Other than parenting, I can’t think of anything else that is more difficult for two people to share than one writing project.  But when it’s done right, when everything works, the results are amazing. I've had the pleasure of collaborating with several other writers over the years, mostly on screenplays but also on a couple of books, and they have all been satisfying experiences. Craig Wargo was the first writer I worked with on screenplays, and we wrote several during the years we worked together. In the course of our writing partnership, we came up with these tips for a successful collaborative effort as a handout for a workshop we presented at a film conference. While writing fiction, both writers must have an equal understanding of the plot, the characters, and the character arc. That will avoid costly mistakes later.  Both writers must have the same vision for the direction of the story. Otherwise it would be like two people trying to get to a destination while...

I’ve noticed many authors are ambivalent about entering writing contests, but I’m not sure that’s always a good idea. Yes, they do cost you an entry fee, but getting your writing into agent and editor hands for less than $100 is much cheaper than pitching at a conference. Just do your homework and choose the contests with care. Here’s one contest that recently rolled across our radar. The Book Pipeline Competition , presented by Script Pipeline , is seeking playwrights and authors with stellar material well-suited for film or television adaptation. The winning writer will have the unique opportunity of developing their work with industry executives and representatives. Acceptable entries include: Novels and short stories Non-fiction Book Proposals/Pitches Graphic Novels Plays Final deadline is September 30 th . You can get more details and submit your work at http://www.bookpipeline.com/ Good luck if you decide to enter your work! 

Do you know what two important verbs typically go into the making of a screenplay? Doing and Saying . Characters do things, and characters say things. Like a book, like any good story, movies have plots and subplots that tie into the same question: what does the protagonist want and what keeps him/her from obtaining that want? In the quest to see how this story ends, characters do and say things. Why am I repeating this and why is it important to know—especially in regards to seeing your book visually for the screen? Check out one of the many free scripts at Simply Scripts . One thing that you will not notice in a screenplay is heavy exposition, pages upon pages of description, of characters’ thoughts and feelings, of minute detailing that brings a story to life in a book but would weigh a screenplay down in the worst kind of way. In a screenplay, writers are quick to give just enough definition, description, or setting of the stage, but primarily, they are concerned wit...

Last year, I took to writing screenplays…again. As a teen, I wrote them and then moved to writing short stories and novels. Something last year called me back to scripts, and it’s been a wonderful learning journey so far. In the last year, I’ve braved the contest world and submitted one feature-length script and one short script to competitions. Didn’t win, but both placed, giving me enough gumption to continue the journey. A friend of mine mentioned the idea of writing more short scripts because they could be used as calling cards – if produced – for larger works. Short scripts can be as short as one page or as large as 60 pages though most tend to fall within 3 to 25 pages. It’s important to note that in the script world one formatted page runs about one minute of airtime. The advice my friend gave me happened to coincide with The Muse Online Writers Conference , put together by the awesome everywoman Lea Schizas. If you don’t know about the conference, you should. One class I took d...