Authoring & Playwriting

Quaint turn of phrase: "Either you jack in with critical thinking implants, or you get lobotomized by algorithmic sludge". I pondered writing a movie where the audience prod each other with electric cattle prods at key points in the drama - or any other time they feel like it. I think the idea has legs.

Hi, C.J. Night. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know that I moved your post from the Screenwriting Lounge to the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge since it's more about books than screenplays. Let me know if you have any questions.

The courage of mind and the audacity to write something like this — a rarity today.

Authoring & Playwriting Lounge isn’t exile — it’s a quarantine for minds that burn too bright.

No one dies there.)))))

You have a spark strong enough to burn through the screen.

Energy without pose — a rare element.

If we think who else carries such energy —

Tarantino. Guy Ritchie. Tarkovsky. Villeneuve. Eggers. Aster. Peele. Noé.

Each has their own form of madness.

Yours — is alive.

Stick to being authentic to you because you'll build your audience based on your 'flavour'. You sound very interesting, entertaining and full of knowledge. I say, keep creating, keep putting your work out there and see who it attracts. Good luck and keep the community posted!

Good luck all entrants! Hoping for more success stories - get it Team!

This is such a great post, Lauren Hackney, and such an important reminder that the story behind publishing doesn’t stop once the book hits the shelves! It’s a fascinating balance between art and logistics. I love that you shared this, because so many writers focus on the creative journey without realizing how much strategy and timing play into keeping a book visible after launch.

That "going out of business" model (I refuse to call it a business model) is part of why publishing is in trouble. If clothing was sold that way, it would be much less profitable.

I succeeded running a brick & mortar retail business for 40 years because I continuously trained & retrained my employees on how to sell. Most of the time, the employees didn't even know they were being trained. Book stores rarely do such training. Books are suppose to sell themselves or, without penalty to the store's owner (except for lost income) shipped back to the publisher.

Does your local restaurant get to return food that hasn't sold? No.

Does your local shoe store get to return unsold shoes? No.

Does your local garden supply get to return unsold rakes? No.

Sometimes I put slow moving merchandise sale -- and when on sale it gained new fans.

Book stores have no motivation to discount the slow movers, and therefore no motivation to help unknown authors become known.

No publisher spends money on a book without a reason for someone to love it, but instead of the discount bin, the Great Unknowns are tossed into the garbage bin.

Then, sometimes the novice writer learns they owe the publisher money...

Yes, publishers can use discount outlets (I've bought a couple very good books at the dollar store), but that's more hassle & we all hate hassle. Discount outlets still rarely helps the writer since they have no motive to push authors, just cheap in & out stuff.

I've friends who were thrilled to be "professionally published." Except for two highly successful writers, the rest lived to regret it.

FANTASTIC POST Fran Tabor I absolutely hear you and agree. You said it wonderfully! Could not agree more!

Thank you Ashley Renee Smith for reading the post and responding - it's a massive journey before and after the book is published. :)

I didn't see that duo coming, Ashley Renee Smith! I think Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan will bring their strengths to the Remain movie, and we're gonna see something we've never experienced before. I can see more cross-genre, cross-medium partnerships between novelists and filmmakers happening.

I went to the Nicholas Sparks signing event at the Grove for this book. I'm currently reading the novel (about 220 pages in, it's a 329 page book) and I can say 2 big things about it:

1) It's the best Nicholas Sparks book in YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!

2) It's made me cry so fucking much because the main character is still getting over the death of his sister from a year ago... and I'm ALSO getting over the death of my sister from a year ago. Some of his memories and things that happen strike super close to home, especially in the first 50 or pages, that I've had to take breaks from crying so hard and my wife wanted me to stop reading it - afraid that it will make me spiral back into the depression I've been fighting for a year.

I completely agree, Maurice Vaughan, this collaboration feels like the perfect example of how cross-genre and cross-medium partnerships can push storytelling in new directions. Sparks and Shyamalan each bring such distinct creative DNA to the table, and it’s exciting to imagine what their combined sensibilities might create. I’d love to see more collaborations like this, where writers and filmmakers step outside their usual lanes to blend tone, structure, and style in unexpected ways.

