Authoring & Playwriting

For me, the Chef story stood out. Favreau didn’t simply ask executives for permission; he transformed the question. Instead of repeatedly requesting a yes, he posed a single inquiry: what budget would allow me to make all creative decisions? This number serves as a container, and within that container lies the freedom. Once you adopt this perspective, the subsequent question naturally arises: which stories align with the container, and which elements, such as places, incentives, and all, enable it to expand further? This is where RB’s global perspective ceases to be abstract and becomes a tangible map. The community aspect, which I already held in high regard, has proven to be the most impactful factor in my work this year.

Want to know the secret? It’s the motivation. There’s zero cash in this, so why do I even bother writing like a damn genius?"

I also tend to do a minimum of one trillion rewrites and polishes, because apparently I believe screenplays are less “finished documents” and more “hostage situations with dialogue.”

I don’t think I have ever felt fully confident in a script. Even on the rare occasion where I sit back and think, “You know what? This might actually be good,” my brain immediately kicks the door open wearing a cowboy hat and says, “Okay, but what if we added a donkey?”

And then it gets worse.

Because suddenly I’m wondering if the chicken would be more emotionally resonant with robot legs, or if the third act needs a haunted lawnmower, or if the side character who has three lines should maybe carry the entire theme of human suffering.

So yes, I rewrite a lot. I polish until the polish needs polishing. My creative process is basically ambition, panic, caffeine, and one deeply unnecessary farm animal away from madness.

I’m beginning to think one of the hardest parts of revision is recognizing the difference between a scene that’s weak… and a scene that’s trying to carry structural weight the story hasn’t fully earned yet.

Sometimes the problem isn’t the dialogue or pacing inside the scene itself. The problem exists much earlier — in missing pressure, insufficient buildup, unclear thematic alignment, or character decisions that haven’t fully matured underneath yet.

That’s why endless rewriting can sometimes become misleading. You keep adjusting the surface while the deeper narrative logic causing the tension remains unresolved.

Ironically, some revisions only become possible once you stop looking at the isolated scene and start looking at the larger system surrounding it.

I personally think if you overthink it then it becomes a issue

Right now I'm marvelling at the fact that the first half this year alone birthed four life's works (Dies Irae Kyrie Eleison, The History of my Bones, Reverse Polarity, and now Title Drop), all of them involving reincarnation. Maybe a birthday wish I made came true lol

I am a beginner writer. I am having so much fun inventing a new world in the sci-fi reality thriller genre. Where our world as we know it is now different. And it's taking the public time to adjust. What I want to learn to practice is increasing my page count per day. I feel like a beginner whos lacking discipline in page count. But a huge brain-stormer...

This mid-point of the year is so trippy for me. It feels like just 3 months ago we were celebrating the new year of 2026. Rather than 7 months ago.

After being on constant book deadlines for the last year and a half, I'm taking a break. But I am editing the audiobook versions.

Took a break due to house renovations and my daughter's high school graduation. Now, just as she and my wife are about to start college, I'm going to get back in front of the computer and finish my second short story collection and start on a new manuscript, just that I have so many ideas, not sure which one to start on.

My Cold Open of 2026 was doing two quick rewrites of a previously reworked script, that was the finale of 2025.

My Break into Act 2 of 2026 was winning bronze in a competition for a sci-fi action script.

Now at the "Midpoint of 2026..." a new script that I dropped in mid-writing back in 2024, but now it's back in action after I patched the outline.

Best of luck with everyone's mid-year turn!

Yes, I was happy working in aviation and never thought of storytelling. I was airside on the ramp at Brisbane airport pushing back aircraft day in day out. I started writing when my job was squashed and thank goodness I did. It saved me. Now I can't stop!

She truly understands me. Do you overcome writer's block by writing just anything, then heading out to the street and walking until you forget your fear and the ideas start flowing

I do not think that finishing a write is hard.

I had just finished some fantasy books by Mercedes Lackey and I was driving to my office thinking about them. (An hour commute.) At some point, I said to myself, "I could never write like that." Being a psychotherapist, I caught that negative thought and immediately started to refute it. "How do you know? You've never tried. Don't assume you can't until you actually try." So I challenged myself to think up a concept, and by the time I reached my office I had fleshed out a world and vague plot and characters. Luckily, I was early and could scribble down my notes. (Cell phone note taking apps didn't exist at that time.) I did, indeed, write that book.

I would say the book I finished, and in a matter of days completed it, is a memoir about the 12th-grade year of high school. I would always discuss what happened that school year, but never considered writing it down until I went to college and took a non-fiction writing class. Wrote about it during a class assignment and was highly recommended by my professor to write about it for the entire year. Let's say it was a very interesting year. I felt good letting that flow out onto the screen. A lot of memories came back as I was typing away.

I think this is great and the more story tellers treat young audiences with respect the better. Adaptations are tough at any level but sharing proven stories with new audiences in new ways is a big part of cinema and showing young audiences how stories they know are brought to life in new ways can be inspiring. I also love the traditional puppetry approach. I loved the book Ferdinand The Bull and didn’t care much for the big CGI creation but I applauded the effort and was glad a new generation of kids got to experience the Bull who just likes to smell the flowers :)

Sounds like you're on your way to seeing it in print. Congratulations on all your hard work and I hope you always have this magic with your storytelling.

Let collaborate together....

All the best Hiro Yamamoto Looking forward to see it on the big screen.

The seed of the plot, & universal moment with all the dramatic elements mentioned, I would flip to become a “contained” script. (Mega budgets being thin on the ground.) Many good scripts die in the “read” cos are impossible for producers to make. However, I am a fan of epic cinematography, & agree the best option, but outside of major studios, less becomes “needs must.”

Lauren Hackney OK so the publisher is Harlequin, which is not like some no-name publishing house. In my defense, I am preparing to teach a lab on writing romance! And I think we all know I am not the only fan! ;) But to be fair, this is their "digital first" imprint, so maybe that gets a lot less oversight? Do they hand it off to a different division when it goes to paperback? Does it get a makeover anyway? I know there will be new covers.

Anna Henry I work in children's publishing with a commercial fiction division. So personally, I've never worked in digital commercial fiction but I do have those Teams in my workplace. I would be pointing this out to Harlequin because their line editors and proof readers may be relying on the digital software to pick up those errors. I would be wanting to protect the integrity of the Harlequin brand by pointing that out.

Anna Henry That's great about the list! And you're absolutely right that it's worth correcting, especially if the book is going to print. As for your pathological love of writers, we definitely need more of that in the world, so please keep it going! :) Best of luck with the list Anna!

I love this Anna Henry. You are the "pathological" reader every author dreams of! I can't imagine that an author would be anything but appreciative if you reach out to them. Who doesn't want to improve their work, and who doesn't love someone like you with good intentions as a sincere fan.

I am always surprised when I find even one typo. That a book made it through all the stages, and made it to hardback and I find the wrong spelling of a word. Here when it should obviously be hear. That is not something AI or any spell check would pick up. I blame the publisher, never the author. I would think a major publishing company would have professional proofreaders and editors. Now, if it's a self published book, the author probably should hire a proofreader before publishing. Anyway, to answer Anna Henry 's question, I wouldn't reach out to the author, I would contact the publishing company.

what a career!

Do I need to mention, "Pun Intended"

Hi Rosemary Zibart have you posted it the jobs tab? That's a good way to find someone in your area.