Debra Eckerling

Author Q&A: Pilar Alessandra, "The Coffee Break Screenwriter"

Pilar Alessandra is director of the Los Angeles writing program "On the Page" and author of the newly released The Coffee Break Screenwriter, published by Michael Wiese Productions. She has worked as Senior Story Analyst for DreamWorks and Radar Pictures and has trained writers at ABC/Disney, MTV/Nickelodeon, the National Screen Institute, the Los Angeles Film School, The UCLA Writers Program, and more. Alessandra's weekly podcast "On the Page" is regularly in the iTunes top 50 of film and tv podcasts. I was fortunate to guest on her Podcast at the beginning of the year - Episode #123. Alessandra shares advice for screenwriters, podcasters, and those writing non-fiction books. Plus, talks about how she is a very "productive procrastinator!" Why did you write The Coffee Break Screenwriter? We're all busy these days and I see more and more people writing in their "stolen" moments of time. So, the goal of this book is to make those short, focused writing bursts as creative and productive as possible. It helps you be true to the story you want to tell, but also pushes you forward in the process. I'm always blown away by the fantastic results I get with my students when I give them a writing tool in class, then give them ten minutes to get their work on the page. They always nail it. What was your process for writing it? I wrote half the book about four years ago, then-like so many writers- ignored the rewrite. Instead, I procrastinated by building more classes, creating an instructional DVD, starting a podcast, touring the country, etc. (I'm the world's most productive procrastinator). All of that teaching and crafting turned out to be a good thing, though. It helped me develop more writing tools, become a better script analyst, and, finally, get the damned thing finished. How did you go about getting it published? Signe Olynk and Bob Schultz from the Great American Pitchfest told Ken Lee at Michael Wiese Productions that if he didn't publish my book, they would. He listened. They rock. What was your favorite part of writing The Coffee Break Screenwriter? Pretending that I was teaching a class as I was writing it. Teaching is my very favorite thing to do, so as I "lectured" the words came. The greatest challenge? Fighting that voice that screamed, "Who the hell needs another screenwriting book?" (The answer: "The person who thinks she's too busy to write. That's who!") Continue reading here.

August 17, 2010 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment