Advice — advice

Our reader Seth from Colorado asks: What's the difference between an agent and a manager? Marc Hernandez responds: That's a good question, Seth. After all, writers need to understand the business of representation in order to maximize their potential and advance their career. The differences between an agent and a manager can be broken down into two primary areas: 1) legislative, and 2) scope of work. Legislative: Agents are governed by labor law in the state that they do business. Literary agencies are permitted, by law, to procure employment (i.e., writing assignments) for their clients for a fee. Managers, conversely,...

Our reader Tim Kessler asks: I have developed an idea into what needs to become a film treatment. Can you suggest how I can take what I've got into a piece of work that can be properly used to apply for funding for the expedition/ documentary? Do I need an agent? I have friends who are themselves doc makers and producers who have told me that I have the bones of a film treatment but I don't have a clear vision of how to create the product. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated more than I can express. Steven...

2004: On the TV show The Apprentice 16 young entrepreneurial types compete to be the apprentice to Donald Trump. It's a truly coveted position because it means learning from a master. For those who don't succeed, their fate is summed up in two words at the end of the show. "You're fired!" 1940: Fantasia opens. Mickey Mouse stars in The Sorcerers Apprentice. Logline: A Sorcerer's young apprentice attempts to practice magic in his master's absence, with disastrous results. Theme: Never underestimate the value of age and experience 1545: The Middle Ages - a brief history. The majority of the people...

Henry James, the great American novelist, in an essay entitled The Art of Fiction, asks a rhetorical question about the nature of character: "What is character," he writes, "but the determination of incident. And what is incident but the illumination of character." The key word of course, is "incident;" what the dictionary defines as "A specific occurrence or event that occurs in connection or relationship to something else." How does this affect the creation of character? Take a look at Mystic River - the entire film is based on an event that occurs when a young boy named Dave is...

Our Reader Allen Ventura from Springfield, IL writes: I am a professional writer who has recently turned his hand to screenwriting. Can you give me the insider's view of "spec scripts?" Is this a sound way to proceed or are there better ways to get my scripts noticed? Richard Walter responds: Writing spec scripts is not only the most traditional journey to make your screenwriting career happen, it's also in your best financial interest. Virtually all the writers I know who make huge bucks "selling their daydreams for dollars" started out by writing spec scripts. Their craft and talent seduced...