prompts & resources - a monthly ezine for writers

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the November issue of Prompts and Resources. An especially
warm welcome to our new subscribers, I hope you enjoy the ezine.

In this issue:

* - Featured Article 1 - How To Find Weaknesses In Your Script by
Don Bledsoe
* - This Months Prompts - A few ideas to spark your creativity
* - Recommended Books - Books I loved, maybe you will too
* - Featured Article 2 - How To Read When You're Writing by
Sophfronia Scott
* - This Months Resources - Find great no cost tools and serv ices
for writers
* - Markets - Find publications looking for new writers
* - Housekeeping - Submissions information, subscription editing
options and publisher info

Well, it's been an interesting month. The good news is, I have been
offered two regular
staff jobs, which I'm thrilled about, especially as both involve writing
about subjects
I have a passionate interest in. I'll give you more information about
that in next months
issue, in case any of you would like to take a look and see what I do
when I'm not
publishing and editing this ezine. I have been looking for a regular
post for a long time
only to have two come along at once. I hope, that if you are still
searching for your
big break, whether it to be published for the first time, or to find
regular writing gigs,
my experience will show that it pays to keep on trying. Don't give up!

The bad news i s I managed to contract a virus, or at least my computer
did. I'm not
sure how this happened because I'm pretty keyed up about security and
use a range
of programmes to prevent such a thing happening. However, I suppose even
the best
system in the world will have some flaws, so my little pc will never be
completely
secure. One of the consequences of the virus was that my system needed a
reformat,
and I lost a lot of useful stuff, amongst which was this months issue.
Fortunately, I
remembered most of the features, so I was able to quickly replicate it.
The only sections
which are a little light are the Markets feature. There are a couple of
appeals from me,
but the paid markets will have to be put on hold for this month. The
prompts are
also missing, but I have jotted down a few notes and ideas you might
find useful.

Sorry about that folks, normal service will be resumed next issue.

That's what's missing but what is still here is jolly good, even if I do
say so myself.
So far, we haven't really covered screenwriting, so this issue I hope to
make up
for that with our first featured article. Don Bledsoe provides some
great advice about
finding the weak spots in your script, and suggest some ways to improve and
polish it. In featured article number two, How To Read When You're Writing,
Sophfronia Scott debunks the myth that writers shouldn't read when they are
working on a project, and explains why it may actually be useful to do so.

The usual prompts, resources and recommendations can also be found
throughout the ezine.

On more thing, it's pretty important so I need to let you know. I have
been having
a problem sending the plain text version of the ezine using the existing
host.
Therefore, after a lot of thought, I have decided to swap over to a
different system. I will continue to send a copy via this host, but I
apologise if the formatting is a little odd
If you would like to receive the ezine in plain text, you can subscribe
by sending a blank email
to mailto:promptsandresources-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk. I know it's a
pest,
and I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but this seems to be the only
workable solution.

Before you read the rest of the ezine, please take a moment to click to help
provide books for children in disadvantaged communities. It's completely
free
to click, but the gift of reading is priceless!
http://www.theliteracysite.com/

That's all from me, on with this issue . . .

Have a great month!
Kate (Editor)
http://kate-blogs.blogspot.com
http://promptsandresources.50webs.com
mailto:kate-blogs@gmail.com

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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e N o : 1

How To Find Weaknesses In Your Script
by Don Bledsoe

The new screenwriter tends to have a love affair with his/her "baby." He's
married to every word and nuance he's carefully scripted onto each page.
Often, it reads more like a novel than a screenplay and usually it needs a
serious rewrite. It's time to get a divorce.

You must not be afraid to hack, chisel or cut-out ANYTHING that does
not serve to push the story forward. Sooner or later, you'll write a
scene that
is just plain good. You're in love again and all is right with the
world. Finally,
you conclude that it doesn't serve the story as it should. You must get a
divorce and hack it out of the scri pt.

Remember: Not every story is movie material. Not every story is as
fascinating on the screen as it is in our heads. This is especially true of
biographical stories. As interesting as someone's true-life experiences are,
they rarely translate well to the screen. However, it often makes an
excellent
bestselling book.

In screenwriting, you only have TWO TOOLS to work with in a screenplay:

DIALOGUE: that characters say
ACTION: a visual description of what is seen on the movie screen

This does NOT include:

* Anything anyone "knows" (i.e. "Ed heard about Jennifer's problem at
school.")
* Anything that cannot be photographed (i.e. "Mary loves chocolate ice
cream.")
* Anything the audience "knows" (i.e. "This is the same woman we saw earlier
at the bar.")
* Any background information (i.e. "John is Tom's best friend.")
* Any action descri ption that uses '-ing' words. (i.e. "Sue is reading
the newspaper."
should be "Sue reads the newspaper.")

