Douglas Glenn Clark's Lounge Discussions

A good cook can follow almost any recipe and consistently turn out quality product. A true chef understands the “language” of cooking at a different level and can make the recipe their own. They intuitively know which ingredients can be added or subtracted, how the flavor profiles and textures can be altered, different seasonings and cultural influences might come into play. The point is: the more deeply you understand the recipe, the less you actually have to follow it. Screenwriting is kind of like that too. Except you are the one writing the recipe.

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So the last year or so I've been wanting to spend my downtime writing but somehow just couldn't get into the mood.

Let me say that I'm not a writer but a director who likes to write sometimes, but usually I write the first draft and then someone with more experience does the writing.

But I've had a couple of ideas that I've been wanting to write and I just could not get in the right mood.

Lately I've found a new way of getting the work done.

I usually create an outline to a degree and then try and start to write but I always get stuck at something and then I stall there.

But this time I did something different. I wrote all the scene names and under the scenes I wrote a short description of what I wanted to happen and I did that right up till the end.

Then I just went from the beginning to the end and expanded.

First the action and then the dialog.

I'm really happy because I actually got the first draft done in a week and a couple of days.

So I'm interested what do you guys do to write or make it easier.

I'm especially interested in people who are not foremost writers.

PRINCE taught us a lot about being an artist, community member and man. He also made it clear how important OWNERSHIP is for everyone who creates.

I'm writing an article about the realties of self-publishing in today's market. I'm looking for authors who have had traditional publishing deals and then moved to self-publish and then find out what their experience was like. How did it work, did it work, etc. If you fall into this category of author, I'd live to chat about possibly interviewing you. Pls message me or email at jeff@storygeeks.com.

Last year I was offered a free download of a nonfiction book that I had rejected decades ago based on its title. "Winning Through Intimidation" struck me as the kind of message I would be wise to avoid. I had no interest in becoming a bully. Yet author Robert Ringer made a compelling offer by revealing that he had since revised the title because it had been misunderstood. The new title "To Be or Not To Be Intimidated? That is the Question" may not be as tidy or controversial, but it's a better fit apparently for the core philosophy. I've enjoyed reading the book because Ringer's book shares an important point: Many people don't fulfill their dreams because they feel intimidated. BEFORE DIGITAL PUBLISHING THERE WAS SELF-PUBLISHING While reading Ringer's book I decided to refresh my memory about his career. I was surprised to read this Wikipedia entry: "His first book, Winning Through Intimidation, was published in 1973. After the manuscript racked up 10 rejections from publishers, Ringer decided to self-publish the book. It became a bestseller, spending 36 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list." Self-publish? Really? Before digital publishing wasn't self-publishing considered vanity? No real author would resort to vanity press publishing. The moral of the story is clear. If you have a strong idea, share it. Ringer's book hit a nerve and did very well. Other books also succeeded. I believe Chin-Ning Chu's fascinating "Thick Face, Black Heart" title was initially self-published. And a guy named John Grisham had the nerve to self-publish his first novel and sell it out of the trunk of his car. How vain! (And gutsy. The young attorney was not intimidated by publisher's rejection notes.) REJECT INTIMIDATION: YOU ARE THE FUTURE OF PUBLISHING Not every title will do well. On the other hand, some bestsellers were rejected by numerous know-it-all publishers. Go figure. Great opportunities are available these days for books of various types and lengths. It all boils down to taking action and blowing past naysayers. Books are promotional tools. Ringer is now using his decades-old book to sell another product. Good for him. That strategy has been successful for years: your book is the platform or launch pad for other opportunities, such as teaching seminars, becoming a public speaker ... or announcing the arrival of a new exciting suspense writer. Pick your goal and go for it. But don't be surprised if less courageous authors find you intimidating. Douglas Glenn Clark Multiplatform artist The Memory Songbook

DRONE TECHNOLOGY has gone well beyond aerial views, though that kind of footage is still amazing. Check out the choreographed film "Art of Shades - All Away" shot with a drone. The low-flying capture of intimacy, drama and flow ... is seductive. What say you? http://bit.ly/DRONES32

