As a British-based writer I’m aware that the majority of my posts to this site are a bit Anglocentric. So whenever I come across something of benefit to my North American readers I get excited. I’ve just started subscribing to a market listing www.absolutemarkets.com which gives an up-to-date overview of some of the more unusual US and international markets. There is a subscription fee, but in my opinion it’s worth it. However, be warned, many market listings out there are not worth the cyber-paper they’re written on. Only sign up to ones that other people recommend and never have a rolling stop order.
Archive for the 'Resources' Category Page 2 of 2
I’m really chuffed that my first screenplay, Enemy Lines, is going to be made into a film. And thanks to Peter Dillon, my tutor, for helping me on my way. Enemy Lines is a five-minute film short about a British soldier returning from Iraq to face a barrage of anti-war protestors. It has been selected to be filmed for Northern Film and Media’s Stingers 6 programme and will be screened in September 2008.
Continue reading ‘Screenplay success’
Without wanting to get the year off to a depressing start, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to post this link about authors’ earnings from The Times.
In summary:
- The majority of authors aged 24 – 35 earn an average of £5000 a year from their writing.
- The majority of all authors earn less than a third of the UK national average wage (£28,000)
- The majority of authors have to take on extra work to make ends meet
- It may take up to 10 years before an author starts earning significant money from their writing.
My stage play, The Idol of Sarajevo, has been shortlisted for the People’s Play Award. Winner to be announced at the end of December. If I win, I shall be blogging about my experiences in the run-up to the staging of the play in May 2008. So wish me well and watch this space! I developed this play on my MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University.
For more free resources on writing for theatre visit:
- Writernet – free information and subsidised critiquing for UK-based writers
- Open University – free course on approaching plays plus excellent, value-for-money short courses for everyone.
- New Dramatists – resources for US-based writers.
Books I can reccommend include:
- Val Taylor’s Stage Writing
- Alan Ayckbourn’s The Crafty Art of Playmaking
- Stuart Spencer’s The Playwright’s Guidebook
- Jeffrey Hatcher’s The Art and Craft of Playwriting
It’s not everyday you get something for nothing. For all those classic books you always wished you’d read, Abacci books is a fantastic resource for free e-books. Everything from Louisa May Alcott to Martin Luther King and thousands of others are available for download. I’ve just added it to my favourites.
I’ve just come across these FREE writing courses from Email College, Birmingham, UK. There are courses on dozens of writing topics including horror, romance, memoir, comedy, poetry, magazine writing, children’s writing, Science Fiction, e-book publishing and many, many more. They are open to people worldwide. http://www.emailcollege.co.uk/category.php?id=14
You may also want to check out their Creative Pathway website which gives advice and services to artists, film makers, writers and publishers.
I’ve never written SF myself, but I’ve always seen something ’spiritual’ in its exploration of mankind’s inner and outer worlds. In fact, SF and fantasy are one of the last realms open to Christian writers to present an ‘alternative’ world view. Continue reading ‘Science Fiction, fantasy and Faith’
Following on from How to get started in feature writing The Crafty Writer would like to introduce you to the basics of writing for magazines and newspaper supplements. In the previous article I stressed that you should get yourself some training then work on building up a small portfolio of work by doing freebies for charities or student publications. Once you’ve done that, you can approach an editor and hopefully get your first paying commission. Continue reading ‘The basics of feature writing 1′
Most of my articles are written with years of experience behind me. But this is an exception. Only a year ago, I decided to start writing again for the theatre. As a fresh-faced, cellulite-free twentysomething, I wrote for an amateur theatre company in South Africa called Mirror Image. Now, ten years later and living in the UK I thought I would try going professional. Continue reading ‘Getting started in playwrighting’
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you to become a better writer. 
