Marla Young's Lounge Discussions

Brian Shell
On the topic of co-writing scripts

As I've learned (the hard way when I used to work with writing partners), once the fun of the honeymoon period ends and writing the damn script truly becomes work? That's when most people quit. It's also why I prefer to work alone on my own projects these days. If the script doesn't get done, the on...

Expand post

Marla Young

I've co-written with a fabulous partner who used to be my mentor. She's a great 'idea' person and really gets structure. So, when we decide on our next script, she 'talks' it as I scribble furiously (...

Expand comment
Brian Shell

@Marla... sounds like a great partnership you share with your writing partner. What I've liked about my collaborations is when my partner complimented me through our characters' dialogue... an in-refe...

Expand comment
Marla Young

@Brian… Clever way to compliment your partner… I like that. One thing that was really interesting for my partner and me was that by the time a script is finished (well they're never really finished… b...

Expand comment
Brian Shell

@Marla... sounds like the perfect Sword & Shield writing partnership that you two possess. Gotta love it when that happens. :-) Like in the movie "Rocky" when Paulie asks why Rocky likes his sister. R...

Expand comment
Marla Young

@Brian… Exactly! What I didn't mention is we certainly don't always agree on a direction/a scene/even dialogue. But that always leads to more discussion which I believe, leads to better writing. I've...

Expand comment
Pitch to meeting to production

After an excellent pitch meeting arranged by Stage32 Happy Writers back in early August with a producer, I sent off my drama pilot “Pride of MGM” at his request. I sent a thank you card a couple weeks later updating him that another pilot I had written, a dark comedy called “Utopia, TX”, had made th...

Expand post

Kevin T. Morales

Sounds like I'm being snarky, but the answer is Google.

Yasmin Neal

Lol you arent being snarky, i just know we were asked to not contact the executive privately, so i didnt know if by doing that if we got banned from Stage 32 lol or if it was looked upon negatively by the executive, like we cant follow instructions...

Kevin T. Morales

I did ask Joey if it was okay to send a TY card. So yeah I don't recommend phone calls or hunting down email addresses. And if the scripts are good you develope a relationship outside of stage 32 and that is what can make the initial participation so valuable.

K Kalyanaraman

Good to read about your wonderful experience! Keep up the tempo and good luck...

Marla Young

Fantastic! Talk about everything coming together at once (after years of writing, I'm sure :)

Marla Young
Another Script Request!

I've gotten quite a few requests on my indie-type drama scripts,, but it wasn't until Joey suggested I pitch my psychological horror OUT OF THE WOODS that I pulled it from the pile and did just that! First pitch ever for this script and it was immediately requested by Cindy Cowan Entertainment. Plus...

Expand post

LindaAnn Loschiavo
"Final Draft" software -- the best? And how do you get a discount on it??

I have heard about other script software and I would like to hear your opinion(s). Thanks!

Geoff Dupuy-Holder

Lisa , even worse, your old OS is no longer supported by Apple, which means no security upgrades.

Thomas J. Herring

I'm using 10.9.5 OS Maverick. That's as high as I can go on this. It's going to have to do until I come into a wad of money someday. I bought my Macbook in 2008.

Steven Fussell

I second the use of Scrivener. When writing in format, it's almost as easy as Final Draft with shortcuts and auto formatting etc. But the true beauty of it is how it allows to you to structure, draft,...

Expand comment
Kevin Carothers

My experience is if you have a paycheck from a school (even if you aren;t a teacher) you can get an education discount. Sometimes if you are just an employee at a school or public utility. If you have a teacher spouse, register it in his/her name.

Keith A Jessop

Fade In is the BEST. Full-featured and remarkably priced. Imports and exports to many formats including FD. Have used it for 5-6 years now and wouldn't be without it.

Benjamin Lorenzo Sanchez
And they want meet me... OMG!

I'm very excited to have my first meet with a producer of LA, Indomina Group. I'm not from USA and for me it is more difficult to get this kind of contacts but I, and we, have a really good weapon: Joey Tuccio. Thank you Joey for being so patient with me and well payed by Stage32 to get Joey. Crossing fingers and work hard! and good luck to everyone.

James Riggen

Hey ther Benjamin! Congratulations, that's huge! I'm curious to know how long it took between the time you sent your screenplay and the time Indomina got back to you?

Benjamin Lorenzo Sanchez

Hi James! 2 month! so I learnt to be patient

April Ranck

HI Benjamin, congratulations!

James Gregory

Fantastic! Good luck to you, fingers crossed!

Debbie Elicksen

That's very awesome, Benjamin. Good luck!

Ian Lynch
Loglines: A Big Ol' Rant.

You don’t have to read all this. I just need to get this off my chest, because it’s driving me crazy. Either there’s a handful of people targeting me who don’t understand what loglines are, or I’m missing something right in front of my face, and I don’t understand what loglines are. Let me explain....

Expand post

JR Kingsbury

it's boring, where's the conflict? Mix it up a bit...

Jovan Lopez

i think its a good concept, but the guitar lessons to get money for the addiction, i feel isn't enough, like Jeff said, that would be the boring part, i'm trying to give you some constructive feedback...

Expand comment
Jean-Marie Mazaleyrat

Happy New Year!

