Brad Schreiber is a screenwriter, producer, consultant, and author of six books, including What Are You Laughing At?: How to Write Funny Screenplays, Stories, and More and the newly released Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius, which he wrote with Hendrix-historian Steve Roby. Schreiber created the TV series North Mission Road for CourtTV, based on his book on the LA Coroner, Death in Paradise. For 11 years, he was the VP of Storytech Literary Consulting, founded by Chris Vogler. Schreiber is in discussions to adapt Becoming Jimi Hendrix as both a film and a musical.

Join Schreiber and Roby on Friday, September 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Ave, Los Feliz, for a guitar raffle, reading, PowerPoint presentation of rare Jimi photos, and Q and A.

How did you get involved writing Becoming Jimi Hendrix?
I reviewed Steve Roby’s book Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix for a weekly in LA, loving the way he followed Jimi’s musical evolution solely through his released and unreleased recordings. We became good friends and I helped him edit an article about Jimi playing with Little Richard. He did a rough draft of the book and that’s when Becoming Jimi Hendrix got going.

What was your process writing the book? How did things work with your co-writer?
Our deal allowed me artistic control. We discussed a few things that did change a little but my draft was about 90 percent there.

How did you decide what to include, how to structure the material, and how to keep track of all your research?
Steve’s draft was already structured to cover 1962-66 with each chapter representing six months. I added flashbacks and flash-forwards only on occasion, when it thematically fit and seemed important. I also added a prologue in Seattle about his childhood and a very free-form epilogue outside of our timeline, from his discovery in the United Kingdom to his death. I have scores of articles, interview transcripts, websites, and notes from all the books Steve lent me on Jimi. It was daunting and the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever written.

What was your favorite part of working on Becoming Jimi Hendrix? The greatest challenge?
Favorite moments: Discovering Jimi set his guitar on fire for the first time in 1964, not at Monterey Pop, and learning he was arrested at a civil rights demonstration in Nashville in 1962. It was very difficult to take an existing manuscript and adapt it to an agreed-upon, new direction, emphasizing his racial identity, psychology, and the women behind the scenes who helped him survive. I’m exhausted, but happy.

You write in multiple mediums. Which is your favorite and why?
I love all forms of writing. It is the process of collaborating with others to bring the work into being that makes the experience more or less satisfying. Not only was Steve a pleasure, I worked with the single most knowledgable music book editor in New York, in Da Capo’s Ben Schafer, and he was tip top.

How was Becoming Jimi Hendrix different than/similar to your previous writing projects?
Extremely difficult. I usually write alone, so I had to edit a lot, I had more research materials than any other project. I thematically changed the original a great deal. I also had a strong obligation to honor the truth, even if it portrayed a hero of mine in an unflattering light, which it occasionally did. In the end, I am amazed at what Jimi overcame to become a success at all.

How do you balance all the different projects that you work on/the multiple elements of your career?
I’m disciplined about writing, networking, and promoting. I don’t do as much journalism as I used to do. I have the ability to move from one task to the other without losing focus, which I think is the greatest challenge for a lot of writers who work on multiple projects. I don’t take on projects that either do not appeal to me, require large commitments of time without pay or involve people who I do not trust or personally like.

Additional advice for writers?
Act like what you do is valuable and people will treat you that way or they will go away and try to take advantage of another writer.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
Whether you write for screen, stage or the page, educating yourself about industry contracts and standing up for your rights is an essential part of being a working writer.

Pamela Jaye Smith is a writer, mythologist, international consultant and speaker, and award-winning producer and director. Her latest book—Symbols.Images.Codes – The Secret Language of Meaning in Film, TV, Games, and Visual Media—was recent released by Michael Wiese Productions. The founder of MYTHWORKS and co-founder of the Alpha Babe Academy, Smith is also the author of Inner Drives, The Power of the Dark Side, and Beyond the Hero’s Journey.

She is currently writing another book for media makers called, SHOW ME THE LOVE! Create and Enhance the Passion in Your Stories, as well as a novel about a group of people living multiple lives in different times and places—some aware of  their other lives, some not—all engaged in an ongoing contest for the very soul of humanity. Smith will be a speaker at the Death & Transformation Conference in LA in October and at the 10Day/10Minute Film Festival in Beirut, Lebanon, this November.

