I'm a Script Frenzy Champion!

Well after a month of sweat I won Script Frenzy again this year.

Go me go me!

And kudos to the more than 450 other writers who cranked out 100 pages (or more) this year. The screenplay's far from done, I've got at least 10 more pages left and a serious rewrite for May, but I achieved my goal, and the contest stimulated the old imagination, which is always a plus. And best of all, I REALLY LIKE Quest for the Soul Stone now, which is not something that I could say before.



So to all my readers who participated, congratulations!

And now a word from our sponsor - if you participated (or even if you didn't but wish you had) please consider donating a bit of your spare change to Script Frenzy. They are way below on their donations again this year and could use the help to spread good karma the world over. I bought myself a shirt and intend to buy either this year's shirt or a travel mug (or both) soon. Also, if you are unable to donate money in this nasty economy, you can still help by using the search engine Goodsearch. All you have to do is type in which charity you would like to donate the money and Goodsearch donates cash to your charity of choice. At last count the folks at the Office of Letters and Light, who run the Screnzy, received a fat check for $1000, so it's definitely a good way to help them out.

That's it for me. Peace out, yo.

Even MORE Avatar News

According to Animation Magazine the first Avatar movie, entitled simply The Last Airbender, is slated to arrive in theaters on Friday, July 2, 2010.

2010?!
I can't wait that long!

But I must. I am excited to see one of my favorite shows on the big screen. I am also glad that they were able to compromise with the title. While it would have been cool to call the trilogy Avatar: The Last Airbender, it would not have been cool to get sued by James Cameron, who, as many of you may know, is also coming out with his own Avatar film that has no relation whatsoever with Aang and his element-bending buddies.

I have mixed feelings about M. Night Shyamalan directing the upcoming Avatar films though. On the one hand he directed The Six Sense, one of the most poignantly scary films I've ever seen. On the other hand, he directed The Village. And Unbreakable. And Signs. *shudder*

However, given the source material and the fact that creators Michael DiMartino and Brian Konietzko are on board as executive producers, I do not foresee the film bombing at the box office. And I can only imagine how cool the special effects will look in a live action picture. So here's to M. Night making a great film! (I hope!)

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Monday Edition

Greetings fellow screenwriters! I hope that the weekend treated you well and that all of you are busy crafting your masterpieces. Quest for the Soul Stone is on track to be completed by the Script Frenzy April 30th deadline. I am excited for this screenplay. Thus far the adventure/family-friendly tone works well for it and I look forward to submitting it to contests after the rewrite(s). I am disappointed though in the Frenzy fallout. What I learned being an ML this year is that many people sign up for the challenge but few remain by the end. The write-ins consisted of myself and one to three other people (sometimes), even though 56 people signed up for the area. Not sure if they finished their specs or not, hopefully they did and they were too busy/swamped/shy to show up, but you never know. I fully intend to ML next year so we'll see what happens in 2009.

As for the Scribosphere, your favorites are back and ready to lend their wealth of knowledge to us, the burgeoning troop of future professional screenwriters.

First off, Jane is back online after taking time to work on her script for "Battlestar Galatica." She even includes a piece of the actual script for her loyal readers to peruse. Fabulous!

Personal fave Amanda will be blessed by the karma of the universe for her list of companies to call in regard to finding a job in LA. Thanks Amanda.

John August shows that he is not only a wonderful writer but also human by revealing that it took him six hours to write one scene. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.

Mystery Man continues with Craig and John's rant about the now-infamous WGA blacklist. Shameful what the Guild has stooped to after doing so well with the strike.

Blake Snyder gives a warm shout-out to everyone who attended his recent meet and greet. His previous post is truly inspiring as well and definitely worth a read.

Alex gives tips on how to showcase a phone conversation in your script.

And in sadder news, Man Bytes Hollywood may or may not return. David is struggling with whether he should keep the blog or allow it to spontaneously combust when he returns from his retreat. The selfish part of me hopes that he will keep the blog as he provides a wealth of information, but he alone knows what he should do with his time. We'll find out what happens when he returns.

My Poorly Drawn Life - Web Comic of the Week

Back when I lived in NYC I had the pleasure of meeting Rising Stars of Manga vol. 2 winner Tania del Rio at MoCCA Fest.

Tania's an awesome manga/comic artist who recently relocated to Cali.
She worked on Archie comics' Sabrina the Teenage Witch and also published a book called Manga Ka America highlighting American manga artists that all of you should buy right now. The art is amazing and showcases that you don't have to be from Japan to produce quality manga.

