Increasing Your Blog’s Readership
by Linda Fulkerson, The Ultimate Guide to Blogging Well

The number-one question I get asked as a blog coach is “How do I get people to come to my blog?” Blog traffic streams flow from three areas: offline, on-site, and off-site. There are a lot of quick and easy tactics bloggers can employ to increase blog traffic from all three.

Offline Promotion
Offline ways to increase blog traffic include speaking engagements, networking at conferences, print articles and interviews, passing out business cards and brochures, or even placing a banner on your car. Because many offline methods are expensive and time-consuming, most bloggers choose to promote their sites online.

Online/Off-site Promotion
When planning your website traffic strategy, look beyond the borders of your blog and develop off-site “outposts.” One of the best free ways to stream blog traffic is through article marketing. Writing and submitting articles to directories not only brings awareness and backlinks to your blog, it sets you apart as an authority in your niche and strengthens your personal brand.

An easy-to-establish outpost is your email signature. By personalizing your email signature with free tools such as WiseStamp, you can include links to your social media profiles in every email you send. Commenting on other blogs is a great way to connect with like-minded bloggers and may even land you some guest post offers.

Don’t forget to promote your posts, guest or otherwise, through social media outposts. Social media can be overwhelming, but at the very least, I suggest that bloggers set up a Facebook fan page and stay active on Twitter. There are ways to use both tools effectively without taking up a ton of your time. (Read: “Taming the Twitter Beast in 20 Minutes a Day.”)

Video is huge in the blogosphere these days. YouTube is quite possibly the fastest growing content site, with more and more content being added daily, and it is only one of several dozen online video-sharing sites. Other outposts to consider are podcasting directories, (such as iTunes), presentation-sharing sites, and the ever-popular image-sharing platform, Flickr.

Online/On-site Promotion
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital to receiving traffic from search engines. Many bloggers, especially new ones, believe there is some big mystery to optimizing posts, but it’s much easier than you might think. By doing simple tasks, such as effective use of anchor text, internal linking (called “Deep Linking”), including alternative text in image attributes, and using keyword-rich permalinks, bloggers can notice a quick increase in the search engine results pages for the keywords and phrases they’ve optimized posts for.

The better search rankings your post has, the more organic traffic you’ll receive. I offer SEO tips every Saturday at OnBloggingWell.com, and there are even more tips and tactics on SEO (and a variety of other subjects) in my eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Blogging Well.

Getting Repeat Readers
There are literally countless ways to drive traffic to your blog, but if you don’t have something of value to offer those who stop by, they won’t return, so an important question for bloggers to ask is, “How do I get readers to come back to my blog?”

Think of the StumbleUpon user with the itchy trigger finger, daring bloggers to give him a reason to click the Stumble button. The average Stumbler spends 8 seconds on a website. That may seem like an eternity for a bull rider, but for bloggers hoping to help their bounce rate, it’s a challenge we need to tackle.

So, how do bloggers hook return readers? Headlines are the most essential factor in grabbing a visitor’s attention, followed closely by site design, but the number one way to reel them in and keep them is by creating compelling content.

If you just heaved a heavy “I already knew that!” sigh, don’t worry. Most of us know what to do to build a blog readership, but we don’t always know how to do it. I’ve just begun a “Blog Blossoms” newsletter to help you jump start your creativity and develop stunning posts. You can sign up to receive a free blog blossom a day at FreeBlogBlossoms.com.

Combine these brainstorming burgeons with an attention-getting headline and conclude with a specific call to action, such as “be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter list,” and you’ll soon have a host of regular readers on your blog’s doorstep, waiting to get in.

Thanks, Debra, for inviting me to share today! Please use the comments section to ask any questions you may have about blogging. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll dig around a bit and get back to you.

Linda Fulkerson is an author, speaker, blog coach, social media enthusiast, wannabe photographer, and creator of the instructional blog, On Blogging Well. She lives in central Arkansas with her family, dogs, goats, ducks, geese, turkeys, and a rooster who stalks her.

For more blogging tips, subscribe to On Blogging Well’s RSS feed. Register for Linda’s blogging tips newsletter and receive your free copy of The Blogger’s Checklist.

Great meeting last night! We welcomed Casey, Tim, and Scott. We gave encouragement to Martha, who is having her next booksigning on Monday, March 15 at 7:30 pm at Village Books in Pacific Palisades, and snaps to Kathryn, who placed 3rd in the February Challenge.

