The Writing Life: reflections by a working writer. The Writing Life

Reflections of a working writer, a university screenwriting professor, and the editor of Oregon Literary Review.

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Charles Deemer

Editor,
Oregon Literary Review

MFA, Playwriting, University of Oregon

Writing faculty, Portland State University (part-time)

Retired playwright and screenwriter.
Active novelist, librettist and teacher.

Email: cdeemer(at)yahoo(dot)com

The eagle flies!

Links:

Literary archive

The Sextant Press

Personal home page

Electronic screenwriting tutorial

References

Bookstore
Highlights:

Finalist, Oregon Book Award

Practical Screenwriting

Love At Ground Zero

.

More books.


Blogs by (mostly) creative writers:

"Can We Talk About Me For A Change?"
Playwright Debra Neff Nathans

Inkygirl
Debbie Ridpath Ohi, a weblog for writers (resources)

Silliman's Blog
Ron Silliman, contemporary poetry and poetics

Maud Newton
literary links, amusements, politics, rants

Darren Barefoot
Technical and creative writing, theatre, Dublin

Rob's Writing Pains
Journey of a struggling writer.

Mad, Mad World
Cara Swann, fiction writer, journalist, "reflections on humanity, random news & my life."

Writeright
Random musings on a writer's life and times.

Flaskaland
Barbara Flaska's compilation of the best online articles about music and culture.

Write Of Way
Samantha Blackmon's written musings on writing (composition and rhetoric).

Alexander b. Craghead: blog
Writing, photography, and watercolors.

Rodney's Painted Pen
Rodney Bohen's daily commentary "on the wondrous two legged beast we fondly refer to as mankind." His pen runneth over.

Frustrated Writer
This one named Nicole.

scribble, scribble, scribble
Journalist Dale Keiger teaches nonfiction scribbling to undergraduate and graduate students at Johns Hopkins University.

The Unofficial Dave Barry Blog
The very one.

The Hive
The official blog of science fiction / horror author Terence West.

William Gibson Blog
Famed author of Neuromancer and Johnny Mnemonic: The Screenplay.

The Word Foundry
Joe Clifford Faust's "blog of a working writer: tracking writing projects, musings on the creative process, occasional side trips into music, media, politics, religion, etc."

A Writer's Diary
By Cynthia Harrison, who has the good sense to quote Virginia Woolf: "The truth is that writing is the profound pleasure and being read the superficial."

Bow. James Bow.
The journal of James Bow and his writing.

Ravenlike
Michael Montoure's weblog about writing, primarily horror and speculative fiction.

Globemix
By David Henry, "a poet's weblog from Aberdeen, Scotland."

Modem Noise
By Adrian Bedford, a "fledgling Pro SF Writer, living in Perth, Australia."

boynton
"A wry writerly blog named in honour of a minor character in a minor Shirley Temple film."

Real Writers Bounce
Holly Lisle's blog, "a novelist's roadmap through the art and ordeal of finding the damned words."

2020 Hindsight
By Susan.

downWrite creative
Phil Houtz's notes on the writing life.

Vivid: pieces from a writer's notebook
Blog of Canadian poet Erin Noteboom.

The Literary Saloon
The literary weblog at the complete review.

Rabbit Blog
The rabbit writes on popular culture.

This Girl's Calendar
Momoka writes short stories.

Twists & Turns
Musings by writer Michael Gates.

Plays and Musicals -- A Writer's Introspective
A blog by John D. Nugent - Composer, Playwright, and Artistic Director of the Johnson City Independent Theatre Company

The American Sentimentalist
"Never has any people endured its own tragedy with so little sense of the tragic." Essays by Mark W. Anderson.

Screenwriting By Blog
David C. Daniel writes a screenplay online. "I've decided to publish the process as a way to push myself through it. From concept to completion, it'll be here."

SeanAlonzo.com
Official site of occult fiction author Sean-Alonzo, exploring symbolism, alternative history, philosophy, secret societies and other areas of the esoteric tradition.

Crafty Screenwriting
Maunderings of Alex Epstein, tv scribe, about life, politics, and the tv show I'm co-creating.

Letters From The Home Front
The life of a writer, 21, home schooled, rural living.

Venal Scene
The blog of bite-sized plays inspired by the news (by Dan Trujillo).

'Plaint of the Playwright
Rob Matsushita, a playwright from Wisconsin, "whines a lot."

I Pity Da Fool!
Glenn's adventures in screenwriting.

Time In Tel-Aviv
Hebrew modern literature at its best, by Corinna Hasofferett.

Big Window
Robin Reagler's poetry blog.

John Baker's Blog
Author of the Sam Turner and Stone Lewis novels.

The Writing Life With Dorothy Thompson
What goes on during a writer's busy day?

The Rebel Housewife
Not just a housewife!

Barry's Personal Blog
A running commentary on writing and the writing life.

Bonnie Blog
Maintained by Bonnie Burton of grrl.com.

Writer's Blog.
By easywriter. "From the walls of caves to cyberspace."

Flogging the Quill
Pursuing the art and craft of compelling storytelling, by an editor, Ray Rhamey.

Man Bytes Hollywood
Sharing tools, strategies and resources for the screenwriter's journey.

Mad for the smell of paper
A writing journal.

The Writing Life
A blog by Katey Schultz.

It Beats Working 9-5
A screenwriting blog by a young Canadian screenwriter.