Why did you write Symbols * Images * Codes?
Humans communicate in so many ways: verbal, visual, by touch and feel, smell.

As a mythologist also very interested in history, it struck me that a lot of what we know about the distant past has come down through the images painted on rocks, carved on bone, engraved in metal, or molded into the decor of sacred sites. Not only do symbols convey cultural particulars—stained glass windows of cathedrals portrayed Bible stories for the then mostly illiterate congregations, hieroglyphs on Egyptian tombs gave instructions from making beer and bread to navigating the afterlife, and stone carvings on Mayan temples recorded the passage of time and sacrifices of enemy hearts—but these visual communication devices also strike resonant chords deep within us. Something instinctual, something hard-wired in our brains, gives symbols their timeless potency.

The more consciously we writers use symbols to convey meaning and emotion, the richer our stories will be. A well-chosen symbol can transform a phrase into a world of meaning.

What was your process for writing Symbols*Images*Codes? Any similarities/differences between this and your other books?
First, I made a long list of as many categories of symbols, from the standard earth-air-water-fire to the more esoteric. Then came the painful task of paring it down to fit the page count.

Similar to my other books was the drive to make the information fresh and inspiring, yet practical. I love weaving mythology and metaphysics into the art and craft of writing: tying it in with examples from real life and current affairs makes it solid, giving examples from entertainment shows how writers can enrich their own work with these classic story-telling tools.

The delightful difference was that for SYMBOLS I could put actual images on the page to illustrate the various concepts.

Find your own best bio-rhythm time and try to set aside at least two-hour chunks of time devoted just to writing. Unless I’m writing on assignment (and thus paid to do so) I try to spend 6 to 10 hours a week on a project in between doing all the other things my business requires. That may mean getting up earlier in the mornings, or setting aside an entire day on the weekend just for writing. Using a timer and working in 30-minute increments with a little break every hour also helps discipline the time and focus.

What was your favorite part of writing the book? The greatest challenge?
Favorite part—watching lots of movies to find just the perfect example for each symbol, image, etc. How fortunate we writers are in that reading, watching films, observing others, conversing, and just sitting and thinking can all be called “work!”

Greatest challenge—confining myself to the allowed number of pages and words. I’d love to have written a much longer book as the world of symbols and images is so rich with examples from thousands of years and hundreds of cultures.

How important is symbolism in non-fiction? Fiction? Video games? Etc…
Symbolism can strengthen any communication in any style. Some might question whether advertising is non-fiction, but the power of symbols used to market products, services, and politicians is unquestionable. Just watch Mad Men or look at the covers of popular business and self-help books. Campaign posters are a great study in symbolism.

Symbolism and imagery are so often the entire fabric of poetry. The more we can use them in our prose, the more evocative and powerful it can be. The most universal and timeless stories are typically filled with symbols that span eons and cultures: from Juliet’s uplifted and separate balcony to young Arthur pulling that sword out of the stone, from Indiana Jones stepping out into mid-air in his Leap of Faith in Last Crusade to the water imagery of I’ve Loved You So Long.

Video games are packed with symbolism, from the initiation-like levels of a game to the acquisition of skills, tools, and weapons. Many games are set in fantasy worlds where visual shorthand conveys character personality and abilities. The options available when building an avatar are typically rich in symbolism, from hair styles to accessories conveying rebellion, wisdom, craftiness, and much more.

The more ways you can convey your message—visual, verbal, etc.—the more effective it will be.

What are the top three things a writer needs to know about incorporating symbolism into their projects?
Carefully select your major symbol so it can speak to at least two of these three levels: physical, psychological, philosophical. E.g. the full moon brightens the nighttime forest (physical), brings out the werewolf part of a character (psychological and physical), and implies a distance from and dilution of the purity and clarity of sunlight (philosophical and psychological).

Use the symbol at least three times, preferably in relation to an emotion, a situation, or a concept. All three if your story expands that deeply.

Symbols, images, and codes are only effective when they are appropriately presented, framed, focused upon, and noticed (or not, if that’s part of the plot) by your characters. In prose use the tools of speech such as metaphors, similes, synecdoches, etc  In scripts use visual composition to draw the viewer’s attention: “he throws his arms out, like on a cross” or “holding back tears, she moves to stand near the fountain.”