Thank you for sharing that, Travis Seppala, truly. It sounds like this book is hitting you on a deeply personal level, and that connection is both powerful and incredibly brave of you to sit with. Stories like this can feel almost too real when they mirror our own losses, but they can also help us process and heal in ways nothing else can.

I’m so sorry for the loss of your sister. The fact that you’re finding strength in continuing to read, even when it’s painful, says a lot about your resilience and the love you still carry for her. I hope that as you move through the rest of the book, it brings more comfort than ache, and maybe even a little sense of shared understanding.

Hi, Miquiel Banks. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know that I moved your post from the Screenwriting Lounge to the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge since you're asking for feedback on a book trailer. Let me know if you have any questions.

Gripping book trailer! Incredible job on it! I'm looking forward to reading Angels in the Desert! I really like the title and tagline!

Very useful information. Your shooting schedule is the baseline for creating a film budget for your movie.

Hi, Sam Clevesy. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Read a Good Book Lately Lounge to the Authoring & Playwriting Lounge. The Read a Good Book Lately Lounge is for members to discuss books that they've read and give book recommendations. Let me know if you have any questions.

Bullet Born sounds interesting! I added it to my read list.

There are a lot of talented screenwriters on Stage 32. You could make a post on the Job Board (www.stage32.com/find-jobs).

I like those ideas, Lauren Hackney, especially "Submit short stories, essays, or opinion pieces to local newspapers and magazines" and "Adapt a scene or short story into a short film script and collaborate with local filmmakers"!

Thank you Maurice Vaughan I hope other authors see green lights for opportunities when publishing houses are at capacity. Thank you for always supporting my posts. I appreciate it. :)

You're welcome, Lauren Hackney. I've heard of movie companies buying short stories and news articles. I might turn some of my scripts or script ideas into short stories and articles.

You're welcome, Franco Decker. Yeah, now that I think about it, the time of day will affect a photo.

Space, yes, solitude no. The story for my first action/spy book evolved whilst I was stuck in-Transit in Istanbul airport for 14 hours sitting on the floor outside luxury shops, surrounded in chaos.

I get my creative “bursts” when I swim long distances, usually in a 50 meter pool, sometimes in the Pacific Ocean. it must be the rush of oxygen to the brain, perhaps the monotony of doing laps forces me to get my mind off of the drudgery. Shalom & Aloha from Hawaii. Terry author of Shaloha Gems

I definitely need some peace and quiet to begin writing, but once I'm on a roll it just keeps going until my brain stops working in the evening. Usually I start in the morning when it's quite. But to think and figure out stuff, I usually walk in the garden up and down, recording nots that I might have on a small voice recorder.

By the way I used to take a lot of landscape photos back in the day, unfortunately don't have that much time now.

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and creative rituals — I really enjoyed reading every one of them.

@SwatiChugh You’re right — solitude has its own quiet magic, and a trip sounds like the perfect inspiration.

@MauriceVaughan Light and time truly shape the soul of a photo — each moment tells a different story.

@DavidTaylor Sometimes chaos is the best teacher — I can almost picture that airport scene turning into a great thriller opening.

@TerryChodosh Swimming as a creative trigger — that rhythm and silence must be incredible. Shalom & Aloha from Italy!

@VitalButinar I relate so much — once the words start flowing, time disappears. Walking and thinking really do go hand in hand.

Thanks again everyone — it’s amazing how differently we all find our moments of clarity.

That’s what I love most about this community — so many perspectives, one creative heartbeat.

Give it some space. If you're too deep in something you're writing for too long it starts to get hard to view it objectively or get a fresh perspective. Take a little time and then read it or consider as if you're hearing it for the first time. Just try to be in the moment and not think about what you know is coming next and absorb it all in, and then start to pick it apart again. Just hit that reset button. You could also just run it by someone else too.

yes me as well,sometimes I feel I am on fire,this stuff am writing is great, then others I feel no one's going to be interested ,it's too odd

It happens then next day you laugh at yourself for being silly and realize your judgement is right and it is great. Unless you dump it of course. I think I’ve dumped five but I’m not sure.

Sometimes we all feel a bit like this.

Thank you very much for your advice, Zackary Goncz.

I think those feelings also fade away after getting some peer reviews.

Peta Meredith Williams David Taylor

That image perfectly captures the exact feeling I was talking about, Michael Dzurak.