My book, The Young Screenwriter's Guide, is now available at Archway Publishing and Amazon. The idea behind this book is to give young writers an easy-to-follow guide to learn the basics of movie writing. Here is an excerpt from the first chapter: People have told stories since ancient times across many generations and civilizations. Thanks…
Austin Typewriter Ink. Type-In Event
This last Saturday, September 23, 2023, we attended the Austin Typewriter Ink. Type-In event at the Public Library at Buda, Texas. We were able to show our typewriters to the public. Watching people enjoy the experience of writing poems, letters, and other creative things on the vintage machines was fun. At Buda, Texas There is…
SoCreate: A Great Screenwriting Learning Tool
For new writers, screenwriting can be a complex and overwhelming task. Formatting rules can be hard to understand and apply correctly, making it even more challenging. Although there are multiple software applications available to assist with this, some may not be user-friendly. Fortunately, SoCreate has developed a subscription-based application that simplifies screenwriting to the point…
I stand…
Zombicide: A great tabletop game
And now, for something different, let's talk about one of my favorite hobbies, Zombicide. This tabletop game enables you to be a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. Now in its 2nd Edition, you can find this game in your favorite comic book or game shop. The game includes 12 different survivor mini-figures, each one an…
The Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey
Image by macrovector on Freepik As important as it is to have a compelling story, the story should be anchored by having inspiring heroes, insidious villains, helpful allies, challenging henchmen, and other characters that bring your story to life. Characters are crucial to a story. With characters, you can have action, conflict and drama, and…
Writer’s block
Writing is always a challenge. Sometimes the writing flows rapidly; often, you must force yourself to write to avoid writer's block. What is writer's block? It is the inability to put down your idea or thought on paper. This condition happens to us writers at any time. Writer's block is not exclusive to new writers;…
Screenwriting with a typewriter
Script formatting with a typewriter With computers, writing screenplays has become more accessible thanks to software like Final Draft, Fade In, and SoCreate (now in open beta). Of course, the software will never write for you, but it will help you set the correct formatting. With all this technology available to writers, why would you…
The Three Act Structure
The Three-Act Structure, or the Paradigm Structure, is the most widely used screenplay structure. Syd Field made this famous in the late 1970s book Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. Using Aristotle's concepts in Poetics, Syd Field postulated that most screenplays have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Each act can have multiple plot points or events that…
My thoughts on grammar
Grammar is one of the most important aspects of writing. It can help you define your writing style and how you can adequately express yourself as a writer. However, bad grammar can and will distract from the clarity of your message. In addition, lousy grammar will give a wrong first impression of your writing. I…
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