Advice

When I was in high school, there were three sets of twins – two fraternal and one identical. The latter - a pair of sisters a year ahead of me – were a particular object of fascination. What would it be like, I mused, to have a lookalike sib who excelled in the very subjects that weren’t my strong suit? Would our parents be so attuned to our personalities that we couldn’t occasionally trade places? Would we ever ignore a chance to play tricks on friends or make shopkeepers think they were experiencing déjà vu? I remember peppering these girls...

Is there a woman’s voice in screenwriting? And if there is, how do we recognize it? If you’re a male writer, you might think this question doesn’t even apply to you. You might think this is simply a problem for women writers. Besides, how often has anyone said that you write with a man’s voice? You might have been told you are good at exploring masculinity through your characters and themes, and you might have a preference for writing in genres where male characters tend to dominate, but even so, isn’t the concept of a man’s voice patronizing and limiting?...

Time and time again, people come up to us and pitch ideas for movies and television. Everyone thinks their story needs to be told or that they've got the greatest idea since the invention of the iPhone. But it's not just enough to have an idea. You have to see if it can go the distance. Does it have legs? Is it really a movie? Or is it just a sketch? Is there enough there to keep an audience engaged? Are the characters unique enough yet still accessible enough for audiences to root for? These are just some of the...

I know you’re busy. Trust me, I’m with you. You’ve got work, school, kids, you name it. Family counts on you, friends need you – someone’s probably e-mailing, texting or instant messaging you right now!So how in the heck are you going to find time to write? Well, look down at that smart-phone or computer. You already are.Be honest. How many times a day do you sneak in a Facebook post, send a brilliant thought through Twitter or entertain a far-away friend with a text? Every time you do, you’re writing.You’re relating an anecdote; describing a person you met, engaging...

How can you write a memorable spec script that helps get you staffed? Why is it so hard to write a TV pilot script that not only gets you noticed, but could sell? I believe that strong writing will rise. In helping to launch countless careers, I’ve noticed some commonalities in the writers who make it. The strongest trait is belief in self and a burning desire to make it happen. If a writer starts her career with purpose, puts the work into writing the strongest scripts possible, learns the craft of storytelling and envisions success, it will happen. Learning...