Every Monday Tania writes/illustrates a fantastically crude (as in badly drawn) web comic called My Poorly Drawn Life where she highlights interesting things going on in her life and the life of her family. It's always entertaining and just goes to show that you don't have to make everything Disney quality in order to entertain people.

Enjoy!

Disney/ABC Fellowship where are you?

Does anyone have any idea what happened to this program?
The last update says that submissions must be sent in by July 1, 2007.

Eh?

Every screenwriting blog out there promotes this competition but silly Disney/ABC won't respond to email inquires and their automated phone messaging service is stuck in a loop.

I myself have called and emailed four times now with no success. Perhaps you will have more success than I. Here is their contact info:

The Disney•ABC Writing Fellowship
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4016

www.disneyabctalentdevelopment.com
E-mail: abc.fellowships@abc.com
Telephone: (818) 560-6894

In all seriousness if anyone out there knows if this fellowship will be offered in 2009 please let me know so I can post the information. Thanks.

I AM Punk Rock

At long last I have an offer for a JOB. I am excited.
Here's the story:

2 weeks ago I began to get antsy as I attempted to find work in this town. As I scoured the Colorado film scene I came across a company featured by the Colorado Film and Video Commission. I checked out their awesome website and found the place that I wanted to work for. Alas, I have NO, read ZERO film editing, film creation experience, unless you count the two videos I filmed for junior history class in high school. (Which were, by the way, fantastic, or as fantastic as two short films with no budget and a Sony Handicam can be. But that's beside the point.)

Knowing that I would have to be creative in my offer, I sent them an email that basically read, "Look here's the deal. I recently moved here from New York. I love animation. I'm interested in your company. I can edit articles, do PR work, file, be an office assistant, an intern, what have you. Do you need someone awesome who can help you with the tasks you don't have time to do? If you do, please give me a call." And I inserted a creative subject line, "Do you need a volunteer/editor/office manager/lackey?"

I figured two things would happen:

a) They would laugh at my inquiry and give me a call
b) They would laugh at my inquiry and it would end up in the spam filter

Lo and behold, I get an email on Tuesday saying they LOVED the email, though it was charming and original and would I like to come in today to discuss a small project?

Cha-CHING!

I went to their fabulous office today and turns out they need press releases. And since I would be working freelance they are testing me by giving me a sample to write. If they like it, I get paid, and thus starts a beautiful relationship. And they also need interns, so I have the potential of getting to work for them at their office as well.

Yours truly is majorly stoked and hopefully this is my opportunity to get my foot in the door at a place that is truly magical.

Avatar Season 3 Trailer

At last! At long last! The series mega finale will begin!

I an avid "Avatar" fan, one of the best shows I've ever seen on television, hands down. I've written two specs for this show, the second I submitted this year to the Nick Writing Fellowship (fingers crossed folks, I'll find out in Sept. if I'm a finalist!)

The awesome creators of Avatar Spirit were given permission to post the trailer on the net for those of us not fortunate enough to attend this year's New York Comic Con. Darn you timing! I was there last year. Grr...

All bad timing aside, this is an awesome trailer and I look forward to watching the rest of the series.

Is it July yet?

The 200th Post!

Woo hoo! Much excitement here. Glad to see that my blogging experiment is no longer an experiment, but a full-fledged habit in writing and drawing. Applause all around.

So in celebration today I went to the Denver Zoo, and drew some pretty sweet drawings of the animals. I enjoyed myself. I like going to the Zoo, especially on the weekdays. Better parking and fewer mobs. It's fun listening to families watch the animals. Little kids always excited. Moms, Dads, Grandmas, Grandpas.

It's also funny watching parents trying to explain to kids why the animals are freaking each other.

No joke. I'm watching the lions, and they start getting it on. Then I go over to the hippo pound, and they start getting it on. And everyone's staring, not quite sure how to act, er "appropriately."

SUBURBAN MOM
Wow. It's like National Geographic.

ME
Yeah.

SUBURBAN MOM
Come on honey, let's go look at the giraffes.

LITTLE GIRL
No! I want to stay and watch the hippos.

Awkward.

But kids gotta learn sometime. Better the Zoo than TV I guess. More accurate.

So here are the lovely pics. Enjoy!

Script Frenzy - totally not dying! Yeah!

