JulieGray

Here is a sample of a sequential narrative using the mini-movie or sequence writing method of outlining. It's incomplete - it's just a sample of how you might outline so that your draft never has a dull moment.

In 3:10 to Yuma, Gretchen Mol played Christian Bale's wife and she did a great job. What if the role had been played by Reese Witherspoon? The celebrity would have upstaged the character.

A short, humorous absolutely TRUE list of script DON'TS

It's a brave new world in Hollywood, and Sheldon Bull has got some pretty interesting things to say on the topic.

It's hard enough to write that great novel, essay or script. But now you have to write a great query letter as well. There's an art to it and you want to get it right - because this is the first - and potentially last impression you'll make on the recipient.

Writing can sometimes be a pretty isolating experience. We work alone, often late at night or early morning and we forget that half the battle, when trying to get produced or published, is networking and socializing. Writers have to come out of their shells to succeed.

Sometimes you just have to laugh when you review stories for a living. Even the best of us slip up; we don't proofread carefully enough or we just have butter fingers that day. But malaprops do have some pretty hilarious results...

How about a very violent or profane scene? Sometimes it's weird being a writer. We share parts of ourselves that most people keep private. But part of being a writer is akin to being an actor - we make the private public.

Should you consider writing your scripts with a partner? It has distinct up - and downsides.

Ever wondered who, exactly, is the first person to read a script being considered for a movie? Yeah, that's people like me.