Studio 60

So, my favorite television show of the fall season is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I love literate shows, and there seem to be so few of them. I am enjoying the way the characters are being developed (slowly). I enjoy the way that interesting facts are worked into the scripts. Case in point--information about the blacklist and the Hollywood 10, in a script featuring Eli Wallach. (One of my favorite bits of The West Wing was the episode with the mapmakers....) I enjoy the enormous number of characters, and the way the episodes are production designed and shot (go Thomas Schlamme). (By the way, if you like this show, don't read "Television Without Pity" on-line. It hates this show.)

There is a recurring storyline featuring a writer from Vanity Fair (played by Christine Lahti) doing an in-depth artlicle on the show. I loved her line (which I'm paraphrasing a bit, since I don't memorize lines well):

"The article is going to be 10,000 words. Not all of them will be winners."

I thought that was hilarious. I think every writer will. Because, let's face it, Aaron Sorkin is one of the most prolific writers around, and, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant. (Argue if you want, but wouldn't it be fascinating to sit next to him at a dinner party?) And if his words aren't all winners (and he writes autobiographically, to a certain extent), do I need to worry that not all of mine are?

And let's face it: another reason I love this show is that it features two men I drool over--Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford. Yum.

Deb Dixon's Goal, Motivation and Conflict

I love spreading the news about good books--and right now, I'm not talking about Jesus. Although that would be a good topic too, it's really not the topic of my blog. No, today, I want to share with you the book Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon. Deb Dixon is fairly famous in romance writer circles, for both her book and her workshops.

At the very first writing conference I ever attended, her workshop was not only packed, but it was scheduled for two hours, when most were scheduled for one. And two hours wasn't long enough. It's my understanding that she often presents day-long workshops. At this one, it seemed like she really hadn't figured out what to cut out, so she talked really fast. Still, it was a good workshop.

However, the book, Goal, Motivation and Conflict, allows you to slow down and think about your own work while reading it. In fact, if you're me, you put the book down and go fix something in your script. Actually, I haven't fixed it completely--but I've highlighted a problem and plan to fix it in re-writes. But I've been given a little insight into what was stopping me on my young adult novel. I've had the plot in my head for months and months, but I haven't been writing a lot. And I've been dissatisfied with what I've written. The pace is great, the emotions are conveyed, but it is so meandering. Each scene really isn't going any place. I think that with the help of GMC, I can cure that problem and really end up with a novel instead of a lot of unconnected scenes.

I also think that it will help me with my chapter breaks--which is a problem that I only faced recently. I have no idea where my chapters should end, so I seem to be writing a one chapter book. A really really long chapter. But this clearly written tome is helping me with a lot of writing problems.

WritersWeekly

I've been subscribed to WritersWeekly for over 2 years now, and I am really impressed with the website/service. WritersWeekly is an on-line magazine for writers with helpful hints of all kinds, from creativity to marketing. It is run by Angela Hoy and her husband Richard (whose last name I don't know and I'm too lazy to look up), who also run the print on demand publishing company, Booklocker. Don't let that scare you away. They do not use WritersWeekly as a thinly-veiled way to force authors to use their service. (They do, however, "advertise" Booklocker on their site.)

The link above is to an article about a great way to write press releases for your newly published book. It definitely provides a way to keep your press release from being boring. Go read the article now (it's short), and think about subscribing to their weekly e-mail. It's worth it for writers of all kinds.

More Vocal Variety

My writing partner and I will be meeting tomorrow to work on "voice." Specifically, we will be reading our work out loud to each other. Do other writing/critique partners do that? Or do they just forward their work to each other?

I've been thinking lately about work habits and creative links between/among the arts. Please write in and share with me your work habits and thoughts on creativity.