Authoring & Playwriting

For all the authors and playwrights in our community, a place to discuss, share content and post tips and advice.

Liked by Greg Jackson and 3 others

Debbie Seagle
Exhaustive Creative Energy

Have you been so alive in writing a book or script that you fell asleep on your keyboard? Share your story - we all have one...

Rebecca James

No mate... not one of us... you are on your own! Lol!

Debbie Seagle

LOL Obviously I need to run from my keyboard after midnight. It's good to know that no one else makes up stories until they pass out. : )

Wyman Brent

Debbie Seagle, I did make up stories until I passed out. However, that involved a bottle of whiskey and an annoyed girlfriend.

Debbie Seagle

Wyman - You're the man! I love a story that keeps us imagining what happened next.

Wyman Brent

Debbie Seagle, thanks. Everyone tells me that I am full of wit. At least, I think they said wit.

Liked by Debbie Seagle and 3 others

Kat Spencer
First book or next one?

Do you have a story that you've yet to write? Whether it's your first one or a sequel you've yet to pen... what's stopping you?

Kat Spencer

James Boyd Fuller Create some time :) And good luck with your research!!

James Boyd Fuller

Yes, I'm still creating. Have a producer have endorsement for current project Oasis Rising. I've tons of ideas that need developing.

Let me ask you a question. Why do aliens always break their dishes?

James Boyd Fuller

Answer Flying Saucers

Kat Spencer
Rebecca James

Being on Stage 32 all day!

Liked by Kat Spencer and 2 others

Maurice Vaughan
Loglines for Books and Short Stories

Do books and short stories have loglines like screenplays do? And are they similar to a screenplay logline?

Maurice Vaughan

I think so too, Matthew Gross. Thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing what other Stage 32ers have to say too.

Debbie Seagle

Yes... Screenplay loglines tend to emphasize the protagonist's goal and the central conflict, while book loglines might focus on the theme and emotional journey (to make you want to find out more by reading the book).

Maurice Vaughan

Ok, thanks, Debbie Seagle! I might get back into writing short stories, and your answer will come in handy. I think I only wrote a logline for one of my short stories, and it was a screenplay type log...

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Debbie Croysdale

I usually do a “Blurb” for novels. Longer than the 30 words for a tight Log-line yet shorter than a synopsis. The gist or base line for the story. When people scroll Amazon or Kindle list Etc or when pitching it must hook.

Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for the info, Debbie Croysdale!

Liked by Nicholas Blanchard and 12 others

Davin Gomez
Is horror the hardest genre to write ?

I personally feel like it is. It's very difficult to make someone afraid of something they can't visually see and only read on a page.

Nate Nana Kwami

Well to me, it can be a little bit harder to write since you need to master sensory description very well.

To make the audience to feel and understand what the characters doing, a great style of sensory details must be added to make it a perfect horror movie.

Richard M Kjeldgaard

Not to me. This sounds funny but I had a really rough time growing up so it was always easy for me to write revenge stories letting my imagination run wild.

Dwayne Williams

Horror can feel like the hardest genre if you're not pulling from the right influences—but honestly, any genre gets hard without the right fuel. The difference is, horror rewards raw, primal energy mo...

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Wyman Brent

Richard M Kjeldgaard, I know what you mean about having a rought time growing up. I was literally lucky to surivve my family.

Debbie Croysdale

Horror to me is no harder to write than any genre & I think of it as two fold “Psychological & Physical.” It’s easier (not easy per sae but more so than comedy) to build dread, suspense & shock than i...

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Book-to-Film Adaptation

Hey guys,

I wrote a book that I think could make a great movie, but I don’t have a script and don’t really know how to write one. Hiring someone isn’t in the budget right now either.

If anyone here knows how I could pitch the book to someone who might want to adapt it—or if you've been through somethi...

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Ashley Renee Smith
What Does “New York Times Bestseller” Really Mean?

Bestselling Author and OG content creator John Green has a way of breaking down the publishing world with humor, honesty, and deep insight, and this video is no exception. In it, he unpacks what it actually means when someone becomes a New York Times bestselling author, including:

- What kind of sale...