So let me tell you how glad I am that my screenplay is NOT going to crash and burn.

Glad. VERY glad indeed.

Seriously this has been the most difficult thing I've ever written since my first spec script I wrote three years ago. It's been a pretty painful process, which is bizarre since compared to everything else I've written this has been the most thought out, well-organized script I've ever written. I made a four page treatment, Acts I, II and III. I had a paragraph on each character. Even illustrations.

And then on Day 1 of Script Frenzy I realized I hated my script.
I spent the next week scrambling trying to figure out what to write instead. I had a vague idea about a guy that died, an angel, a group of wanderers in desert, but nothing remotely concrete.

But since I'm ML for Denver it wasn't like I could just quit. I had minions (er fellow writers) looking up to me for inspiration you know. So I just had to suck it up and deal with it. And you know, now that I've reread my first 76 pages, it's not as awful as I initially anticipated. In fact, after the rewrite, it will be darn near entertaining. I say near because it still needs quite a bit of work but hey, what are rewrites for?

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Wednesday Edition

Only two updates to speak of today.

The first comes from Amanda, who quite frankly is starting to offer better advice than most of the professional blogs I read on a daily basis. Today, she tackles the neverending question: how to actually get a JOB in LA.

Second update comes from Alex, answers a reader's questions about the hero overhearing conversation in the background and how indepth the background conversation needs to be.

Yeah, exciting stuff, right?
But it's all part of the script process.

Let me know if you find anything more interesting.

Fox Entertainment Group Diversity Writer's Initiative

I found out about this cool program courtesy of Amanda's blog.
Fox is offering a six week crash course in pilot script writing to a lucky handful of diverse candidates this year who submit original pilot episodes of their own shows.

It's the called the Diversity Writer's Initiative, sort of like the Nick Fellowship except they don't indicate whether you get paid or not, and you need a letter of recommendation from either a friend in the industry, an agent or an attorney.

It's a sweet deal though, because if you're selected you will be writing with professionals who will help you pick your script apart and rewrite it so that it is professional grade. You will then have the opportunity to pitch it to Fox execs.

The deadline is not until July 3rd. You have two months to do this. You have no excuses. Go out there and show the world what you're made of!

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Tuesday Edition

Only three scribes of the scribosphere have updated their blogs today. And not only that, they talk about stuff I don't really care about. Wah!
Oh well. Time to dab the eyes, throw out the tissues and carry on.

Mystery Man talks about what film noir actually is. Personally I've never liked film noir. Actually that's being nice about it, I can't stand film noir. Everytime I hear about how great Chinatown is I want to hurl. But you may like it. So if you like it, you should read the book he recommends.

John August goes off on a tangent about Grand Theft Auto IV. Yeah, I know. I was shocked too. More of a Tetris gal myself. But his tangent does have a bit of a point. He'll be off playing for awhile so you may not see any updates on his blog (or on mine about his blog) for a few weeks. Sad, very sad.

But Amanda talked about something I actually found useful - the Pros and Cons of being an assistant for tv/film/production. Very cool info. Read her blog update first.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Monday Edition

Welcome back from the weekend, fellow readers!
Hope that all of you had an awesome Saturday and Sunday.
As you all know I co-hosted two Script Frenzy events, one which I posted about and another I'll post about later today.

And while I was out writing writing writing the scribes of the scribosphere were busy lamenting over a rather ugly letter sent by the presidents of the WGAe and WGAw. Apparently the two are resorting to witch huntery post-strike, which is quite sad. Both John August and Craig Mazin posted about it on their blogs. You can also read the full letter in all its' scathing glory here.

In more upbeat news Amanda posted her two cents on how to find your voice and why it is so important in the craft of screenwriting.

And Cat! auteur Blake Synder gives a shout out to his upcoming third book. I'm a big fan of formulas but unlike Blake I don't believe that EVERY screenplay has to adhere to all 15 beats of his BS2 as he suggests. I wrote my first two screenplays without it and they turned out alright, but whatever works for you I suppose.

Animated Script Goodness!

Awesome reader Celeste kindly sent a link to not one, not two, but TWENTY ONE animated scripts from the Silver Surfer series. Kudos Celeste!



Please respond to her kindness by visiting her blog of coolness.

And check out the teleplays. Enjoy!

Script Frenzy Write-In

So yesterday Skyla and I had a write-in at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
We were pretty stoked about this as it would be a write-in for the entire state. However only four people showed up- Skye, myself, and Skye's two friends. Our other ML, Crash, was nowhere to be found (Crash, where were you and your denizens of Fort Collins?)

