Advice

And the Winner is... Joshua Rebell - "Old Boys Club"The second running of the Industry Insider Screenwriting contest was another huge success. Writers from around the world submitted the first 15 pages of their unique screenplays based on master screenwriter Allan Loeb's logline, "A group of married men desperate for one last bachelor party invents a long-lost friend who’s about to be wed, but things get out of control when their wives want to meet the groom before the big event."To say it was difficult to select a group to move on to the next phase is an understatement. We...

"Thirty years ago I was the second customer at The Writers Store. I survived the experience, and so did the store. I keep coming back. Experience counts."- David SeidlerThere's a reason The Writers Store is still in business after 30 years, and it's the same reason any writer manages to survive that long: They figured out what they were good at and kept working hard to get better at it. The next generation of screenwriters, I'm sure, will find as I have, there’s really no other place like it.- Steven Zaillian"The Writers Store is the best place to go for...

As the weather warms up and everyone’s mailed off their taxes, writers start looking at their calendar in anticipation of -- PITCHFEST SEASON! Whether you’ve written a screenplay or novel, writers are all too aware that most of these events are held between May – November.And while you’ve spent all winter polishing up your projects in anticipation of attending one or more of these events, are you prepared to survive the challenge of pitching to the movers and shakers of Hollywood and/or the editors and agents of the publishing world?Here are suggestions for making the most of your valuable time...

I know a lot of comedy writers.Some are funnier than others both in daily life and on the page. More often than you’d imagine, the funniest scripts are written by men and women who aren’t that much fun to be around. They can “write” funny, but not “be” very funny during normal life. Some are downright boring while others are depressed and a drag to be around. Likewise, some of the funniest writers I know are hilarious when they’re hanging out with friends or one on one, but they aren’t funny on paper. Because they were so funny, early in...

Strong story comes from so many different perspectives. There is value in every unique perspective, including your own. As storytellers, our story evolves as life moves forward. We continue to learn more about story from experiencing and interpreting our own life story and the stories of those around us. We learn new tools and techniques in how to tell story in the best way possible in order to have the optimal emotional effect on our audience. We breathe in story and breathe out the potential to emote and help others feel that their own life experience is connected to a...