What are the main mistakes writers make in that area?
Being too obvious, too heavy-handed. You want the reader/viewer to feel smart for having discovered it, not roll their eyes because you’ve pointed giant neon arrows to it.

Using the same symbol so often as to lose its “aha!” impact.

Being too obscure, thinking everyone will get it. If you’re using a symbol that needs explaining, have a character do so at some point early in the story or do so in the prose if you’re writing in 3^rd person omniscient.

How do you balance all the aspects of your career?
With some difficulty … don’t we all?

From the Mystery School training comes the concept of our four bodies: physical, emotional, mental, and creative/spiritual. Seeing that each body gets some nourishment and exercise each day really helps, be it good food and some walking or swimming, visiting friends or watching a movie, reading science articles or non-fiction and doing brain-train exercises, and meditating or attending an inspiring event. The best writing comes when all four bodies are engaged.

Pull up the drawbridge. No matter how brilliant we naturally are, effective composition requires focus and concentration. When you’re writing, just write. Don’t check emails or texts, don’t answer the phone, don’t cruise the internet. Sure, sometimes we need to research online, but do set aside private time with just you and what you’re writing. It may mean taking a laptop with no wi-fi connection into another room to get the privacy you need. It probably means training your friends and family that just because it doesn’t look like you’re doing anything, you really are working and need quiet and solitude.

Marketing is the most difficult part for me as I’d rather just be writing, teaching, or gathering new info and insights to do more writing. We are all so very fortunate these days however, with so many easy and inexpensive ways to market our services and products online, particularly in social and professional networks.

Additional advice for non-fiction book writers?
What emotion do you want to elicit in your readers? Curiosity, engagement, outrage, ambition, sympathy, etc.? Select one main symbol that conveys that emotion and give examples, stories, or case histories to relate to it on at least three levels: emotional, situational, conceptual. [The Symbols book index is arranged to help you do this.]

Use the symbol in illustrative ways: climb the corporate ladder, lean the ladder up against the walls, put the ladder horizontally between two stable supports and use it as an exercise machine, etc.

Design your book cover with a symbol that captures your message. E.g. my Inner Drives book about using the chakras to build story characters shows a naked body holding an apple—symbol of temptation and all sorts of tasty and dangerous drives. The Power of the Dark Side shows a snake slithering out over dark water. This newest one on Symbols has what looks like a secret decoding device, slightly blurry around the edges and implying secrecy and treasure.

Additional advice for screenwriters?
For scripts to be sold and turned into a visual medium, you must first impress a studio development exec or production company reader with words on a page. Make your pages incredibly more powerful using potent, visceral words that create vivid images.

The more you work images and symbolism into your stories the better. Two excellent examples are Lawrence of Arabia (earth/sand, open spaces, and superb composition) and I’ve Loved You So Long (water and confinement).

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
1. That absolutely every experience counts—no matter how seemingly mundane, annoying, scary, or secret—because it can all be turned into literature.

2. Always carry a recording device [pen and paper, texting device, voice recorder, ketchup and a paper napkin, etc.] because the most strikingly brilliant ideas can also be quite elusive. How many of your own have slipped away into the oosphere because you didn’t get them down quickly enough?

3. The timeless classic stories need retelling for every generation and are a rich mine for inspiration. By giving them our own personal perspective and spin we can bring their wisdom and enchantment to our own readers and viewers in unique and entertaining ways.

Paula Bruno is the author of Come Hell or High Water, the first book in the Kirkland family saga. Come Hell or High Water is set in 1958, and the western/family series revolves around a feud between the Kirkland Ranch and the fictional Logan family of Burkburnett.

“The Kirkland Family Saga reflects many of the values that people in Texas hold dear, but it also shines a light on how much the world has changed in the past 40 years,” Bruno says.

A floral designer by trade, Bruno started a critique group with women in her hometown in the 1990s … and became the group’s president. She shares her creative process and journey, and offers tips for writing series, with the Write On! community.

What inspired you to first start writing?
Storytelling has always been with me. For my fourth birthday, in 1953, my mother gave me a plastic stagecoach drawn by two beautiful dapple-gray horses. I locked my guests out of my bedroom and played with it alone. I fell in love with horses that day. At first, my stories mimicked, or were variations of what I saw on the early television Westerns such as The Lone Ranger and The Roy Rogers Show.

