Authoring & Playwriting

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

Elara Wright
Last message before morning

Genre: Psychological Thriller

What if the only person trying to save you… is the version of you that already failed?

Daniel works the night shift in a silent office complex where nothing ever happens. Until one night, his phone lights up with a voicemail sent from his own number.

The voice sounds like...

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Abhijeet Aade

Elara Wright Really intriguing concept. The idea of receiving messages from a future version of yourself is a great psychological hook, and the twist that the warnings might actually be guiding the di...

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Philip Sedgwick

Reminiscent of "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

Huneyn Ja'afri

wow

Elara Wright
Elara Wright
Ashley Renée Smith
From Passion Project to Global Phenomenon: Rachel Reid on Writing Heated Rivalry and the Power of Romance Storytelling

If you love romance stories that truly resonate with readers, this interview with bestselling author Rachel Reid is a fantastic watch.

Rachel is the writer behind Heated Rivalry and the beloved Game Changers series, which helped redefine queer romance in the world of professional hockey. What started...

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Lauren Hackney
A dedication to Maurice Vaughan

Hey Authors and Playwrights,

I wrote this latest blog as a dedication to Maurice Vaughan. An absolutely amazing human who has offered endless support to myself and this community... I couldn't help but wonder - sometimes it's like a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' here and I'm really grateful to have met...

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Kat Spencer
Where Do Your Best Creative Ideas Show Up?

I’ve noticed that my best ideas rarely appear when I’m sitting down trying to write. More often, they show up when I’m out walking, reading something in a book, hearing a line on TV, listening to music, or even in the middle of a conversation with someone. It’s like the spark happens when my mind is...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Mine are almost always born of errant thoughts or words lol. Sometimes images. It’s really hard to nail it down to a science, but basically all of mine are the results of happy little accidents, as the great Bob Ross would say.

Jason Howell

Since childhood, I’ve had a very active imagination. I used to spend hours doing what I called “imaginary playing,” where I’d act out entire scenarios in my mind. A lot of it was inspired by whatever...

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Michael Dzurak

Very often my best ideas come when I farthest away from the keyboard. A change of scenery, fresh air, and some focusing on something else all help uncloud my creative headspace before the next keyboard tapping session.

Jim Ramsay

Kat, I carry a voice recorder and head up the mountain on foot or on horseback. Raising your heart rate clears your head of unnecessary thoughts, clearing the way for story solutions. jim

Kat Spencer

Wonderful responses, everyone! Thanks for taking the time to share.

Michael Fitzer, Mfa
MFA Writers

Hello Fellow Filmmakers!

I'm sharing the link to a podcast I was interviewed for called MFA Writers. Host Jarred McCormick and I discuss screenwriting, a career in production, the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, and even a little bit of prose.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/792yjDGUZQsMeuto...

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Michael Fitzer - Spalding University
Michael Fitzer - Spalding University
Listen to this episode from MFA Writers on Spotify. Award-winning cinematographer Michael Fitzer joins Jared to talk about his work in the film industry and how it compares to writing about their own…
Porshia Nowrin

Thanks for sharing this. It’s always interesting to hear different perspectives on screenwriting and filmmaking.

Amanda Toney
How to Adapt a Book Into a Film or Series

We’ve been getting a lot of comments lately to the education team about how great this webinar is so I wanted to share it for the authors here who might be interested in adapting their book into a film or TV show: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-adapt-a-book-into-a-film-or-series0S...

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Beckham B David

wow this very beneficial, thank you Amanda

Collaborators needed

I am going to be needing some serious editing work and am looking to collaborate with anyone who finds my story intriguing. When my computer broke (jury still out on if the damage is temporary or permanent) I panicked big-time, never expecting the computer to out, but it did and I am in panick mode...

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Lauren Hackney
This weeks AMA with Thunder Levin

Hey Authors and Playwrights,

I just finished reading the Ask Me Anything with Thunder Levin and one thing that really struck me was how long and winding his journey into the industry was.

We often hear about the “big break,” but his story felt like the opposite - years of writing, learning the craft,...

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Pat Alexander
Screenwriter Billy Ray Explains How a Book is Turned into a Movie

How do you turn a book into a movie? Screenwriter Billy Ray who penned films such as THE HUNGER GAMES CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, FLIGHT PLAN, STATE OF PLAY, SECRET IN THEIR EYES, OVERLORD, GEMINI MAN, RICHARD JEWELL, and TERMINATOR: DARK FATE shares how screenplays work, how stories move from page to screen,...

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João Pimentel

Interessante, quando eu ter tempo irei assistir, quero fazer uma adaptação dos livros de Junji Ito

Lauren Hackney

You also need your publisher to play ball on this one too - I work with many traditionally published authors who's publishers hold the reigns on their work.

New Stage32 Open House this month!!!

The March Stage 32 Community Open House is happening on Wednesday, March 25th at 12:00 pm PT.

For this month’s event, I’ll be joined by Pat Alexander from the Stage 32 Success Team, who will be live...

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Lauren Hackney

Ohhhhhhhh I love these! Let me set my alarm now!!!

Writing Process

Well, I'm working on another script for the year and just realized that I don't have a clear antagonist. So here I am going through my scene list to figure out what the antagonist wants and what is their "villainy" plan. Arrggghhh!!!

Has any one ever been through this?

What's your writing process?

Debbie Croysdale

The antagonist can be Nature, The System, or even the Protagonist is their Own Worst Enemy. A loner, couple or ensemble cast, V an economic/social/political situation, rather than one person. Or antag...

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Cole Potter

Amateur view: Our antagonists are obviously the culprits who stand in the way of protagonists getting what they want. My Logline should succinctly identify 1) who my protagonist is, 2) what they want,...

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Michael David

Are you sure you need an antagonist? Sometimes the protagonist is the best antagonist.

Brenda Mohammed

I use my novels that are already published and reviewed to write my screenplays. That way, there is no figuring out. The map is already laid out.

Cynna Ael

My writing process isn't neat or clean after 20+ years of writing novels, indie comics, and now scripts. What I can tell you is this- depending on the story- it may not have a villain. Sometimes the v...

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Structure, Structure, Structure

Does anyone here adhere to a structure model for writing their novels?

I do for my scripts and use the same structure for the novel version.

What about you?

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

I follow kishōtenketsu across all my projects (character, development, big twist, resolution). I like how creator-friendly it is and lets me play outside the box as opposed to the traditional three-act structure/hero's journey template.

Lauren Hackney

I am not the example of the day - a glass of wine helps! I'm with Banafsheh - character tries, fails, tries again, fails... find resolution. But it's word count that can do my head in. Average commercial fiction is 80k words - that is where I struggle sometimes!

Shylah Addante

Save The Cat is a great framework for building out a complete story!

Cynna Ael

Depends on the story. Each one has its own needs. Sometimes it's Save the Cat, sometimes it's Truby, sometimes 3 act structure, or even 5 act structure. Honestly, it depends on what I'm working on, the length, the depth I want to indulge in.

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