Hi, Alex Simmons here. To start, I help aspiring and emerging writers overcome their fears and frustrations and create compelling plots, characters, and stories that will appeal to a broader audience. Now for a bit of backstory … I’m an award-winning freelance writer, writing coach/teacher, and arts-n-ed consultant. I’ve written for Disney Books, Penguin Random House, and Marvel/DC/Archie Comics. There are also the plays, films, interactive games, and animation scripts I’ve penned. And I’ve been a global keynote speaker on empowering people through the arts. I’ve got a lot to share, starting with my Simmons Says newsletter.
Simmons Says Newsletter 133: A Shot Rang Out and the Maid Screamed! Victim or Villain?
Welcome to my newsletter! "A Shot Rang Out and the Maid Screamed..." So, Reader, you’re planning a crime … uh, mystery thriller, eh? Well, you know, there are 8 steps to writing a movie script in the film world. There’s Idea, Plot, Logline, Beat Sheet, Outline/Step-Outline, Treatment, and Script. It’s not much different in the literary world. It’s basically an Idea, Plot, Outline, and Script. Conjuring an intriguing plot, developing a powerful logline, and working out critical story elements through a Beat Sheet can mean the difference between a flop and a successful story. I’ll explain how each of these steps is utilized in another email. For now, I’ll tell you that in a film script or book manuscript, there are still 7 other steps you need to create a great mystery thriller, with or without a touch of horror. I’ll teach those in my masterclass, WRITE THE CRIME RETURNS: OH HALLOW NIGHT. That 3-Day caper, uh … challenge, is coming in 3 weeks. So, keep your ear to the wall for more information. Take care, Web site: www.SimmonsHereAndNow.com FB: Simmons Here And Now Go Write For It Writer's Services Or watch the episode on ... YouTube: Tell The Damn Story on YouTube #TellTheDamnStory #WritingCommunity #Storytelling #CreativeWriting #AuthorLife #Inspiration #EthicsInWriting #PodcastDiscussion Have more writing questions and challenges. |
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Simmons Says
Go Write For It
Hi, Alex Simmons here. To start, I help aspiring and emerging writers overcome their fears and frustrations and create compelling plots, characters, and stories that will appeal to a broader audience. Now for a bit of backstory … I’m an award-winning freelance writer, writing coach/teacher, and arts-n-ed consultant. I’ve written for Disney Books, Penguin Random House, and Marvel/DC/Archie Comics. There are also the plays, films, interactive games, and animation scripts I’ve penned. And I’ve been a global keynote speaker on empowering people through the arts. I’ve got a lot to share, starting with my Simmons Says newsletter.
Welcome to my newsletter! Here's a question for you, Reader... "What or who determines our writer's voice?" In the early 50s, books and films reflected society in the aftermath of WW 2. From the late 50s into the 60s, with Russia’s Sputnik and the US Space program in the air, aliens and radiation became popular topics. It was the Atomic Age. After all, we had dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And thus, radiation became a much more familiar word in common Society.That time...
Welcome to my newsletter! The Other Secret Identity Hey, Reader: The whole purpose of a mask is to hide your true face; actually or metaphysically. In acting, it's to convey a convincing portrait of a personality, not your own. Sometimes, the actor adds elements of their life experience to add authenticity to the role. Maybe the actor has lived out some part of the fictional character’s trauma and thus knows it all too well. And that knowledge is what makes the whole film more believable....
Welcome to my newsletter! The Blind Alley Kids. Hey, Reader I know it's a weak title. I can't even say that this was an homage to the Dead End Kids or the Bowery Boy movies I watched as a young person. It was more of a straight rip-off. But it wasn't me trying to write some stories and using this title to sell and get paid. Instead, I came up with this when I was still a teenager, running around the streets of New York City with my friends Michael and Angel. We were into making home movies in...