Other writer sites
In the share-the-love category: A growing number of writers have websites and/or blogs that you may want to check out for more information and opinions about the craft, the business and the unreality of screenwriting. Here are a few worth perusing:
Lee Goldberg has written extensively for television, and also has several novels to his credit. I haven’t read his book Successful Television Writing, but clicking through the first few pages (thanks, Amazon), I’d say he seems to know what he’s talking about.
Ask Dr. Hollywood is a question-and-answer site, much like johnaugust.com. Because it’s structured as a series of very long pages, it’s not quite as reader-friendly, but the advice is helpful.
Complications Ensue is a blog run by Montreal-based writer Alex Epstein, who authored the book Crafty Screenwriting. Again, I haven’t read his book, so caveat emptor. (Or for library patrons, caveat lector.)
Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott’s Wordplayer has been in the sidebar forever, but in case you haven’t clicked it, you should definitely check it out. They’ve been dispensing useful advice for years. They also have open forums, which I’ve never been brave enough to try.
The Artful Writer is a new site aimed at already-working screenwriters. I actually spoke with its owner, Craig Mazin, on the phone while wife was in labor. He had questions about Movable Type and CSS. Now that’s dedication.
Articles
February 16th, 2005 at 7:51 am
Hey, thanks for the plug, John!
I also appreciate the link to The Artful Writer. I’d never have found him on my own. What’s up with the Google listings on “screenwriting blog”? Some of the best ones aren’t easy to find. Lee Goldberg’s isn’t in the top 20. Ah well.
February 16th, 2005 at 10:00 am
Alex,
You need to refine your search. Look up “Screenwriters Who Get Mistaken for Pierce Brosnan” and I’m right at the top.
Lee
February 16th, 2005 at 10:18 am
WHOA!! Lee IS listed that way on google!
February 16th, 2005 at 10:38 am
She wasn’t in labor. She was “due any minute.”
If she had caught me on the phone talking about CSS and blogware while she was in active labor, I would surely have been clubbed to death. :)
Thanks for the plug, John. Much appreciated….
February 18th, 2005 at 5:07 pm
http://www.tvwriter.com should be on the list, it’s incredible.
February 20th, 2005 at 6:24 pm
To be honest, I think people would learn a lot more about the craft of writing visiting John August’s site than tvwriter.com, which seems geared entirely towards publicizing Larry Brody’s writing workshops and contests where applicants win the opportunity to have their scripts optioned by “The Cloud Creek Institute For the Arts” and representation by “the legendary Terry Porter Agency.” I’ve never heard of either one of them, though Predators and Editors (http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealt.htm) recommends against the Porter agency, which charges a fee to read submissions.
February 27th, 2005 at 4:19 pm
Wordplay is a pretty friendly place. You should jump in.
March 8th, 2005 at 12:09 am
Wow. Someone of your caliber being leery of the boards at Wordplayer? It might be some of the worst bulletin board software of all time (welcome to 1997!), and it might be an enormous waste of time, but it’s nothing to avoid on any other grounds. The articles, of course, are fantastic.
In other news, how’s the WOW addiction coming along?
March 8th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Yeah, I think it was the 1997-ish-ness of the Wordplayer message board system that scared me. The phpBB forum layout is much more grokable to me. Yes, part of that is familiarity, but I don’t want to learn a new interface just to leave a comment.