What was your process for writing Come Hell or High Water?
I started writing long before I knew anything about proper writing techniques so the novel that began as The Whore’s Child in 1973 slowly evolved into Kirkland’s Choice in the 80’s, then finally into Come Hell or High Water in 2000. Sometime during the ‘80’s I sent the manuscript to an agency and paid $75 for a complete reading. I knew this was not recommended but I had to get some kind of professional input. This reader had some wonderful things to say about my writing and the story, but also had many suggestions for improving it so I went to work on it again.

The first major change didn’t come until I joined our local critique group in 1993 and learned about “point of view.” I immediately started a re-write, separating each scene into one person’s POV. Later, I rewrote it again, narrowing it down from six points of view to two, Revis’ and Amanda’s.

The core story has not changed over the many revisions and title changes. What has changed is the believability of the characters, the plot, and the resolution.

What was your favorite part of writing the book?
I think my favorite part of writing this story came when I decided to give Revis “an obvious means of support.” In the fist versions of the story, the Kirklands were obviously wealthy (even though the Kirkland Ranch was defunct). Revis didn’t have anything “real” to keep him busy, so I put the Kirkland Ranch back in business. As soon as I made that decision, the cowboys started showing up. Luke, Jones, Colt, Spence, Jake, and Scooter filed into the kitchen on New Year’s Eve 1958, and were introduced to the reader one by one from Revis’ point of view. Each one of them added a new dimension to the story.

The greatest challenge?
Staying true to each character. Finding believable reasons for the characters to behave the way they do and incorporating it into a smooth flowing story.

How did you go about creating the Kirkland Family?
I don’t know where Revis Kirkland came from. He seems to be a blending of all the best of the men I have known, most notably my husband and our fathers.

Originally, Revis had a fairly large extended family, but after a few years, I realized that simple is easier, so I pared his family down to his parents, who, even though they are both deceased, play a big role in what happens in the stories. His two sons are as vital to the stories as Revis is. Luke also seemed to come out of nowhere as trusted foreman of the Kirkland Ranch and within a few sentences, he had become Revis’ mentor and life long friend as well.

Originally Revis met Amanda through his illegitimate son, Toby, but by page 15 of CHHW, she’d become Luke’s daughter, born and raised on the Kirkland Ranch. In this light, she provided a way to tell the reader things about Revis that otherwise they wouldn’t have known. Luke does the same thing. While they are major players themselves, they give the reader insight into Revis’ character.

Why did you make the decision to write it as a series?
By the time I’d finished writing Come Hell or High Water, which is the story of Revis and Toby, I realized how much I liked Revis’ older son, Travis, even though he doesn’t have near the role in Come Hell or High Water as he did in the earlier version The Whore’s Child. Travis presented a chance to take Revis and the reader into that troublesome time for most parents when their kids turn into teenagers. Travis provided a venue for showing how hatred, whether founded or unfounded, fuels violence and ruins lives.

How do you plan to keep the future books fresh while keeping the set-up of the original story?
With the Kirkland Family Saga, all the stories are told from Revis’ POV. He’ll live well into his 90’s as a strong and inspiring character. His sons, Travis and Toby, will provide the romance. The mystery that surrounds Revis’ relationship with Eddie Ruth Logan will continue to the end of the last book. Much of the drama will be provided by the feud between the Kirklands and the Logans.

Why did you choose the Western genre?
Looking back at my early fascination with cowboys, horses, cattle, and the ranches they live on, it just seems natural that Revis would be a cowboy. But Come Hell or High Water isn’t a true Western.

Any advice for those looking to try writing a western, specific to the genre?
There are lots of good resources online for researching how life was for people who lived in different times. Find out what you want to know and then use only what is pertinent to the story you are telling.

Additional advice for writers?
Pay attention to that feeling you have when you are reading your manuscript. When it tells you something isn’t right, that it needs to be different somehow, go with it. In one of the early drafts of CHHW, in the scene where Toby’s mother leaves him out at the Kirkland Ranch, Revis is watching her car drive away. It’s nearly dark and about halfway down the mile long drive, he sees her brake lights come on. He wonders is she’s collided with one of his cows, but then she continues on and so does he. Every time I read that scene, I had a nagging idea that if I couldn’t relate it to something else later, I should take it out. I have the same problem that many writers have. I hate to delete my words, so I hung onto that scene until one of the members of my critique group read the whole story and suggested that since I was never able to relate the brake lights coming on to anything later in the book, I should delete it, so I did.

