Screenwriting Goldmine Blog It’s very exciting when you realise how much control you have when you’re writing. Every single word you lay on the page is an active choice. When you start with a blank page the potential is limitless – and so getting the right word can mean everything. When you think about that you quickly understand that every single word you write can be brilliant – or it can be dull. A single page of screenplay can sparkle. And it’s only the words that make that happen. So how do you make the right choices? Well, a lot of that is about your ear. But it can take a long time. I download a screenplay I admire from imsdb.com or script-o-rama.com and I transcribe some of it. Literally. I take, oh, the first five pages, and literally go through them, word by word, copying each word into my screenwriting software. When I do that I can feel what it’s like to make choices like that writer does. It’s the closest you’ll get to inhabiting their mind. And feel the difference.
Timothy Hallinan - Writer's Resources Finishing Your Novel “A writer is someone who finishes.” -- Thomas Farber This section is for you if: You’ve started a novel but are having trouble finishing it, or You want to start a novel but aren’t sure you’ll be able to finish it. I’ve been writing novels (and teaching about writing novels) for twenty years, and one thing I’ve learned is how to finish. This section is about how to handle those things. Finishing a novel (or any kind of writing project) is a transformational experience. A long time ago, something funny happened to me. I thought I was a writer. And then my house burned down. So I made some notes on the book I remembered best, flew to Thailand, and wrote the whole thing in seven weeks. This area of the site is based on what I've learned since then.
How to Write a Killer Explainer Video Script | Video Brewery A video has the power to tell a convincing story about your business in 60-seconds. But before you even think about the cutesy illustration and animation, you need to pour everything you have into developing a killer script. A well-written, engaging script is the foundation for a successful explainer video. Without the right foundation, the rest of the creation process is in vain. So what can you do to make sure your video is a killer and not merely a nap inducer? 1. 2. 3. 4. If you have story-driven characters, imagine real people as mental place-holders. 5. Dry facts, statistics and definitions are okay in the classroom, but unless your video is for students imprisoned in a classroom, avoid lifeless content whenever possible. 6. *Tip: You can try to include written humor in your script, but sometimes it’s more effective to introduce humor as part of the on-screen animation. 7. When producing an explainer video, don’t skimp on the script. Additional Resources:
25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing I read this cool article last week — “30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself” — and I thought, hey, heeeey, that’s interesting. Writers might could use their own version of that. So, I started to cobble one together. And, of course, as most of these writing-related posts become, it ended up that for the most part I’m sitting here in the blog yelling at myself first and foremost. That is, then, how you should read this: me, yelling at me. Then go forth and kick your writing year in the teeth. Onto the list. 1. Right here is your story. 2. Momentum is everything. 3. You have a voice. 4. Worry is some useless shit. 5. The rise of self-publishing has seen a comparative surge forward in quantity. 6. I said “stop hurrying,” not “stand still and fall asleep.” 7. It’s not going to get any easier, and why should it? 8. 9. The mind is the writer’s best weapon. 10. Complaining — like worry, like regret, like that little knob on the toaster that tells you it’ll make the toast darker — does nothing. 11.
How to Guides Welcome to Writer's Resources—your resources! This is the section you come to for how-to and formatting guides, an inspirational kick in the pants, and nifty icons and flyers. You'll find handy links to everything in the section there on the left, and here's a quick overview of each item on the list. How To Guides How to Build Great Characters and Stories Scriptwriter Bootcamps and Worksheets The Young Writers Program Director, Chris Angotti, has put together a series of bootcamps and worksheets that can help writers of all ages develop their characters and stories. We've highlighted a few of these resources below to help you plan your scripts. Four-Week Scriptwriting Bootcamp In the next four weeks, our scriptwriting boot camp will teach you everything you'll need to know to tackle the great Script Frenzy challenge this April. Week 2: Creating Conflict and Outlining Your Plot Get your characters off the page and into action in Week 2. Week 3: What Makes a Script a Script? Need a Lift?
Email Marketing Blog for Small Business: Social Media Campaign Ideas to Build Fans &Increase Engagement Social Media Published on April 8th, 2010 | by Janine Popick Many social media programs are goaled on the amount of friends or followers as well as the engagement levels of those friends and followers. Contests, give-a-ways and polls are all great ways to build your followings and increase your engagement. Here is a list of some of the great ideas I have seen work for small businesses: Offer a gift card to your store to a randomly picked Facebook Fan every month. Give a free service to the first 5 people who answer a question about your company on Twitter correctly. Poll your audience on pop culture facts, industry news, their daily life or habits. Host a scavenger hunt. Start a photo, video or blog contest. Social media isn’t a one to many interaction like much of your traditional direct marketing, it is a many to many. Has anyone had any success with a contest? © 2010 – 2012, VR Marketing Blog.