Check It Out: KNOW WHAT YOU WRITE

I’ve been pretty quiet here the past few weeks. Real life has its distractions, yes, but real life has not been the only obstacle. I’m launching a new project with Stéphane Lachance this summer, to coincide with the launch of  The Writersroom: Know What You Write Know What You Write is a screenwriting blog that’s going [...]

WRITING: Something New

I’ve always been a bit intimidated by feature screenplays. They’re both far longer than most things I’ve written (90-110 pages, compared to 50-something for a dramatic pilot), and yet somehow, also unbearably short. After all, a great television show will run for five-plus years; a movie ends after a couple of hours. Even if you [...]

WRITING: Project Songs

For me, there are a handful of songs that are intrinsically linked with specific writing projects. Rather than making a ‘project playlist’ for each one, they are more diamonds in the rough of my general listening, popping up amidst a subway ride to offer inspiration about a project in the moment. I listen to it, [...]

The Pursuit of Appiness

I’ve been continuing my explorations into iOS (Apple’s mobile/iPod OS) apps again. Here’s what I’ve been experimenting with recently, in the app and social media place…

MUSIC: Now For Some Fun…

What am I listening to these days?

WRITING: Looking Back on 2011

I’m a regular reader of Scott Meyers‘ Go Into the Story screenwriting blog. I think it’s a fantastic resource for writers. And two things I really believe are important are taking stock of where you’ve been, and keeping an eye on where you’re going. So when he recently suggested writers write down what they’ve accomplished in 2011, [...]

READING: Everything is Relevant

I read a lot of nonfiction, from relatively disparate sources. Books and blogs. I read about Hollywood news, of course. But I also regularly read about intersectional feminism, tech startups, venture capitalism, healthcare, probability and consumers’ rights, among other topics. I try to read a bit of everything. Why? To a writer, and to a person who wants [...]

Diversions in Literature IV: “The Hour I First Believed” by Wally Lamb

It took me a long time to finish Wally Lamb’s latest thick tome, this time a novel exploring grief, loss and trauma from the perspective of a fictional teacher whose wife survived the Columbine school shootings. Note that this is not a formal review, but a bundle of reactions upon finishing the book…

READING: Recommendations?

Now I have a little disposable income, I’m looking for a few good books to dig through. What I want: engaging fiction, interesting non-fiction. That’s it. Have at it! Offer me any suggestions you’ve got in the comments, if you would be so kind.

READING: Learning Something New Every Day

I spend a lot of my time on my Google Reader. At first, it was to keep an eye on news in my industry – television – but as time goes on, it’s more and more about learning things I never knew about.