Any words of wisdom for those looking to have a second career as a writer?
If you are young, start it now. If you’re old, start it right now. If you are young, go for getting published the traditional way. If you’re old, publish it yourself. Come to find out, 99% of writers have to do their own publicizing and marketing anyway.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
That it is all in there. The characters, the plot, the resolution and all I have to do, is get out of the way. I’m convinced that most of the “blocks” I’ve experienced have been because I didn’t have the confidence to let the story tell itself.

AND—there is a lot to be said about knowing what you’re doing, but sometimes we get so caught up in learning how, we never actually get it done.

Brandon Stauber co-founded The Wine Spies with long-time business colleague and friend Jason Seeber in 2007. The site, which introduces readers to new wines through reviews, articles, and interviews, is proof of the necessity of content in any online business. Stauber—aka “Agent White”—is a pilot, kick-boxer, an avid foodie, and wineaux, and enjoys traveling the world in search of adventure, new friends, food, and drink. Seeber is “Agent Red.”

Stauber talks about his journey from tech to wine, shares his experience developing content for the site, and offers advice to writers who have and/or our starting a website.

How did The Wine Spies come about?
A few years back, after selling an internet business I founded, I occupied my time doing technology and start-up consulting. A former colleague from my time in Silicon Valley approached me with an idea to export California wines to Europe; he asked me to help prepare the financial and business model.  After exploring the idea, we came to the conclusion that there was no way to make his idea work, but we  also started exploring other ideas… It was then that it hit us, one of the most enjoyable experiences in wine is finding great small production wines, meeting winemakers, and learning about each winery’s, winemaker’s, and bottle’s “story.”  From that idea, The Wine Spies was born.

How did your wine site turn into basically “Daily Candy” for wine?
From our collective experience enjoying wines in Napa and Sonoma, we decided we wanted to try to provide an experience similar to visiting a tasting room. … In essence, developing a strong visceral connection between wine consumer and winemaker.  With so many great wines, we decided that the one-deal-a-day model was one that worked well with our concept.

By telling the story behind each wine, its varietal background, a little about the region and vineyard, and then either interviewing the winemaker or telling a story about the winery, people not only get an opportunity to learn but to also develop a stronger connection to the art and joy of wine.  Each bottle has a story behind it, and when you open a great bottle with friends, you are adding your own story to that bottle as well!

Were you a writer before you launched The Wine Spies?
No, my education is in political science and economics and I ended up in the Internet/online world where I learned a bit about business through trail and error. From there, I decided it was better to work for myself and controlling my own destiny, even though the hours and pay may be lower, the mental freedom is much better and more fulfilling.  By the way, it is not that easy to write after a glass or two; I usually do our written reviews the following morning.

What is your writing and production process for your site?
For each wine that is featured on the site a couple wines are rejected.  Once we review the wine, if we decide to feature it, we then write up our tasting-notes in plain, understandable English (as best as possible). We then talk a bit about the region or grapes in the wine and then we do an interview with the winemaker (similar to this) or tell the story of the winery.  From there, the article is scheduled in our backend (a custom build e-commerce system that I designed—we are selling the wines that we love), so that each day a new wine is featured. A good portion of our day is spent organizing our future wine calendar, working with our wineries, and keeping the day-by-day warehouse and logistics operations running smoothly, which we fully manage in an online CRM system.

How do you decide which products to feature?
Lots and lots of tasting…  but each wine must also make sense in terms of its economics and marketability. We only feature and talk about wines that either or both myself and my partner have personally tasted and reviewed. We try to find a good balance of regions and varietals each week, but its clear that Pinot Noir and Cabernet are the big hitters. I really enjoy featuring international wines too, since many have great stories behind them. It also opens up some great travel destinations—I recently spent some time in Champagne and Burgundy where I was able to taste some great wines where they are made.

