Writing Your Script On An iPad

I’ve covered writing a screenplay on the iPhone not once but twice. And, frankly, neither experience was satisfying – mostly due to the iPhone’s small screen size and the apps lack of maturity.

But the iPad has a much larger screen plus the applications to attempt a decent word processing experience. And my old friend Biaggio from Joke Productions found a clever way to write scripts with his iPad and Pages. Check out the YouTube video that was featured across the net a few days ago.

It’s not ideal – like most screenwriters, I’m used to Final Draft’s tab-based workflow – but it’s a great patch until FD releases their already-announced iPad app. I’m also keeping my eye on Script Pro – which shows a lot of promise as a simple app. Watch for a review in the near future.

Screenwriting on the iPhone • Part 2

This is a follow-up to my first post about using Screenplay to write scripts on the iPhone. To recap, although I love the idea of a dedicated screenwriting app on the iPhone (Final Draft, can you hear me?), Screenplay fell way short of what I’m looking for.

Ironically, a general note-taking/word processing app does a much better job of handling screenwriting on the iPhone. Writeroom is not an unfamiliar name to Mac-based writers. Their ultra-simple, fullscreen word processor has been famous for years and their iPhone effort is (in my opinion) an even greater triumph.

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Screenwriting on the iPhone • Part 1

This is the first of a two-part post I plan on throwing up about screenwriting on the iPhone and I want to be clear up front that there is *no* way I’d ever try and write anything of size on such a small device – the scale of the screen and keyboard would become very maddening, very quickly. But if I could use a full-size, Bluetooth keyboard this would be a very different article.
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Done Is The Engine Of More

I first came across this *brilliant* bit of inspiration on John Roger’s blog Kung Fu Monkey. It’s hanging in the writer’s room at “Leverage” and undoubtedly in many other places as well, but I’m not sure where it originally came from. (more…)

WGA’s Guide To Writing For TV

One of the cool things about writing for TV is the hierarchy built-in by the WGA. Unlike acting for instance, there are clearly-defined rungs on the way up to becoming a showrunner.

The WGA has a *great* resource detailing the different staffing positions, their salaries, and the specific responsibilities each job entails. Check out Writing for Episodic TV (it’s free) and you’ll not only get some great info but also some inspirational quotes from heavyweights like John Wells and Amy Lippman.

The Query Letter That Worked

Once you’re sure you’re ready, there are a number of ways to query an agent – the most powerful being The Referral (it’s so important, I’m capitalizing it!). There’s no better intro than having an established professional step up to the bat for you.

But that’s not the type of query I’m writing about today. I’m going to talk about a “blind” email query – which is to say an unsolicited request for a read.
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Tracking Your Writing Projects

Like most writers, I have tons of ideas for potential projects. For a while, I arrogantly tried to keep them organized in my head – but realized I was losing a lot of gold thanks to an aging mind.
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Websites & Blogs for TV Writers

TV Scripts & Bibles – The mother lode for anyone who needs (or just wants) to read TV scripts. Not only are there episodes of current shows, there are unaired pilots from *serious* writers. This is the first place to look when you’re getting ready to spec a show and want to see what their specific formatting looks like.

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Back up your scripts for free

I have thousands of pictures of my family on my Mac, yet the only thing I’m obsessed with backing up is my Writing folder. I back that folder up to my Mobile Me account, a network attached hard drive, and to an internet storage site every day.

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Only Buy One Book

I’m not sure how many screenwriting books I’ve purchased/been given in the past decade. Dozens would be a conservative estimate but only a couple actually left an impression. The best thing I found about having this large library was their resellability – listed as a lot on Ebay, they sold quite quickly two years ago.
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