Tag: teamwork

Categories
Screenwriting

Teamwork

Recently, a local writer friend and I decided to do a script swap to read each other’s WIP. To be honest, I was a little afraid to let her look at my script and I believe the feeling was mutual since this was her first attempt at screenwriting. I’ve been there.

As writers, we are often protective of our work. Our projects represent our time, beliefs and we put all our heart into the work. Fear of rejection is part of human nature. We don’t want others to trifle with our art, dreams, or hearts.

But if we care about our stories, we need to be open to feedback from others. The temporary discomfort is worth it to help improve our stories and make them better. Be open to honest feedback about your writing

  • Negative feedback can be helpful in the long run.
  • Writing a story is a learning process.
  • Is easier for others to see the holes in our stories.

With that said, writers must know what screenwriting is and isn’t. We are writing a story only; we aren’t acting, directing, or producing the story. Those are other people’s jobs, we are just the writers and need to understand that screenwriting is a team effort.

Writers must learn to just tell the story and get out of the way for others to do their part in our storytelling because screenwriting is all about teamwork! Unfortunately, when writers attempt to write the first screenplay, they often cross the line. They attempt to tell other members of the team how to do their jobs by including directing and acting, and production cues into the narrative. Years ago I had to learn that screenwriting takes teamwork.

Teamwork!

The writer’s job is simply to write a cohesive, well flowing story and then get out of the way for the other team members to do their job. Screenwriting coach and producer David Trotter writes,

“Many writers who are new to the business believe that they must use fancy formatting techniques in order to get noticed by Asians and producers. Therefore they add arty editing directions, clever camera angles, truckloads of caps, and so on… Be judicious and keep your focus on the story and characters.”1

When readers, studios, or producers read a screenplay full of camera angles, artsy transitions, and special effects cues, it makes it harder to read the screenplay. In the end, it takes away from the actual story the screenwriter is trying to tell.

But when you stick to the story and characters, it makes your screenplay easier to read the story easier to follow. When the writer sticks to telling just the story, it enables the director to understand how to direct the story, it allows the actors to use their acting skills to bring our characters to life. And in the end, it will help the producers keep the film within the budget. The key to great storytelling is to tell a great story and then get out of the way. To illustrate the point look at the Marvel Avengers franchise. Each of the movies was written by screenwriters, but directed, and produced by other professionals.

Although they received great fanfare for directing the Infinity Wars saga, the Russo brothers had nothing to do with writing the screenplays, they were only paid to direct the movies.

Avengers Infinity War

Avengers Endgame

Another example is my childhood favorite, the Star Wars Saga. Although he wrote and directed the very first film in the series, George Lucas had nothing else to do with writing or directing any of the other original films.

Disney now has all rights to the Star Wars franchise and can hire their stellar writers and actors to bring the characters George Lucas first created nearly a half-century ago to life. Lucas did his part, and now he has left the story to others in the business who can create new adventures and put everything together for a whole new generation of fans.

Put It All Together!

Although screenwriters write stories, it isn’t our job to bring them to life. As hard as it is to let go, once our script is sold or optioned, our babies have left the nest, and it’s up to other professionals to put it all together for us.

  • Studios
  • Producers
  • Directors
  • Actors
  • Production crew

Hopefully, now, it is easier to see how show business takes teamwork!

1  Trotter, David. Screenwriter’s Bible. 7th edition, Silman-James Press, 2019, Pg. 134.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Screenwriting

Show Business

After I submitted my last screenwriting post, I received feedback for my latest WIP. Although it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, it did provide some key feedback I needed to improve my screenplay.

 Feedback is crucial to writing the best possible story. That’s why I am more than willing to pay for others in the business for their thoughts on my writing. A lot of new writers don’t want to share their work for fear of rejection. However, critical feedback is part of the business of screenwriting and it serves a few purposes:

  • Helps us grow as writers.
  • Helps improve our screenplays.
  • Helps us better understand the business.

As much as we writers like to romanticize screenwriting as an art, we need to understand it is a real big-time business and sometimes a brutal one! As the great Irving Berlin once wrote, “There’s no business like show business!”

