Authoring & Playwriting

Hahaha Michael Fitzer, Mfa - Always funny when "making us do something" actually works in our favor.

I don't know about process, but much of my work contains my life experiences, just re-jigged into fantasy and Sci-Fi settings.

I've actually took it to the next level. I have started writing a movie about my own life, a friend started too, then we made this page to celebrate it: https://script.movie/The-Movie-Of-Your-Life This guy was so big on the concept of the movie of life: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B0gG2T0WBd0

Found it:

https://youtube.com/shorts/B0gG2T0WBd0?si=VnIdqIylK2lZMGrY

Kat Spencer for me, it seems more often than not my writing reflects one of two realities:

1. telling a story based on many hundreds of hours of processed feelings about a situation or

2. using the story to develop in real time processed feelings and reactions to aspects of my life.

Ultimately, I have participated in at least some of the emotional arcs of every story I've written to date.

Lauren Hackney I had a chance to take a selfie with Michael Hague who was a person I learned from immensely in my screenwriting journey.

Anthony McBride isn't it inspiring to meet the people we admire! Somehow it makes this industry feel accessible.

That's so cool Anthony McBride !

Anthony McBride That sounds like an amazing experience especially getting to hear from people like Michael Hague and Steve Kaplan in person. Must’ve been a great learning environment.

On my end, I spent some time refining my feature script “Pie & Coffee” and engaging here on Stage 32—reading posts, sharing thoughts, and connecting with other writers and filmmakers.

Also been thinking a lot about structure and emotional beats lately, trying to make sure the quieter moments land as strongly as the bigger ones.

Sounds like you had a really productive weekend those kinds of events always add a lot of perspective.

I spent my weekend in a voluntary capacity clearing our local streets of litter.

What time? I am in east coast.

Susan I Weinstein, It's taking place all day tomorrow! All you have to do is click on the link and leave your question for Nikita in the comments of her post. She'll be popping on and off tomorrow and leaving answers to the questions throughout the whole day. The entire event takes place in writing on the post itself- https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing/Ask-Me-Anything-AMA-3-25-to-3-2...

Susan I Weinstein I'm on the East Coast too - (Virginia). Thank you for the clarification Ashley Renée Smith!

Beverly Thompson You are very right - self-published means you own the IP and can own the merch and screenplay etc as well. Well done on your publishing journey though - multiple books are impressive! That's a great achievement!

@cynna I agree. 2025 marked the lowest year in book sales on record in Australia. Fewer books sold results in fewer contract opportunities. I like what you said about finding balance with both.

Hi, Lauren - good question. I’ve been a party to both… once, self-publishing a health booklet through a publisher in the US; and being offered two different hybrid publishing contracts for my novels, here in the UK. My husband is an author, and he published several science-fiction novels with the US publisher, AuthorHouse - which was costly, but was a quick and fuss-free process. However, the rewards are ZERO. They used to send cheques for 10 pence! Now his balance is nothing, and has been for years. I sent them a booklet to publish, during Covid - about women’s health. I bought posters for motorway service areas, I paid for advertising all over the world - and they sold 18 copies, but no payment has ever been received. You need to earn £100 sales.

Having now part-purchased two hybrid contracts with a UK publisher, this experience has not met my own expectations, either. I wish I hadn’t rushed into the second book, before understanding how little the book sales make, for me. From the thrill of an editor accepting my manuscript, the process went steadily downhill. Their proof-readers and editors hadn’t a clue how to edit my novel. Despite complaints, I have never received any compensation for the time and effort it took to undo their editing (which made my story somewhat ridiculous). They will only offer a traditional contract if I sell more than 500 books within 6 months. I’m nowhere near this - even though I paid for book trailers and have posted adverts online since August. Everyone says they can’t put the book down - they all say how stunning the cover is - it just doesn’t create more sales. I can’t afford subscriptions to professional services and will just have to wait. My book is online for between £11.05 to £12.99 retail… and each book sold brings me £1.40. I’m dismayed, to be honest. BUT… there was light at the end of the tunnel.