Since we didn’t have a lot of readers, we spent extra time brainstorming, discussing writing, and talking about goals. Thanks to Greg and Robin, who shared parts of their novels, and Tim, who brought a story to read. All three great prose with string voices from each of the Authors.

Screenwriters, remember, April is ScriptFrenzy! Write a screenplay in a month. Who’s in? April is also National Poetry Month. Watch for guest posts on both of these topics, coming in April!

The next Write On! Meeting will be on April 14, 2010. Post your April Goals for a chance to win an iScript. And enter the Write On! March Challenge – Green. Write a 200-400 word story or essay, using the writing prompt “green.” Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Email your story to debra@writeononline.com by March 31. Happy Writing!

THE MARCH CHALLENGE: GREEN
Time for another Writing Prompt contest. The March Challenge is to write a story or essay, based on the writing prompt: “Green.” There are numerous ways a writer can go with this: Green is a color, name, and emotion, as well as a representation of money and the environment. And that’s just a start. Have at it!

Submit 200 to 400 words, using the writing prompt “Green,” in the body of an email to debra@writeononline.com by Wednesday, March 31. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 13, 2010, in the April Write On! Newsletter.

PRIZES
1st Place: A medium-length (or 21,000 word) one-reader iScript, and have your story published on Write On! Online

2nd Place: The Hero’s 2 Journeys DVD by Michael Hauge & Christopher Vogler, compliments of The Writers Store

3rd Place: No Justice by Mystery/Suspense Author Darcía Helle (QuietFury Books) and The Frugal Editor by Carolyn Howard-Johnson ( author of the acclaimed HowToDoItFrugally series). Courtesy of VBT-Writers on the Move

NEWS
Congratulations to the winners of the Write On! Online February Challenge – Have a Heart!

1st Place: PJ Kaiser – “Waiting for Spring” – Posted on Write On! Online

2nd Place: Dylan Kenin – “Heart”

3rd Place: Kathryn Ray – “Car Wheels”

* * *

Congratulations to Laurie Dinnerstein, March winner for posting goals. Post your April goals on Write On! Online and be entered in the monthly drawing to win a FREE iScript. (An iScript is a professionally recorded audio version of a screenplay or novel read by professional readers, similar to an audiobook.)

* * *

I will be talking Blogging and Social Networking on the Write Now! Mastermind Call with host Rochelle Melander on Wednesday, March 24, at 10 am PDT. For details, check the website.

Also, I will be leading another small-group workshop on Blogging in Los Angeles in the next two weeks. If you are interested in this class (or in a workshop on Goal Setting or Breaking through Writers Block), email debra@writeononline.com.

* * *

One of Jocelyn Hughes’ short stories was posted on the San Diego Writer’s Ink website. Congratulations, Jocelyn!

Screenwriter Tracey Jackson’s documentary – Lucky Ducks – will be released on DVD next week. Watch for the Author Q&A coming soon!

Congratulations, Mark Niu. Mark’s film Juche Rules, which he adapted from his award-winning, one-act play, has been accepted into two film festivals: Edgemar Short Film Festival in Santa Monica (from March 26-28) and Buffalo-Niagara Film Festival (screens on April 24). Mark read a portion of his play at Write On! in Santa Monica.

Poetry Alert: If you’re a creative person and looking for something to get your mother this Mother’s Day, why not write a poem and include it in a special Mother’s Day anthology? While your at it, learn first-hand about the process of publishing a book, even make some of the most important nit-picky decisions. Submission deadline is March 17. For more information, contact Heather Paye: the_jewelonsolot@msn.com

The Mystic Pete Chronicles seeks “Tales of Love and Madness” for the radio program. Details here.

Pitch your screenplay ideas to industry professionals with a chance to win Final Draft and Save the Cat screenwriting software, a free script consultation, or even a first look deal with a known producer – it’s as easy as logging into your Facebook page! For more info join the Facebook Group, The Hollywood VPYPE Pitch Contest.

Check out the March VBT – Writers on the Move Tour for info, articles, reviews, and more!

