Writing Tips: Writing Descriptions & Fix Manuscripts

This is my last post for today. Following is some free writing advice regarding fixing your manuscripts and writing descriptions in novels.

The Five Cardinal Sins of Description 
There are two kinds of description that will have your reader waking up his or her spouse to read a line out loud: really good description and really bad. In order to make sure your descriptions fit in the former category rather than the latter, keep an eye out for the following spouse-elbowing sins of descriptive language and do everything in your power to avoid them. - See more at: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/the-five-cardinal-sins-of-description#sthash.wZI8v5xo.dpuf
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7 Ways to Fix a Messy Manuscript 
The first draft of my YA novel BLANK was a complete disaster. I had taken a random approach to writing it, jotting down whatever I could between diaper changes and other distractions. I tried not to concern myself with structure or plot, thinking I would fix all that "later." When "later" became hundreds of pages that somewhat resembled a novel, I knew the task ahead of me was not for the faint-hearted. I experimented with many approaches to get BLANK ready for submission (and eventual publication), and survived, only slightly traumatized, to share these tips for repairing even the most chaotic of first drafts. 
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Need Help Developing Your Novel or Script?

Good morning, readers.

Today I posted some writing resource courses that are being offered. One is for writing fantasy novels and the other is for developing the world in a film script. I advise you to check them out. The are online courses put on by experienced writers. If you're having trouble developing story for your script or novel these courses can help.

"Hmmm..."

We are committed to bringing writers around the world quality resources and career opportunities.

What's the best way to get selected for a Writing gig? 1. THOROUGHLY READ THE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS ON THE GIG!! 2. Double check that your submission falls in the genre requested. 3. Have your materials edited by a professional and triple check they are uploaded in your account before sending. (Find a Consultant HERE!) 4. Submit to MULTIPLE gigs on the ISA and on other sites too! 5. Submit and forget about it... Move on with your life! In Other News: Apply The Visual Mindscape to your script on TODAY'S FREE Curious About Screenwriting LIVE teleclass!   November 19th - Join ISA members and guests at Third Thursdays in LA & London!   December 3rd - Shoot Your Short on a gifted budget - ENTER HERE!   December 10th - Walk the streets of a high profile film festival this January as a VIP Grand Prize winner - ENTER HERE!   This and more brought to you by, Your Friends at the ISA www.NetworkISA.org   WRITING GIGS: SEEKING 10-20 MINUTE SHORT SCRIPTS IN DRAMA, CRIME, ACTION OR HORROR Short         Action/Adventure/Crime/Drama/Horror/Thriller/Adaptation We are looking for a script for a short film (10-20 minutes). The story must be interesting and fast-paced. We are very open to ideas, in general but my preference is for Drama, Action, Crime, Horror (not blood and gore, more psychological), and coming-of-age stories. To keep production costs reasonable, the script should have limited number of locations (4-5 maximum)... Read More>   COLLABORATOR WANTED FOR TELEVISION DRAMA SERIES TV Pilot     Drama We have completed the treatment for a television drama series that tells the intriguing story of an extended family that creates a business empire but gets morally corrupted with their newfound wealth. It is cleverly structured but needs your experienced guidance in completing the pilot script... Read More>   FINAL Deadline: December 3rd Emerging Screenwriters is providing you with pretty much EVERYTHING YOU NEED to Shoot Your Short! $15,000 Filmmakers Package will be readily available upon your win. SAVE $10 on your entry with code: MT5ISA   CANADIAN PRODUCTION TEAM SEEKING SHORT FILM SCRIPT Short    Action/Crime/Drama/Fantasy/Mystery/Suspense/Science Fiction/Thriller   We're an active independent production team in Canada looking for a short film script.  Genres of interest to us include: Action, Science Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense, Drama and Thriller. Please send us only your logline and/or synopsis and page count to begin with. Also, let us know if you are Canadian (for grant application purposes)... Read More>   SEEKING WRITERS FOR TEEN WEB-SITCOM Web Series     Comedy/Drama We are introducing a teen web-sitcom similar to "Saved by the Bell" and "Boy Meets World." We are currently seeking writers with a knack for comedy and drama. Filming will take place in spring of 2016 in Montclair, NJ but we're still looking for writers to help write episodes and give feedback on scripts... Read More> FINAL DEADLINE: December 10th A Table Read can improve your screenplay, one of ours could jump start your career! Ready to attend a festival as a VIP? YOU could be flown out to join us at the Sundance Film Festival to have your screenplay read aloud by professional actors at the TRMS Grand Prize Showcase in Park City, UT! SAVE $5 on your entry with Code: HT4ISA JOIN WRITING TEAM - SCI-FI WRITER WANTED Feature     Science Fiction My writing partner and I are looking for an experienced, award winning professional Sci-fi screenwriter to build on our treatment and create a feature script. Previous feature film Sci-fi credit is necessary... Read More>   SEEKING WRITER FOR (LOW BUDGET) HIRE FOR SCI-FI SPEC Feature   Science Fiction I'm working turning my latest completed short film (featuring Rutger Hauer & Deobia Oparei) into a feature film. I came to LA a week ago to develop the script at UCLA but in my first meeting with a producer he told me he loved the concept and wants to do it. So I need a first draft as quickly as possible. I'm especially looking for a hungry writer who has won competitions or reached finals but doesn't have an agent... Read More>

