The Creative Writing Life

Author Jason Vandevelde is a member of the Elder Tree NFT team, and has done writing on at least 20 NFT projects. He shares his experience working on NFT projects, writing for Fiverr, and more. Enjoy! ELDER TREE NFT: Story nerds dedicated to taking your NFT projects to new heights through writing, storytelling, and consulting services. www.eldertreenft.com

Justin and Paul share their thoughts on writing in other people's worlds and on contract. How do you read their minds?! 

Justin and Paul chat with Mark Fielding about writing Web 3 and NFT -- to include stories and copy writing.  Learn more about Mark here:  https://metaverse-writer.io/portfolio/  https://linktr.ee/markfielding

Justin and Paul discuss ghostwriting on services such as Fiverr, Upwork, Reedsy, and more. Ever thought about earning a living by writing for other people? Come on by and listen :)

Justin and Paul discuss the new book that Paul released, titled "GO AHEAD AND ASK" - full of great Q&As about screenwriting.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WRFNMV5 Got a question about screenwriting? -What makes for a good script? -What are some Do's and Don't's when it comes to writing a script? -Are screenwriting contests worth it? -What's your favorite kind of pie? (okay, not technically about screenwriting, but still a very important topic) These are just some of the questions posed to over 100 professionals within the screenwriting community - from writers to filmmakers to consultants via interviews on the screenwriting blog Maximum Z. While there may be a wide range of answers, they're all about one thing - helping you become a better writer, offering invaluable guidance and information. In addition to offering help for writers, each interview also provides recommendations of numerous kinds of pie to enjoy. When it comes to writing a script for film or TV, a play, a comic book, or a webcomic, there are going to be lots of questions. This book can help, so...Go Ahead And Ask!

This week Justin and Paul talk Pitching Hollywood Studios and Changes to the Nicholl Fellowship. Enjoy! 

Gregory Blair joined us to share his experience with acting, writing, and directing, and how each of these skills feed each other.  Award-winning actor/writer/director/producer Gregory Blair was born and bred in Southern California. He studied throughout Los Angeles--including UCLA--as well as abroad at Cambridge University. He is the recipient of a Geoffrey Award for Best Character Actor, an EOTM Award for Best Director and a Claw Award for Best Screenplay. He is also the author of the Stonewall Award winning novel "Spewing Pulp", "The Ritual", and "Little Shivers" as well as the stage plays "Cold Lang Syne" and "Nicholas Nickleby". He is known for his animated manner, quirky intensity and expressive eyebrows. His IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2489045/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm 

This week B. Earl shared his experience writing for such NFT projects as Chiwawows and Marvel projects as a new Spiderman comic. Interested in NFT Writing? Blockchain and Web3 and all that? Check it out!  From B. Earl:  I have been working in the entertainment business for the past 20 years ranging from documentaries to graphic novels to feature films to community building. Currently I am writing for Marvel Comics while producing projects with my creative partner, Taboo, under our SkyView Way Studios banner. We have projects currently set up with Cartoon Network and Gaumont. I am also heavily involved in the blockchain space, using NFTs as storytelling nodes for both community and world-building. The current project I am running and creating is called Chiwawows (www.chiwawows.com) which is built on the Solana Blockchain. I have two other story-driven NFT projects in development called Realms of Avalon and Angryfoot. My focus is to create multi-media experiences in entertainment using new and emerging technologies that engage communities into creative activity. Having founded the largest comic book club in LA in 2008 called COMIC BOOK SUNDAY! (CBS!), with members around the globe, my finger is on the pulse of what is trending across the board and my access to those creators is unparalleled.

Justin and Paul spoke with Arie Kaplan on writing for kids in games, books, tv, and more!  Arie Kaplan is the author of more than two dozen books, including "LEGO Star Wars: Face Off," "LEGO Star Wars: The Official Stormtrooper Training Manual," "The Jurassic Park Little Golden Book," "Swashbuckling Scoundrels: Pirates in Fact and Fiction," and the award-winning "From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books." He has also written several graphic novels, including "Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer," "Shadow Guy and Gamma Gal: Heroes Unite," "The Penguins of Madagascar: Penguins on a Mission," and "The New Kid from Planet Glorf." In addition to his career as an author, Arie is a screenwriter for television, video games, comic books, and transmedia. Links from Arie:  1) I'm currently writing the scripts for a mobile game called "eQuoo: The Next Generation: Lodestar," which is out now from PsycApps. Here's a link to the "eQuoo" page of my website. On that page, you can see an "eQuoo" game trailer, a poster, and some info about the core concepts behind the game: https://www.ariekaplan.com/game-writing/equoo-the-next-generation-lodestar/ 2) Recently, I wrote a freelance episode of the Netflix animated series "Charlie's Colorforms City." The episode, titled "Charlie and Little Bo Peep," is streaming now. For more info - including a clip from the episode - check out this link: http://www.ariekaplan.com/television-writing/charlies-colorforms-city/ 3) Here's the "Game Writing" section of my website, where you can see highlights from my career as a game writer (aka screenwriter for video games): http://www.ariekaplan.com/game-writing/ 4) Here's the link to the "Television Writing" section of my site, where you can see some highlights from my career as a television comedy writer (e.g. my work as a staff writer on the late, lamented TV series "TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest"): http://www.ariekaplan.com/television-writing/ 5) Here's my Amazon Author Page, where you can see some of the books (and graphic novels) I've written over the years: https://www.amazon.com/author/ariekaplan 6) Here's the link to the "Humor, Fiction, & Essay" page of my site: http://www.ariekaplan.com/humor-fiction-and-essays/

Justin and Paul are joined by Rebecca Murga to discuss AFI, Disney Directing, and Filmmaking!  Visit her website at: http://www.rebeccamurga.com/about Rebecca Murga is a Chicago-born, Latinx filmmaker who produces and directs films, commercials, and documentaries for clients such as ABC, CBS, HBO, Mundo FOX, AT&T, and A&E Networks. She is currently the Director of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW), a hands-on training program committed to increasing the number of women and gender non-binary artists working professionally as narrative screen directors. Rebecca served as a Captain in the US Army and deployed to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. She was awarded a Bronze Star for her work as one of the first women attached to Special Operations in Afghanistan. She currently works with the John Mayer Foundation, Heart and Armor, advocating for women in the military. As one of the WGA writers in the Dan Lin / Rideback TV incubator produced by Rideback Television with financing and other support by MRC, Rebecca is experienced in collaborating with producers, designers, editors and executives from creative development to post-production. Rebecca was selected for and has completed the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, the Disney / ABC Directing Program, Ryan Murphy Television Directing Program and has been the recipient of several grants including the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) grant, the Panavision New Filmmakers Grant, and The Nancy Malone Directing Award. Rebecca is a passionate advocate for veterans and women's issues with articles published in The New York Times and The Global Journal. She has appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America," and "The View." Most recently, she was featured on NPR as the director of a short film “War Ink” which tells veteran's war stories through their tattoos. Find her on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5176113/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1