Show Business!

Since most of us enjoy our art, we assume we will enjoy show business, but unless you’re a business-minded person, your passion for the art may be snuffed out by the business of being a screenwriter. Although I am new to the industry, I can vouch that the idea of screenwriting has been heavily romanticized.

The belief that you just need a great idea of a story to make it in the business is garbage—ideas are a dime a dozen. There is a lot more to screenwriting than just a great story. That is why there have been so many movies made about show business, there is plenty of drama!

  1. The Player
  2. Sunset Boulevard
  3. Once upon a Time in Hollywood
  4. Tootsie
  5. Barton Fink
  6. Get Shorty
  7. Sullivan’s Travels
  8. Tropic Thunder
  9. Hail Caesar
  10. The Artist

Hollywood is so much of a business, screenwriter and teacher Scott Myers writes a weekly series just on the business of Hollywood. 1 Aside from actually writing, learning the craft and making the right connections are two of the most important parts of the business of screenwriting.

As most of us writers know, the concept of the lone nomad writer is another romanticized myth in the business. Writing is a team effort. And just like learning to dance, we must pick our partner carefully!

Pick Your Team!

As this post goes live I am returning from a writer’s conference where I studied the craft, networked, and pursued representation for my nonfiction writing. Regardless of which area you write, writing is a team effort. So be sure to put your team together carefully.

  • Manager (coach and industry guide)
  • Agent
  • Entertainment Attorney
  • Studio
  • Distribution team

Each of these are a part of your screenwriting journey. These are just a few of the key players you need when working in show business!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

1  https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/the-business-of-screenwriting-111b5d087f7d

Categories
Screenwriting

Options

Recently, I received a message on social media from a literary manager in Hollywood. Although she isn’t taking on new screenwriters, she has already been a tremendous asset to me. This is why all writers need a presence on social media, it is a great way to network with others in the industry.

I’ve spent most of the last couple of years trying to nail down an agent for all of my writing projects from screenplays to books. I kind of wanted a one-size-fits-all agent.  I didn’t want to have to chase down a half-dozen different people to discuss my writing.

And this is where the literary manager helped me the most; she informed me that most agents don’t represent both screenwriters and nonfiction writers, thus validating my biggest fear—I needed more help than I thought to get my writing sold and published.

The idea that a writing career is a solitary journey is a romanticized myth. In the screenwriting field, there are four necessary players to getting a writer’s work onto the screen.

  • The writer: the creative force behind an idea forges it into a story.
  • A manager: managers are accessible and knowledgeable coaches who mentor and guide writers in their craft.
  • A literary agent: agents work as insiders with the connections to potentially interested parties.
  • A literary attorney: a lawyer whom handles the legalities of literary sales.

Each of the above work together as a team to get a story sold and produced. More often than not a screenplay gets optioned rather than sold. Options are negotiated routinely in Hollywood.

The Option?

An option (not to be confused with an option clause for a multi-book contract), is another term almost exclusively related to the film industry.

Most aspiring screenwriters (including myself) dream of breaking into the film industry with a blockbuster sell for their awesome writing. The sad truth is most screenwriters are offered an option.

An option is a purchase and option agreement where the buyer simply doesn’t want to put a lot of money into the script immediately, so they option the rights for a short period of time (six months to a year) for a “down payment.” During that time the buyer will use the script to attract talent or raise money to make the film.

At the end of the option period, the buyer will either pay the purchase price or pass. If passed, the writer keeps any money already paid and the rights of the script revert to the writer.

Since an option is not a final purchase, scripts tend to change hands frequently before ever being produced. Numerous factors influence a scripts purchase, in addition to the market’s fickleness, studios contract crew and available talent.

With these hurdles, it’s a wonder any films ever make it to the screen. Over the years many movies have narrowly made it through developmental hell even after being optioned. For example:

  1. Apocalypse Now
  2. Blade Runner
  3. Gremlins
  4. The Abyss
  5. World War Z

A movie’s production is rarely the result of a talented lone wolf writer. But paired with a producer, studio and creative team; that’s hopefully when our characters come to life on the screen—all options are fulfilled through teamwork.

