Screenwriting Software vs. Ballpoint Pen

“Making it up as I go along. I write with a ballpoint pen and scratch out lines and paragraphs, revising them as I make my way into the story, the characters letting me know what comes next. Once I’ve handwritten a page until I like it, I put in on the IBM Wheelwriter 1000. If [...]

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Hollywood & Small Town Ideals

But, somewhere back there in the dust,
That same small town that’s in each of us.
                                    The End of the Innocence 
                                    Don Henely 
Got nothing [...]

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Off Screen Quote #10 (Natalie Goldberg)

Yesterday I quoted Natalie Goldberg who in her first book wrote about the bliss of writing, but  a few years later she added this:
“I have not seen writing lead to happiness in my friends’ lives. I’m sorry to say this, I, who fifteen years ago published a book telling everyone to grab their notebooks and [...]

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Off Screen Quote #9 (Natalie Goldberg)

I sometimes write on the inside cover of books where and when I bought the book. Inside Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones I have written, “Georgetown, CO, 9/2000.” Once upon a time there was this wonderful little bookstore in Georgetown, Colorado that was the perfect stop between Denver and the Vail/Breckenridge area. The bookstore [...]

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Farrah, Michael & Logan

Farrah. Michael. They are part of the small, but elite club in pop culture that are known by one name. Before their deaths yesterday, both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson had their share of time in the spot light as well as time getting lost in their own versions of never never land. Seems to [...]

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A Sacred Story from Parkersburg, Iowa

“I’m one of those coaches who believes it’s my responsibility to be there for my players—my students—any way I can.”
                                               Ed Thomas 
 
That kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen in a place like [...]

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Off Screen Quote #8 (Ed McMahon)

Ed McMahon played many roles as a spokesman and announcer in a show biz career that spanned more than 60 years.  McMahon, who died yesterday, was best known as the sidekick for Johnny Carson for more than 30 years on The Tonight Show. His trade mark  “Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny” has not been forgotten and probably never [...]

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Hemingway on Writers, Critics and Slop

The first time I read a book by Ernest Hemingway I was a junior in high school. I didn’t chose to do a report on him because he was a literary giant but because The Old Man and the Sea was so thin. In about the time it takes Melville to explain whale blubber in [...]

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From North Dakota to Hollywood

If I told you I was going to write about the most famous writer from Jamestown, North Dakota that probably wouldn’t be a good clue for most people. If I told you that at one time he was one of the most popular writers in the world and is mostly known for his westerns you [...]

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Twitter Screenplays, Facebook Casting and $70 Movies

One thing that is not going down in price is the cost of going to movies. While you can buy a classic movie on DVD for $5, going to a mediocre one in the theaters can cost just about twice as much. And by the time you add drinks, snacks, gas (and sometimes parking), a [...]

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