Monday, June 30, 2014

Good morning, readers.

Here's something that may help you if you are in the process of getting an agent:

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5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents
There are hundreds of questions you could ask an agent, from the sensible "What attracted you to my book?" to the slightly less sensible "When will you net me my first million?" The key is to choose the ones that will get you the most important information you need to make an informed decision. Here's a list of the five most crucial questions you should ask any agent before agreeing to join her client list.
Read more ...

Friday, June 20, 2014

Hook Readers On Page One

Hear more resources for you. When reading your stories I always write in the critiques that you need to hook the reader on the first page. Following is a video tutorial from literary agent Jessica Regel explaining the importance of hooking the reader on the first page and how to do it.
 
an Attention-Grabbing First Page  

imageplaceholder SUE JOHNSON
eMedia ProductionCoordinator
Writer's Digest Tutorials





The opening of your novel sets the stage for everything you want to accomplish. Your first sentence has to grab the reader and not let go. From your "hook", the one-sentence logline you use to describe your book, to the first page of your novel, it's critical to capture the reader's attention immediately-whether that reader is an agent, editor, or consumer. Not only do you want to quickly pull readers in with your story idea, you also need to establish your narrative voice as compelling, believable, talented, and authoritative.

In this tutorial, instructor and literary agent Jessica Regel shows you how to catch your reader's attention with your hook and first page. Using real life examples from her own client list, Jessica examines the hooks and first pages from published books to show you the dos and don'ts of opening your book and the common mistakes that drive agents crazy and stop them from reading the rest of your work.

During this 80-minute video tutorial, you'll learn:

  • How to write an attention grabbing one-line hook
  • When it's appropriate to compare your book to another book
  • Why it's important to hook the reader from the first page
  • Why a prologue may do you more harm than good
  • Common mistakes of first sentences and first pages
  • Overused beginnings and clichés that can drag down a work
  • The benefits and pitfalls of starting with action

Preview: Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Determine Your Book's Hook and Craft an Attention-Grabbing First Page >   
 
Hello readers,

Are any of you going to be in LA, California this summer. If so I recommend attending the Writers Digest Conference this August. Read the following info:


Experience a 360-degree view of
your novel—with the guidance of some
of today's most accomplished writers.

  Whether working on your novel is part of your daily practice,
or maybe still just a daydream, the Writer's Digest Novel
Writing Conference has a lot to offer you—particularly if
you're in search of both practical advice and creative inspiration
to fuel your writing ambitions.

Join Writer's Digest August 15 - 17 in Los Angeles and

 get a holistic overview of both the art and business of being
a novelist.

When you look at the Conference's education sessions, you'll

notice a familiar order to the program: It's structured exactly
like the process of writing a novel.

You'll start by generating your ideas, outlining and refining your

plot and crafting fully-realized characters. Once you've progressed
 through these steps, you'll work on your query letters and practice
 your pitch to perfection.

Your mentors on this journey will include not only

Phil Sexton, Writer's Digest magazine's Publisher, but
also six New York Times and USA Today bestselling
authors, including Hugh Howey, Larry Brooks and
David Morrell, plus publishing industry experts and
literary agents.

This step-by-step process packs so much of what any

aspiring novelist needs to know into a single extended weekend.
 Summer will be here and gone in the blink of an eye. Why
not carve out this one weekend for yourself, spent among your
 writing peers and immersed in what you love? Your novel
deserves it.
 
  REGISTER TODAY!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Hello readers,

Need an agent? I got these new agents names in my email today.

3 Agents Seeking Your Query NOW

Click on any name below to see the full mini-profile on the GLA Blog (with submission instructions). Good luck querying!

1. Mary Krienke of Sterling Lord Literistic

She is seeking: Mary represents literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and realistic YA that pays close attention to craft and voice. She is especially drawn to new and emerging writers who seek to push boundaries of form and content, and she responds most strongly to writing that reaches great emotional and psychological depths. She is equally interested in work that illuminates through humor or by playing with genre. Her other interests include psychology, art, and design.

2. Andrea Hurst of Andrea Hurst & Associates

This alert from established literary agent Andrea Hurst (Andrea Hurts & Associates): "I am reopening my submissions this summer to unsolicited queries from June 1 - September 1, 2014." This is a great opportunity for writers everywhere who are writing genres & categories that Andrea accepts. She is not always open to submissions, and wanted writers to know.

She is seeking: "I am looking for upmarket, book club women's fiction, commercial women's fiction/romance (contemporary or historical), young adult fiction, and most areas of nonfiction (authors with a substantial platform who have already developed a solid, highly polished proposal - this includes memoirs, health/wellness, business, self-help/personal growth, memoir, cookbooks, pet books, spirituality). As of 2014, we are now accepting middle grade contemporary fiction as well."

3. Renee Nyen of KT Literary

She is seeking: Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. "I'm always interested in YA historical fiction, mystery, sci-fi, and thrillers, but genre is not as important to me as strong prose and compelling characters."

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Hello!

Good news for writers looking for an agent. I got this today in my inbox.


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Unsolicited Submissions Wanted: Agent
 Andrea Hurst Seeks Women's Fiction, Romance,
 YA, Memoir and More
This alert from established literary agent Andrea Hurst
 (Andrea Hurts & Associates): "I am reopening my submissions this
summer to unsolicited queries from June 1 - September 1, 2014." This
 is a great opportunity for writers everywhere who are writing genres
 & categories that Andrea accepts. She is not always open to submissions,
 and wanted writers to know. More info below.
Read more ...

