strangely enough, with the same trees in exactly the same places and the same footpaths.

Right at the center of the forest is the legendary yam tree, the Mother Tree. She stands taller than any other tree, is forever leafless and has an uncanny resemblance of a female figure. Legend says she has the ability to see and speak to other trees but this has never been proven because the Mother Tree is said to be asleep, only to awaken when the "abomination" comes. For the 2000 years since its creation, the Mother Tree has never been in leaf and has never awoken.

Then enter Brian Stone, the billionaire investor bent on cloning and making billions out of Maropa's yam trees. Aided by an overzealous and genius scientist Evelyn Denmark, he sets out to speed the growth of yam trees and creates his own yam tree which he names, Eleanor.

Now the Mother Tree is awake and what was once legend is now a scary reality. Something sinister, a dark creation, its very own effigy which threatens to destroy all of nature has been created awakening it from it's slumber and with its awakening, the entire forest comes alive. With the help of the four Woodmen (the Keepers of the Forest) and all of nature, a battle of nature ensues and both the Mother Tree and Maringa Woodlands together with the Woodmen will stop at nothing to restore the balance that has been dangerously tipped in, Nature' War.

Hey DiTanya

Thank you.

Love it! Very nice to meet you Jackie! I love your focus on African Epics. How do you find screenwriting vs novel writing so far?

Hey Krystal.

Thanks. I'm not really good at screen writing. Im amazed when screenplay writers take a 500 page novel and fit it into 2 hours. With novel writing I can take my time and express myself. It's easier but I really want to learn screen writing. I'm trying to though I think I'm not so much of a genius in that line.

Reading scripts will help you get better at screenwriting, Jackie Chimutashu: https://www.scriptreaderpro.com/best-screenplays-to-read/

Maurice. Thank you so much let me look into them and really study them.

Hi Jackie, your writing sounds really good, particularly writing African epics. Your writing sounds really interesting. Are you published on Amazon? How is the new Novel going? Hi Maurice. I agree with you there. It is useful to do a lot of reading in order to learn your craft.

You're welcome, Jackie.

Hi, Linda. Yeah, I've started reading more scripts. Spec scripts and produced scripts.

Hi Maurice, Thats good to hear. Thanks for that link, I will get some and read, what do you read?

Hi Jackie. I love Natures war. it is really good

You're welcome, Linda. I mainly read feature scripts. I read scripts in different genres.

Hi Linda thank you so much. Nature's War is coming out soon. I'm working on the cover. The revised edition of The Great Enclosure is out in a few weeks on Amazon. The new cover is done.

And I have started reading screenplays. Very useful.

What's up, Jackie! Can I buy a copy of The Great Enclosure on Amazon?

Hi Gary

Yes the older version is on Amazon. It's also on Smashwords. Thanks