How important is it for business to have a strong internet presence?
In our case it is critical—we are an entirely online business and our California liquor license requires that we only sell online and ship via UPS (or other “common carrier”).  In general, most online presences are only brochures or lead generation programs. It is important that your online efforts involve all aspects of your businesses strategy. With the exception of our logistics and fulfillment at our Santa Rosa warehouse, all of our operations are online, including customer service, accounting and banking, general operations, etc.  As long as I can connect to the internet, I can basically run all aspects of this business, regardless of where I am in the world.

Over the past few years marketing online has also changed dramatically. With the explosion of social networking, people are looking for communities around the products and services they enjoy. As a business it is very important to tap into those communities.

What are the top mistakes people make in writing a website?
The biggest mistake is not understanding and presenting your work from the perspective of your reader or customer. In our case, we found that many people are either intimidated or just less than knowledgeable about wine. We wanted to present great content in a format that made it approachable, fun, and easy to learn, allowing people to develop and trust their own taste-preferences and give them the “hooks,” so they remember each wine, grape, or region’s story.  That way, when visiting a wine shop or asked to pick a wine off a wine list, they trust in their taste buds to make a great selection.

What are the key elements that every website should include?
When working on your website, make sure that you are focusing on your primary goal.  If that is a business transaction, then that’s where your focus needs to be; if it is content, well, then your content must be great.  Too often we focus on the “bells and whistles” at the sacrifice of providing real value… Focus on the providing functional value and you’ll be in good shape.

Additional advice?
Do what makes you happy in life. If you’re passionate about something, it will show and people are naturally attracted to passionate people.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started your site?
Being a business person, I wish we had a better handle on the financial projections for the business when we started—but its not uncommon for every businesses model to be tested. Thankfully for us, we were tested early and we were prepared. We made our adjustments, adapted where we needed it, improvised when necessary, and have created a fun little corner on the internet and also have become a very well respected wine website.

Pilar Alessandra is director of the Los Angeles writing program “On the Page” and author of the newly released The Coffee Break Screenwriter, published by Michael Wiese Productions. She has worked as Senior Story Analyst for DreamWorks and Radar Pictures and has trained writers at ABC/Disney, MTV/Nickelodeon, the National Screen Institute, the Los Angeles Film School, The UCLA Writers Program, and more. Alessandra’s weekly podcast “On the Page” is regularly in the iTunes top 50 of film and tv podcasts. I was fortunate to guest on her Podcast at the beginning of the year – Episode #123.

Alessandra shares advice for screenwriters, podcasters, and those writing non-fiction books. Plus, talks about how she is a very “productive procrastinator!”

Why did you write The Coffee Break Screenwriter?
We’re all busy these days and I see more and more people writing in their “stolen” moments of time. So, the goal of this book is to make those short, focused writing bursts as creative and productive as possible. It helps you be true to the story you want to tell, but also pushes you forward in the process. I’m always blown away by the fantastic results I get with my students when I give them a writing tool in class, then give them ten minutes to get their work on the page. They always nail it.

What was your process for writing it?
I wrote half the book about four years ago, then–like so many writers– ignored the rewrite. Instead, I procrastinated by building more classes, creating an instructional DVD, starting a podcast, touring the country, etc. (I’m the world’s most productive procrastinator). All of that teaching and crafting turned out to be a good thing, though. It helped me develop more writing tools, become a better script analyst, and, finally, get the damned thing finished.

How did you go about getting it published?
Signe Olynk and Bob Schultz from the Great American Pitchfest told Ken Lee at Michael Wiese Productions that if he didn’t publish my book, they would. He listened. They rock.

What was your favorite part of writing The Coffee Break Screenwriter?
Pretending that I was teaching a class as I was writing it. Teaching is my very favorite thing to do, so as I “lectured” the words came.

The greatest challenge?
Fighting that voice that screamed, “Who the hell needs another screenwriting book?” (The answer: “The person who thinks she’s too busy to write. That’s who!”)

Can you give our readers a sneak peek into what you discuss in the book? What are three things writers can do now to get started in short bits of time?
1. Commit 10 minutes to telling a simple story with a great idea. Describe it in a paragraph or two as though telling a friend about a great movie. That’s your synopsis.

2. Commit 10 minutes to dividing that story into four sections. Give each section a title. Those are your acts.

3. Commit 10 minutes to brainstorming the major events that happen in each section. Those are your sequences or “beats.”

Congratulations! You’ve practically outlined your movie.

