Live To Write Another Day by Dean Orion (free ebooks for android .txt) 📕

•If a moment in the writer’s story isn’t working, is there a moment earlier in the narrative that didn’t quite set it up adequately? Chances are, there is.

•Does the behavior of each character make sense for the situation?

•What does each character want in each scene?

•What does each character want from the other characters in the story?

•What does each character want on a deeper, subconscious level?

8. The Art of Receiving Notes

Things to Remember:

•Keep an open mind.

•Your story will never stop being told and is in a constant state of change.

•There is nothing precious about your story but its core message.

•Shape the notes you receive by asking follow-up questions and getting more specifics out of your note givers. Mine for gold.

•Always value your note givers’ opinions.

•Ignore the notes you don’t think are useable. Don’t waste time arguing about them.

•Choose your note givers wisely, according to their strengths and taste in material.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

•Which notes apply to the core message of your story and which apply to specific details?

•Which notes support your core message? Which ones don’t?

•What follow-up questions can you ask that will help shape the notes into usable ideas?

•Are any of the notes from multiple note givers the same? Chances are those notes are valid.

•Are there any notes that felt right but that your note giver couldn’t quite articulate? What was their intuition trying to tell you? What was the note beneath their note?

•How invested in your success is your note giver?

9. The Art of Executing Notes

Things to Remember:

•Once you’re ready to start your rewrite, it’s time to tune out your note giver. The note giver has left the building.

•A major revision means there are significant changes that need to be made to the structure of the story.

•A minor revision may involve adding or removing selected scenes, but mostly entails revising action and dialogue within the existing structure.

•Don’t be afraid to go back to the white board or the index cards to execute your rewrite.

•Be prepared to let go of every scene.

•Use a double-yellow-pad approach, writing down the current structure on one pad, and the new one on another.

•Be patient. Don’t start composing the new scenes until you’re absolutely confident with the new structure.

•Once you have your new structure, make a battle plan, describing within the body of your script how you are going to modify each scene.

•Consider giving your note giver the battle plan for more notes before executing the rewrite.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

•What is the scope of your rewrite? Is it a major or a minor one?

•How long do you think your rewrite is going to take? Make an estimate and see how accurate you are.

•Are there components (individual scenes or sequences) of your old structure you can use as templates for parts of your new structure?

•Is each modification you’re making consistent with your core message?

10. Writing Partners

Things to Remember:

•Being in a writing partnership is like being in a marriage. It’s an intimate relationship that needs to be based on trust, mutual respect, and commitment.

•The partner process takes time to evolve. You have to work at it.

•It’s usually best to be in the same room with one another through the brainstorming, concept, and structuring phases.

•Once you begin outlining, it’s easier to be in separate spaces, passing documents back and forth.

•Remain passionate about your ideas, but always be willing to compromise with your partner.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

•Are you willing to give up creative ownership of the work and be a 50-50 partner in it?

•Are you prepared to negotiate every creative decision with your partner if necessary?

•Are you willing to sacrifice your own voice as a writer for the sake of the voice that emerges as a product of the partnership?

•What creative ground rules have you set for your process? Under what circumstances is it okay to rewrite your partner and vice versa?

•Are you dividing the workload equally? Try not to cross the 50-yard line too often.

11. Pitching Stories

Things to Remember:

•Pitching is a necessary evil. You must be able to express your ideas verbally as well as on paper in order to give potential employers confidence that you can do the job.

•The most important thing you’re selling when pitching a story is yourself. So pitch your personality.

•A pitch is a performance in which you are both the actor and the main character.

•Memorize your pitch, then perform it as though you’re saying the words for the first time, just like a good actor.

•Hone your pitch so you use as few words as possible. Try to make it no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.

•When pitching with a partner, figure out ahead of time exactly who is going to say what and when.

•Be open and flexible. Anything can happen once you get in the room.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

•What’s your natural storytelling style? Are you big and gregarious? Quiet and soft-spoken?

•How do you tell stories to your friends or family members in everyday life? Develop an approach that is similar.

•Is there a hook to your pitch you can use to start it off right? A personal anecdote, for example, or a metaphor that frames the theme of your story and sets the tone for the rest of the pitch?

•Which parts of your story can be edited out in your verbal presentation? Look hard at each beat as you rehearse and only include what’s absolutely necessary.

•Who are you pitching to? Have you pitched to them before? Tailor your pitch to receive the most favorable response possible.

12. Writing for Hire

Things to Remember:

•You need great writing samples in order to get work for hire, which means writing on spec is essential.

•When you work as a writer for hire there is no draft for you. It’s a we thing, not a me thing, from the very beginning.

•Your process is more important than ever when writing for hire. It’s the one thing you can always fall back on to get you through the rocky moments.

•When you work as a writer for hire, the note giver is always right.

•As a writer, there will always be some