I'd turned the TV on while I was finishing my work day. Television is like the radio for me. I turn it on when I want to be in the company of voices and music -- a community. Then it happened. I heard a musical intro to what I assumed was a commercial. I'd heard it many times before and it had always made me pause. The commercial is about automobiles but uses a timeless unrequited love between a young man and woman -- soul mates -- as its theme. It was the music that lured me to the commercial the first time; and it is the music that continues to stop me in my tracks. "These songs are the roots of who I am musically." -- Neil Young There is only one captain on Neil Young's ship. He goes his own way when creating new music projects. "A Letter Home" is more proof. Some might call this group of songs "covers." But not Neil. His decision to record songs by Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and others is not just a collection of favorites. Rather, these songs have shaped him emotionally as he grew from youth to maturity. In a Los Angeles Times story by Randy Lewis Young discussed how the songs on his new album affected his own decades-long career of writing and performing original material. It took several months to hone his final list. The songs were recorded in three days. I wrote a novel called The Memory Songbook in an attempt to capture the cultural phenomenon that very few people can avoid. Rich and famous, middle class or poor, we all experience songs at first as a revelation, and then later as salvation. Music is memory ... and love ... and survival. But, composers, it is not just songs that touch us so deeply. Whoever wrote the soundtrack for that commercial I love so much --- you too belong in my memory songbook.

Back in the days when the Great American Novel was still the Holy Grail for many young artists, writers would labor for years creating long, absorbing masterworks. Even genre fans would get into the act by churning out six hundred page horror stories or family sagas. In the digital age of publishing long books are still welcome if written by brand-name authors of a popular series, or wrought by a newly discovered wunderkind of crime, suspense or sci-fi. Yet many new authors fail to finish a first book because they are overwhelmed by the task of creating a cogent, compelling story that spans three or four hundred pages. Get Digital Now! Fortunately, the advent of Kindle, Nook, and tablets like iPad has spawned new publishing trends, one of which is the emerging popularity of shorter works. For writers of fiction this is an opportunity to create a series of short stories or novellas that may range from 10 to 100 pages. For journalists and narrative non-fiction authors, short essays that have a “breaking news” edge may be a viable way to go. How-to guides and other useful information articles also have their place. The trend toward shorter works is driven by consumers of digital books who may not have much time for long books. Business people who travel a lot, for example, may enjoy a story or report that can be read in only one or two hours. The reader enjoys the satisfaction of actually finishing a story or article, rather than interrupting the process and picking up loose ends later. Short & Satisfying Shorter works provide satisfaction for authors, too. It feels good to complete something that has been brewing for years, or even days. Authors who have another profession often cannot sequester enough time to stay focused on a longer work. But the fulfillment that comes from finishing several short stories or essays can improve work habits and build the confidence needed to commit to writing that first novel. Needless to say, Amazon Kindle welcomes all of the above, and doesn’t demand that a work of art or reportage be of a certain length. If a writer can say it in 10 to 20 pages, why must they go on a quest to expand? “Masterpiece” is not synonymous with “painfully long.” And who among us has actually finished reading “Moby Dick,” unless it was a school assignment? (Just kidding. Many readers have, of course. But …) This is not to say there isn’t a new Herman Melville or Stephen King in our midst. By all means, think big if you must. But if you aspire to be a writer and yet have not finished your first book, could it be that you’re expecting too much of yourself? In the beginning, think small. If your intended book is necessarily long, break it into short sections that can be published separately. Then when each section is finished, put them all together under one digital cover and publish your title as a “new” edition. Or while you’re working on a long book, find something on your hard drive that can be finished in a couple weeks so that you can relish the joy of achievement while pursuing grander goals. In short, digital publishing allows writers to be marathon runners and sprinters. Mix it up. Surprise yourself by changing your habits. And know that more productivity may be your greatest reward. Douglas Glen Clark Multiplatform artist