What can a writer do to stand out from the rest of the crowd of those wanting to get discovered?
Commit, commit, commit. Commit to an idea. Commit to a story approach. Commit to a tone. Stop chasing trends and writing to formula. All a reader wants is something that feels fresh.

What inspired you to start your On the Page podcast?
I knew my On the Page Writer’s Studio had great talent coming out of it, so I thought it would be cool to put some of my clients and students on mike and talk with them about screenwriting. I had no idea anyone would actually listen! When they did, I started including producers, casting people, new media experts, gamers, and more into the conversation. I’ve learned right along with my listeners. It’s been an adventure.

What are the differences between creating your podcast, teaching, and writing a book? Are there any similarities?
The podcast is a discussion. The classes are a workout. The book is a guide. What links them is a respect for the writer. I do believe there are more stories to tell and I’ve witnessed writers get better each year at telling them. They’ve grown up, living and breathing movies and tv, and they have great instincts. All of my workshops and materials acknowledge those natural skills. There’s no dumbing-down.

How do you decide what to cover in which format?
For the podcast, we try new things all the time. We’ve had logline contests, interviews with cops and forensic experts, discussions of movies and even had a contest to “script” the podcast. (That one was pretty terrible, actually). For my classes, I’m focused on what the writers need to accomplish that day. Nail concept? Outline story? Get a scene on the page? Rewrite? I have a responsibility to get them there.

Additional advice for screenwriters?
Stage or film a short piece of work. Showcase yourself!

Additional advice for would-be podcasters?
Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Additional advice for non-fiction book writers?
Enjoy discovering that you actually know something.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
That every script has a surprise in it. And that a short bob was actually not a good look for me.

Coldspring, written by Cheri Mancuso and her partner John Scarano, came to life after nearly a decade of research. The literary non-fiction book is a story of karmic redemption, chronicling the lives of three hapless individuals—Bernice, Harry, and Freddy—as they reincarnate together over and over again. The story begins 12,000 years ago, culminates in 1935, and is based on three actual murders that occurred in Coldspring, New York, in the same fashion over a span of almost 235 years.

Mancuso has earned a stellar reputation in the field of metaphysics, primarily as a psychic medium, healer, and teacher. Scarano has studied metaphysics, tarot, mystical symbolism, and numerology for more than 40 years. He is clairsentient and clairaudient and, and is a Reiki Master.

Coldspring is the first in the trilogy. Coldspring, The Trial will be out this fall, and Coldspring, The Resolution will be released in 2011.

What inspired you to write Coldspring?
The inspiration for the book was the story of my Great Aunt Bernice’s life and death. I began to empathize with her as our research progressed and revealed her rise to power in a male dominated society beginning in the early 1900’s.

What was your research and writing process?
The research process was a very long one. It took us many years to complete our research to the point where we felt that we had enough accurate information to begin the book. We scoured through several libraries in Cattaraugus County where the murders occurred. We also interviewed several people who were alive in 1935 and some who actually attended the trial of the murderer, Freddy Lindsay. And, because the people of upstate New York have taken the time to preserve their heritage, we were also able to take advantage of the access to historical information from many town historians. Without them Bernice’s story could never have been as accurate as it is presently.

How did you go about getting it published?
After researching the publishing process, we decided to self-publish our book in order to preserve our writing in its original form. It’s a little risky to do that because we don’t have the exposure that we might have from a publishing house but it is extremely important to us that it remain exactly as we have written it. There is an important message contained it our book and we cannot take a chance on that being tampered with by anyone. So, we took advantage of the digital publishing process that is available today and we have published two short runs to date.

What was it like writing with your partner John Scarano?
I knew John was the right one when I first met him in 1996 and we started talking about my need to write about my Great Aunt Bernice’s death since I was 19 years old. When we went back East, starting around the year 2000, to investigate her murder, John became even more interested in her murder and my family’s heritage. Once we started the writing process, we immediately began to collaborate on the storyline and discussed the development of each chapter before it was written. As a result of that process the book is truly a blend of John’s input and mine.

What was your favorite part of the process?
My favorite part was traveling to upstate New York for the purpose of doing research for the book. I also loved meeting the many people who were so eager to help us with the book by providing us with information and pictures.

The greatest challenge?
The greatest challenge was writing the book once the research process was over. John and I have never written a book in our lives, and so it was initially a very daunting process.