This regret has turned my thinking around, and I joined Stage 32 in order to follow some advice to get my story into a TV drama, or even a movie. The IP for my first and second books in the series, belong to the publisher - but I am keeping the IP for book 3 to myself, by publishing through Amazon Kindle. It’s cheaper, twenty times quicker and I have my own contact who is a senior editing consultant. The third book will be ready and on sale in a few weeks - whereas the publisher took my 2nd book in May 2025 and only started editing (making a mess) in October! It might not be ready until May 2026.

So please, don’t be flattered by a hybrid contract offer - it’s very expensive and they take all the time in the world to mess up your story.

Beverly Thompson I completely understand your journey here. I work in children's publishing here in Australia and a picture book needs to sell 6000 copies to break even. That's why contracts for that genre are extremely limited. 2025 saw the lowest year on record for book sales in Australia so novel contracts are getting lower and lower for those reasons. I do hope you find some success here on Stage 32!

Thank you. The feedback for my spicy crime drama is excellent, I just need a different direction for it, now. I’ll spend some time reading!

Neat! What's it about?

Esse tipo de análise profunda é ouro para quem trabalha com narrativa.

Quando destrinchamos um episódio cena por cena, começamos a perceber decisões invisíveis — ritmo, construção de tensão, desenvolvimento de personagens — que fazem toda a diferença.

E quando há paixão pelo material, o resultado costuma ser ainda melhor. Boa sorte com o webinar!

Hello Anna, my question is how does a show like Heated Rivalry get approved and cleared to run on HBO/HBO Max, especially given its explicit content and niche audience? Are there also script revisions or notes from the network around tone, language, or sex scenes that help shape what ultimately makes it to air?

Tomás Daniel Please post your question in Englist to: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Heated-Rivalry-Breaking-Dow...

Lauryn Brooks HBO acquired the show after it was already finished. They had absolutely no creative input into the show. It will be the same in season 2. There is far more explicit content on HBO - they are famous for it. By the time they acquired it, just before the premiere, the amount of online buzz made it clear that the show would have a sizeable audience.

Effectively, nothing. I created my covers through Canva and uploaded the files to Amazon/Draft2Digital for distribution myself. Only time I've ever had a cost attributed to a work is when I've licenced an image for the cover. I was once quoted £800 for a "professionally designed" cover. Some books have done better than others. Depends on the content and how much effort into marketing it I have done. I've tried pretty much everything with Access Denied - including an ad in Metro which cost a few hundred quid but only garnered two sales. The most ROI I ever got on anything, was when I provided a "press release" news article for a local free magazine. The book was featured and I got a lot of hits/sales from that article alone. Bizarre.

Before I self-publish, I register the copyright, and I obtain my own ISBN. After those costs, self-publishing is free through Draft-2-Digital and through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. The true URL for the latter is kdp.amazon.com. A lot of scammer sites are using KDP and the Amazon logo to trick you into thinking it's Kindle Direct Publishing; they're not. Use KDP.Amazon.com. Spread this URL around.

It does cost some money to register for the ISBN, the copyright and a lot of time learning to format for the various kindle, paperback, hardcover. Also invest in a a GREAT cover. But the biggest issue is exposure and reviews. You will get just buried in the crowd. And pay for facebook ads that lead nowhere or press releases tha nobody reads. That's why we created a hybrid publishing in my company that not only allows international authors to be seen here but also we have a very unique business model that will bring create awareness of your book to the right decision makers to adapt for film or series.

To avoid going off on a tangent, I tie the plot-line, relationship/emotional & time line together in sync. Climax of each sequence, is structured, so that it tethers the characters moods, alongside story beats. (Unless unresolved/ no emotion involved/ or tragedy.) Characters think, feel & then decide to take action. They do something, for some reason. Each choice they take, has consequences, that drive the plot.