Join John DeChancie for Writing the Science Fiction & Fantasy Novel November 19 - December 31, 2015 Seating is Limited - Claim Your Spot Today!

Course Details: Date: 11/19 - 12/31 Length: 6 weeks Price: $299.99 Instructor: John DeChancie Register Now Do you daydream about distant worlds and mythical creatures? If so, take this six-week workshop and transform your ideas into creative science fiction and fantasy novels. You'll discover the essential elements  of fictional worlds, how to write a science fiction novel with intriguing characters and plot, and write up to 2,500 words for your science fiction or fantasy story. You'll take an in-depth look at How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card and learn  how to break into the field of science  fiction and fantasy writing, the basics of science fiction and fantasy, tips for creating imaginative settings, and ways to develop winning story ideas. Plus, discover how to get your work published. Enroll in Writing the Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel workshop and draft an intriguing story! Explore this popular genre in depth with a published author! This course is open to anyone interested in science fiction and fantasy . Michael J. Sullivan will be available to answer all of your questions. No  question goes unanswered! See syllabus here » Who should attend: • Short story writers and novelists who love the science fiction and  fantasy genres • Students of any level who want to explore the science fiction and  fantasy genre in more depth and gain key insights from a published author Work with John DeChancie to Master Sci-Fi/Fantasy! John DeChancie John DeChancie is the author of two dozen books, both fiction and nonfiction. His novels in the science fiction and  fantasy genres have been attracting a wide readership  for more than fifteen years, and over a million copies of  his books have seen print, many in foreign languages.  His humorous fantasy series, beginning with Castle Perilous, became a best seller for Berkley/Ace. Booklist described John's novel MagicNet (William Morrow) as  "a welcome sigh of comic relief...shamelessly droll, literate, and thoroughly entertaining. Magicnet is the fantasy genre's  whimsical answer to Neuromancer." John's other science  fiction novels include From Prussia With Love  (Prima Publishing), Masterminds of Falkenstein (Prima Publishing) and Innerverse (Avon), as well  as his anthology of original fantasy short stories co-edited with Martin Greenberg-Castle Fantastic (DAW Books) View his full bio>> Register Now

World Building: Crafting Screenplays Readers Can Step Into Thursday, November 19, 2015 A world-building script is defined as a screenplay where the writer introduces a new world that has different customs and rules that must be explained. World-building scripts  are most often associated with science fiction and fantasy genres because the settings,  environments and elements of how the world works and functions, are so completely  different from what we experience in our everyday lives. Arguably, every script is a world-building script because the reader is entering the screenwriter's imagination  and must learn the rules of your characters' realm. Writing a successful screenplay  requires a complete understanding of the reality of the fictional world you are creating.  Readers need to suspend disbelief and jump into your screenplay with full understanding  and awesome wonder. This course will offer specific tips for creating and implementing advice on building the  world of your screenplay. Research advice and tips, strengthening visual storytelling  in action paragraphs, developing and implementing settings, examining character  and plot conflict as it relates to your settings, and genre consistency, will also be  covered in this class. Original and unique worlds will set your script apart from the other screenplays, vying for attention from film executives; this course will also  discuss understanding film industry folks' expectations without compromising your vision and creativity. REGISTER NOW

Susan Kouguell    Susan Kouguell, award-winning screenwriter and  filmmaker, is the author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! A comprehensive guide to crafting winning characters with film analyses and  screenwriting exercises and The Savvy  Screenwriter: How to Sell Your Screenplay  (and Yourself) Without Selling Out! She is a regular contributor to IndieWire/SydneysBuzz,  Script Magazine, The Script Lab, Screenwriters  Utopia, NewEnglandFilm.com, and wrote a chapter in NOW WRITE! Screenwriting: Exercises by Today's Best Screenwriters, Teachers and Consultants.  Kouguell teaches screenwriting and film at SUNY  Purchase, and presents international seminars. Register Now

Writing That Great Teen Novel!

Hello, readers!

Here is a copy of an email I got this morning. If you are interested in learning how to organize your ideas for your Middle Grade of Young Adult novel, two hot markets, check out these tutorials.