It was cool meeting her in person though. We got everything worked out prior to being at the Museum. I commend her for organizing events as well as she's had, especially since my script frenzy email wasn't working. And even though there were only four of us, we still had a blast. Turns out you can eat in the Museum cafeteria without having to pay Museum admission, which is pretty sweet. We basically plunked ourselves down at a table by the window and wrote/typed/commiserated for three hours. Good times.

So now I'm on page 50 of "Quest for the Soul Stone." Last year I was much further along. Although last year I liked my screenplay a lot better. I've figured out the problem. I didn't like the story going into it. I mean, I liked it two weeks prior. I enjoyed writing the outline. I had everything figured out. Then the day Screnzy started I realized I HATED the movie. Ouch. You ever wonder if someone working on the film knew the film was bad? You ever wonder why they kept working on it? I'll tell you why: it's because they've spent so much time planning it, they have people depending on them to finish it and they are so gung-ho about finishing what they start that they refuse to the see the crap bubbling up before their eyes like some primordial stew and they doggedly persist even when they know they should scrap the whole thing and start over.

But I'm here to tell you friends, that is the nature of the first draft. Seriously, how many of you out there can read your first drafts and NOT say that they are a bloody mess? Even "Xia," screenplay that I love with the warmth of a thousand suns, is but a mere shadow of it's former first draft self.

Fortunately for me, being an ML means that I should set a good example, which is the reason why I haven't quit the contest entirely. And because I haven't quit, I've been searching for ways to make my screenplay work. And last night, as my friend D'awn and I watched "The Forbidden Kindgom," the answer appeared to me.

Make the movie fun.

That's right, what this story lacked was a serious sense of enjoyment. The audience should enjoy the ride, be excited by what they see, not spoken to as if they are attending a funeral dirge. The concept is exciting, the characters need to be so too.
So I am adding more elements of danger, suspense, surprise, and hopefully that will make the story more engaging.

And heart. Lots of heart.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Weekend Edition

Hello hello my dear readers. It's time for another exciting recap of the musings heard 'round the scribosphere.

Alex Epstein encourages all writers to tell their story out loud. This will help you be a better storyteller!


John August explains why it may be better to have screenwriting, rather than non-screenwriting friends, read your scripts.


Mystery Man explains why each screenplay should be judged on its own merit and not simply a formula a la Robert McKee. I'm glad someone finally said this. It's as if everyone in the screenwriting world has gone gaga over that guy and his awesomely bogged down tome.

And Rogers at Kung Fu Monkey -- let's face it. The man's awesome. The man and his team. He actually breaks down on all the shenanigans that go into creating an actual show. Go read his blog. RIGHT NOW.

Photoshop Take 2

I really like this drawing. This one came out much better than my first attempt. I used the 5 pnt pencil this time, instead of the 10 for the outline. I also shaded it better.
Enjoy.

Stephen Colbert on Larry King Live [1 of 4] 4/14/08

Seriously Colbert is freakin' hilarious.
It amazes me how one guy and one show can have such an impact on America.

Just goes to show you how much you can get away with if you're funny.

Stephen Colbert on Larry King Live [2 of 4] 4/14/08

Stephen Colbert on Larry King Live [3 of 4] 4/14/08

Stephen Colbert on Larry King Live [4 of 4] 4/14/08

Web Comic Review: Earthsong

Script Frenzy continues to inspire me in more ways than one.
Someone in the forums mentioned a web comic called Earthsong. I looked it up and in an hour and a half had read the entire installment. Not only is it a great story but the artwork is superb.

Newsarama also did an interesting cover story about Crystal and her work that you can read here.

Anyone looking to improve their Photoshop skills should check out Crystal Yates' work. She updates the comic every Monday AND Thursday so there's always something cool to read.

What are you waiting for? Go read it now!

Ollie Johnston - Man of Vision

Sadly one of the Nine Old Men of Disney fame passed away this week.
Ollie Johnston, animator extraordinaire and co-author of the seminal classic The Illusion of Life died on Monday at the age of 95.

Both Mystery Man on Film and Cartoon Brew have lovely shorts and eulogies dedicated to the man who made animation come alive.

He will be missed.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Thursday Edition

Well the scribosphere has been buzzing all this week with interesting tidbits of information.

