Not long ago I had a conversation with a new author about what it means when a story is “episodic.” Maybe some of you might be wondering what it means too. Episodic is like TV shows. Sitcoms. Week to week the characters are the same but the situations are different. Old comedy shows epitomized episodic writing. The characterization even changed in order to “fit the bit” for that week. The show may not even even mentioned a problem that was introduced in last week’s show. But shows like Fraser and Friends, even Seinfeld smoothed that out by having continuing story lines and consistent characterization. Each show was different as if time passed and last week’s issue was over and done.The comedy bits were developed out of characterization rather than out […]
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Let’s Be Frank. Jealousy Is Part Of This Biz
Am I the only one? You pop on to FB or an email loop to see what’s going on? Only to find out someone has just GOTTEN THE CALL! Signed with an agent. Signed with a house. Inked a movie deal. Or finaled in, yea, even won a major award. Got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. And here you sit! Twenty manuscripts and counting with narry a nod. Perhaps your first book stunk up the publisher’s sales record to date. Maybe you’re doing great, building a readership, but can’t seem to hop into the movie market. Welcome to the world of publishing. Of anything entertainment wise. Shoot, I remember struggling in my corporate job with those who advanced faster than me. Earned more money. (Cause you know we all […]
Read the RestToday I Pulled 2,254 Teeth
Okay, not teeth, actually, but words. This was THE slowest writing day EVER. Usually I hit a spot where the words just flow while time seems to slow. Next think I know, I hit 1K+ words in more than an hour. Not today. Letter by letter, word by word, I eeked out a couple of crappy scenes. See, it’s okay to stink up the page on the first draft. It’s key to get the story down. Pantser or plotter, you have to eventually type words. I’m confused about folk who can write a great scene the first time. I must have missed that “talent” line in heaven when they called it out. I have to write, then rewrite and rewrite one more time. If I’m lucky, one more time before […]
Read the RestWrite Who You Are
Years ago my dad told me, “Write What You Know.” He was right. For that season. I was up against a school deadline and had no idea what to write. His advice prompted me to write about something familiar. So I told a hilarious and come to find out, poignant tale, of driving to school over south Florida dirt roads in the back of my brother’s ’69 Barracuda. But years later, writing what I knew came up short. Yes, I can research and write about any topic! But writing what you know cannot fuel a writer for very long. Then I read a line for Sol Stein’s book that basically said, “Write something only you can say.” Huh? How? What kind of story would that be? Anyone can say what I […]
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