EVENTS
Musician Danny Moynahan will be performing with Richard Fultineer and Austin Nicholsen at The Talking Stick, 1411 Lincoln Blvd. Venice, 90291, on Tuesday, March 9, from 7pm to 10pm. Danny, Austin, and Richard – piano, bass, and drums, and voices. For more info, here’s the Facebook event link.

Martha Burns will be signing her book – Belly Dance: Celebrating the Sacred Feminine – at Village Books, 1049 Swarthmore Avenue, Pacific Palisades, on Monday, March 15 from 7:30 pm – 9 pm. For a peek behind Martha’s story, read the Write On! Author Q&A. RSVP on Facebook.

Join Judy Sandra in celebrating the release of her book – The Metal Girl – at  Hygge Bakery, 1106 Hope Street, Los Angeles, on Sunday, March 21 from 1 pm – 4 pm. RSVP on Facebook.

ONGOING
Want to hear your work read? AltScreenPlay meets on Thursdays 7:30 – 10 pm, at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA, and is moderated by Matt Byrnes, mbbyrnes@gmail.com. First reading starts at 8 pm; and readings begin in the order in which the author arrived. Bring 1-10 pages of your screenplay, and make enough copies for each role. No RSVP necessary. Feel free to sit in without bringing any material of your own.

The Los Angeles Public Library now has a Screenwriters Workshop four Saturdays a month at different branches, from 10:30 am – 12 pm, and every Sunday in the Farmers Market community room from 3 – 5 pm, hosted by Sasha Karova. Learn format and workshop original material (screenplays, 1/2 hour sitcom, and 1/2 hour and 1 hour episodic) with an open reading or read-through. Open reading is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP to WritersUnblock@aol.com.

Writers Boot Camp offers Write On! members a discount on enlistment. For more information, contact Christine Baroumand at 800-800-1733 ext. 313, or christine@writersbootcamp.com.

Meditation Friday Nights at The Learning Garden the 2nd Friday of the month. Meditation begins promptly at 8:00 pm. Please dress in layers and bring a blanket and cushion to sit on. Meditation lasts about 40 minutes around a fire in the peaceful surroundings of the Garden. Donations go to The Learning Garden. For more information contact Camille at (310) 382-4323.

WRITE ON!
Our April Meeting will be on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. Please have newsletter items to debra@writeononline.com by April 12.

Write On! Online Author Q&As are posted every Tuesday and Friday. Check out the columns posted since the last newsletter:

Entertainment Writer Andy Hunsaker, Fancast

Oscar®-Nominated Filmmaker Gregg Helvey, Kavi

Dennis Danziger, A Short History of a Tall Jew

Billy Mernit, Writing the Romantic Comedy

The WGA Awards

Darcía Helle, Miami Snow

Jennie Fahn, BROADS! The Musical

Franz Wisner, How the World Makes Love

Published Authors: Share your knowledge by participating in a Write On! Q&A. Email debra@writeononline.com for more information. Also, if you have already participated in an Author Q&A, please keep us posted on current projects!

Also, here are links to the Write On! Columns posted since the last newsletter:

Write On! Screenwriting East of LA by Scott W Smith, Screenwriting from Iowa.

Jen’s Gems … for the Healthy Writer: Eating for Creativity & Productivity by Seattle-based movement and fitness coach Jennifer Waak.

Techno Tools for Writers: Ergonomic Keyboards by freelance writer Heidi Leder

Moving Write Along: Advice from the Experts – Traditional vs Self-Publishing by Todd Rutherford, Vice President, Yorkshire Publishing.

FINAL NOTE – PURPLE PENCIL ADVENTURES
Check out Purple Pencil Adventures, a website and workshops, designed to help young adults learn to love the written word. The website has weekly writing “adventures,” as well as interviews for young writers.

Teen Writer Isabel Kaplan, Hancock Park

Wizards of Waverly Place creator Todd J. Greenwald and star David Henrie

12-Year-Old Author Jolie Vanier, Puwaii Adventures

13-year-old Author J.K. Hawkins

More info on the Facebook page and in this interview on Educationtipster.

Entertainment writer Andy Hunsaker, Fancast, live-blogged both the Film Independent Spirit Awards and Academy Awards® last weekend. He speaks with Write On! about entertainment writing, his career path, and some of the things he learned along the way.