Amanda the Aspiring TV Writer gives great tips on how to create your own internet short and get yourself noticed in cyberspace.


Ms. J explains the pros and cons of describing your character's wardrobe choices (wish I knew about this when I wrote Xia!)


Kung Fu Monkey explains his rational behind his crazy scary index card system.

Alex at Complications Ensue answers your questions about timing and if staffers ever actually go on vacation.

And our favorite Cat! Blake Snyder makes a guest appearance at
Script Frenzy and gives newbie writers his advice on the craft.

Sketch

I bought a wacom tablet and am teaching myself how to use the crazy thing with Photoshop CS2.

So here is my first REAL attempt at using both. Not to shabby, if I do say so myself.
The lines are kind of fuzzed out on some of her clothes but the coloring and shadow turned out alright.

Next time I go for smoother lines.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Monday Edition

Good day to all of you, dear readers. I trust your weekends went well?
I'm now on page 41 of QftSS, very exciting indeed. Also took some time out to draw extensively and will have posts up in the next few days.

Alex over at Complications Ensue answers a reader's questions about switching between flashbacks. An important distinction to be made to be sure. My screenplay, Xia, was chock full of screenplays, inner mind monologues and other crazy techniques, so it's good to see how a master would handle the situation.

Ms. Jane explains why it may be, or may not be, OK to use colorful language in your descriptive passages of your spec scripts a la Lost.


John August includes nifty pics of Spectre from Big Fish.

Newbie Amanda shares a cool contest happening in New York.

And Blake Snyder shows how storytellers can save lives.

Screenplay thus far

So I'm working on my sixth screenplay...wow, that sounds so cool.
It's entitled (so far) "Quest for the Soul Stone." It's for Script Frenzy, and after extensive edits I'll post it on Trigger Street.

As far as screenplays go this has been the most difficult to write, one because the deadline is so tight, but the real reason is because I'm not too stoked on the plot. I'm hoping to find a gem that I can exploit but at the moment the characters and storyline are flat to me. They've yet to jump off the page. That ever happen to any of you?
But you know, another part of me is like "It's cool if this screenplay never goes anywhere." I believe there are stories we write that are destined for greatness and stories we write that basically serve as lengthy practice sessions.

And this one's a practice session.
And that's cool with me.

Script Frenzy - kinda concerned

Not because I'm not doing well - I've written 41 pages in four days, which is the most I've ever written of any script EVER. So this is quite awesome.

No, I'm concerned because I'm afraid I might have ticked off my fellow ML for the region.

Script Frenzy, as wonderous as it is, has been having some website issues, which prevented me from being able to sign up as ML for my city, and also has prevented me from sending mass emails to others within my city. This partly resulted in the other ML for my state making plans without me.

She seems pretty cool, and we've been able to iron out a few kinks. But she sent out a mass email detailing events going on throughout the state but left out my city. She mentioned we had a calendar and to check it, but she didn't provide the links. I sent her an email the other day asking her to at least let me know if she's planning stuff, and to ask if I'm planning stuff, because I could have sent the links to her.

Haven't heard from her yet. I tried to be respectful, but I'm concerned that:

a) She'll think I'm totally angry at her (I'm not, I just wanted to explain myself)
b) That I'm super anal (also trying not to be)

I want us to work well, and we haven't been communicating as well as we could have been because she's been jumping the gun, which honestly has ticked me off. But I have high hopes that things will be OK.

Hopefully things will work out well though and everyone will benefit from all the events both of us have planned. I want our state to do well, I want all of us to be inspired by each other's progress.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Weekend Edition

Hello my dear readers!
Well, bloggers never rest, not even on weekends! Check out what's been going on since Friday afternoon:

Help Kung Fu Monkey with his computer woes!

Ms. Amanda quotes our favorite, Ms. Jane, on how to compose a great double joke.

Ms. Jane explains how to keep the story rolling AND show what characters are thinking and feeling, all at the same time.

Scribe John August talks about the benefits and pitfalls of new technology, using "Titanic," "Avatar," and "Terminator" director James Cameron as his example.

Alex of Complications Ensue confirms a reader's character reintroduction decision.

And the dynamic duo behind The Artful Writer begin Part I of their series on how the Writer's Strike benefited (or did not benefit) writers and all of us hoping to follow in their footsteps.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - The Return of the Writers!

Hey kids, one of the scribosphere's most popular and highly contested screenwriting sites, "The Artful Writer" is back on the air. Craig and Ted have revamped the site and it looks spiffy.