Writing the Breakout Teen or Middle Grade Novel, Part 2

SUE JOHNSON Writer's Digest Tutorials

Hi everyone!

Anyone can tell you that the young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) publishing industry is hot, with new debut authors getting deals each week. But with this market success comes more competition than ever. So what can you do to stand out? This presentation gives you a literary agent's insider insight to what's in, what's out, and what you can expect along the road to publication in this exciting and booming segment of the publishing marketplace.

From establishing a knowledge base of the category, to crafting that perfect concept and fine-tuning your voice, to researching smarter and refining your querying strategies, literary agent Holly Root gives you an agent's eye view of the current landscape-with plenty of straight talk about what's real, what's hype, and how to thrive in one of the most exciting areas of the publishing business.

In this 48-minute tutorial, you will learn:

• How to reconcile your art and the realities of the business
• How to “think like an agent” in crafting a query that will get noticed
• How to research smarter when targeting agents or publishers-targeting the best people for your work

This is part two of a two-part tutorial. Click here to view part one.

Preview: Writing the Breakout Teen or Middle Grade Novel, Part 2 >

Writer's Digest Tutorials Members enjoy full access to all tutorials featured in this newsletter, as well as every tutorial on the tutorials site. For only $199 you gain access to all Writer's Digest's writing tutorials for an entire year. That means you have access to all 246+ current tutorials and all the new tutorials created throughout the year. With the addition of at least one new tutorial every week you have access to a minimum of another 52 educational tutorials. Watch every video whenever you like, as often as you would like . . . and be the first to watch the new tutorial we post each week!

Haven't taken advantage of the wisdom bestowed through the WD tutorials yet? Why not try it out today and see all that our WD tutorials have to offer! You can try WD Tutorials for only $25/month! You will enjoy instant access to 246+ tutorials, including at least one new tutorial added weekly. Also, there are many new tutorials still in development. Feel free to preview the many tutorials immediately available to you through the WD Tutorials site.

Wishing you a happy and healthy week!

~ Sue Johnson~

P.S. If you missed the last newsletter (or two), be sure to watch these new and featured tutorials:

• Writing the Breakout Teen or Middle Grade Novel, Part 1
• Pumping Up: Applying the Rules of the Gym to Your Writing Career, Part 2
• Pumping Up: Applying the Rules of the Gym to Your Writing Career, Part 1
• How to Keep an Agent Reading: Write an Attention-Grabbing First Chapter
• How to Pre-Plot and Complete a Novel or Memoir in a Month, Part 2
• How to Pre-Plot and Complete a Novel or Memoir in a Month, Part 1

For quick and easy access to all WD Tutorials available to you, use this link:

View All WD Tutorials >

Script Writing Opportunities

Hello, readers,

Below is an email I received from Screenwriter's Goldmine. It's offering a script contest and an internship as a script editor for a production in London. If you are interested in these, check them out.





Hi,

We still need your scripts. The competition still has four weeks left to enter, and the deadline for standard submissions is next Thursday. After that we move to Late Submissions, with doors closing finally on December 10th.

This competition can kick start your career, so if you have a script that you have entered elsewhere, then why not send it to us too?

More here: http://awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com

Enter here: http://awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com/the-awards

'The Dumping Ground' celebrations

You may be interested to hear that the series of The Dumping Ground on which I was script-editor has been nominated for two Childrens' BAFTAs. It's up for 'Best Drama', and 'Interactive' - huge congratulations to all involved!

More here: http://awards.bafta.org/award/2015/childrens

What does a script editor actually do?

If you've ever wondered what a script editor does, I've written an in-depth blog post that explains some of it.

More here: http://awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com/what-do-script-editors-do

Trainee script editor internship at ITV Studios

Having read that blog post, if you fancy a go at it yourself, ITV Studios are currently offering fantastic opportunity to intern as a script editor on ITV’s Jekyll and Hyde.

I don't know when the doors close, so don't delay if you fancy it. It's a golden opportunity to enter the industry if you fit their entry requirements. (All roles advertised through Creative Access are only open to UK nationals from a black, Asian or non-white ethnic minority, and you will need a degree.)

More here: http://creativeaccess.org.uk/opportunities/trainee-script-editor-internship-at-itv-studios

Variety's Funniest Films

Variety have posted a list of the WGA's member's choice of the funniest films of all time.

More here: http://variety.com/2015/film/news/annie-hall-funniest-screenplay-writers-guild-1201639002/

They seem to have left out Withnail and I but included Blazing Saddles. Clearly an administrative mix-up.

Robert McKee in London

Tomorrow is Robert McKee day in London. Ten hours of lectures on story structure as it applies to TV series drama, with special reference to Breaking Bad. I can't wait. It's sold out now, but if you are coming along do look me up and say hello.

Till next time,

Philip

 
 

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