How did you get involved writing entertainment?
I worked at Yahoo! Movies for about 8 years, helping build it from the ground up, but I didn’t get a lot of opportunity to write creatively, beyond the occasional funny photo caption. But I did get a chance to go to advance screenings of movies, so I started writing my own completely unprofessional movie reviews on a crudely designed website of my own in my free time–I was inspired by the need to angrily vent after seeing the abysmal American attempt at Godzilla in 1998, and it built from there. After I had enough of them, I was accepted into the Online Film Critics Society and had some of them featured on Rotten Tomatoes for a while. Then, after the five billionth Yahoo re-org, I was laid off at the end of 2006. After doing some freelance work for most of the year, I landed at Fancast as the editor/writer for all the movies content and blogging. Needless to say, there’s a lot more creativity involved.

What was it like to live-blog the Oscars? And the Spirit Awards? How were the experiences similar/different?
Exhausting. The press rooms are active and taking questions at the same time the shows are still going on, and it’s hard to follow both at the same time, and still comment on both as well. The Spirit Awards don’t force you to wear a tuxedo, but the Oscars have commercial breaks to allow you to catch your breath from time to time. Doing them both in one weekend really makes you fear carpal tunnel syndrome.

What was your favorite part of live-blogging? The greatest challenge?
The hardest part is splitting your focus between the people in the room with you and the telecasts that everyone sees and expects commentary on and figuring out how to balance that. The fun part is just getting to riff on events as they happen, tossing out off-the-cuff remarks. It’s a bit more unfiltered when you don’t have time to edit and over-think.

What do you find the most exciting part about covering entertainment?
After months of press junkets, the novelty of talking to celebrities begins to wear off, but it’s still pretty cool to occasionally meet people whose work you really enjoy. And every once in a while, for the big blockbuster movies, the massive marketing budgets will go towards flying you somewhere cool for an exotic junket to try and make you more pleasantly disposed towards their film.

How important is it for a writer to have a niche?
It can certainly help. When I was writing movie reviews on my own, I think part of my extremely modest success was that I clearly defined my take on how people can best utilize film criticism–the point is not to be right or wrong, it’s to find a critic whose opinions tend to closely match your own to get the recommendations and warnings that will work best for you. I went into great and perhaps excessive detail into my own rating system, and I’d also be up front about any biases I might have–like being a comic-book fan or having an irrational hatred of Keanu Reeves or something. It’s possible I overdefined my own niche until it was individualized.

Advice for writers who want to break into entertainment? Any general writing tips?
Write your own stuff even if you’re not getting paid for it, and organize it online somewhere. It’ll give you something to show to potential employers. Also, for the love of god, make sure you can spell, punctuate, and have a grasp on proper grammar. If you have to use internet abbreviations, do so judiciously and not at the expense of the English language. I still refuse to accept “totes” as an acceptable version of the word “totally.”

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
There was a blurb in The Onion recently entitled “90% of Waking Hours Spent Staring at Glowing Rectangles.” I’m still disturbed at how accurately that describes my life. I wish I could have developed a more rigid schedule of making sure I pulled myself away from my computer enough to be in the real world a lot more often. It might have saved me from the slow erosion of my own attention span that was already being worn down by the internet and cable television. You need that attention span if you’re ever going to focus enough to get things written. Also, I wish I could have realized how prone I am to the run-on sentence and broke myself of the habit early on.

How has covering entertainment helped you in your other creative pursuits?
It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, meeting all these creative people, successful screenwriters, actors, producers, directors, etc., helps to break down that barrier of mystique that always feels like the huge obstacle for anyone trying to get their foot in the door. It drives home the point that they’re all just people, no matter how many cameras are around them or how big their entourage. It’s inspiring and it makes you feel more like you could easily jump that fence. On the other hand, entertainment news flows so constantly and demands so much of your days that it’s often hard to find the time and energy to actually devote to your own projects that would get you over said fence.

]]> http://writeononline.com/2010/03/09/author-qa-entertainment-writers-andy-hunsaker/feed/ 0 http://writeononline.com/2010/03/08/write-on-online-february-challenge-winners/ http://writeononline.com/2010/03/08/write-on-online-february-challenge-winners/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:32:05 +0000 Write On! Online http://writeononline.com/?p=3722

Thanks to everyone who entered the Write On! Online February Challenge – Have a Heart! Here are the winners:

1st Place:
PJ Kaiser – “Waiting for Spring”
(Prize: A medium-length (or 21,000 word) one-reader iScript; the 1st Place Story is posted below)

2nd Place:
Dylan Kenin – “Heart”
(Prize: Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit, compliments of The Writers Store)

3rd Place:
Kathryn Ray – “Car Wheels”
(Prize: Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It! by Karen Cioffi and Cherished Pulse: Unconventional Love Poetry by Magdalena Ball & Carolyn Howard-Johnson, courtesy of VBT-Writers on the Move)

* * *

THE FEBRUARY CHALLENGE: HAVE A HEART!