Here's a common sense approach to self-analysis of your own screenplay:

1. Read some FIRST-RATE scripts!

You need outstanding examples of well-written screenplays against which
you can
compare your work objectively. I recommend you read at least three,
preferably
nine, screenplays. Here's the catch: You MUST read them ALL in the same
week.
Agents and development executives read 35-50 a week on their own time so
I know you can read at least three. Don't look at a single page of your
script until
you've finished reading the scripts you downloaded. Read one (or more)
in each
of the following categories:

* One in the same genre as yours,
* One that's been made into an OSCAR-winning or nominated movie, and
* One that's an all-time favorite movie of yours.

2. Now: read your script.

It might seem a little different now, but that's GOOD. You're becoming a
little more objective.

3. Read yours again: OUT LOUD.

Isaac Asimov: "Either it sounds right or it doesn't sound right."

You might be amazed at how you'll spot those things you know need a
little extra attention. They're those things that seem "odd" or don't
feel "right"
to you when you read it out loud. You might find yourself thinking that
certain
characters say and do things that don't seem to "fit" their backstory. You
likely find this especially true of dialogue. Circle these dialogue
passages so
you can come back to them later.

4. Act it out.

This is also an opportunity to get actor friends to read your script. If
scenes
are awkward or don't come across as you intended, they need work. Stage
a rea ding of the script. Make sure all of the actors get a list of the
characters
they will portray and have someone assigned to all of the lesser, incidental
characters. Don't prep them! Let the actor get the information about the
character only from the script. If he doesn't get it, neither will an agent,
reader or producer; and you need to go back the set-up the character so
he DOES get it. During the reading, mark scenes that don't work or have
the intended impact and come back to them later.

5. Read it through out loud again, but only the ACTION DESCRIPTION.

Movies are a visual medium. If your story isn't visual, maybe it
shouldn't be
a movie. Did you get lost? Are things vague? Are the scenes not visual? Can
you tell what's going by the visual clues? Mark those scenes and come back
and flush them out a little more.

6. One more time out loud, but this time only the DIALOGUE.

Do characters seem to drone on and on? Can't tell WHAT they're talking
about? Do they talk about things not essential to the scene? Mark these
scenes and come back and rewrite them later.

Rule of Thumb: Scenes and dialogue should start at the point where, if you
cut out the start of the scene, what follows doesn't make sense any more.
This also applies to movies. Many screenplays really start around pages
30-50,
which means the writer spent way too much time setting up the story. How do
you tell? As you read, it suddenly seems as though you've started a
"movie in
a movie" and you like it better than the one you started. Time to get
divorced.
Unsure? Write a second script and see which version you like best.

Writing is Rewriting

Ernest Hemingway: "Don't get discouraged because there's a lot of mechanical
work to writing...I rewrote the first part of Farewell to Arms at least
fifty times."

Paddy Chayefsky: "I'm not a great writer, I'm a great rewriter."

Good advice from two guys who ought to know.

About the Author: Copyright © 2002-2005 Don Bledsoe. Long wanting to be
in "the business," Don Bledsoe started young, producing a short film for NBC
while in high school, worked at Paramount Studios at age 19, and later as an
actor and makeup artist in in Hollywood. In 1999, he founded
http://www.scriptnurse.com to help aspiring screenwriters write better.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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T h i s M o n t h s P r o m p t s

Make a start on your biography. Just because you are unknown now, it
doesn't mean you won't be the next Stephen King/ Dan Smith/ JK Rowling.

Practice your interview techniques. Even fiction writers need to do the
occasional interview for research purposes. Find a subject, your spouse,
a sibling, a friend or neighbour and use them a as a guinea pig.

Write a review of the last film/movie you watched.

Write a short essay about a subject you feel strongly about. It could be a
hobby, an issue that makes your blood boil, or your job, or anything else.

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R e c o m m e n d e d R e a d i n g

Freelance Writers Handbook
James Wilson

One of the first books I bought when I decided to take writing seriously.
Full of useful information and resources, all presented in a ve ry readable
style. Buy this book: http://tinyurl.com/cer4x

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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e N o : 2

How To Read When You're Writing
by Sophfronia Scott

Many writers say it: "I don't read when I'm writing". They think it will
contaminate their voice, that whatever style they're reading will somehow
seep into their work and it really won't be theirs. That's only a problem if
you're writing a 21st-century urban romance and last night's reading of
Pride and Prejudice has you making your characters sound like they're in
an English drawing room and not a Miami nightclub!

In fact, if you're not reading while you're working on your book, you're
missing out on the many ways you can learn from authors past and
present who have dealt with the very same issues you're struggling with.
I once heard that if a writer is stuck or has writer's block, it's because
he or she hasn't done their homework, and for a writer homework is
reading. But how do you know what to read and how to make use of it?
Here are 4 easy tips to getting the most out of your reading.

