When it comes to research for your writing projects, you may find yourself tempted to utilize social media as you look for answers. In my humble opinion, writers can benefit from considering which information is appropriate to learn from social networking sources and which are better asked directly to the experts.

As my readers know, when penning a story, I love to ask myself WHY? Normally when “why” comes up, I see what resources the magical Google has for me. When that fails, I hit up the library (Ancient buildings where you read from papers bound together in hard or soft shells), or I go directly to the experts; a quick call to an expert can yield surprisingly good results!

Lately, I am seeing my writer friends/colleagues asking their questions on twitter/FB. Their question is then forwared on and soon enough the writer has their answer…maybe. I have seen instances where this works out brilliantly; for example, the other day a writer I follow, on twitter, wanted to know what kind of motorcycle a certain type of character would ride. For something like this, it is definitely smart to ask the end users for their opinion. However, like with all tools, we must proceed with caution.

When it comes to information that is fact based versus opinion based; e.g. how a S.W.A.T. team responds to a particular situation, using social networking media may give you a great start. This can provide you with ideas about questions to ask, trade specific lingo and other info that will prep you for a conversation with an expert. However, bear in mind, that given the anonymity of social networking sites, it’s a smart move to cover your ass and seek out sources which can be verified. Remember: your story, your reputation.

Have you used social media (in any form) for research? If so, how did it work out for you? Have you called up an expert (in any arena) for research? Same question. Share with the class, so we can all learn from your experience!

Thanks for reading and keep writing!

I recently saw a tweet regarding putting every last solitary idea that comes to your mind into your story. At first glance, I figured they meant “give it your all, leave no stone unturned”, I’m all about that. Following the link, I read an article about some very different advice that, in my humble opinion, could really damage your story.

Summed up, the concept seemed to encourage one not to spare anything for a future story and never hold out any detail (large or small). There are a number of reasons that I tear my hair out at this idea, here are some of them.

Frequently, when penning a script or novel, the author (we’re talking first draft here) throws down masses of information; this, in itself, is not a bad thing, unless left unchecked. More often than not the first draft contains a hell of a lot of back-story. While it is important as the author to be fully immersed in the back-story, it is not always necessary to incorporate all of those details in your final draft; let the details inform but not dominate the script. Even in novel form, where back-story is far more acceptable, it should be used with both caution and purpose.

Covering scripts has also shown me that writers frequently struggle with organization and clarity as the result of unwittingly telling too many stories at once. A storyteller always has more than one tale to tell, it’s not necessary to tell them all in one script. If you find, for example, that you are genre-splicing, take a critical look at your story and ask yourself if the choices are vital to the plot or if they would be stronger as independent works?

So, yes, give “your all” to every story. Open yourself to your inner muse and let the ideas fill your pages; just don’t miss out on the opportunity to tighten your writing by seeing what goes in and what comes out.

Thanks for reading and keep writing!

If you read my post called Hand, then you know I had a minor surgery on my left hand that resulted in nerve damage. If you didn’t read it, now you know. I am still having nerve blocking treatments every couple of weeks. Last Friday was the day I had my last shot. In the long run, it makes my hand feel much better; however, for several days after, I am unable to use my hand. In fact, I’m not even writing this. I am actually dictating over the phone to a friend who will email it to me.

I just wanted to let people know about my absence on Twitter and FB, etc. In the second picture, you can see how swollen my hand is. It is still the same size today as it was on Friday. Fortunately, nerves do regenerate (so they tell me). It’s looking like, if I’m lucky, the best Christmas gift will be a healthy hand (shhhh, don’t tell my husband).

I’m hopeful I will be able to type again within the next few days, and I will respond to all of my messages. So that is the update on my hand. Oh, and for all of you horror flick junkies, here is the scrap book of my hand’s progress.

My hand right after the surgery in May (Happy Halloween! lol):

My hand after the shot on Friday (Not quite as scary – despite pain & swelling):

Thanks Jessi K, for typing this so that I can take my own advice and share my update with my readers.

Thank you for reading! Keep writing, and I should be able to rejoin you in a day or two. (knock on wood)

When you get a meeting, finish a script, make your word count for the day, sell your work, big or small, those are all successes, and should be shared with your colleagues. When asked how a meeting went or if someone hit their goal and their reply is coy…one assumes they didn’t do well but don’t know how to say it.

Personally, I would rather be told, “We are meeting with the director next week” or “Ya, I fell flat on my face.” because now I know how to respond. How can your colleagues/friends support your endeavors if you don’t share them? In my humble opinion, the only thing better (or worse, as the case may be) than the extremes I just mentioned, is doing so alone.

I think it is safe to say that no one is able to promote the vague writer. “No idea what she’s working on, but she says it’s going awesome!” is not a likely statement. People are able to commiserate or celebrate with you, when they know what’s happening.

