Screenwriting Tricks for Authors
Act I

Writing a Synopsis – that sells!

Yes, I know—the very word “Synopsis” strikes dread into the heart of a writer. And yes, I know—after the year-or-years long marathon that is writing a book, the very last thing anyone wants to do is come up with a one or three-page synopsis of the 400 pages you’ve...

read more

Nailing Your Act I

I’ve decided to drill down on the essential elements of Act Ifor February (with some digressions!). Last week I suggested that everyone would benefit from reviewing the essential elements of whatever Act you’re writing in right now. But how much more fun to do it...

read more

Fall in Love with Story Structure!

So in this New Year, of all my Top Tricks to Get Yourself Writing Again, my Trick #1 is:                                                Fall in Love with Story Structure I’m not ever going to try to talk anyone out of being a pantser! Your process is your process.To...

read more

SELMA – Act I Story Breakdown

This month, why not celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and work on your storytelling craft—by watching Selma? We’ve started talking about using Story Patterns (What KIND of Story is It?). In Selma, the filmmakers have chosen the structural form of a War Story and...

read more

First Chapters

First Chapters are a very fraught subject. Writers agonize over them. I don’t have to tell you! The pressure is enormous, isn’t it? The first chapter sells your submission and it sells your book once it’s published. It carries the whole weight of the book with it. It...

read more