Advice — advice

Biographer and historian Donald Spoto believes the goal of the biographer is first and foremost to tell the truth. 'Our purpose,' he said, 'is to set the record straight, celebrate lives, and set forth certain aspects of history and human behavior that is good for people to read about.' After 19 thoroughly researched books, he's earned the right to say, 'The biographer is obliged to tell the truth--even at the risk of saying something good about someone. I know it's not popular today, for we are part of a culture of gossip and innuendo, and professionalism in writing has taken...

Lewis Colick: Script Tips Lewis Colick estimates that he's been writing for 25 years and 'making a living at it for about 18.' His critically-acclaimed 'October Sky earned him the 1999 Humanitas Prize for Best Feature Script and a Writers Guild nomination for Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. Colick, in fact, began work on 'October Sky' before Homer H. Hickam Jr. had finished writing 'Rocket Boys,' the autobiography on which Colick based his script. Preparing to write 'Ghosts of Mississippi,' Colick spent a lot more time on interviews in Jackson than he'd originally anticipated. But those...

Vickie Patik has enjoyed success in nearly every facet of entertainment, first as a singer/dancer in Los Angeles civic light opera and Broadway productions and actress on soap operas, then as a screenwriter of numerous movies for television. A frequent lecturer on screenwriting, her best-known work, 'Do You Remember Love', starring Joanne Woodward and the late Richard Kiley, won her an Emmy, a Writers' Guild Award, the Humanitas Award, the Christopher Award, D.W. Griffith Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Her script for 'Silent Cries' won both Christopher and Writers Guild awards. Her film directing debut, 'Now or Never',...

Dave Hackel's producing credits include such long-running hits as Paramount's comedy series 'Wings' and 'Dear John.' Hackel's first writing assignment for a series came in 1978 for the 'Barney Miller' spinoff, 'Fish,' starring Abe Vigoda. While writing episodes for several series, including one-hour dramas and variety shows, Hackel honed his expertise for comedy. Hackel was named producer of Paramount's 'Dear John' for that series' first season in 1988. From there, Hackel worked as a writer/producer on the hit Paramount series 'Wings' for a total of 122 episodes, ultimately becoming the show's executive producer during the 1993-94 season. Since 'Wings,' Hackel...

I am interested in writing a sequel to someone else's movie. I was wondering, do I need permission from the original filmmakers, or can I just write the screenplay and market it as one of my own spec scripts? Margaret C., Far Hills, NJ Dina Appleton & Daniel Yankelevits respond: Great Question. Here's the answer -- you are free to go ahead and write the screenplay -- but purely as a showcase of your work. Any potential buyer of the screenplay would be precluded from exploiting it in any commercial way without separately securing the underlying rights. Sometimes (though it's...