John August returned from his writing pow wow in beautiful Maine and shares tales of joy, woe and termite tents. He even includes pics of his trip.

And Alex Epstein never left the building but continues his discussion on how to approach folks with your script if you're already on the inside.

Animation Mentor

So I've been trying to figure out what would make an excellent first short film.
My calling card, if you will, into the animation industry. I've several friends who got their foot in the door by the strength of their student film and I know that this is most likely a better option than putting together a reel of randomness.

So I was quite excited to find out about an online program called Animation Mentor. Basically it's a group of three guys, two from Pixar, who created an online school solely devoted to character animation. It lasts 18 months and costs roughly $16K. On the surface this seems expensive but considering that schools like SVA and CalArts charge rougly $22K A YEAR this is quite a bargain.

I spoke to a rep over the phone and she mailed me some good information. So if I decide to take the plunge I'll be starting school in July. I've gotta think, gotta pray, gotta figure out the finances, but I believe this would be a great step in the right direction.

And to top it off my good friend gave me Maya 7 so I don't have to go out and buy yet another computer program. How serendipitous is that?

So if any of you out there are considering Animation Mentor, or if you or anyone you know is a part of the program, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - New Blogs!

Hoorah for trolling the internet. You find all sorts of interesting things. For instance, last night around 1 a.m. I discovered the blog penned by Mystery Man on Film, anonymous insider who bills himself as "famous yet anonymous, failed yet accomplished, brilliant yet semi-brilliant. I'm a homebody who jetsets around the world. I'm brash and daring yet chilled with a twist."

Very intriguing, eh? So Mr. Mystery has now been added to the link list of screenwriting blogs to watch out for. This month he's offering a unique and fun challenge to screenwriters: READ the screenplay of your favorite movie, post your critique on your blog and send him a link to his blog. He's posting some of his favorite responses on his site, so you get a chance at exposure among the scribosphere. PLUS, you can read responses from your peers around the internet. What are you waiting for? Start writing!

And, courtesy of Ms. Jane, we have another new screenwriting blog for our reading pleasure. This one comes from the pen of Amanda the Aspiring TV Writer, an assistant at an agency in LA who graduated last year from Ithaca College. Ms. Amanda offers her inside scoop on how to make it in showbiz. I like this girl. She's honest and savvy and doesn't waste time lamenting. These are qualities that all of us screenwriters should aspire to. And in today's post, she gives us no excuse for not getting our script into the Hands that Control the Industry. She started off not knowing a soul and now she's in LA. Read how she did it and apply her method.

And Cat! favorite Blake Snyder
shows us that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and that you should always have your pen and paper ready to capture those "movie moments," (for instance, pregnant man anyone)?

Brad Ingelsby: Hero of the Day

Who says there are no more Cinderella stories?
This just in, newcomer, and I mean, NEWCOMER, Brad Ingelsby recently sold his FIRST screenplay, "The Low Dweller" at the tender age of 27 for $650,000.

The LA Times reported on our hero of the day.

Now my first thought was "Wowsers! His first screenplay for mega money! Lucky dog!" My second thought was, "How many scripts and hours and blood did this guy pour from his soul to make this happen?" My mother once told me that an "overnight" success actually means ten years behind the scene. And I believe it. Turns out the dude was an AFI grad, and that he spent his nights writing.

So the moral of the story? Aim for fortune but be prepared to put in the hard labor.

I'll be keeping an eye out for our Guy Friday, and hopefully we'll see his masterpiece on screen in a year or so.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap - Wednesday Edition

Delicious details of how to improve your craft, what shows really look like and how to get your script read by important eyeballs abound today in the screenwriting blogosphere. Here are the recaps from my favorite scribes:


Complications Ensue blogger Alex Epstein explains to a lucky office production assistant how to get their script read by the His parting advice?
"Don't be a pusher. Be a hooker. That's how you get ahead in Hollywood." Classic stuff kids. Write it down.

Lovely Jane Espenson reveals to a lucky reader the art and craft of show bibles, using such shows as "Frasier" and "Battlestar Galatica" as examples. She's right on the money. A few years ago I had the pleasure of reading the show bible for "Teen Titans," which explained not only their world but the characters and outlines for ten of the first episodes, many of which were actually written. If/when I find the bible I'll post it here, but for now, enjoy Jane's tidbits.