Hiding your failures may actually hurt you, because you are robbed of the opportunity to learn from others who have had a similar experience. When you do succeed, we will be all the happier for you because we will have been along for the ride; seeing it come to life will be a greater pay off for everyone.

Success feels awesome when it happens; it feels amazing when you have a cheering section! Thanks for reading, keep writing!

When the producer for The Haan Blade asked me to write a “selling treatment”, I couldn’t help but think, “How does that differ from any other treatment?”

I had some idea, probably enough to put me in the ball park, but why not do it right? I called my script consultant to ask her what’s the difference is between a synopsis and a treatment, and what more do I need to know about the various types of synopsis? With the answers fresh in my mind I want to share them with you, my readers.

Here are some of the highlights from the discussion Kathie and I had.

Important to note: the biggest difference between a synopsis and a treatment is the spelling.

One Page Treatment:
This should explain your major plot points and main characters; usually three paragraphs, one for each act. This is also a great pitching tool. You can carry it with you to a meeting or a pitchfest; should you get nervous or loose your train of thought, it’s a fast reference and something to leave behind.

Three Page Treatment:
Here, you mention some of the supporting roles; this is more typically a page for each act rather than a paragraph. It can be used to give investors, crew, talent etc. a little more information.

You can also do a five page treatment to allow you to expound on the story just a smidge more. These are not uncommon and are used for the same purpose as the three page treatment.

A Selling Treatment:
This is what I am working on and is typically between 8-12 pages long. You should expound on the B story and supporting characters with this one.

Full Out Treatment:
This one gets all the nitty gritty details and can be up to 20 pages in length.

Regardless of length, you should remember to write this in narrative style. CAPS character names the first time you mention them, but don’t CAPS sounds or props the way you would in a screenplay. Never forget the idea is to sell your work, whatever the length, your synopsis must be exciting to read!

Make sure you have one of each type of treatment from the list above. This way, when someone asks for more detail about your project, you are prepared. In my humble opinion, this not only makes you look more professional, but also speeds up the process of selling your story.

What advice would you give to someone who is tackling a treatment? If you are the one being handed a treatment, what do you look for?

Writers are having more frequent opportunities to network. This can be problematic, simply because, as a general rule, writers aren’t social; we would rather open Final Draft and type a scene about people talking, than walk up to an actual human being and say “Hello”.

Often, even if we desire to talk to people, we are uncomfortable doing so… and nothing comes out. There are exceptions, but that’s not what I am interested in chatting about today.

These networking situations can range from classroom/lecture settings to taking a meeting or Karaoke Night in NY (if you are able to go to these I suggest it!). Whatever the setting, the problem is the same; we have to interact.

I have a few tips on making the most of these situations that can really take the pressure off you, my fellow writers.

I am a very shy person. Despite being openly mocked whenever sharing that tidbit, it’s still true. I have to mentally prep myself to meet with people. I like to imagine that I am hosting a party and my job is to make sure everyone is at ease. This achieves several things for me:

1. I am not focused on me, thus I feel less stressed.
2. It’s easier to remember names when I am introducing people to each other.
3. People take notice; more often than not it is assumed that I am among those responsible for putting on whatever event I am at. (I always get a kick out of that)
4. It is easier to build rapport with someone to whom you have just thrown a life-raft!

I think the latter is the most important. Consider your day to day routines. Who do you purchase from and refer on to others? Clearly, the answer is the people that you know and with whom you have great rapport. The same is true of selling anything; if you want a referral out of someone, then you need to get to know them as friends/colleagues; then build from there.

In my humble opinion, just because we may feel nervous talking to others in these settings doesn’t mean we can’t overcome. We just need practice, so take advantage of the opportunities out there! Good luck and keep writing!

What is your secret to feeling less awkward when in a networking situation?

Left to right: Johnny Ahn, Shahin Rafii Tabitabai, Danielle Chuchran

I am thrilled to share with you a few of the stills taken last week during the shoot for the teaser of THE HAAN BLADE. This is also a great opportunity for me to share with writers what purpose a teaser serves for investors.

The teaser (as mentioned in my last post) is shorter than a trailer and shows what are often referred to as ‘set pieces’; those epic moments from your feature. This week’s shoot were the smaller set pieces, next week they will focus on the major ones.

David Skousen, director

The purpose is to give the investors a visual to go along with the business plan etc. as they make the deal with the production company. It allows them to have an emotional reaction and to picture in a literal sense what they are having made; also to see the quality and dedication of the team making the film.

I am having a great time writing dialogue for these short scenes! Dialogue is an important factor in a teaser. It generates a few sound bites that convey the tone and feel of the film. In my humble opinion, it is also rewarding, as the writer, to see the great care and detail the producer, director, talent and crew are putting into this very small part of the process. I know that I want to work with these people on future projects.