Teamwork?

Before you know your options, it is wise for writers to put their teams together because writers need all the support they can get. So how do you put a team together? I’m glad you asked.

Getting an agent or manager can be difficult but is not impossible. In today’s tech-savvy society there are quite a few ways to market your writing to the right people or find them. Below are a few ways most screenwriters market their projects and search for literary representatives.

  • Entertainment magazines (Hollywood Reporter, Variety Magazine, Script Magazine).
  • Online screenwriting sites (Film Freeway, Studio Binder and The Blacklist).
  • Film festivals (Atlanta film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival).
  • Screenwriting contests (Nicole fellowships competition, Final Draft competition, Screencraft competition).

I’ve always been taught as a writer the best way to get your work out is to be the best writer you can be, let your writing speak for itself and studios will fight to hire you and you will have plenty of options.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
The Picky Pen

How to Think Like an Editor

Writing is a funny art, isn’t it? Agents and editors (freelance and publishing house) tell us to write, write, write . . . and also make sure that our manuscript is edited well. “Edited well?” But what if we don’t like the word editing because it’s too daunting? What if our minds turn to jelly or we seize up when an agent or mentor tells us to edit our manuscript?

Well. Editing may seem daunting and scary and intimidating, but it’s really just one piece of the writing process. Editing doesn’t have to be so intimidating. Every writer should have an editor, but before sending a manuscript to a personal freelance editor or mentor (or even critique group), we need to make sure that the manuscript is fluid. Simply put, editing is just going through a more detailed process to make sure our manuscript is ready for the public eye. So . . . how do we think like an editor when we aren’t one? I’ll give you some quick tips for thinking like an editor. Ready?

Three Rules for Thinking Like an Editor

1. Am I a one-book author?

Now this is a scary question because agents especially want to ensure that the author seeking representation has more than one story or book idea. If you only have one story idea now and you are finding it hard to come up with another one, please don’t panic.

That’s what your critique group or mentor or friend(s) is for. That’s why you see questions on social media, “Would you read a book about flying saucers in the Carribean?” The author is trying to get feedback on their idea. If you aren’t an idea person (but rather someone who runs with an idea after it’s been fleshed out), you may want to sign up for coaching sessions or find a friend who will listen to your idea strain and then ask you questions about it to get you thinking.

If you have a handful of exceptional one-sentence hooks, that’s a good indication to an editor that you’re not a one-book author.

2. Will my book sell?

Another big question, but an important one. As the author, you will have done your research on other books in the market in the past year that are similar to yours in subject, theme, timeline, and content. If you find many like yours, that’s good. It only means that your idea is being published. Now the trick is to make sure that your hook is ear-grabbing enough to catch an agent’s or editor’s attention. Hooks like “A woman struggles to sell her house but can’t because there’s a hippie living in her basement who refuses to move out” might work. Doesn’t that raise all kinds of questions?

On the other hand, if you can’t find a book like yours out on the market, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it may mean that your book isn’t ready for publication quite yet, or that your genre or subject is too narrow. That said, consider broadening your subject focus or story question. And keep writing!

3. Will I work with an agent or editor to meet deadlines, manuscript edits, and other details?

While the other two questions were super important, this one probably outranks them. Why? Because agents and editors crave for authors who are easy to work with and who aren’t afraid to make necessary changes for the book’s best interest for the needs of the readers. I am not saying you should make every single change that an agent or editor want you to make, for you know where your book stands as far as its core message, and there will be things you will not want to change. However, you can graciously explain why a change cannot be made but keep an open mind in case the suggested change is a good change. A good change will enrich your story, grow you as a writer, and really wow your readers.

If an author can meet deadlines, make clear edits, work with the publisher’s marketing team, and do their part in getting the book into readers’ hands, then that’s the author an agent or editor wants to work with. That’s exactly what thinking like an editor is all about, and chances are, you’ll never be without a writing project or a published book available on your favorite bookstore shelf.

Next month, I’ll share some more tips on how to think like an editor.