And Kung Fu Monkey hustler John Rogers makes my head hurt as he chronicles the process his staff goes through to create episodes of their shows. It includes LOTS of index cards. Of various colors. Yikes. And he even includes photos of their writing room. Happy folks, they are.

Screenwriting Blogs Recap

Hello hello dear readers. With the plethora of blogs out there you may wonder how you will ever find the time to read them all. Well look no further! I present to you a recap of today's gems of the blogsophere from my favorite screenwriters. Enjoy!

Today on Blake Synder: Spec-O-Palooza
The writer of the now famous books Save the Cat! and Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies explains why NOW is the best time for you to submit your spec and how you can come up with a high concept idea that is neither lame nor cliche.

Jane Esperson presents:
And Maybe Looking in the Mirror Will Make Him See Himself
Ms. J encourgages us not to write drag that old dog of a line into the script again, thus annoying our poor viewers. As she says in her blog:
"If a line seemed to write itself because you've heard similar lines a million times, it's probably worth reviewing for several reasons: if it isn't holding your interest as you write it, it probably won't interest the reader either."

No update from our man John August until Thursday.

Man Bytes Hollywood will be receiving a nice chunk of change due tohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif a lawsuit against UCLA for charging exorbidant fees. This has, well, nothing to do with screenwriting but it's good to see that Dave and the other former students will get some money back. I remember the pain of my student fees. *shudder*

Jon Deer at The Thinking Writer hasn't updated his blog since FEBRUARY 26TH. What' the deal, yo? Where are you?!

Craig Mazin is still on break. He'll creep back into the internet sometime this month.

Kung Fu Monkey's John Rogers gives a shoutout to web comic creators Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield for FREAKANGELS. Story struck me as odd but the art is mighty fantastic. John hasn't given us any tidbits on the submissions he received for his new series, or anything else for that matter, this month but I'll report as soon as I hear anything.

And this is surely the shot heard 'round the world wide web, kids.
Alex Epstein reports that Uwe Boll, crafter of such cinematic masterpieces as BloodRayne, BloodRayne II and In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, will GIVE UP THE CRAFT if one million people sign this petition.

Now I've never seen any of these movies, but I must say I'm impressed by the fact that this cat still makes movies even though he appears to be one of the, if not THE most hated filmmakers on the planet. And though people have protested, he keeps going. He's like the Energizer Bunny, the Fidel Castro of film, if you will.

So that's the scoop. Want to see more recaps of other blogs? Drop me a line and let me know which ones should be featured.

Twice! In One Day!

Seriously y'all, this is freakin' AMAZING to me. Two hoaxes in a day.
This one was marked URGENT REPLY. (Period and caps are theirs.)
Read on and enjoy the crazy.

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MR MATATAH ALUI
The Manager of Audit & Accountancy Dept.
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA).
Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso.
Phone : 00226 78142253

( READ CAREFULLY AND KEEP SECRET)

Greeting, and how are you doing?I hope fine.Please let this my message do not be a surprise to you because i got your information and lay trust in you before i contacted you.I am the MANAGER OF AUDIT & ACCOUNTANCY DEPARTMENT of our bank and i decided to contact you over this financial transaction worth the sum of TEN MILLION,FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS ($10,500,000.00).This is an abandoned fund that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his completely family.

I was very fortunate to came across the deceased file when i was arranging the old and abandoned customers files of 2003-2004 in other to submit to the bank managements accordingly for documentation purposes.It is clearly stated in our BANKING FOREIGN POLICY and signed lawfully that if such fund remains unclaimed by the NEXT OF KIN till the period of EIGHT(8) years starting from the date when the beneficiary died, the money will be transferred into the BANK TREASURY as an unclaimed fund.Besides,it is not authorized by the law guiding our bank for a citizen of BURKINA FASO to make the claim of the fund.

So the request of you as a foreigner is necessary to apply for the claim and transfer of the fund smoothly into your reliable bank account as the NEXT OF KIN to the deceased.When the fund is transferred into your account,FOURTY PERCENT(40%) will be for you in an assistance and in provision of the bank account,while SIXTY PERCENT (60%) will be for me. If you are really sure of your integerity, trustworthy and confidentiality,reply with your contact necessary for the transfer and call me as you so that i will let you know the steps to follow in order to finalize this transaction immediately.I will be waiting for your urgent reply.

My regards to you and your family, please contact me through this alternative email address matatah alui @yahoo.com

MR MATATAH ALUI

Manager of Audit & Accountancy Dept.


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