Wednesday, June 4, 2014


Good Morning Readers!

Here's something I got in the mail- email - that can help in your script writing. In doing critiques for scripts with -- in drama, thriller, comedy-- I've noted that the character's relationships are weak. I've written pages of how to make them strong ad complex. If you have time and money check out the falling online webinar by David Freedman. He'll tell you much of what I say in critique and teach you even more. So check it out.



Romance and Chemistry Techniques: The Signature of a Great Writer

Monday, June 9th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sale Price $59.99 
REGISTER NOW

Two Days Left to Save | Register Today
 

Relationships are a key component of almost every script.
 Let world-renowned screenwriter, David Freeman teach
 you the skills you need to achieve complex relationships
 in your script.
You may envision complex relationships between the

friends, family members, and lovers in your script. But
is that complexity really shining through?

Don't miss this opportunity to study numerous specific

techniques from David Freeman that make the relationships
 between your characters interesting. Whether they involve
 romance or not -- make your character interactions be one
 of the most unforgettable aspects of your script. Make the
  audience believe that two people are destined to become
 lovers or friends. Simply having an "attraction" between two
people is probably the weakest way to start a romance.
There are MANY better techniques which you'll learn in this
  webinar. You'll learn techniques for making the audience
QUICKLY believe that two people are old friends or members
of the same family. These techniques involve deftly creating
credible, complex relationships.
What you'll learn:

  • Tools to create compelling relationships while still retaining
  •  your voice as a writer.
  • How to write layered, tangible characters.
  • Ways to make your scripts compete at the highest level.
This class is open to TV writers and movie writers of all levels
at any and all stages of development of their idea. If you want
to create gripping character relationships with a world class
instructor, you'll love this webinar. 
David Freeman
 
http://www.writersstore.com/romance-and-chemistry-techniques-the-signature-of-a-great-writer/


David Freeman is a screenwriter, and internationally sought screenwriting teacher. 

A long-standing member of the Writers Guild of America,

 he has sold and optioned scripts and ideas to Sony
 Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures,
MGM, and other major film and television companies.
He works half time for News Corp developing
television dramas.

He has taught screenwriting and script development

 not just to writers around the world, but at Pixar,
 Disney, to many executives of the BBC, at various
film studios in China, and to many other film and
 television companies around the world. 


REGISTER NOW



















Tuesday, June 3, 2014


Hello, Readers.

Here's something for those of you who are interested in writing TV shows and movies for children. I got this in my inbox today.

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Join Screenwriters University for:

Writing For Children's TV
June 5 - July 3, 2014


Start Date: Thursday, June 5, 2014
Tuition: $179.99


Register Now

 
This foundational course starts with the basic ABCs of writing

for daytime animation. From Animaniacs, to Batman, to Cars
 Toons-and beyond, Daytime Animation paints a landscape
of unique worlds with unique rules. How is writing for daytime
cartoons traditionally different than writing for live-action,
primetime animation, or an animated feature? What can
carton mice like Pinky and the Brain do that even Superman
can't? Why can the Animaniacs climb all over Bill Clinton,
but Batman can't get near him? Why can you create scores
of new characters for some animated shows, but maybe not
 for one animated by Pixar? What's the difference between a
 great story idea and a great story idea that will work for a
 specific show? -First steps into that Bat (fat cat, cartoon rat,
run-off-a-cliff-tread-air-and-KERSPLAT) Cave starts here.
������Through online lectures, animation watching,
 written assignments, and optional exercises, this course
supplies a cartoon-writing utility belt of understanding how to
write for Daytime Animation programming.



Course Outline:
  • Session 1: The Foundational Foundation
  • Session 2: Decoding The Animation Show. (Decoder Ring optional)
  • Session 3: Springing Springboards. Outlining outlines.
  • Session 4: Go Ahead, Make a Scene.

In this online writing course you will learn:

  • Foundational distinctions key to writing daytime animation.
  • Shot breakdown techniques required for the medium.
  • How to decode existing shows to write for them effectively.
  • How to create story springboards and expanding them.
  • An introduction to daytime animation scene writing.

All of Screenwriters University's workshops are designed to fit into even
the busiest of schedules. The workshops have no set meeting time. You
can sign in and read lectures, complete and submit assignments, and
participate in discussions on a timetable that fits your needs. This workshop
 will consist of four, one-week sessions. Each session includes an online
 lecture as well as a writing assignment that will be submitted to the instructor
for private review, along with various additional creative exercises and
 supplements. Student work can also be posted for group review and feedback.
  Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous
 lecture discussions, and you're encouraged to take advantage of your
 classmate's feedback by posting the self-directed writing exercises.

Writing for Children's TV
with Ralph Soll

http://swu.register.fwmedia.com/Course?CourseId=7033-3&utm_source=SWUPromo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=swuhjpb060214
With over twenty years experience as
a writer, Ralph has written, developed
and had original material optioned by
 Universal, Sony, Warner Bros, Disney
and others.

Credits include The Tick, Animaniacs,
The Mask animated series, Dave the Barbaian,
  Power Rangers and more. He has taught
writing at NYU, UCLA and Columbia College
 Hollywood.


Register Now



















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