But for now, please join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

Take a few minutes and ruminate. What are some other ways you can think like an editor?

About Tisha Martin

Tisha Martin is a writer and editor, and she lives to encourage authors and editors to bridge their relationships and work together for the publishing industry cause, where readers will treasure books for always. With a bachelor’s in Professional Writing, a master’s in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, she has equal passions for writing and editing. Active in ACFW and The PEN, she appreciates both communities. She is the former Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, where she was instrumental in seeing attendee growth in 2018, up 150% from 2017. She’s also a contest judge for Writer’s Digest. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and on social media. She looks forward to the conversation!

Categories
Publishing Pulse

The Dirty Little Secrets of Self-Publishing

Book authors are hearing more and more voices telling them to self-publish and “reap the profits that traditional publishers are stealing from you.”

Okay, not every promoter of self-publishing puts it that way, but some do. And it should make you curious as to why these people are giving you so much pressure to self-publish. The answer boils down to the first dirty little secret of self-publishing:

There is no such thing as self-publishing.

In the process we call self-publishing, authors are portrayed as doing all the necessary steps in publishing a book—writing, editing, typesetting/interior design, proofreading, designing the cover, arranging for printing and/or e-book production, distributing, marketing and promotion. But in reality, authors do not do all those things by themselves, because no one person could possibly have all those tools and skills. Instead, the “self-publishing” author pays someone else to do most of these jobs.

And there is the motivation for the push to self-publish: most of those who push an author to self-publish are hoping to get hired to do the work the author cannot do. No matter what publishing method you use, publishing is a team effort. The only difference is in who invests the money—the publisher (traditional publishing) or the author (subsidy publishing, or so-called self-publishing).

The self-publishing promoters often argue that since the author is paying the bills, the author has complete control over the entire publishing process. And this brings us to the second dirty little secret of  (so-called) self-publishing:

No single person has complete control over the entire publishing process.

Of course, that goes back to the fact that publishing a book is a group effort. Authors, even those who pay to have their book published, cannot control all aspects of publishing their book—and they should not want to. Authors who try to have total control over their own publishing process will find that they cannot control those who have the publishing expertise they lack. They either learn to trust others with their creative baby, or they find others who will let them be “in control,” but who, like them, lack the publishing expertise needed for success.

The moral of this story, then, is that success in publishing is dependent upon finding a team you can trust. Are you confident that the publisher you work with, whether subsidy or traditional, has professional expertise and knows the audience you are aiming at? Certainly you have your own ideas about your book, but are you willing to take advice from someone with experience and a track record in publishing? If so, your book has ten times the chance of success than if you find someone who gets paid to follow your instructions blindly.

David E. Fessenden
Literary Agent, WordWise Media Services
Publisher and Proprietor, Honeycomb House Publishing LLC

Dave has degrees in journalism and theology, and over 30 years of experience in writing and editing. He has served in editorial management positions for Christian book publishers and was regional editor for the largest Protestant weekly newspaper in the country.

Dave has published seven books, written hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles, and edited numerous books. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences. Two of his books, Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract and  A Christian Writer’s Guide to the Book Proposal, are based on his experience in Christian publishing. The Case of the Exploding Speakeasy, Dave’s first novel, reflects his love for history and for the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan-Doyle.

Dave and his wife, Jacque, live in south-central Pennsylvania and have two adult sons.

As a literary agent for WordWise Media Services, I am interested in historical fiction (not romance) and speculative fiction (sci-fi/fantasy); nonfiction titles on Christian living, spiritual growth and biblical studies. I am not interested in devotionals or memoirs. dave@wordwisemedia.com

Honeycomb House Publishing LLC is a subsidy publishing house, assisting Christian authors to publish their books at their expense, and reaping the full profit on the sale of their books. We believe there really is no such thing as self-publishing, because no one can publish a book completely on their own. Standing on Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones,” we are looking for gracious words that bring spiritual sweetness and healing. dave@fessendens.net

Websites/Blogs:
www.fromconcepttocontract.com
www.davefessenden.com
www.thebookstore.info