Writer's Digest Questions and Quandaries

Q: I've recently decided to turn my book into a screenplay and I've read several articles that say you must have a "logline" if you want to sell your script. What's a logline?—Jennifer Bickel

A: Hollywood executives are so busy that they have very little time to spend on anything, including listening to your pitch. So when you have the ear of anyone who has the power to get your script produced, it's important to keep your spiel short, simple and specific. How short? You should be able to sum up your 100-page screenplay in one sentence—you read that right: one sentence.

In the industry, this is called a logline. A logline is a one-sentence summary of your script that consists of three major elements: the character, the character's goal and the antagonistic force. Here are examples of a few strong loglines (can you name the flick?):

After a twister transports a lonely Kansas farm girl to a magical land, she sets out on a dangerous journey to find a wizard with the power to send her home.

I'm sure by now you've guessed that this logline belongs to The Wizard of Oz. It contains all the key elements:

The character: a lonely Kansas farm girl
The character's goal: find a wizard with the power to send her home
The antagonistic force: sets out on a dangerous journey

Here's another example:

A 17th Century tale of adventure on the Caribbean Sea where the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow joins forces with a young blacksmith in a gallant attempt to rescue the Governor of England's daughter and reclaim his ship.

This one belongs to the mega-hit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. While it's a little harder to dissect, you can still see the all the logline essentials:

The character: Captain Jack Sparrow
The character's goal: rescue the Governor of England's daughter and reclaim his ship
The antagonistic force: adventure on the Caribbean Sea

Creating a logline is also a good way to tell if your script has substance. If you spend hours and are still unable to come up with a clear sentence breaking down your movie, you have a hole that needs to be filled. Because if all the variables are there, the logline should practically write itself.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Formatting | Scriptwriting

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 7:19:22 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [1]

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Dealing with Late (or Missing) Payments

Q: If a writer has jumped through all the hoops (finished the assignment, submitted a proper invoice, etc.) and is not being paid, what steps should he take before resorting to having a lawyer write a letter or taking their case to small claims court, etc. —Anonymous

A: Always contact the editor first (second and third) and try to work through the issue. Editors typically aren't out to stiff you. Many of them have been on the freelance side of things, too, so they know how important it is to get you your money. Sometimes it's as simple as the editor nudging the accounting department.

Also, don't forget to carefully read your contract. Accounting departments differ with each publisher—some pay 30 days from the day the invoice is submitted, some pay 60 days from the publication date of your piece. Be sure that the proper time period (plus an additional two weeks) has passed before raising the red flag. And remain calm, cool and collected when you send your "checking in" e-mail.

If e-mails or phone calls go unreturned, or the editor can't offer a resolution or an acceptable explanation as to why it's taking so long, then it's time to contact a lawyer—and the Better Business Bureau. Keep in mind, once you do that you've burned that bridge with that editor/publisher once and for all, and you may not want to do that. But if they weren't paying you to begin with, what did you really lose?

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Business | Dealing with Editors

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 4:15:45 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [3]

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Is Wikipedia an Accurate Source? (And Can Editors Alter Sourced Material?)

Q: I'm a magazine feature writer and one of my editors changed a statistic in my story that I had attributed to Wikipedia. She maintains Wikipedia is an inaccurate source. However, if I attribute my facts properly, does she have a right to alter my statistic?— Lynn M.

A: If editors feel uncomfortable with an article's contents, they most certainly can (and should) make changes and alterations. They're supposed to vet and fact-check the information. It's part of the job.

It's important to remember that attribution isn't meant as a safety net for reporting false facts. The point of attributing information to a source is two-fold: 1) to give credit where credit is due and 2) to give validity to the information, showing it's coming from reputable person (or organization). If your source isn't reputable, your article isn't.

This brings me to Wikipedia. As journalists, we love the site because it offers an excellent starting point to our research (underline, bold, highlight and draw squiggles around the words "starting point"). With a few clicks, you can find leads on nearly anything, along with links to better articles on each subject. But you can't trust Wikipedia. It can be updated and edited by anyone; that's right, anyone—you, me, that neighbor down the street who everyone describes as "sketchy." There's no real due diligence involved to guarantee accuracy and, as a journalist, you can't accept inaccuracy.

Again, that doesn't mean that the site isn't useful. Hell, I probably check it several times a day (one can never know enough about the Back to the Future trilogy). Just use it as a starting point to find more reliable sources. Your editors (and audience) will thank you for it.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Business | Dealing with Editors | Ethics | Research

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 6:06:38 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [4]

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Will Newspapers Review Self-Published Books?

Q: The book critic at my local newspaper mentioned in an article that she doesn’t review self-published books. Is this common procedure? Are there any major dailies that do?—Joyann Dwire

A: Some newspapers won’t review self-published books simply because they’re concerned about legal issues. Self-published books aren’t subjected to the rigorous editing process employed by publishing companies, particularly the legal and plagiarism issues that most concern newspapers. Publishing companies do all the legwork and guarantee the book is original, fact-checked and libel-free—after all, their reputation is at stake. And while you may have quadruple-checked your facts, newspapers can’t rest their reputation on your shoulders.

Of course, there may be some snobbery at play at some publications, as the odds of a newspaper being sued over a libelous book review are slimmer than Paris Hilton. But some newspapers insist it’s a legal issue and, like it or not, they have that right.

Not all major papers completely turn their backs on self-published books, though. John Marshall, book critic for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, says that while his paper is hesitant about it, the editors will review them from time to time. “It’s true that self-published books don’t have the editorial screening that commercial presses have,” he says. “But we’re willing to make exceptions. Often the ones we do mention have either sold well or won awards.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer’s book page content editor, Jim Knippenberg, takes a similar view. “We don’t have a blanket policy,” he says. “It’s on a case-by-case basis. If it’s a recognizable name, like a notable local person, we might review them. In that case, often we’ll do a piece focusing more on the author than the book.”

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Marketing | Publishing | Reviews

Tuesday, February 05, 2008 7:11:14 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [4]

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