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For all the authors and playwrights in our community, a place to discuss, share content and post tips and advice.
Cole Quirk is a screenwriter and playwright that grew up in Blue Bell, a small town outside of Philadelphia. She assisted writers on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS), The 100 (CW), Resurrection (ABC), Scream (MTV), and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC). She was a staff writer on Justified: Cit...
Expand postThank you for sharing, Leonardo Ramirez! Cole has so much valuable wisdom to share from her experiences!
Thanks, Leonardo Ramirez. So is your question. Knowing what a TV staff writer does each day will help up-and-coming staff writers know what to expect.
You're very welcome Ashley Renee Smith. Interested to hear what misconceptions exist about working in the writer's room.
I"m curious as well Maurice Vaughan. I like to learn from others so when our shows hit the ground we can learn from those that came before us.
That's one of the best ways to learn, Leonardo Ramirez. I'm thinking about writing a series, so Cole's answers will definitely help.
But I wanted to ask...my situation is that I have a novel that's been published, but it is now out of print. I've asked a few people who have literary agents (I've had them in the past, but not now) and they all say that once something is out in the world, even if it's out of print, no agent will ta...
Expand postThat's a great question Laura Preble . I'm in the same boat and I've heard different takes from different people (including producers and attorneys). Some do look at numbers of the initial release whi...
Expand commentAgents will take anything if there's business to conduct (not every agent, but someone). By the same token, they won't take it if there isn't. A few literary agents I've met have an author's estate as...
Expand commentI've been told that most literary agents won't take on a pre-published work unless they expect big returns. But film agents are looking for published IP. Lots of us are pitching novels to film agents,...
Expand commentYou could sub it and try with the agents? I know authors who have had previous book reissued, and with one of mine, I got the rights back from a publisher, and my agent sold it to another publisher. I...
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Screenwriter & Stage 32 Educator, Cole Quirk, is hosting a 24-Hour Ask Me Anything ("AMA") in the Screenwriting Lounge today, focused on Television Drama Writing. Cole recently wrote on the FX/Hulu hit JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL and has written o CSI and ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST.
Here's the AMA L...
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You will be encouraged by it. Never underestimate the power of encouragement that you have.
https://www.stage32.com/blog/stage-32-founder-ceo-richard-rb-botto-featu......
Expand postWhat is required in a verbal pitch session via Skype? Can I present a pitch deck or is it just talking heads? My project requires images to convey the concept. Thanks.
Hi All. We were just kicking this around in conversation last night and I thought it was a really good discussion point for those who are traditionally published. Having been in the biz a long time now, I'm swaying towards, yes authors should definitely get an advance.
My reasons are:
a) If the book...
Expand postI thought advances were clawed back through a percentage on book sales. If it bombs, isn't the author on the hook to repay?
Jeff E. Gregory correct. Often, the agreements state the author does not receive any royalties until the advance is paid back via book sales, hence the reason it's called an advance....
Expand commentReally interesting comments on here as always! From authors I know, there does seem to be a trend for offering less in terms of advances, and for digital first publishers, often nothing at all. I have...
Expand commentThis is really interesting and I think explains it all very clearly. https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/company-article/book-advances-and-roy......
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Whether you’re working on your next manuscript, or writing something for a school assignment, or simply writing something for your own pleasure, it’s imperative to show some type of growth within your characters. How are your characters different at the end of your story than from the beginning? Hav...
Expand postGreat advice and insight, Randolph Randy Camp! All of my protagonists change (positive change). Sometimes other characters change positively. Love interest, antagonist, etc.
Great share, Randolph Randy Camp!
Thanks for your service Randolph Randy Camp. My dad is also former USAF. Way to spend some time really thinking about your characters and their journey. Makes for a much more engaging reader experienc...
Expand comment@Randolph Thanks for share. Character development cannot be emphasised enough. We don’t need to even like the characters but must feel “something” for them. The norm for writers is goal, want V need,...
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Ooof, Y'ALL! If you thought the WGA strike was ugly... authors have a HUGE library of material to draw from to "teach" AI.
https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/openai-chatgpt-lawsuit-george-rr-m......
Expand postIf you listen to John August & Craig Mazin's podcast, they brought up a great point about AI with the new deal. Turns out the studios are also concerned about AI because of data scraping and potential...
Expand commentHere's the clue: “numerous AI-generated books that have been posted on Amazon that attempt to pass themselves off as human-generated and seek to profit off a human author’s hard-earned reputation.”
If...
Expand commentThe article says, "According to the Authors Guild-led lawsuit, the books OpenAI used to train ChatGPT 'were downloaded from pirate ebook repositories and then copied into the fabric of GPT 3.5 and GPT...
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Stage 32 is giving away $100,000 in free webinar education to help members sharpen their skills or learn a new craft or aspect of the business during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Here’s how to redeem your free webinar:
Enter code: NFCFPUR
This code is good for one webinar per...
Expand postYou're right, D.E. White. It's a great opportunity. Really generous of Stage 32.
That's awesome, Erin Leigh! I hope you enjoyed it!
Robin Gregory, which one are you thinking about getting?
Ashley Renee Smith I just signed up for Michelle Alexandria's webinar on how to make a feature pitch deck. Yay! Than you, thank you, Stage 32!
Michelle Alexandria is one of the best at pitch decks, Robin Gregory.
Check out the October Education Schedule provided by Ashley Smith. These are all pretty awesome! Thanks Ashley!
https://www.stage32.com/blog/stage-32s-october-2023-education-schedule-3501...
Expand postLOL Thanks Ashley Renee Smith! ;o)
I really like the logline and concept, Leonardo Ramirez! "Captain Ash" could be a transmedia project (book series, movie, show, video game, mobile game, etc.).
Love that Maurice Vaughan!
Leonardo Ramirez, WOW SUBLIME logline! It leads me also to wondering what that "interdimensional travel" would be;)
You’re very kind, Carina S. Burns. I may have to tuck this one away and perhaps pursue it. Theoretical physics was once a passing interest. It’s fun to think about. :o)
You may have seen me post previously about the sci-fi novel I wrote under contract. They're publishing it chapter by chapter digitally. Chapter 3 was just released today. They originally planned to do 1 chapter a month, but I'm happy to report that they've decided to do 2 a month starting in October...
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There are a lot of playwrights here in the community, Sam Ornstein. What is your musical about?
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Thanks for responding Ashley, my musical about being regressed to ancient Egypt. The music’s not yet written, and my first choice is Hans Zimmer. 90% of the dialogue is rhymed . I do have an experienced producer committed, while I search for a theatrical attorney.
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Yes! I wrote five plays years ago - and still have heart for this genre. Please share what you've written about!
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I have one on the back burner while I'm working on a script at the moment
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That's great Sam Ornstein!