1st Place Winner – PJ Kaiser – “Waiting for Spring”

The sound of his voice breaks the silence of the living room. “I’m sorry, Middy.”  She starts to turn her head away from the window but then turns back. She doesn’t want him to see her eyes – swollen and red from crying. She sits on the cushions in the bay window holding the sheer curtain back with one hand and gazing into the backyard littered with the detritus of autumn.

She hears him taking off his coat and walking across the living room. His disembodied voice hovers behind her. He says again, “I’m sorry, Middy. I don’t know what else to say.”

“There’s nothing more to say. You have broken my heart for the last time. Now, go. And never call me Middy again.”

“Look, Middy – er – Midge – I feel terrible for what I did. I didn’t mean for it to happen. It’s just one of those things.”

She keeps her eyes focused out the window. Tears begin their trek down her cheeks again but she keeps her voice steady. “But it did happen. And I found out about it in this morning’s paper. At least you had the sense to keep the others out of the papers. Now I’m not only betrayed but I’m humiliated. It’s time for you to go. I packed a bag for you. It’s there by the door.”

“She didn’t mean anything to me.”  Midge hears his voice begin to crack. “I can’t believe I screwed things up so badly. I love you and I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

She brushes away her tears, turns to glare at him and picks up the phone lying next to her. “If you are not out of this house in the next sixty seconds I am calling 9-1-1.”  She turns back to the window and hears his retreating footsteps, the click of the handle of his suitcase, the creak of the door to the garage, the vibration of the automatic garage door through the wall, the humming of the car engine and the vibration of the garage door closing. Then silence.

Her eyes focus again on the yard. She thinks about her heart and realizes that it’s not broken. It’s like the leaves – crinkled and disintegrated and shattered beyond recognition. She wonders how long it will be until spring comes.

* * *

Thanks again to all who entered. Remember, the deadline for the Write On! Online – March Challenge: Green is March 31st. Also check Write On! Online on April 1st for information on The April Challenge!

Congratulations to Laurie Dinnerstein, March winner of an iScript, for posting goals on Write On! Online. Post your April goals and be entered in the monthly drawing to win a FREE iScript. (An iScript is a professionally recorded audio version of a screenplay or novel read by professional readers, similar to an audiobook.)

Post goals in the comment section below. Thanks!

The mood was Precious on Friday, March 5, at Film Independent’s 2010 Spirit Awards.

Precious took home awards for Best First Screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher), Best Director, and Best Feature, as well as Best Lead (Gabourey Sidibe) and Supporting Female (Mo’Nique). (Fletcher and Mo’Nique brought home the gold at Sunday‘s Oscars, as well.) Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber received the award for Best Screenplay for (500) Days Of Summer.

BEST FEATURE
Precious – Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness

BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Daniels – Precious

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Crazy Heart – Director: Scott Cooper
Producers: T Bone Burnett, Judy Cairo, Rob Carliner, Scott Cooper, Robert Duvall

BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber – (500) Days Of Summer

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer.
Hump Day – Writer/Director/Producer: Lynn Shelton

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious

BEST MALE LEAD
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Mo’Nique – Precious

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins – A Serious Man

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil! The Story of Anvil – Director: Sacha Gervasi

BEST FOREIGN FILM - An Education (UK/France)- Director: Lone Scherfig

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 16th annual Acura Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Acura.
Kyle Patrick Alvarez – Easier With Practice

CHAZ & ROGER EBERT TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 15th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Bill Ross and Turner Ross – 45365

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 13th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Karin Chien – The Exploding Girl, Santa Mesa

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
A Serious Man
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Casting Directors: Ellen Chenoweth, Rachel Tenner
Ensemble Cast: Richard Kind, Sari Lennick, Jessica McManus, Fred Melamed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Aaron Wolff

Congratulations to all the 2010 Spirit Award Winners. Film Independent is the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

For video clips from the 25th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, go to: http://www.babelgum.com/spiritawards

Celebration of film in in the air. Today, Write On! speaks with Gregg Helvey, writer/director/producer of Kavi, which is nominated for the Academy-Award® for Best Live Action Short Film.