Do you have any specific advice for those writing a series?
Yes, I do. And here it is: don’t hire a ghostwriter to write your books! It just doesn’t work very well. We went through two ghostwriters before we finally had to accept the fact that we had to write the book in order to deliver the right message to our readers.

Additional advice for writers?
Do your research before you start your book. That was the biggest problem that we had with our ghostwriters. They were lazy researchers. They were not historically accurate when it came to the various elements of the story. For example, one writer had Caleb Omens playing a phonograph almost 20 years before they were commercially available. Don’t be naïve and assume that your reader will not know the difference. Trust me when I say they will!

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
I wish that we had known what a lengthy and expensive process research can be.

How do you balance all the elements of your career?
I get up very early in the day and prepare for the lengthy day that lies ahead for John and me. We work seven days a week in order to accomplish everything that we have to do each day. Having a partner who helps to carry the workload has made that possible.

Ron Hogan helped create the literary Internet by launching Beatrice.com in 1995. In 2010, after writing about the business side of publishing as a senior editor for GalleyCat for several years, he briefly served as the director of e-marketing strategy for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. His most recent book is Getting Right with Tao, a print edition of his popular online “translation” of the Tao Te Ching into modern vernacular. Hogan is also the author of The Stewardess Is Flying the Plane, a visual tribute to ’70s Hollywood, and a contributor to the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning and the critical anthology Secrets of the Lost Symbol.

Hogan frequently speaks at book festivals and publishing conferences about how the industry can capitalize upon social networking tools and other transformative trends. Today, he speaks with Write On! about his process, the importance of social networking, common mistakes writers make, and more.

What led you to launch Beatrice.com? You started way ahead of the website game. What did you know that it took the world a while to catch on?
Well, I read an article in WIRED magazine in the mid-1990s about a new piece of software called Netscape, and how it was changing the way web pages would look, and I decided, “I want to do one of those.” After a very brief experiment with doing a literary magazine, I settled into doing Q&A interviews with authors, and did that for a number of years until I began blogging in 2003.

What is your favorite part of running Beatrice.com? The greatest challenge?
Talking to authors is still one of the best parts of coming up with the things I write about at Beatrice, followed closely by reading the books. The greatest challenge has been doing the blog around everything else I have going on; for a number of years, Beatrice took a backburner to another website I’d been hired to run, the publishing industry news column GalleyCat, and it’s only since leaving that job that I’ve really been able to bring Beatrice back up to speed.

Why did you write Getting Right with Tao? What was your creative process?
I started writing the pages that became Getting Right with Tao back in the ’90s, shortly after I’d read the Tao Te Ching for the first time and had my first exposure to Quentin Tarantino and David Mamet. The creative process, which took place in fits and starts over several years, involved comparing as many other English translations of the TTC as I could find, distilling what they all seemed to be saying, and then putting that into the voice I had come up with.

How has your article-writing differed from your book-writing? Are there any similarities?
Well, it’s shorter. Other than that, it’s still just as much work.

What are 3 of the more common mistakes writers make?
1) They call themselves writers, but they don’t write.

2) They forget that there’s more to being a successful writer than just the writing.

3) They waste valuable time thinking about their Amazon sales rank.

What can a writer do to set him or herself apart from the rest of the writers trying to “make it”?
First, work even harder on the writing, and make it that much better.Second, if you’re trying to “make it” as a writer, you’re not just an artist, you’re an independent business owner, so you need some business sense to go along with your craft.

Why is it so important for writers to take part in social media?
You don’t write in a vacuum. You need readers, and as wonderful as it would be for people to just discover you over and over again by happy accident, it doesn’t work that way very often. You need to be out there where your potential readers are, get to know them, and let them get to know you.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
I sorta wish I’d known just how lame the TV show Prison Break was going to get towards the end, because then I wouldn’t have started watching from the beginning and I guess that would’ve freed up an entire week’s worth of writing time, all told.

What’s next?
Beatrice is still going strong, and I’m talking to my friends at Channel V Books about a new project we could do together that draws more directly on the site’s legacy of more than a decade spent talking about great books and great writers.

Television Critic Mary McNamara has written for the Los Angeles Times for nearly two decades, writing extensively about the inner workings of Hollywood. She recently released her second novel—The Starlet—which is the sequel to