Screenwriter Jule Selbo created Building Story Through Character after years of writing on successful television shows and films and then creating the MFA in Screenwriting at California State University, Fullerton where she teaches those skills to up and coming writers. Her focus on character and her 11 Steps of Story Structure streamlines ideas from other screenwriting gurus whose lists are longer and (to my mind) more contrived. You can take Selbo’s 11 Steps and apply them to stories as old as Gilgamesh and as modern as Wonder Woman – as she does in the book so that the reader can see the pattern repeat itself over and over again.- Rosanne
Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale by Russell T. Davies | Gifts for the Screenwriter #4It is nearly impossible to ‘teach’ a student how to become an executive producer/head writer but this collection of emails between Russell T. Davies and reporter, Benjamin Cook encapsulates a year in the life of Davies as he wrapped out the Doctor Who tenure of David Tennant . One watches a story idea go from a simple sentence about ‘water being dangerous’ to a full-fledged script called “Waters of Mars” in a matter of weeks while also reading the difficulty in planning characters for guest stars who end up changing their schedules and dropping out of a project. Those kinds of real moments make this book a must-read for aspiring television writers on either side of the pond. – Rosanne
My co-editor Peg Lamphier and I were happy to see the newly designed covers for our next 3 Volume encyclopedia – Technical Innovation in American History. Thanks to all the wonderful contributors who came over from our encylcopedia on Women in American History
Look for it in 2019!
From ABC-CLIO…
Technical Innovation in American History: An Encyclopedia of Science and Technology surveys the history of technology, documenting the chronological and thematic connections between specific inventions, technological systems, individuals, and events that have contributed to the history of science and technology in the United States. Covering eras from colonial times to the present day in three chronological volumes, the entries include innovations in fields such as architecture, civil engineering, transportation, energy, mining and oil industries, chemical industries, electronics, computer and information technology, communications (television, radio, and print), agriculture and food technology, and military technology.
The A–Z entries address key individuals, events, organizations, and legislation related to themes such as industry, consumer and medical technology, military technology, computer technology, and space science, among others, enabling readers to understand how specific inventions, technological systems, individuals, and events influenced the history, cultural development, and even self-identity of the United States and its people. The information also spotlights how American culture, the U.S. government, and American society have specifically influenced technological development.
One of the best biographies of a writer – and a female writer at that – Without Lying Down tells the story of Frances Marion, the highest paid screenwriter and a double Oscar winner whose career spanned the Silent Era and transformed into Talkies quite well (judging by the Oscars). Since she surrounded herself with a cadre of other female screenwriters at the time, the book is a marvelous introduction to a time when women ran Hollywood. — Rosanne
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
Forced into the teen idol role by Hollywood Jones was the one teen idol that resonated across the years. Jones pondered what it meant to have posters of his face plastered across so many teenagers walls when he co-wrote the song “Ceiling in my Room” (with Dominick DeMieri and Robert Dick) for the group’s fifth album The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees.
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Rosanne: Another gentleman I got to meet — and sadly who passed away 6 months after I met him — was Peter Meyerson, He ended up later in life he co-created Welcome Back, Kotter which interestingly enough it’s a show about 4 boys.
Jean: I love the show.
Rosanne: Four boys who were in school — in high school. So, Peter Meyerson, he was marvelous. he came in also because of a very hippie attitude. In fact, he went to the Monterey Pop Festival. He was the kind of guy who hung out at all those events. He wore the paisley clothing and the necklaces. He just really bought into that whole Ideology and so you see that represented then in some of his episodes. And he was great and he told me some very funny stories about hanging out with the actors at parties and whatnot.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
In terms of creating the fictional identity of “Micky the Monkee”, Dolenz felt the writers created the character more so than he did: “They were looking for that guy who just jumped off the screen at them. And to say how much of it was me — I don’t know if I can quantify it. They developed that character of the wacky drummer. They gave me the funny voice. I don’t do funny voices all the time and I don’t run backward at a high rate of speed. But it was partly my personality.”
THE 14TH ANNUAL BEST BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCE 2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Mainstream & Independent Titles Score Top Honors in the 14th Annual Best Book Awards
Wiley, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, St. Martin’s Press, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Rowman & Littlefield, New American Library, Forge/Tor Books, John Hopkins University Press, MIT Press and hundreds of Independent Houses contribute to this year’s Outstanding Competition!
LOS ANGELES – American Book Fest has announced the winners and finalists of The 2017 Best Book Awards on November 9, 2017. Over 400 winners and finalists were announced in over 90 categories. Awards were presented for titles published in 2015-2017.
Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest said this year’s contest yielded over 2,000 entries from mainstream and independent publishers, which were then narrowed down to over 400 winners and finalists.
Keen says of the awards, now in their fifteenth year, “The 2017 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the United States. With a full publicity and marketing campaign promoting the results of the Best Book Awards, this year’s winners and finalists will gain additional media coverage for the upcoming holiday retail season.”
Winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape: Wiley, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, St. Martin’s Press, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Rowman & Littlefield, New American Library, Forge/Tor Books, John Hopkins University Press, MIT Press and hundreds of independent houses contributed to this year’s outstanding competition!
Keen adds, “Our success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.”
American Book Fest is an online publication providing coverage for books from mainstream and independent publishers to the world online community.
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Jean: I love talking about this.
Rosanne: Well, and that’s how it applies to The Monkees because they looked for young writers. Treva Silverman was beginning her career.
Jean: Let’s talk about the writers on The Monkees? So, Treva Silverman’s a woman, right? Woman Writer. All right, let’s talk about Treva.
Rosanne: I love Treva. She’s wonderful. You can look at the Academy of Television Arts. They have a good oral interview with her that goes through The Monkees and Mary Tyler Moore. She’s wonderful.
Jean: Ok, so she’s the only female writer on there.
Rosanne: She was. Many of them came from New York because a lot of TV had still being done in New York and they were also kind of younger — quote/unquote — hipper. She came out here and she really loved it. She admitted to me that it was the first time she had ever smoked pot and she found it fabulous. And her friends back home were still a little too
Jean: Go LA!
Rosanne: — exactly. The things you’re going to learn in LA, but the fact is she could come in with a more feminist attitude and make sure that the female characters were not these crazy, silly nonsense women.
Jean: And she was sought after to go after this demographic — this new demographic.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
![27: Peter Meyerson and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:40)](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/rmw-power-27-peter-meyerson.jpeg)
![26: Treva Silverman and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:58)](https://rosannewelch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/rmw-power-26-treva-silverman.jpeg)