Filmed entirely on location in India, Kavi—winner of the 2009 Student Academy Award® Gold Medal in the narrative category—tells the story of a young boy who wants to play cricket and go to school, but instead is forced to work in a brick-kiln as a modern-day slave. Helvey’s other award-winning work includes the documentary—Overexposed—which examines how pornography affects men.

“Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction,” Helvey says, “it all comes down to storytelling.”

Helvey received his M.F.A in film production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Why filmmaking? When and how did you get your start?
For me, filmmaking is the combination of three things I love: storytelling, photography, and music. I got my start in home movies … whenever my parents were filming I would either get in front of the camera or try to get my hands on the camera. In high school, if we had to do class presentations, I would usually ask if I could make a movie instead. For me that was much more fun, and I loved replaying the videos to make my classmates laugh over and over again.

First you won the Student Academy Award, and now you are nominated for an Academy Award for Live-Action Short Film. How does it feel to have such honors, especially so early in your career?
It’s such an incredible encouragement … I’m still pinching myself, actually.

Why did you choose to write Kavi?
I was so rattled by the thought of modern-day slavery that, when I had the opportunity to make a masters thesis film at the University of Southern California, I wanted to move audiences just as I was moved; I wanted to make the most of my film by telling a good story, transporting the audience to a different world, and raising awareness about an important issue. This short film is also the springboard to a feature length version.

What is your writing process? How do you approach the blank page?
Some of the good advice I’ve received is to silence your inner critic and just write … just move forward and don’t let yourself go back to rewrite until you’ve made it all the way through. Paul Wolff, one of my professors at USC, said writing is like riding a horse… you just have to ride your horse and let him take you to the destination. He’ll want to graze, he’ll want to take a detour, and you have to let him do that for a bit, but then you’ve got to tighten the reigns and just keep riding and moving forward until the end. It’s those fun surprises along the journey and the unexpected discoveries in your story and characters that make the process enjoyable. In all this, one of the most important parts of my writing process is getting honest, harsh feedback. I ask people reading my work to tear it apart, because that’s the only way it will improve.

What is your favorite part of being a filmmaker? The greatest challenge?
I enjoy each step of bringing a film to life, but the best part is sharing the finished film with an audience. One of my favorite parts of the process is working with the actors and seeing the words on the page come to life. Because film is a collaborative effort, it’s exciting to see other people use their gifts and skills to make the film that much better. Often, the greatest challenge is simply pushing through to the end. It took nearly three years to make Kavi, but I’m so thankful for the fantastic work so many people put into the film.

How important are film festivals for up-and-coming filmmakers?
It depends on the festival, but usually they’re great not only for sharing your film with an audience, but getting to meet future collaborators. I can also recharge my creative batteries at festivals when I see inspiring or unique films that I wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else.

What’s next?
I’d like to make the feature length version of Kavi, and I’m also working on some other material: both short-form and long-form. I want to tell stories that expand audiences’ horizons, take them on journeys, and reveal to them issues they may have not considered. It takes so much effort to make a film that I really want my films to have an impact on the audience and leave them better off for having watched them.

Advice for writers?
This is something I have to tell myself: It doesn’t have to be perfect … just do it. You’ll get another chance to re-write it later.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started ?
Relationships are important to me. I’ve always enjoyed meeting new people, and hearing about their lives and what makes them tick. Nevertheless, I wasn’t sure what to think when I moved to LA and I heard people saying, “It’s who you know.” Now, I see that it really is who you know, because you can’t make a film on your own. Filmmaking is built on relationships and intimate collaborations … and we all want to be around people we enjoy. Be nice and work hard.