Andrew W. Marlowe is the creator and showrunner of the hit ABC television series CASTLE. The fact that the show is enjoying its eighth season may strike you as … • Dumb luck • Deserved success for a writer whose first produced screenplay was AIR FORCE ONE, starring Harrison Ford • Harmonic convergence (astrology) But the one-hour drama is succeeding, in part, because Marlowe (like other Hollywood creatives) no longer relies only on Nielsen Ratings or traditional marketing. He has embraced Multiplatform Hollywood. For his show, Marlowe created Richard Castle, a best-selling mystery novelist portrayed by actor Nathan Fillion, who helps solve unusual crimes in New York City. Despite the show’s popularity, the USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate knew he must do more to hold onto his audience. “There are so many shows out there you have to figure out how to keep your audience. Writers and producers must have an entrepreneurial mindset,” he told an audience at a Writers Guild of America (WGA) event last fall. “How do you get smart with your creative assets?” Answer to question? Embrace transmedia — telling a story across multiple media platforms. Social media would allow characters from CASTLE to inter-act with the audience. Twitter, Tumblr and so on. But in a stroke of brilliance Marlowe conceived and oversaw the New York Times best-selling Nikki Heat book series, the Derrick Storm spy-thrillers, and Marvel Comics’ Derrick Storm graphic novels. Every title was written not by Marlow, but Richard Castle — a fictional character. Nearly three million copies have been sold worldwide, according to the WGA. “He’s a real author.” Marlowe said of Castle. “We went with that.” When considering how to expand the reach of his creative asset, Marlowe asks three questions. 1. Is it cool? 2. Will it drive viewership? 3. Can it be monetized? “You have to make some cultural noise,” he said. The Multiplatform Experience for authors: What about authors of fiction and nonfiction books? How can they expand their main asset — a book? From the published author’s point of view, Marlowe reverse engineered his expansion, from TV to publishing. Why not reverse his reversal? Huh? Face it, many authors dream of having their book optioned or purchased by a Hollywood entity. Unfortunately, a lot of books are ignored. Or perhaps it is simply not obvious to the entertainment industry how, for example, a nonfiction book might be great content for developing a comedic or dramatic series. So, dear author, show them whatcha can do. Start by re-imagining your content. If you write fiction the central character is the most obvious point of focus. Or … is there a secondary character you really love? Could you fashion a world that is adjacent to your novel’s theme or story arc? Think different. Turn your story upside down. Shake it up. Could you portray a character in your book? Create monologues that you perform in short videos? You don’t have to be a teen with a guitar or great dance moves to take full advantage of YouTube. And all you need is a laptop to begin. In fact, Marlowe and others at the WGA event encouraged writers to “make stuff” with the available technology. Nonfiction writers have a different task. A memoir is one thing, a business/inspirational guide is another. Yet in both cases the author must seize a core idea and begin to transform the narrative into new media. For example, if you are an author and public speaker what type of show could you anchor? Reality TV, half-hour comedy? Drama? By recharging your image of yourself you begin to re-assess your creative assets . Authors Adapt: We limit ourselves when we see our published works as only one thing. If Marlowe had restricted his vision to only making a one-hour drama he would have missed out on the unique ways transmedia has allowed him to build audience participation — and devotion. “We need to evangelize our shows so that fans stay tuned in,” he said. Be brave. Reverse engineer. Rethink. Resurrect the book you know deserves more attention. Imagine a whole new enterprise with your name on it. DOUGLAS CLENN CLARK multiplatform artist

