An interesting and fun maze that is. You would tell me if there was minotaur in here wouldn't you?

I am wondering if somewhere in here there is a section or if somebody knows of one somewhere, where people who are interested in writing science-fiction for publishing or for screen-plays might liase and share trade information. I don't mean fan-fic. I am not suggesting fan-fic isn't good, it's just not the right genre.

Sidhecafe recommends JMS's 'The Complete Book of Scriptwriting' which she ordered from amazon. It's over 400pp and covers writing for animation too. (Ed. Note - J.Michael Straczynski is the guy who did Babylon 5 and apparenly some stuff from He-Man and She-Ra here and there!)

P.N. “Pat” Elrod - Pro’s Tip: Fight "Writer’s Spread."
The job requires a LOT of sitting and a lot of brain work, which usually translates into a ravenous writer at the end of a
session, then more sitting, which makes for a wide
butt. Make sure you get exercise. Put on some disco
music and be silly for three minutes or so just to get
your blood moving!

Food. Keep a big bowl of fresh raw veggies ready
in the fridge and munch on them while you hammer
out the chapters. They’re good for you and you can
eat a lot of them with fewer "side" effects.

Logan recommend - Writing the Character Centered Screenplay by Andrew Horton

Logan went on to state - The book I suggested was only one of many that I read, or skimmed through when preparing my screenplay -- just happened to see it lying around. The program didn't help that much, I ended up creating my own templates in Word both for plays and screenplays which required different formats.

It's really helpful to read through some screenplays too. It gives you a feel for the formatting and structure which is really important to do right, and style. I had a great little handout book (I studied it in school) that gave you all the basics for creating a screenplay -- if I can find it I'll get it scanned and email it to you since it proved invaluable.

To have a screenplay greenlit, which I haven't by the way, you must adhere to strict standards -- I won't get into that much since there's a lot to it. It's useful to know the technical directions/jargon (e.g. CU, OS etc.), but unless you're directing it yourself, it should be minimised since a director doesn't like to be told their job -- there are other descriptive ways to do it.

Aside from books, there's plenty of info on the web.

As for my general experiences: Yeah, I approched it quite differently. I was focussed on first writing fiction, then short screenplays with all the technical directions (for directing oneself), then poetry, then stage plays, then TV show scripts, then screenplays over a couple of years. Each time I had to swich gears, and visualise it, tell the story, and express it in a different way. It's important to have an idea of the cost it would take to film your piece, and various limitations. Can it be done? So technical knowledge helps a lot.

With plays I would always bear in mind the confines ofr the stage, and was dialogue driven. Film is a visual medium, and I tended to think out the individual shots. I looked closely at other films to see how they did it technically. You have to be precise and to the point when describing an action in film -- what's on the page is a description of what is on the screen... When you're writing a novel, you can expose more of your own thinking process, and you describe things ina different way (the author often intrudes more). In a screenplay, it's generally a good idea to avoid exposition.

Sorry, I'm not writing this at all well since I'm taking care of a baby at the same. Would edit, but she's demanding.

My initial approach was pretty much the same -- I worked out the characters (backhistory works well for me) and the plot and made an outline, but you have to express it differently in the various media, and that can be a challenge.

One thing that was helpful before I got lazy and lost any serious interest in creative writing was http://www.zoetrope.com/

That's Francis Ford Coppola's site (got the chance to talk shop with him there in the virtual "producer's studio" -- I was totally unprepared) and they actually greenlight some screenplays. You have to write several detailed reviews of other people's screenplays before you can submit your own. A lot to learn there.

P.N. Elrod - PRO’S TIP:
You must have a really grabbing first sentence and a good follow up to it. Jump into the action/premise and/or character (or all three) immediately. Imagine that your prospective editor is reading your book/story while on a homeward-bound subway in the
evening. (This actually happened in my case with Bloodlist). Not only is she likely to be tired if not burned out from a full day of reading dozens of other submissions, she’s subconsciously aware of the possibility of muggers and serial killers sharing the car with her. If you can completely distract her from such surroundings you are well on your way to publication.

Please note: this device is also good for snagging the attention of an ordinary reader in a store who’ll buy your book and make your
editor very happy. You must also have a satisfying closing sentence to your book/story. In fact, good opening and closing
sentences should be on ALL your chapters to keep the readers turning the pages!

Yes, yes.... putting in the url would have worked too. but... that was so freaking long it made the page all wonky... so I will just bring the highlights of that thread here.

Pro's Tip - Pro’s Tip: Make thumbnail-sketches of ALL characters great and small. Use an index card for each. It will help you keep track of them all and spell their names consistently throughout. List their: Name, age, sex, occupation, role in the story, and relationship to others in story. Give them at least two personality traits and their impact on the story. (Is s/he honorable, opinionated, humble, profane, cheerful, depressed...) Physical traits that have an impact on the story (very tall, limps, overweight, high voice, glasses, smoker...all have impact on who s/he is and how he reacts to other characters)

What does the character want the most?

How far is s/he willing to go to obtain it?

The latter two are the most important of all as they will nearly always dictate the course of your plot!