]]> http://writeononline.com/2010/03/05/author-qa-oscar%c2%ae-nominated-filmmaker-gregg-helvey-kavi/feed/ 1 http://writeononline.com/2010/03/04/write-on-screenwriting-east-of-la/ http://writeononline.com/2010/03/04/write-on-screenwriting-east-of-la/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:54 +0000 Write On! Online http://writeononline.com/?p=3660

Screenwriting – East of LA by Scott W Smith, Screenwriting from Iowa

On my blog Screenwriting from Iowa I enjoy writing about screenwriters who come from outside L.A., not because I have anything against L.A., but because I think there are wonderful stories to tell from all over the world. The famous painter Grant Wood (American Gothic) was fond of talking about regionalism in painting. I’d like to think there is a regionalism brewing from a screenwriting and filmmaking perspective.

One thing that jumps out at me about this year’s Oscar nominations in both the original and adapted screenplay categories is every single one of the stories is set outside Los Angeles.

I haven’t seen all of the films, but after a little research I’m not even sure that of the 10 films nominated in the screenplay categories that there is a single scene even set in the state of California. Those are pretty staggering statistics considering that L.A. is the center of the film industry.

Original Screenplay Nominees:

District 9
Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell; set in Johannesburg, South Africa,

An Education
Screenplay by Nick Hornby; set in England

In the Loop
Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche; set in England and Washington, D.C.

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher; set in New York City

Up in the Air
Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; set in various airports & airplanes around the county with key scenes set in Nebraska, Wisconsin and in the air over Iowa

Adapted Screenplay

The Hurt Locker
Written by Mark Boal; set primarily in Iraq

Inglourious Basterds
Written by Quentin Tarantino; set in France

The Messenger
Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman; set in and around New Jersey

A Serious Man
Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; set in Minneapolis

Up
Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy; set in South America

Dennis Danziger, author of the recently released novel A Short History of a Tall Jew, has also written essays, non-fiction, and TV sitcoms. His essays have appeared in The Huffington Post, Premiere, and Education Week; Danziger is the author of non-fiction book: Daddy, The Diary of an Expectant Father; and his TV credits include Taxi and Kate and Allie.

Danziger speaks with Write On! about his experience as a TV-writer and his journey to novelist. Plus, he offers sound advice to help writers achieve success.

How did you go from a TV writer to teacher/novelist?
I kept failing upward in TV. The worse I wrote, the more job offers rolled in. I’m not making that up. For 10 years, I kept being promoted beyond my talent and experience level. I was 39 and, right on cue, I had a mid-life crisis and decided I didn’t want to write for TV anymore. I wasn’t good at it and when I quit no one noticed. When I graduated from the University of Texas – Austin, I was one class shy of earning my teaching credential. My original plan was to be a high school English teacher/basketball coach. So I took credentialing classes and ended up teaching in South Central Los Angeles.

The novelist thing? I had a non-fiction book, Daddy, The Diary of an Expectant Father published in the mid-80s. I was comfortable with non-fiction. A Short History of a Tall Jew started off as non-fiction. I didn’t plan to write a novel. Then I married Amy Friedman, who’s a writer, and she said I should turn it into a novel. I had no clue how to do that, so she pretty much outlined the story for me and I dove into it. It really helps to be married to a writer/editor. I recommend it to all writers.

How did A Short History of a Tall Jew come about?
The first draft—the non-fiction draft—of Short History was actually a series of essays based on my attempts, that of a single dad, to find romance while raising two teenage children who wanted to destroy each other, and while being harassed by a litigious ex-wife whose idea of a good time was to serve me with legal documents.

I thought I was writing the novel for my kids so that one day they could understand the madness of their childhood. But, in fact, I came to realize that I wrote the novel to try to regain my sanity after spending a decade fighting for custody in family court.

What was your favorite part of writing this book? The greatest challenge?
I loved writing the dedication to my late high school basketball coach, a redneck from Nacogdoches, Texas, and I got a kick out of writing the questions for the Readers Group Guide. So pages iii and pages 470-471 were joyful experiences. Everything in between was a challenge—particularly portraying two teenagers in such a way that my real children won’t hire libel lawyers and sue me for defamation of character.

How do you approach the blank page?
Honestly, I never had a problem with it. I don’t use notes, index cards, story boards. I just sit down and write.

How much of your book is based on real life? How did you decide what to include and what to eliminate?
At the bottom of page ii, it reads, “Publisher’s Note – This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously …” Philip Lachman, the central character in the novel, is being constantly dragged into family court. I, Dennis Danziger, never want to go to court again. Any court. So I’m going to refer to the Publisher’s Note or take the Fifth or ask your forgiveness and ignore the first question.