Stealing Heaven From The Lips Of God
Writer & Artist, Dee Rimbaud reflects upon politics, religion, art, poetry, the meaning of life, the nature of God and why toast always lands butter side down on carpets.

Robert Peake
Heart and Mind, Fully Engage ... a poet's website.

Sidestepping Real
By Ren Powell, poet, children’s writer, essayist and editor.

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The Writing Life...
"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's."
J.D. Salinger

"All my best friends are writers and are dead."
A friend over beer, Berkeley, winter, 1959

"And it came to pass that all the stars in the firmament had ceased to shine. But how was anyone to know?"
The Half-Life Conspiracy

After October 31, 2006,
new posts are published at


The Writing Life II

(Posts archived here are from 01/10/03 - 10/31/06)

 
Monday, January 31, 2005  
Testimonials
Publishers of Practical Screenwriting are working on the cover and need blurbs for the back cover. I have lots about my electronic screenwriting tutorial. Here's the selection I sent them to choose from.


From reviews ...

"an extraordinary book that promises to become the bible of screenwriting for the novice. And that's not an exaggeration!" -- John Jarvis, StoryCraft Fiction Writers Page

"For the first time (to my knowledge) the "book" is written for the way one works rather than expecting one to follow the author's suggested line of thought....Charles has done a superb job compiling as much as one needs to know to write a screenplay. It is a trove of information and guidance. Just add your own story." Cam Eason, The Book Nook

"the remarkable electronic book on Screenwriting...Screenwright has everything that you would expect in a well written screenwriting work book....Screenwright is a fresh approach to helping your screenwriting and one that deserves consideration from everyone starting out." John Hopson, Virtual Screenwriter at London Screenwriters Workshop

"If you're new to this screenwriting thing, unsure of yourself and the jargon, and you need some straight talk about your career path, start with Screenwright. Charles is friendly, an experienced teacher and writer. He gives you a broad spectrum of what this business is all about, from what a concept is, to how to write with a partner, to how to write a query letter." Christine DeSmet, Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum newsletter.

"...the strength of Screenwright is that it presents fledgling writers with a range of options, within which to explore their own personal approach to screenwriting.... this book is ideal for those just dipping into the big pool of screenwriting." Chris Owen on misc.writing.screenplays newsgroup.


Testimonials from those who bought Screenwright ...

"He takes a lot of the various theories and puts it all in one text. He also takes into account that different people write in different ways. Lots of examples, plus he actually writes a screenplay within the pages of the text, applying the things he's talking about. If I could only choose one resource, this is the one I'd get." B.E., college screenwriting professor.

"What a stupendously successful effort. You know, in many ways it's better than most of the screenwriting classes I took way back when in the UCLA film program. I am totally blown away..." K.M.E., screenwriter.

"Four years ago, I embarked on my journey into the screenwriting world. The very first piece of material I purchased was your e-book, "Screenwright: The Craft of Screenwriting". As these four years have passed, I have made great strides. I am now represented by a literary agent from The Robert A. Freedman Dramatic Agency in New York City. ... All of this was made possible by a wonderful 'electronic book' which gave me my first 'push' and insight into the mechanics and details of the craft. Your instruction is by far, the best and most easily digested source of information I have ever laid my eyes upon. Thank you, Sir, for getting me started in this field." B.F., Screenwright purchaser.

"I have to tell you that your product is simply one of the best tutorials that I have ever come across in any subject. I have lived by it and have used it as a base to begin my screenwriting. I'm a college educated person who is a television host/reporter and I am finally branching out and pursuing a longtime goal of learning the craft of screenwriting. Your program was WELL worth the money and more." J.D., Screenwright purchaser.

"Charles, Screenwright is great! I'm sure the masses will soon identify you as the Syd Field of the information superhighway. Thanks for bringing such a wonderful resource to writers!" N.L., Screenwright purchaser.

"I purchased your writing disk back in 1997 and it is still of great value today. Since then I made quarter-finals with two screenplays and am still writing away." J.P., Screenwright purchaser.

"I loved your book. I have read many books on the subject of Screenwriting and yours is one of the best I've seen. It's very comprehensive, easy to follow, and I love the format. I think that it's a great way to present material. Thanks so much for writing it." S.P., Screenwright purchaser.

"Screenwright is my new center of gravity. I remain polarized to its content. This E-book has unraveled the mystery and confusion. I finally discovered the software I need to begin writing." D.W., Screenwright purchaser.

I suppose this is the most "successful" thing I've written in terms of great feedback and positive consequences (it helped land me my university job, a job offered to me, not one that I sought out). It still sells pretty well, in its eighth edition. The decision to write this in hypertext and sell it from my website, a decision made in 1997, was ahead of the curve and has paid off. Be curious to see how the linear college textbook version does. Well, I hope ha ha! (More about Screenwright).

1/31/2005 09:08:00 AM | 2 comments

Comments:
I just purchased your Screenwright program and enjoying it. Still a newbie 'forest' person hacking out specs scene by scene. I have the movies in my head, and I can see them on the screen, it's just this writing thing in between the two visions that has me stumped (smirk). I am using Hollywood Screenwriter now but I took a look at Sophocles (from your recommendation) and it looks pretty decent. Just wanted to pop in and say your course is wonderful and I am learning quite a bit
 
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment. C.
 
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