Neil Simon on Critics

“Walter Kerr gave me one of the best pieces of criticism I’ve ever had. In the first line of his review of The Star-Spangled Girl, he said, ‘Neil simon didn’t have an idea for a play this year, but he wrote one anyway.’ That was exactly what had happened. Elliot Norton was helpful to me [...]

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Writing “Thema & Louise”

“I had dabbled with the idea of (becoming a writer), but I had never actually attempted anything. I mean, maybe once or twice I had tried to write a sitcom script or something like that, but again the discipline thing was a problem. And then one night, I was coming home from a shoot (working [...]

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Writers & Rejection

“There is a brilliant writer called Hugo Hiriart and he oversaw the eight of us in this program (the National Institute of Fine Arts in Spain). I wrote a novel and he took it and said, ‘Who the hell told you that you were a writer? This is shit?’ He threw the manuscript into the [...]

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Writing “Cedar Rapids”

“Right out of film school I sold a movie and a TV show, and I thought ‘Hah!’ this is going to be easy.” Screenwriter Phil Johnston on his early misperceptions It’s not because Cedar Rapids is Iowa that I feel obligated to do another post on the movie Cedar Rapids, it’s because I found a [...]

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Turning Nightmares into Dreams

“My greatest tragedy is now my greatest benefit: It gave me guts, and a sense of who I am.” Screenwriter Heather Hach Denver Post article What would you do if your spouse called in the middle of the night and said they were never coming home? You could move to LA and purse a career [...]

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What Happens After You Sell Your Screenplay?

“The sale gave me street cred. I was no longer some schmuck from Canada with a script and a dream. I was Mr. Professional Writer with a studio deal.” Screenwriter James V. Simpson (Armored) on his first sale Have you ever taken a script you’ve just finished and tossed it in the washing machine? And [...]

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Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

“Seems like we always spend the best part of our time just saying goodbye.” Elizabeth Taylor as Angela Vickers A Place in the Sun A great film to study on many levels is A Place in the Sun which starred Elizabeth Taylor. If you want to see the proper way to introduce two characters check out [...]

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Marketing Your Script (Part 5)

“Talent is helpful, but guts are an absolute necessity.” Jessamyn West (1902-1984) Screenwriter & Novelist from Indiana Credits include The Big Country, Summer Flight, Friendly Persuasion “Great scripts always sell or get optioned for real money. Sometimes not right away, but it happens.” Adam Levenberg The Starter Screenplay One of the parallels I often compare [...]

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Marketing Your Script (Part 4)

Have you heard about the wealthy Nigerian businessman who wants to produce an American movie? He just needs your best script—the one you really believe in most…and your social security and bank account numbers so he can make a direct deposit into your bank account. If there is the slightest hint that your heart got [...]

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Marketing Your Script (Part 3)

“Although 90% of the writers we see are through referral and we are inundated with query letters, it never hurts to try. A clever note or a clever package gets our attention.” Agent Debbee Klein Paradigm “You help someone accomplish something they want to do, regardless of where they are in their career. It’s wildly satisfying [...]

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