When I speak at events, people tell me they can’t believe I’m an introverted person. That’s not to say I can’t become a Mama Tiger when it comes to my family, or a real BE-ATCH when someone’s wronged me or mine. But for the most part, I avoid throngs of people. Throngs meaning as few as four, sometimes. (NOTE: Scroll down for the previous podcast on this topic – or click here.) I also avoid events that require interaction as in role playing. Oh my gosh, if I see anything that requires me to step up and adlib, or pretend, or act a character, I might have nightmares before and after. I’m a grown up now, and grown ups can pick and choose their activities. I WILL NOT ROLE PLAY. That’s almost throwing up time. I’ve done it, and felt too damn miserable before, during and after. That also includes those situations where an audience of writers may be asked to write for ten minutes then share their work with the class. Say what? My first drafts suck like buttermilk through a straw–that means really sucks in Southernese. And then you want me to stand there and take criticism for it? Like, what More
Why Pay Contest Entry Fees?
/ 2017-05-12I received this email from a reader this week: “I see an entry that might work for me, but then the publication requests $10, $20, and sometimes more to enter the contest. Many times I just pass. Why should we pay to present our work? To date, I have paid a few, but generally I balk at anything over $10.” My immediate response is this: Would you fund a contest out of your pocket and would you work for free? Some contests do not charge a fee, but they are a tiny minority of the contests out there. Why? Because they have the financial means or the sponsorship to avoid having to ask for fees. However, most contests do not have that luxury. Contests are not cheap to run. I ran a contest for nine years and offered a no entry fee category and an entry fee category. To make a point, I gave the winner of the non-entry fee category a big $50 first prize, then I gave the winner of the entry fee category a big $500 first prize. When considering contests, and wondering why you have to pay an entry fee, consider the costs of the contest More
Entertainment Writing Jobs You May Not Have Considered – Part 2 of 2
/ 2017-04-21In this follow-up article, I put more of an emphasis on the feature film world. Thanks to the proliferation of “prosumer” technology like HD cameras and editing software, more films are being made now than ever before, offering increased accessibility for writers who are willing to attempt a more non-traditional approach to their careers. Write Film Treatments Feature film scripts usually begin with a treatment – essentially an extended synopsis between two and ten pages that outlines the entire narrative beat by beat in prose form. The treatment serves as the framework for the script and is a crucial part of the film development process. Since a treatment simply reads like a short story, less experienced writers who may not be totally familiar with the nuances of script formatting, dialogue, and the like can still manage to create something valuable for filmmakers. First, you should read books like “Story” by Robert McKee to make sure you’re clear on the basic elements of film narrative like structure and character arc. Next, generate a list of one-sentence ideas (called loglines) that you think might make for catchy movies. Select your top three or four and crank out a treatment for each. You More
Entertainment Writing Jobs You May Not Have Considered – Part 1 of 2
/ 2017-04-15As a former literary manager, I represented film and television writers for the better part of eight years. Many of the talented but less experienced writers who hadn’t yet made a living at the craft were solely interested in creating original screenplays that would be shopped to production companies, studios and packaging agents. They never wished to consider the myriad other ways they could make money in the industry with far less competition, even if such work might lead to their ultimate goals. Here are a few such ideas for those writers seeking to take the road less traveled: Become a Writer’s Assistant Feature film and television writers have assistants that do everything from menial work like rolling calls and faxing to more creative pursuits like researching, writing synopses, doing coverage, and even giving development notes. The hours might be long and the grunt work tiresome, but it’s one of the best ways to see how scripts get produced. It also allows you to make connections with other professionals like agents and producers. In the case of television, you see how a writer’s room runs while taking notes for the staff writers. Moreover, TV shows often promote from within, giving More
I Need a Grant
/ 2016-07-05By C. Hope Clark – I forget that new writers enter the profession daily, and I’m most reminded when a slew of them write me after seeing FundsforWriters.com for the first time. The first thing they see is GRANTS, and that throws their fledgling minds into overdrive, wondering how they can find some generous grant provider to offer money to a new writer. It’s like rumors that some government agency will pay off your mortgage or write off your debt. In writing, nobody offers you a free lunch. You pay for that lunch. You can hope for a coupon here and there, or a free sandwich if you buy a coke, but nobody is going to offer lunch for free. Let’s look at grants. Why do grants exist? Nobody cares about that, but grants have missions, too. Grants have specific purposes, and providing money to people who don’t have it isn’t the leading purpose. It’s more about what someone wants to do with that money that matters. 1) They are created to fill an identified need. 2) They are created to make a difference with humanity. 3) They must demonstrate to the world that the money they spend has done More