Deryn Warren

It is fine but needs to go further. For example: “When a hard-partying rockstar is kicked out of his band due to a drug addiction, he (starts giving) GIVES guitar lessons to fund his habit AND DISCOVE...

Expand comment
Annette Stewart-Colon

I find it very difficult to write a logline because, it's hard for me to sum the story up in a few lines.

Marla Young
A Fabulous On-Line Class with Garrick Dion (BOLD FILMS), Script Requests through Joey (!) and a paying gig… all through Stage 32!

Just finishing up an 8-week online class with Garrick Dion (Development Exec BOLD FILMS) -- DRIVE & many other impressive titles... that I discovered through Joey & Stage 32. Great course -- Garrick has in-depth knowledge (actually, encyclopedic -- he calls himself a 'film nerd') of the industry, fi...

Expand post

Marla Young

You have the gift to inspire, Joey. Thank you.

Stage 32 Staff - Julie

Mala, all I can say is WOW. What an impressive and nurturing run you've had through Stage 32, Stage 32 Happy Writers and Joey. You are proof positive as to why we created this community. To push, to i...

Expand comment
Spike Thurbon

Fantastic news, Marla, chuffed for you! Spike

Suzanne Lutas

Thank you for sharing your amazing experience Maria. All the best!

Zergog Sebastian Tovar
Any Meetups in San Jose area?

Hi all. I am looking for Meetups in or around San Jose Ca.. All creative areas. Production, screenwriting and acting etc.. If there are none happening but I get interest from anyone, I can try to find a comfortable area maybe a lounge or anywhere we can talk openly and have fun and friendly discussi...

Expand post

Marla Young

Sorry, I won't be able to make it tonight, but enjoy and pls share what transpired!

Mark E. Sackett

I AM IMPRESSED WITH THE HUMANITY IN THE WORLD AND HOPEFUL WHEN I SEE THINGS LIKE "be japy e.V." For 5 years now in 10 cities and three countries I have created a small but amazing event called THE ART...

Expand comment
Vincent Montoya

wow i wish that i lived in the are to bad im in mesa Arizona but yeah thanks for the add and also i wish you the best of luck that anyone can get in life thanks once again and stay safe

Willow Polson
Farrukh Shah Khan

Hey guys looking forward to meeting all of you guys again tomorrow at our WBT production studio in San Jose. The address is 4423 Fortran Court, Suite 112, San Jose, CA 95134. Call or txt me at 408-656-7818

Ginger Marin
Weird Criticism or What?

I submitted my drama/action script pitch recently and got back 2 comments -- "Not clear why this guy had to be a .... specialist." and "Why make her a .... woman?" - While I've omitted certain words - they pertain specifically to the supporting characters' CAREERS. To me this critique makes no sense...

Expand post

James David Sullivan

What kind of a question is that from someone who claims to support his fellow writers? This thread was started to address an issue Ginger Marin had as to whether certain feedback was weird. You switch...

Expand comment
James David Sullivan

@Dan - The more I think about it, the more I would like to know what she didn't tell us. Why hide this information from us? How can we come to a valid conclusion if she leaves out what could be key wo...

Expand comment
James David Sullivan

@Dan - a oral pitch is almost like going through a Ph.D. oral exam. You have to know every detail of your script and be prepared to answer succinctly almost any imaginable question they throw at you - typically in less than 10 minutes.

James David Sullivan

@Dan - if you have some other way to get your scripts produced, then you definitely don't have to do them!

Ginger Marin

I started another post a couple of of days ago to show precisely who is reading our scripts. Check it out https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/ShowBiz-Interns-Class-Actio......

Expand comment
Marla Young
Collaborating with other Creatives!

Hi, nice to meet all of you! I'm a WGA produced screenwriter with my most recent airing on Lifetime last May, and a producer on two award-winning documentaries... a columnist, magazine editor and writer... so, I guess you'd call me a writer-of-everything! I love working with others, which is what th...

Expand post

Cleveland O. McLeish
Agent/Producer for Screenwriter

Hi all, I need to be educated on some things as a well established Caribbean writer. I live and write from my home country in Jamaica and I have several polished full length feature scripts that have done well in competitions, but I just can't seem to get that big break that we all dream about. I ha...

Expand post

D Marcus

Interesting that in your Google search you found that should not trust agents. Or do you mean a Google search cautioned you that there are some agents not to be trusted? Like any "agent" who asks for money up front.

Marla Young

Hi Cleveland, There are good agents and then there are 'the others.' You can go to WGA.org and in the search box, type in "Guild Signatory Agents" and up will pop a list of agents you can query. It's...

Expand comment
Micah Weech
Feature length scripts wanted

I am a director looking for feature length scripts that are low budget to direct. That could be based in the southern parts of the USA.

Louisiana Dalton

I have a full-length play "Life's a Gamble" set in the French Quarter in New Orleans circa 1980 that would easily convert to film. Interested? Do you have a producer?

Micah Weech

I am a producer as well. I am interested.

Mark Ratering

Micah I have a script you may be interested in what's your email mrateringg@hotmail.com

Matt Rafferty

Who Lives Last- 2 CIA agents are given the task of protecting a key witness, who happens to be a cult leader, over the weekend. Except his followers know where he is and they aren’t the only ones.-----1 location---a house in the countryside---82 pages.

Sylvia Marie Llewellyn

Just realized that this post's been going for 1 year!!!

register for stage 32 Register / Log In