Advice — advice

Patrice from Los Angeles asks: I'm currently writing a screenplay that I'll be directing myself in about 10 months. I would like to use a Frank Sinatra look-alike to sing 3 ORIGINAL songs in the STYLE of Sinatra. Is that a copyright violation? Do I need to get approval from the family of Sinatra before I can use his likeness? Larry Zerner ESQ responds: This is an issue that comes up quite a lot, and you were correct to spot this as a potential problem. But I don't think this is something you have to worry about. Using a celebrity...

An old deodorant commercial once proclaimed, 'If you're not a little nervous, you're really not alive.' Pretty sage advice, even though the only thing at stake was staying dry and odor-free. But there is something to be said for accepting -- and learning to navigate -- the minor turbulences of life. I'm talking here about common, everyday anxiety. The jitters. Butterflies. This is particularly true for writers, whose very feelings are the raw materials of their craft. No matter how mundane, the small anxieties can swarm like bees, making work difficult; distractions, like an impending visit from the in-laws, money...

I would never write about someone who is not at the end of his rope. --Stanley Elkin Many writers mistake the outer life of a character for the inner life, assume that by offering a physical description and a few surface details, they have created a character. In actuality, the creating is just beginning. In real life it might suffice to know very little about someone else. Take, for instance, a company. A company can only ask a potential employee so much--if they probe into his sexual preferences or religious beliefs, they could get sued. If they probe deeper, into...

Dear Gatekeeper: I've finished my spec script, entered a couple of contests and sent out a zillion query letters by mail and email. The only response I received was from an agent who will represent me if I shell out $25 for every submission. I'm willing to invest the time and energy, but just don't know what 'creative' steps I can take next. Help. Suze Q., Santa Monica, CA This Week's Gatekeeper Howard Meibach responds: Dear Suze, what you need to do next is what I like to call 'Selling your screenplay outside the box.' I'd like to make a...

Question: The first five pages of my script contain a lot more movement than speech. Because of this, it's exceeding the one-page-per minute rule. It just seems to take me more pages to describe action than it does for dialogue. Is this a common problem? Do readers take this into account? Can you give me a bit of advice to either put my mind at ease or teach my to overcome this? G.K. Brothers, KS Jeffrey Schechter responds: Don't get too hung up on the one page per minute rule. While you're right that description can sometimes read slower (or...