Every writing project has one thing in common—they all start with a single sentence. Writers constantly struggle to answer this question: What is your story about? Finally, a guide by a leading Hollywood insider who actually knows the answer—and now she shows you how to do it yourself! Lane Shefter Bishop, CEO of Vast Entertainment, explains the key to selling your screenplay, novel, or script. This comprehensive guide to opening career doors is the first of its kind, highlighting the tips and techniques for making your story stand out. From tips on character development to hints on points to avoid, Bishop covers all your bases when selling your story.

In this indispensable guide for anyone who must communicate in speech or writing, Schwartzberg shows that most of us fail to convince because we don't have a point-a concrete contention that we can argue, defend, illustrate, and prove. He lays out, step-by-step, how to develop one. In Joel's Schwartzberg's ten-plus years as a strategic communications trainer, the biggest obstacle he's come across-one that connects directly to nervousness, stammering, rambling, and epic fail-is that most speakers and writers don't have a point. They typically have just a title, a theme, a topic, an idea, an assertion, a catchphrase, or even something much less. A point is something more. It's a contention you can propose, argue, defend, illustrate, and prove. A point offers a position of potential value. Global warming is real is not a point. Scientific evidence shows that global warming is a real, human-generated problem that will have a devastating environmental and financial impact is a point. When we have a point, our influence snaps into place. We communicate belief, conviction, and urgency. This book shows you how to identify your point, leverage it, stick to it, and sell it and how to train others to identify and successfully make their own points.

"For those who love to play with words"--Cover.

This little book aims to help you figure out how to get your story told on big screens or small. It offers nearly thirty years of observation of how things happen in the business of entertainment. Dr. Ken Atchity's Hollywood experience ranges from writing to managing to producing; he's seen Hollywood from nearly every angle.

What's your story about? It's the most frightening question in the world if all you have is a blank stare. But what if you had an attention-grabbing answer that left your audience wanting more? It's not only possible, it's simple if you have the right tools. Story consultant and author Jordan Smith has helped countless storytellers strengthen and pitch their stories. His tool of choice is the logline, a technique for selling screenplays that is little known outside of Hollywood. Jordan has adapted this powerful tool and made it accessible to all storytellers. Not only is a logline useful for answering that frightening question, it's also handy for keeping your story on track. If you don't know the core of your story, you run the risk of meandering it into places where it doesn't belong. With these techniques, you can solve story problems early before they cause you trouble. Inside this book, you'll find: The Quick-Start Logline Chapter to get you going right away Exercises to build your logline skills one step at a time The four fundamental logline rules Useful chapters to dig deeper and handle special cases More examples than you can shake a stick at And more! Whether you write novels, movies, comic books, songs, or even operas, this book is for you. Every storyteller should be able to say in one sentence what his story is about. Finding the Core of Your Story will help you learn to do just that.

"One sentence. One Bible story. One great teachable moment. Each storybook contains beginning vocabulary words and charming illustrations as well as a devotional activity for parent and child to do together. All these elements combine for an outstanding educational and faith-building experience."--Page [4] cover.

Author and former literary agent Nathan Bransford shares his secrets for creating killer plots, fleshing out your first ideas, crafting compelling characters, and staying sane in the process. Read the guide that New York Times bestselling author Ransom Riggs called "The best how-to-write-a-novel book I've read."