Help to the writer by a judge of several major TV script and screenplay contests. Advice and tips on preparing a script before entering a contest.

Written by Lynne Pembroke


Continued from page 1

  • Keep in mind thatrepparttar industry professionals who sponsor some of these film and TV competitions do so in order to find good producible material, hopefully for lower rather than higher budgets.  Therefore, entering a screenplay in a genre with a story that screams "high budget" lessensrepparttar 128807 writer's chances of winning.  This means that
    1. Sci-fi special effects stories taking place on purple planets populated with giant, paisley-skinned, seven-armed, Plasmanian Wooglegorps who magically float throughrepparttar 128808 air using anti-gravity belts or

    2. a 1920's Period Piece necessitating Model-T's, Zoot suits and flappers or

    3. an action/adventure story that hasrepparttar 128809 bad guys blown to smithereens, along with their Lear jet, overrepparttar 128810 ocean, followed by a high-tech nuclear submarine underwater search and rescue mission whilerepparttar 128811 oil slicked water burns out of control, are notrepparttar 128812 best way to go.
    • Make certain that your story is told visually.  Film is a visual medium.

    • Make sure you don't have "onrepparttar 128813 nose" dialogue or too much dialogue and that allrepparttar 128814 dialogue sounds natural.

    • Check to make sure that your characters are interesting, engaging and have good character arcs.  Nothing worse than having an unlikable hero, a wishy-washy bad guy, or a protagonist who starts out angry atrepparttar 128815 world and byrepparttar 128816 end ofrepparttar 128817 story is still angry atrepparttar 128818 world having learned and changed nothing in his nature.
    Conclusion Once you've gone through your screenplay and are satisfied with it, have it read by someone else.  After all, your story is intended for a movie-going audience so honest opinions from friends and family members will give you a feel for that audience reaction.

    Then do yourself a favor and have your screenplay read by an industry professional that has experience and good credentials inrepparttar 128819 area of script analysis.  A writer can become too close to his work and not be able to "seerepparttar 128820 forest forrepparttar 128821 trees".  It is to your advantage to have any possible format, story, character, dialogue and structure flaws found and corrected before it is submitted to a movie or TV script contest.

    While there is never any guarantee your screenplay or TV script will be a winner, writing one torepparttar 128822 best of your ability and which meets industry standards is a must, asrepparttar 128823 competition is fierce.

    I wish you great success in your present and future story-telling adventures.

    Website: http://www.coverscript.com

    Email me at: lynnepem@aol.com

    Lynne Pembroke Coverscript.com Los Angeles, CA. 323-953-5921 lynnepem@aol.com http://www.coverscript.com

    Copyright 2003 Lynne Pembroke, Coverscript.com The information on this page may not be reproduced, republished or mirrored on another webpage or website withoutrepparttar 128824 permission ofrepparttar 128825 links site owner or webmaster.

    Over 18 years experience as a freelance script reader/analyst & consultant for agents, studios, producers, script consulting companies & screenwriting competitions.  A writer, poet & screenwriter. Specializing in screenwriting, script writing help & screenplay analysis of movies/tv scripts. Services provided, include: story analysis, ghostwriting, rewriting & adaptation of novel to screenplay. Website: http://www.coverscript.com


    • 28 Reasons Why Publishers Will Buy Your Book

    Written by Catherine Franz


    Continued from page 1

    19. The book has adoption potential in schools or universities.

    20. The house has published similar books with success.

    21. The book is on a subject thatrepparttar house has or wants to build a list in.

    22. Overcome by auction fever, publishers convince themselves that, despiterepparttar 128802 profit-and-loss statement rated to determine a book's value, they pay whatever it takes to outbid their rivals.

    23. The author wants to switch houses.

    24. The editor discovers a book on a trip to a book fair and thinks it will sell, or is caught up inrepparttar 128803 excitement surrounding a book, or wants to justifyrepparttar 128804 trip.

    25. The publisher is sendingrepparttar 128805 industryrepparttar 128806 message that because of new management or despite changes inrepparttar 128807 house,repparttar 128808 houses a player.

    26. The book being sold may not be a big one, but future books will have bestseller potential.

    27. The author has a personal connection with someone inrepparttar 128809 house withrepparttar 128810 power to buyrepparttar 128811 book.

    28. Publishingrepparttar 128812 book will enhancerepparttar 128813 house's prestige.

    This is not a definitive list. John Saul, a novelist, observed if publishers don't want to buy a book, they say "It's been done to death." If they do want to buy that book, they'll say, "Always works."

    (c) copyright 2004, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.



    Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing & Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com


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