The nonfiction book idea I briskly explained to a lit agent wasn’t pulling much interest, and I was annoyed. The story involved a genuine hero during one of our nation’s most cataclysmic natural disasters. What was the problem? The central character did not emerge from the crisis as a celebrity—think Rudy Giuliani post-911. I argued, “But the story has never been told to a broad audience. It’s a diamond in the rough.” Still no go. Explaining this defeat to my ghostwriting client would be disappointing. So I sat with it for a few days. Then I had an idea. Write the screenplay. The story has sensational visuals, moral courage, and a dramatic court battle against corporate idiocy. “Based on a true story” also gave us some leeway in how we told the story. Movie now, book deal later. I was excited. No, more than excited. My multiplatform thinking had— Funked me up! (Thanks Bruno Mars for "Uptown Funk.") Get Your Funky On! We get stuck. We think a book is a book that needs a publisher. We think a screenplay must absolutely be a film. Or a novel has to remain a work of narrative fiction, forever and a day. Wrong. When stuck in one platform, move to another. That’s the Multi-Platform ethos. (First it was a notion, now it’s an ethos, I hope it will someday evolve into a trend or major religion that offers free blended beverages.) The reasoning for changing platforms may seem obvious when considering how hungry entertainment firms are for content. Netflix, Amazon and so forth are now competing with cable and the networks. Go where the action is. But the reverse idea also has a proven track record. A friend who enjoyed an enormously successful screenwriting career could not sell some of his best work. Two particularly good screenplays are now published novels. What gives? Story has no gender, political affiliation or particular yearning to be a book, movie or Broadway musical. We, the creators of story, insist that “I’m writing a book” or “This is going to make a great film” or … “I see this as a choreographed tone-poem.” But the story itself just wants to be told. Your Funky is Your Bliss! Have you ever felt the lightness of being that occurs after you’ve finally let go of something that just wasn’t working—a career or a Napoleonic yoga instructor? The multiplatform artist seeks the right way, the correct path. And sometimes that might mean moving in a direction he or she would never think to go. This nervy sense of needing a trans-media confirmation procedure began happening to me as I discussed projects with prospective ghostwriting clients. I’d be talking book but thinking HBO television series. Why not both? Or I might be staring at an outline for a movie that was actually the skeleton of a story that deserved to be an expansive narrative. I had written in these various forms, why not offer those mediums to clients? These days I now answer queries with this question: “Why does this project have to be a book?” The question began to take shape after too many lit agents and publishers became evermore picky and choosy. They wanted a winning lottery ticket. Authors without a huge platform, or other obvious selling point—Mr. Giuliani, the explosive new hip-hop musical—were not welcome, in some circles. Granted, selling any project can be challenging. Writing a screenplay does not preclude rejection. Yet how many times can you hear ‘no’ without then wondering, would this story be better served in another medium? Funk You Up Tips for MultiPlatform Success! While giving notes on a chapter for his nonfiction book, my client said, “When in doubt, go deep. That’s me.” But going deep also meant his 60,000-word title would likely soar to 80,000. I questioned whether his budget or target audience would want the extra poundage. What’s that got to do with Funk You Up techniques? Less than deep worried this man. It went against his sense of self. Exactly, my fellow MultiPlatform Artists. Disrupt. Reverse your natural inclinations—as a way of exploring other media, applications and roads to glory. What’s to lose? You can always go back to your original idea. Start with a beat sheet. TV writers “beat” out a story by making a list of scenes, actions, that must occur to fulfill a one-hour or half-hour episode. This forces them to nail the essentials. So before you insist your book is a book, see it as a TV series. Create a beat sheet for three episodes, which may portray sections or mere chapters of the book you wish to create. Trans-Genre procedure. If you believe the tone of your story is noir, imagine it as sci-fi or YA in the style of Hunger Games. Jot down ideas that appall, excite or make you laugh. The goal is not to deny your choice of genre, but to juice your imagination and make the process fun. Be brave: accept the discoveries that may follow. Be Repurposeful. Grab a book, film, poem, grocery list or diary you have already created. Now make it into something else. For example, the grocery list might become a murder mystery—I never did trust those gluten-free granola morsels. Since repurposing content is a staple of blogging and online marketing, embrace the notion that even your beloved accomplishment might gain new traction if you— Funk it up. Douglas Glenn Clark Multiplatform Artist

