Psst.
You want to write a great book?
Think like a movie writer.
You want to write a great movie?
Keep your voice down.
Check out these free resources. But don’t tell anyone else.
1. The “Go Into the Story” blog on the blacklist website.
If you’re even a few months behind me, you’ll be shocked to learn how many of your favorite movies first showed up as scripts on the blacklist. This blog is extremely useful advice for writers, and the blogroll (left side) has links to so many useful sites that your eyes will bleed and your brain will catch fire.
2. Austin Film Festival Blog
God forbid, if a meteor crashed into both Burbank and Los Angeles, another city would need to pick up the filmmaking slack. Austin, Texas would be a prime contender. I am a bit biased, though – I live there. This is one of the big screenwriting festivals, so they are able to get guest posts by people in the industry that a lot of other blogs won’t. No comments section, though.
If you can, come to the next one in October. Look around and you’ll probably see me at some roundtables.
3. Wordplayer.com –
My favorite writing site. Don’t let its design fool you. As a cartoon merchant once said: Like so many things it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts. THIS IS NO ORDINARY LAMP!
This site has columns by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot. If those are new names to you, they have written Pirates of the Carribbean, Mask of Zorro, Shrek, Aladdin, and most movies you grew up loving. Each of their articles are eternally useful and never go out of date. I’ve read them all, and plan to go over them again when I finish screenplay #2.
Can you help me?
Okay, talking louder now.
I’m looking for good websites for improving tone and prose for revising my book, which is nearing first draft completion. Can you help? Let me know of any good ones in the comments.