Left to right: Sae Sae Norris (producer), Johnny Ahn, Shahin Rafii Tabitabai, David Skousen (director), Mark Patey (helicopter pilot)

Enjoy these few pictures, the producer, Sae Sae Norris, the director, David Skousen, and the still photographer, Jessi K, made available to me for this blog. Thank you to the team for your hard work and your consideration in allowing me the euphoria of seeing these beautiful photos!

Danielle Chuchran
As always, thank you for reading, I am humbled by the outpouring of support on this project.

Photography Credit: Jessi K Photography; courtesy Skousen Films, Co.

Over the weekend, select members of the crew for THE HAAN BLADE shot several segments for the teaser; and are doing more tomorrow. I know the woman, Jessi K, who is doing the still photography, and as a result heard one of the lines that was uttered during the shoot.

It was not something I had written and my first instinct was panic. My reaction was based on the simple fact that it was not a line I had written. Regardless of the reason for the anxiety, it was gone as soon as it came as a result of my acting experience. Because most writers are not also actors I decided I would share this here, in hopes that you might avoid stress while your screenplay is being filmed.

Allow me to give an example. Look on my acting bio page, you will see I was in a short film (you can watch it there and yes the chick is me) called Love Thy Neighbor. For the scene in the classroom I had two lines. The director wanted to get more angles and footage, however, and had me adlib. He needed to work through his creative process to get the shots needed, to do that I had to go through my own creative process; as an actor.

Thanks to my experience (like that above) I was able to see why the director, Dave Skousen, for THE HAAN BLADE, asked his actors to improvise.

If you are seeing your screenplay for the first time and notice things have been added or removed etc., don’t be surprised/upset/insecure. It’s part of making a movie – part of the process.

While writing, the script it’s your story; during production, it’s the director and actors story; during post-production, the story is handed over to visual effects, editing and a slew of others.

In my humble opinion, the best part is when the film comes out into theatres (or wherever you choose to screen it) because now…it belongs to all of you. As my producer loves to say, it takes a lot of people to make a movie. I would add: enjoy being one of them.

This weekend I will be moving, so my internet service will be off for a few days. Thus I will not have a new post on Sunday/Monday. I need to be able to get this house packed and the other house unpacked before I move on to the next phase of THE HAAN BLADE; the Selling Treatment.

I have written a scene by scene synopsis of the feature for the producer and director to approve. This week and next they are shooting the teaser (this is not a trailer), which will be part of the investor’s package. BTW, can’t wait to see it; the aerial unit is getting three chopper shots (super cool). I will beg and see if I can post some of the stills from the shoot! When Sae Sae Norris and David Skousen get back, I need to be in a working office again so I can take the next development meeting, then proceed with the next step.

This, I believe, is what’s meant by “Hurry up and wait!” I had to really rush the outline, which was 44 pages, and now I am in a holding pattern as I wait to hear back. If I was not moving, I would be filling the time with one of my other writing projects. I am eager to return to my tween-fiction novel, THE ANOMALOUS ADVENTURES OF JAMES AND MAX.

FYI: My outline is unusually long because the producer asked that I number each scene, title it, include a list of which characters are in each scene; give a slug line and THEN a brief explanation of the scene. So it is in reality (the meat of it anyway) much shorter. It was still a hell of a lot of work .

In my humble opinion, it is crucial for writers to not only have in mind what they are working on, but to also know what is next. This way, when we have our “wait” time, it doesn’t become an excuse to stop writing. Doing so will keep you from getting stuck and keep you moving forward.

NOTE: I have been asked if I will post pics on Twitter of my new home and the answer is no, I would prefer to keep that private.

Thanks for reading. Keep writing and I will be back next Thursday!

It’s tempting, when penning a script, to write what music our character enjoys. Why wouldn’t it be? One band’s name, whether on a poster or a shirt, can tell a great deal about the person you have created. Songs can provide valuable subtext for scenes!

Also, mentioning the above in that manner is almost a surefire way NOT to sell your script.

The reader (for the agent, producer etc.) immediately sees the budget go up when they read that your character is listening to Queen.

Why is that?

For starters, you need the artist’s permission to utilize their paraphernalia in your script. Of course that costs money. You also need the rights to the actual song in question. Because it is not the writer’s job to gain these rights etc. this means more work for the producer. Finally, suppose the reader hates the band mentioned (unfair but a reality).

So yes, they are seeing a lot of dollar signs and thus less likely to finish reading/buy your script.

You have two options in this case.

1) Make the music so pivotal to the movie that it couldn’t be done without it.

2) Stretch your writing muscles by showing both creativity and restraint. Don’t mention the music, instead tighten up the script and let them see, via characters etc., how the story unfolds. Pull readers in with your writing, not someone else’s art.

In my humble opinion, you will be pleasantly surprised when the soundtrack reflects the very emotions you meant to convey.

What are some other intellectual property considerations you keep in mind when writing your scripts?