I know the headline sounds harsh. Get over it. ​To succeed in today's entertainment/biz market it is not enough to be beautiful, cool or young. You must make something. For actors this means make a video series, a movie, a screenplay that can be pitched to production companies. The screenplay includes a role that nails who you are. ​For filmmakers, the 'make stuff' edict means creating a project, which obviously begins with a screenplay. (Check out the HBO documentary "Becoming Mike Nichols." Listen as he describes how he developed THE GRADUATE screenplay.) ​YOU CANNOT WAIT TO BE HIRED. That's so 20th Century. ​You must create SOMETHING that makes people want to hire you. In the 1990s it was not so easy to put some money and equipment together to make a movie. ​Yet, that's what Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn did. They shot a film, and they are such wonderful , candid talents that they fully admit they did not know what they were doing. ​Regardless, "Swingers" made them. WIKIPEDIA: "Swingers is a 1996 American comedy-drama film about the lives of single, unemployed actors living on the 'eastside' of Hollywood, California during the 1990s swing revival. Written by Jon Favreau and directed by Doug Liman, the film starred Favreau and Vince Vaughn, and also featured performances by Ron Livingston and Heather Graham. a critical and commercial hit, the film helped propel Favreau, Livingston, and Vaughn to stardom while also launching Doug Liman's directing career as he won the MTV award for Best New Filmmaker." SPIKE LEE understood this concept decades ago. He made a film called SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT. Mostly recently he made CHI-RAQ. ​Has Spike been hired by Hollywood and many product brands to create movies and television commercials? OH YEAH. But he didn't wait to be wanted. He made his own stuff first.​ ​It doesn't stop with film. Bestselling author JOHN GRISHAM is a brand now, but his first novel could not find a publisher. Did he want to be discovered? ​No. He self-published his first book and sold it out of the trunk of his car. This was long before Amazon and Kindle made it so simple to create your own book. “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” ​— Henry David Thoreau NIKE prospered with the pointed question, "Is it in you?" WELL ... is it? ​Make Stuff. And then share your book, screenplay, song, dance, painting with an audience that may need you. Douglas Glenn Clark Multiplatform Artist

On Wednesday I attended a panel discussion at the Writers Guild (WGA) about transitioning from film to TV writing. I've shared a few thoughts on my blog. But there is more to tell. I'll write up Parts 2 and 3 over the next couple days. Hope you find this helpful. http://bit.ly/TVtrans

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA sponsored a terrific seminar tonight: "Transitioning From Film to TV" Excellent panel that involved writers and producers. I'll post more tomorrow. FACT: WGA now makes more $ from TV

I enjoy the short cycles -- 10 to 12 episodes -- of recent cable TV. As a viewer they allow me to commit and enjoy the beginning-to-end experience. Yet today at Writers Salon sponsored by WGA it was clear that these shortened cycles also decrease writing jobs from the TV universe. Smaller staffs. Alexandra Cunningham, now an EP on Aquarius, summed it up when she acknowledged that there were very few entry-level or lower level writing jobs. And freelance? Forget it. "Desperate Housewives" actually paid the penalty for not hiring freelancers because it was impossible bring stringers up to speed mid-season. So it goes. But there is no limit to what a storyteller, filmmaker, webisode producer can do on their own. Wishing everyone well.

Welcome all. And thanks Stage32 for this op. The TV novel ( True Detective, The Good Wife -- and others) continues to inspire and move me. The relationship between prose and screen absorbs much of my time. And, curiously, I'm getting more requests for screenplay-to-novel adaptations as entertainment writers embrace new publishing opportunities. Whatever the form STORY is what captivates. My TV novel DOC SHOP seeks producers. A Pinocchio/Hemingway 'big fish' tale is now in process, prose to screen. Thoughts about adaptation are always welcome. Be well. Wishing you every success.

I still remember the magic of Disney's Pinocchio. As I matured, the magnificent quest of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea caught my attention. Both stories were adapted into excellent films. Why were they memorable. I ask because I'm adapting my LAKE FABLE. Your thoughts (FREE today) about adaptation are most welcome. http://amzn.to/1qUtD5w

early Sunday a.m. OPENING SHOT. Outside PEETS. An upright citizen chastises a wanderer for smoking. "Hey, you can't smoke out here." Smoker calmly quips, "Well maybe I should smoke inside" (I laughed)