Identify the Strategies/Techniques You're Using in Your Book

Take out your book's outline (or notes or whatever pages you have
written so far) and highlight the writer's tools you are using. Now you may
not see them as tools. For instance, your character is sitting in a car and
she's having a memory of a car accident that happened when she was
little and you tell the story of the accident. That's a flashback. Maybe
you used internal dialogue, maybe you're telling your novel in the 2nd
person voi ce or your whole book is historical fiction so getting the
setting
right is crucial. Once you've identified your main tools, ask yourself,
"What
tool do I want help with the most?" Then...

Find Books in Which the Author Has Used a Similar Technique

Sometimes the right book will come to you automatically. Writing in the
2nd person voice? Then Jay Mcinerney's Bright Lights, Big City comes to
mind. It's a great example of a strategy that's very tricky to pull off.
I would
definitely want to read it if I wanted to be as effective as he was with his
novel. Great examples of historical fiction include The Known World by
Edward P. Jones and anything by Toni Morrison. When I was learning how
to use flashbacks effectively in my novel I re-read Pat Conroy's The Prince
of Tides and The Mourner's Bench by Susan Dodd. Ideally as a writer you
are reading extensively and the books that co me to mind for you will be
ones you have already enjoyed and know well. If you need a few ideas you
can try referring to a compilation such as Book Lust by Nancy Pearl where
you can find books listed and discussed by their characteristics.

What's the Best Way for You to Learn From What You're Reading?

Ask yourself this question to help you develop a way to work with what
you're learning from the book you're reading. It may be a matter of taking a
few notes on the types of words the author uses or the kinds of details
he or
she uses to create an effective scene setter. Or it could be more
complicated.
When I was learning about flashbacks, I was trying to figure out how long
you could keep the reader in the past without losing the tension in the
present
day storyline. So I took The Prince of Tides and did a rough outline of it,
counting out how many chapters and how many page s Mr. Conroy devoted
to his past and present day story lines. I also noted what the reader
learned
or what was revealed in each chapter so I could get a sense of how he
paced the book. That's just what made sense to me--to create a visual
that could
help me grasp the whole book. What would help you best understand what a
writer has done? This is important because it will help you with the
last tip...

No Beating Yourself Up!

Reading is NOT helpful if you spend your time marveling at how good an
author
is and how you "could never do that." Focusing on reading critically and
understanding the craft will keep you in the mindset of being a writer
trying to
learn from another writer. You'll soon see that reading the book of a
great author
is kind of like examining a designer gown. If you look closely you'll
see the gown
has seams just like any other dress--it's just that the stit ches are
smaller and the
workmanship impeccable so the seams aren't as evident. As you read you too
will see the workmanship behind the art and allow yourself the
opportunity to
improve your workmanship likewise. And while it's still possible you
"could never
do that", I can tell you for certain you will "never do that" if you
don't practice
and keep writing!

© 2005 Sophfronia Scott

About the Author: Author and Writing Coach Sophfronia Scott is "The Book
Sistah"
TM. Get her FREE REPORT, "The 5 Big Mistakes Most Writers Make When
Trying to Get Published" and her FREE online writing and publishing tips at
http://www.TheBookSistah.com The Book Sistah, 230 South Main St. Ste. 319,
Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-2036, Info@TheBookSistah.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com

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T h i s M o n t h s R e s o u r c e s

Writing@CSU: For Writers http://writing.colostate.edu/writers.cfm
Colorado State University writers centre, one to non-students. Features
include guides, tools such as a portfolio, a blog, and other useful items.
Well worth a look.

The Burryman http://www.burryman.com/
I've mentioned this site before, but I'll list it again because it has grown
even bigger. Features a massive range of really good stuff, amongst which is
a list of writers agents, and section on the business side of wri ting.

Mystery and Crime Writing Resources
http://www.dvshop.ca/dvcafe/writing/crime.htm
A great range of really useful resources for crime and mystery writers.

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M a r k e t s

No new markets this month due to the problems I mentioned earlier.
However, I am currently seeking submission for the following ezines.

More Than Mint
Non-Paying
Monthly ezine containing advice and information for herb lovers.
Features range from the practical to the esoteric. For example profiles
of specific herbs, how to guide, herblore and superstitions. Seasonal
features must be submitted at least 2 months ahead of intended publishing
date ie: Christmas articles by October. The tone is friendly, but inf
ormative.
More Info: http://promptsandresources.50webs.com/subguide.html

Prompts and Resources:
Non-Paying
Seeking articles aimed at the newcomer to professional writing from
practical advice about the mechanics of writing, to advice about about
getting published or finding an agent, to inspirational pieces aimed at
motivating and encouraging new writers.
More Info: http://promptsandresources.50webs.com/subguide.html

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39 Holmes Carr Road, Rossington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN11 0QG
Tel: 01302 866289 Email: mailto:kate.blogs@gmail.com