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Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for sharing the video, Ashley Renee Smith. I've wondered what “New York Times Bestseller” meant. Success looks like a script request, a job, script sale, networking with someone, successful pit...

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Kat Spencer

Great video Ashley Renee Smith - After dealing with Amazon, and briefly working for someone who used to promise bestseller status, "Bestseller" definitely isn't what I used to think it meant. And abso...

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Valentina Ezejiaku
"The Pen, the Pain, and the Power:Why I keep Writing"

Some days, writing feels like magic—words pour out like rain on thirsty soil. Other days, it's a silent war between the blinking cursor and my will to keep going.

But I’ve learned something powerful: stories choose us. And as authors, it’s our calling to bring them to life—even when no one’s readin...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Valentina Ezejiaku, This really resonates, especially the idea that stories choose us. I grew up with writing as my constant companion through joy and grief, and I’ve come to believe that writing isn’...

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Helen Bland

My stories are a vehicle for the things l abore, art forgery and any type of deceit. I invent evil characters then its murder most foul. Mmm love it.

Rebecca James

Funnily enough I never have chosen my scripts, I have had books flick off the shelf or literally buzz in my hand, the soul of a young girl visits in the night and the next day the idea is in my head,...

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Carol M. Salter

Stupidity. Sorry on a negative day today. LOL

R.A. Lee

Same thing. I have a dream. Then the characters keep evolving. To get them out of my head, I have to put them on paper. That's what keeps me writing. Clearing the characters and their stories from my mind.

First chapter for a book im working on (requesting feedback)

Title: Link the Second: Origins.

Chapter 1: Post-Mortem Goodbyes.

The date, August 28, year: unknown.

In the dark alleyway of Compton, California, lay a child, held by a futuristic orb, a slick, futuristic humanoid AI — long — lanky and robot-like, understanding what had happened hours earlier. A few h...

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Maurice Vaughan

This is incredible, Vicente Elido Ramirez Diaz! The chapter hooked me right away. I like the mix of urban life, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi, and the orb feels like a flawed, complex human....

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Jeff E. Gregory

Register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office (copyright.gov) before passing/posting any material. Post nothing, say nothing, until the copyright is registered.

Vicente Elido Ramirez Diaz

thx for advice

Self-Published Fiction Author Comments

Hello Fellow Creators!

Hmmm. Self-publishing or going the traditional route (agent-->publisher) is a difficult decision for debut authors. After having self-published two books on Amazon, I would not recommend that choice. Don't get me wrong; Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a fantastic self-...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and insights, Glenn McAndrews! I’m Ashley, the Head of Community here at Stage 32, and I really appreciate the honesty in your post. There are so many nuance...

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Jeff E. Gregory
  1. Register copyrights through copyright.gov. 2. Get an agent.
Kat Spencer
Believe in the Power of Connections

For my birthday, I treated myself to a theater showing of Mission: Impossible. The monologue at the end was brilliant. I won’t discuss the rest unless you haven’t seen it yet.

What I will say is that it beautifully depicts the power of connections and the individual strength we each have. We all have...

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Kat Spencer

Hi Maurice Vaughan :) hahahah. I'm editing this because when I first saw your post, all it said was Hi Kat Spencer. Mission: Impossible was really good! I hope you enjoy it. That is a great strength!...

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D A Stenard

I am so glad you went to a theatre to see it. Where there distractions, however? People ont heir phones and talking and texting etc?

Ashley Renee Smith

Kat Spencer, I love this reflection. It’s such a powerful reminder that our individuality becomes even more meaningful when we bring it into community. One of my greatest strengths is my empathy. It f...

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Kat Spencer

Nope! D A Stenard - I tend to avoid crowds. ON PURPOSE. heehee. There was only one other person in the theater, far away from us.

Kat Spencer

Ashley Renee Smith That strength of yours shines through very clearly! I'm an empath and saw it in you immediately. This lovely reminder came to me during the movie. I actually had to be naughty for t...

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Wyman Brent
Friendly Reminder: Stay Scam-Smart on Stage 32

Hey everyone,

Just a quick heads-up based on something I recently encountered.

If someone reaches out saying they’re a producer, agent, or executive and then asks you to send your scripts or materials to a generic email address, please take a moment to verify who they are. Even if the profile uses...

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