Writing for the Industry: Black Writers Talk About Their Work

Posted on August 9, 2014 at 7:00 am

This afternoon at 3PM, the 8th annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair in Los Angeles will host a “Writing for the Industry” panel, which will aid “beginning, advanced and aspiring screenwriters through the steps of writing their first feature length script, getting representation, being staffed on a TV show, pitching to studio executives and more.”  The panel will take place in the Community Room at the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza, located at 3650 Martin Luther King Blvd in L.A.

Moderator writer/filmmaker Erica Watson (“Roubado,”), will present Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love & Basketball,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Beyond the Lights”), Rob Edwards (“The Princess and the Frog”) Lena Waithe (“Bones,” “Dear White People”), Abdul Williams (“Lottery Ticket”), Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (Co-executive producer “Southland” and “Sleepy Hollow”) and Tyger Williams (“Menace II Society”).

And if you can’t make it to LA, take a look at this advice on writing from Matt Stone and Trey Parker of “South Park” and “The Book of Mormon.”

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Race and Diversity Writers

Comic-Con: Catching Up with the Winner Twins

Posted on July 26, 2011 at 5:58 pm

One of my favorite moments at Comic-Con each year is my chance to catch up with the brilliant and beautiful Winner twins, Brianna and Brittney, whose astonishing mastery of story and vocabulary has produced an extraordinary body of work.  The mirror image identical twins published the first volume of their science fiction series at age 11 and now travel to schools to encourage other young writers.  This year, they conducted a panel for would-be writers and I was very impressed with their advice on everything from getting started (it works best if you start from the end!), working with a partner (they use a pen as a “speaking stick” to make sure they both get a chance to talk), overcoming writer’s block, and finding an objective but constructive third party to provide feedback.  I especially liked their emphasis on the fun of writing, which is, as they reminded the group, the reason to do it.  I highly recommend their booklet on how to write.  And their Strand series is a great book for tweens and teens, and even for adults.

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Festivals Teenagers Tweens Writers

Write Your Screenplay!

Posted on May 22, 2010 at 8:00 am

Ever watch a movie and think you could write a better one? Here’s your chance, without having to invest in pricey screenwriting software. Plotbot is a nifty web-based interface that walks you through the mechanics of screenwriting, handles all of the tricky formatting issues, and even allows you to collaborate privately or publicly. There are a lot of other great resources for writers online, including this discussion from Kurt Vonnegut about why we need drama (with charts!), Screenwriting Tips, and Scriptologist.
Give it a try, and if your film gets made, remember to thank me in your Oscar acceptance speech!

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Internet, Gaming, Podcasts, and Apps

Movies About Writers

Posted on March 27, 2010 at 3:32 pm

Thanks to Kaitlyn Cole for sending me this list of 50 great movies about writers. I especially like the way it is broken down into categories — about writing (“Wonder Boys”), writers being bad (“Sunset Boulevard,” “The Shining”), and real-life writers. If I could, I’d add a category of writers being good (lots of great crusading journalist movies like “Call Northside 777” and “All the President’s Men,” both based on true stories), and documentaries about writers, including films about Hunter S. Thomson, Charles Bukowski, Ayn Rand, and Alan Ginsberg.

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