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I’ve been curious about screenwriting and just how a writer can make it in Hollywood. Can screenwriters work outside Los Angeles and be successful? I was able to ask these questions and many more when I talked to Jennifer White who is a screenwriter, tagline writer and novelist.

I am also happy to have JRMurdock do another of his Unorthodox Writing Tips. In today’s show he talks about paying attention.

I also wanted to briefly talk about a couple of new projects I’m working on that you may or may not be aware of. The first, of these is the Mad Scientist Handbook that you have likely heard a promo for on previous episodes of the show. The Handbook is what I’m calling a pseudo-anthology. It is going to be a tongue-in handbook for the wannabe Super-villain. Picture Dr. Evil as a boy and what he would read as he tries to take over the world. Submissions are now open and you can find more information at madscientistanthology.wordpress.com.

The second project that is scheduled to kick off on February 29^th is the Action Pack Podcast. I am working on this project with Scott Roche, AKA spiritualtramp on Twitter, and my writing partner, JRMurdock who you will hear later in the show.

We’re all pretty excited about this one. In this monthly podcast we will each be writing a serialized story. That’s three distinct stories, a portion of which you will hear each and every month until they are done. All three stories will be in every episode. We will also be putting them out in an e-Book pulp version each month through Flying Island Press. For my story, I will finally be writing Boy Scouts of the Apocalypse. We have music and artwork all lined up and I know it’s going to be awesome. I cannot wait to share the first episode with you all.

Those are a couple of the newest projects on the go. Lots to finish up so I can get submitting some new stuff too. I would love to hear about your projects. Drop me a line to tell me what’s going on in 2012 for you and I will pimp your upcoming work in a future episode’s Tips and Typos.

That’s the lineup for today. I hope you enjoy the show.

Show Notes

Tags: adaptation, agent, barnes and noble, ben stiller, bite on page, blog tour, bookstores, contract, dead asleep, director, elevator pitch, final draft, flying island press, Get Published, greenlit, hollywood, http://jenniferbwhite.com/, interviews, irreverent muse, jennifer b. white, jrmurdock, log line, mad scientist anthology, marketing, Michell Plested, ms word, networking, otherwise, penguin books, podcasts, requiem of the outcast, robin hood, russell crowe, screenplay, screenwriter's bible, synopsis, tag line, the witch and the devil's son, tom colgin, universal pictures, virgin airlines

In my early writing days I believed that it was just me and the words. No one else would ever be involved. I was totally alone.

I’ve since learned that writing doesn’t need to be so solitary. True, there are times when it should be just you and the keyboard, but there are many times when you should be around and involve other people. For example.

• critiquing and feedback of your work – I have heard the opinion that a writer must write a million words before they have anything worth sending out. I would argue that a million words without any outside scrutiny doesn’t improve one’s writing much at all. The feedback around what works and what needs work is more valuable than the actual wordcount itself.
• marketing and self-promotion – you might be surprised at how useful talking to editors, publishers, agents and other writers can be. A publisher who has a chance to get to know you might ask you to send your work to them because they like you and think you would be a good person to do business with (btw, if you didn’t know that writing is a business, it is). The same holds true for agents, editors and so on. It can also be useful to know other people doing similar things to you because then you can setup cross-promotion activities. The more ways people have to find you (unless you are trying to avoid notice), the better.
• collaboration opportunities – not every book or story should be written by one person. Some projects are simply too big for one person to tackle. Case in point, my first anthology (being worked on with Jeffrey Hite). I’ve never done it before and I don’t think I personally have enough time to do (or even think of) everything that needs doing. Jeffrey is a great partner and has skills I don’t have that will make this project even better. Another reason for a collaboration is to bring in additional point-of-view. My example for this: the YA Steampunk JRMurdock and I are writing. We each bring a unique perspective to the story that has made it a lot of fun for both of us to write and I think to read.
• shoulder to lean on – let’s face it, only writers really understand writers. Our fears and anxieties, our hopes. They tend to resonate with other writers. When we stumble, it’s nice to have someone there to help us back up. When we reach a  new height, it’s fantastic to share the news with people who can truly appreciate it.

There are other reasons, but trust me when I say, I owe much of my success to others. Yes, I’ve kept working at my writing but there have been times when I’ve needed that little kick in the butt to keep going. To not give up. Some of my best ideas have come from conversations with other writers and friends that I couldn’t have gotten on my own.

You owe it to yourself to get out there and talk to people. It will help you to make the key contacts that will push you to the next level.

Tags: anthology, business, collaboration, critique, critiquing, feedback, marketing, million words, networking, opportunity, promotion, reading, self-promotion, steampunk, success, writing, YA, young adult