As far as eliminating stuff. The original draft ran 700+ pages. I tend to write a lot of junk in the early drafts and then edit and edit.

Also, I read my work aloud and, when I stop paying attention to what I’m reading, I know that stuff’s got to go.

What are the main differences between writing TV, non-fiction, and novels? Are there any similarities?
The big difference is that when I wrote for TV, the WGA contracts forbid a writer to write unless he or she is paid. That’s the big difference. You turn in the story; and you actually get paid a chunk of money. Amazing. Turn in the first draft; they pay you even more money. It’s like a miracle. Like something out of the Bible. And if your show is re-run, then you receive the greatest of all gifts in the writer’s universe—the unexpected residual. Free money. And the WGA sends residual checks in green envelopes. I always thought that was so classy. Of course, the producers or the network also give you notes and you have to make the changes they ask for or they give the remainder of the money that you’d already spent to a different writer.

The other huge difference between TV and fiction and non-fiction is that, when I wrote sitcoms, the form was already laid out for me. There was generally a main plot, a subplot, three jokes to a page, and a required kick-ass joke at the end of each scene. You had a road map in front of you. Other forms don’t have that precise structure. Unless you write haikus. But I hear there’s very little money in that.

With non-fiction and fiction you’re on your own. You create your own structure and I’ve always thought structure was by far the most difficult part of writing. And not fun. Plus, it’s the most important element of every story. Structure is what drives many writers to quietly turn off their computers and slip into a different profession.

When I wrote for TV, I was always aware that I was writing for a producer/network that assumed the audience wanted to be constantly entertained. I knew the parameters of the craft. I knew what words I could or could not use. I knew what would offend the producers/network and what would end up being cut, so why bother writing it? It was as if there were a bunch of network suits standing behind me, peering over my shoulder as I wrote saying, “Really? You think that line is acceptable in prime time? Have you ever watched TV? Do you even own a TV? Maybe you needed to write that line to amuse yourself, now, please cut it … or we will.”

Plus, a lot of TV writers have a partner, not because it’s too lonely to write alone or too difficult, but because when you go in to pitch ideas or receive notes it helps to have someone there able to respond when you’re given notes that are so nonsensical or you’re treated with such disrespect that you want to hit an executive with a lamp. Knowing that another person’s livelihood is at stake helps keep one’s temper in check.

Brief example. I’m 20-something and writing my first sitcom pilot. For CBS. There were two network execs in the room, plus the network note taker guy. Two Lorimar studio execs. Two producers. My writing partner and myself. The network, studio people, and producers are talking on and on about the script. Its pros, its cons. I’m sitting at the far end of the table so far from the action I might as well have been in a different city. At one point I make a comment, suggest some minor change, and the head honcho from CBS stares down the table at me and says, and I quote, “Who said the writer could talk?” I should have known then I had no business writing for TV. But I hung around for 10 more years. The health insurance was great.

Similarities between writing for those different forms? Yeah, you have to study the forms. See how others writers are mastering their crafts. And, of course, you just have to sit down, day in and day out—regardless of how you feel or if you’re inspired or not—and just write.

You have such a relaxed tone and style, and recommendations for writers to develop their own voice?
Thanks, I hear that a lot. People who know me will say, “I read your book (or essay). It sounds just like sitting down and talking with you.” I think that’s a good thing. My guess is that my tone has come for decades of writing, in first person, with the same or a similar persona acting as the narrator.

How to develop one’s own voice? Meditate before you write. Sit down, breathe, be honest, avoid being someone you’re not, avoid b.s.ing yourself. I think writers know when they’re writing from their core and writing honestly and when they’re showing off or focusing on an audience or a reader or something out there, rather than focusing on one’s true self.

Advice for writers?
I think it’s important to take classes (and not online), so you meet other writers, listen to their work, talk to them during the breaks, see that there are a ton of people out there pursuing the same thing you’re after—writing stories and trying to find a home for them. I think it’s also important to attend readings and support your fellow writers whenever possible. Celebrate others’ successes, not just your own. Find a teacher, a mentor, and stick with them until it’s time to move on. At all costs, avoid feeling sorry for yourself when the rejections roll in. And they will.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
That, at times, I’d have to be my own agent/publicist/marketing expert/postal clerk/networker/public speaker. I had some great writing teachers, but no one ever told me that.