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A Rose By Any Other Name
Don’t underestimate the power of a good character name. The name is usually the first thing the reader knows about the character. It is our first impression. I can tell you as a ‘reader’ and story...
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Evolution of a Classic: Paddy Chayevsky’s Creative Path To “Network”
You may find it vaguely reassuring to know that the earliest rough drafts of even a brilliant script like “Network” were, well… rough. This great article from the NY Times charts Chayevsky’s creative...
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“How To Be A Writer Who Writes”– Strategies and Tactics to Start and Finish...
“YOU WANNA WRITE? READ THIS” – Marc Weingarten (author of “The Gang That Wouldn’t Write Straight”) “UTTERLY LUCID AND INFINITELY PRACTICAL” – Terri Jentz (author of “Strange Piece of Paradise”)...
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Think You’ve Re-Written Your Scene Enough? Tony Kushner on Re-Writing “Lincoln”
Playwright/screenwriter Tony Kushner (“Angels in America”) got nominated for an Oscar for his dense, literary and poetic screenplay of “Lincoln” (adapted from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book “Team of...
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How the Kingdom Came: Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola on Collaboration
Writing partners can be tricky, time-consuming and problematic, but when it works, it works. It worked for Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, who co-wrote Moonrise Kingdom. They talked about the...
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Do you really want to call it “DEATH of a Salesman”? (Even Arthur Miller Got...
Screenwriter Nicholas Kazan wrote a memorable article for the Writer’s Guild Magazine about receiving notes. His father features in the story, which revolves around the first draft of Arthur Miller’s...
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Rewrite Desk: 4 Reasons to Cut Something and 14 Things to Cut
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” — Michelangelo I’m a cutter. I love deleting. Sometimes I don’t wait to re-plan the rewrite. Sometimes I don’t even wait to finish the...
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When to Stop Rewriting (Pt. 1): Don’t Be a Chicken
If you can’t tell whether a scene is better before or after that 4th rewrite, stop. Like a doctor who takes the Hippocratic Oath, rewriters should “first do no harm”. Screenwriter Rob Ramsey (“Life”,...
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How To Get Feedback on Your Draft
“Don’t pay any attention to the critics—don’t even ignore them.” — Samuel Goldwyn 1. Get feedback BEFORE re-reading your draft (if you can possibly wait) 2. Ask for the kind of feedback you really...
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Why I Love Index Cards as a Writing Tool (Pt. 2): Full-Color Edition
Writing doesn’t always look like ‘writing’. For the last 2-3 weeks, my work on the current screenplay has consisted of staring at a wall of index cards (in photo at left). Occasionally I add a detail...
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Space Talk: What Astronauts Can Teach You About Writing Dialog
Thanks to 101books for this funny post on what the astronauts can teach us about writing dialog. 101 Books doesn’t specify, but I’d say this excellent snippet of dialog can teach you that repetition,...
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7 Tools for Critical Thinking (from Philosopher Daniel Dennett)
As I say in my book, “How To Be A Writer Who Writes”, (a phrase I love saying and really should say more), different phases of the writing process call for different kinds of writing. In Phases 1...
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Rewrite Principals (Pt. 1)
1) Less words Awesome art by Ryo Shimizu Filed under: Rewriting Tagged: Rewriting
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3 Criteria of the Bechdel Gender Imbalance Test (from Alison Bechdel & Liz...
1. Does [your project] contain two or more female characters who have names? 2. Do those characters talk to each other? 3. Do they discuss something other than a man? Filed under: Creative Process,...
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Generic Script Rewrite Note #1: Too Many Characters
I recently gave a client notes on the first draft of a screenplay. Among my biggest notes was that the central emotional storyline was getting diluted because it was spread among too many characters....
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The Writer’s Clinic: Personalized Attention (and Assignments) for Any Book or...
The doctor is in! Work on any aspect of your writing with writer/producer/writing coach Greg Miller (author of “How to Be a Writer Who Writes”, producer of Un-Cabaret). This unique clinical workshop...
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The Feedback Loop: How to Use Readers for Your Rewrite(s)
Ask ten writers for their opinion and you’ll get at least a dozen different opinions – and yet… After you’ve written a draft of your book or script (much less multiple drafts) you will almost...
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Writing is Hard (But I Can Make Your Writing Easier, Faster, Better and More...
I can help you… - Choose which project to write next - Outline and plan your book or script - Get your (next) draft written - Figure out what’s wrong (and right) with your current draft - Rewrite it -...
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The Shaula Evans Comedy Punch-Up Method (from the Blacklist)
The Shaula Evans Comedy Punch-Up Method 1. Comedy needs a story spine to hang on. Fix up structural, character, and plot problems before you start your punch up. (See also: David Zucker on Comedy.) 2....
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Rewrite Principals (Pt. 1)
My Darkened Eyes by Ryo Shimizu 1) Less words Awesome art by Ryo ShimizuFiled under: Rewriting Tagged: Rewriting
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