StoryLink > Articles > eZines > January 2010
StoryLink eZine - January 2010
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Sherlock Holmes screenwriter Simon Kinberg answers questions from the StoryLink Community, while Michael Hoffman, writer/director of The Last Station, talks about adapting character and story when historical considerations come into play. Plus, Michael Hauge, who will be participating in the Screenwriters' Summit on February 6 and 7 in Los Angeles alongside fellow gurus Syd Field, Linda Seger, and John Truby, relays the 10 Keys to Screenplay Structure. Katherine Fugate, creator of the series Army Wives and writer of the upcoming feature film Valentine's Day, will be our February Featured Screenwriter. Details on how to submit a question for Katherine are below. Also in this issue: more events, contests, info on The Story Specialists, and Community News featuring the upcoming Writers Guild and Spirit Award Nominees. Keep the dream alive. Keep writing! Debra Eckerling |
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Simon Kinberg is back - answering questions about writing in general and his latest feature Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role and Jude Law as Watson. The film, a re-envisioning of the classic story, has already grossed nearly $300 million worldwide. Kinberg wrote Mr. and Mrs. Smith, X-Men: The Last Stand,and Jumper, among others. He is producing the prequel X-Men: First Class, and is writing an original script for Nicole Kidman at 20th Century Fox, Hardy Men starring Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller, and an untitled movie with Aline Brosh McKenna for producer JJ Abrams at Paramount. Those whose questions for Simon Kinberg were chosen will receive The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters DVD (Winner's Choice) from The Writers Store. Read the article... |
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StoryLink is thrilled to welcome TV and film writer Katherine Fugate as our February Featured Screenwriter. Fugate is creator of the Lifetime drama series Army Wives, and served as Executive Producer on the show for two years. Army Wives is an ensemble series, revolving around a diverse group of women living on an active army base; it was awarded a WIN award and a Gracie Award in its first year. Fugate is also the writer of several feature films, including Valentine's Day, which will be released on February 12. Additional feature credits: The Senator's Wife, The Prince & Me, and Carolina. She is currently adapting What Alice Forgot for New Regency and Fox 2000. Post a Question for Katherine Fugate in the StoryLink Forum by February 7. If your question is chosen, receive The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters DVD (Winner's Choice) from The Writers Store. Post your question in the StoryLink Forum today. |
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Story consultant and lecturer Michael Hauge, best-selling author of Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read and Writing Screenplays That Sell, works with writers and filmmakers on their screenplays, novels, movies, and television projects. For information, please visit Michael's web site at www.ScreenplayMastery.com. Michael has presented seminars and lectures to more than 40,000 participants throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Next up for Hauge - along with Syd Field, Linda Seger, and John Truby - is the Screenwriters' Summit in Los Angeles on February 6 and 7. Each of these screenwriting gurus will teach half-day classes followed by a half-hour Q&A session. It is the perfect opportunity to hear four world-class speakers in a single weekend. This event is ideal for screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, producers, directors and creative executives. Learn, network, and have fun at the same time. Today, Hauge shares his expertise, answering the question: "What are the key elements to plot structure?" "Structure," Hauge explains, "is something that every agent and executive in Hollywood talks about, and that all of us teachers/authors/consultants/gurus/whatever go on and on about, to the point that it can seem complicated, intricate, mysterious, and hard to master. So I want to present plot structure in a way that simplifies it - that will at least give you a starting point for properly structuring your screenplay without overwhelming you with rules and details and jargon. "Here are what I consider ten ways of looking at structure that will immediately improve the emotional impact - and commercial potential - of your script." Read the article... |
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Basics & Beyond: Goal Setting & Productivity Conducted by: Debra Eckerling When: January 30 - 11:00am-1:00pm Location: The Writers Store Cost: $49.95 The Screenwriters' Summit Conducted by: Syd Field, Linda Seger, John Truby & Michael Hauge When: February 6 - 7 - 8:30am-6:00pm Location: The Westin Hotel at LAX, Los Angeles Cost: $345.00 Basics & Beyond: Final Draft Training Conducted by: Mario Moreno When: February 6 - 2:00pm-4:00pm Location: The Writers Store Cost: $49.95 The Writers Guild Foundation Presents: Beyond Words 2010 Conducted by: Writers Guild Foundation When: February 18 - 7:30pm-9:30pm Location: Writers Guild Theater, Beverly Hills Cost: See Website |
2-Day Film School with Dov Simens Conducted by: Dov Simens When: February 20 - 21 - 10:00am-6:00pm Location: New York, NY Cost: $395.00 Ellen Sandler's Developing an Original TV Pilot One-Day Intensive Conducted by: Ellen Sandler When: February 27 - 10:00am-6:00pm Location: The Writers Store Cost: $150.00 Storywise Seminar with Jen Grisanti Conducted by: Jen Grisanti When: February 27 - 1:00pm-5:00pm Location: UCLA Cost: $110.00 Plot Workshop with Martha Alderson Conducted by: Martha Alderson When: March 14 - 10:00am-5:00pm Location: The Writers Store Cost: $125.00 |
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Is this the year you are finally going to sit down and write that long-anticipated screenplay? The great American novel? Articles or short stores for publication? January is the perfect time to map out your goals and figure out a plan. In this seminar, StoryLink eZine editor - and freelance writer - Debra Eckerling will offer strategies to help you hone in on your goals and position yourself for success; plus, she will offer tips and tools for staying - and in some cases getting back - on track. For details and to RSVP, check out the full event page on StoryLink. |
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Writer/director Michael Hoffman takes on Tolstoy in The Last Station, which opened in Los Angeles and New York on January 15. The film, which Hoffman adapted from the novel by Jay Parini, has already received multiple nominations; the film's 5 Film Independent Spirit Award nods include Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The screenplay for The Last Station is being published by Newmarket Press in February, and some of this article is excerpted from the book's intro. In it, Hoffman talks about his relationship with the book and some of the challenges of adapting a story taken from real life. "I believe it was Francois Truffaut who said second-rate books make better films than first-rate ones," Hoffman says. "That's a problem because Jay Parini's novel, The Last Station, is a first-rate book. A moving, complex record of the remarkable events of the final year in the life of the great Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy, many of its most powerful effects are literary and poetic. This complicates adaptation, which in some elemental way is a process of translation. The screenwriter must try to find cinematic (or at the least dramatic) equivalents to the literary language of the original. The more complex the literary devices, the more purely literary they are, the more difficult the task. For that reason (among others), it's trickier to adapt Finnegans Wake than a Tom Clancy novel." Read the article... |
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Do you have an idea for a screenplay, but find yourself stuck before you even start? Do you have a good script that needs a little push in the right direction? Then it's time to look into Screenwriting Coaching from The Writers Store. The Story Specialists - The Writers Store's professionally-trained screenwriting coaches - provide customized guidance, based on your own screenwriting goals. They can take you from that first glimmer of an idea to a final draft, all the while addressing your specific writing needs. The Story Specialists program includes: - A personalized assessment of your project - A Project Path, based on your script idea and personal goals - Weekly or bi-weekly in-person sessions - Quality feedback (both written and verbal) For more information, call 800.272.8927 or stop by The Writers Store, 2040 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles. Local clients: We're offering a free 20-minute consultation with a Story Specialist, who will read and provide notes on your first ten pages in addition to a 20-minute in-person meeting regarding those notes. Those interested, please call the store; appointments are limited. |
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Cowrite: In Association with Benderspink Deadline January 20, 2010 Landlocked Film Festival Deadline January 31, 2010 Rx Laughter Primetime TV Writing Competition Deadline January 31, 2010 |
Write On! Online - January Challenge Deadline January 31, 2010 Cascade Screenplay Competition Deadline February 1, 2010 Noor Iranian Film Festival Screenplay Competition Deadline January 31, 2010 |
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Congratulations to the 2010 nominees for the Writers Guild Awards. The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing during the past year. Best Original Screenplay nominees are: (500) Days of Summer, Avatar, The Hangover, The Hurt Locker, and A Serious Man. Best Adapted Screenplay nominees: Crazy Heart, Julie & Julia, Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Star Trek, and Up in the Air. Read all of the film nominees here. For details - and for the WGA Award nominees for TV, Radio, Video Games, and more - go to www.wga.org. Winners will be honored at the 2010 Writers Guild Awards, taking place on Saturday, February 20, 2010, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. *** Remember, the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place on March 5, 2010. Best Feature nominees are (500) Days Of Summer, Amreeka, Precious, Sin Nombre, and The Last Station; Best First Feature: A Single Man, Crazy Heart, Easier With Practice, Paranormal Activity, and The Messenger. Congratulations to all the nominees! Read the complete list here. *** Send your success story to StoryLink, so we can feature you in an upcoming eZine. |