Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling

[Jan]

In a series of tweets last night, JMS announced that he's started a new writing book and invited folks to ask questions.

[Looney]

Okay just putting this out there. You have all been reading my posts for quite some time. Should I write a book? AGREE / DISAGREE (I mean everything I write is captivating, right?)

Okay on a serious note, WHY?!?!?!?!?!?! I understand that this is important material and it is VERY important to him, but I feel like I need to direct JMS' writing assignments. He doesn't have time for this when there are so many other things I want him to write.

[Jan]

Okay on a serious note, WHY?!?!?!?!?!?! I understand that this is important material and it is VERY important to him, but I feel like I need to direct JMS' writing assignments. He doesn't have time for this when there are so many other things I want him to write.

What makes you think he's not writing them? Trouble is, he's written *scads* of things that we've never gotten a chance to see. Given that he's ususally got at least 5 projects going at the same tine, there's a *bunch* of stuff that could keep us entertained for ages if we could only experience it!

[Jan]

As part of JMS' Patreon introduction (https://www.patreon.com/syntheticworlds/posts), he mentioned that the new writing book will be coming out in the spring of 2020 - about the same time as his new novel.

[Satai with Punsch]

Has he said anything about what kind of book it is?

[Jan]

Has he said anything about what kind of book it is?

Not so far, that I know of. I notice that it's a book on writing, and doesn't specify scriptwriting. Also, in one of his posts he listed quite a long string of topics that might be covered and it's everything from making a living to characterization to exposition and so forth.

[Satai with Punsch]

Not so far, that I know of. I notice that it's a book on writing, and doesn't specify scriptwriting. Also, in one of his posts he listed quite a long string of topics that might be covered and it's everything from making a living to characterization to exposition and so forth.

In any case it will be interesting to see what it is.

[Jan]

JMS' new writing book is now available for pre-order for a June 1, 2021 publishing date. So far all I see is paperback availability.
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Writ...0460028&sr=8-2

In the words of novelist Harlan Ellison, “The trick is not becoming a writer. The trick is staying a writer.

New York Times bestselling author and British Academy Award nominee J. Michael Straczynski knew he wanted to be a writer ever since he was a child. What he didn't know was how to actually become, or stay, a writer.

Now, he's giving fellow writers the comprehensive guide he wishes he had all along, personalized tips and techniques that can't be found in any other book on writing.

Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer culls from Straczynski's more than thirty years of experience writing for film, television, books, and comics. Designed for writers in any stage of their career, this quirky, insightful and often humorous book provides an inside look at these industries with advice and wisdom covering such topics such as:

• What fledgling writers need to know to improve and sell their work—and avoid wasting valuable time
• Tips for experienced writers who want to get to the next level
• Staying disciplined when writing is your day job
• Why writers should never wait for inspiration
• Story-planning strategies that don’t kill your spontaneity
• Expert techniques for effective, memorable world-building
• How to get an agent and survive the writer’s journey in more personal relationships
• Revising and editing with precision
• When and how to reinvent yourself as an artist

Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer includes Straczynski’s unique, tried-and-true methodologies that will help storytellers sharpen their work so that it’s polished and ready for publication. Part toolbox and part survival guide, this book will be an indispensable guide throughout your entire writing career, offering fresh and practical insights every step of the way.

[Jan]

JMS' post on Facebook:

J. Michael Straczynski - Hang with JMS
tSponm4as2omremdr
·
First the announcement, then the analysis: Pre-orders have begun for my new book, BECOMING A WRITER, STAYING A WRITER, The Artistry, Joy and Career of Storytelling, coming June 2021 from BenBella Books. The title comes from Harlan Ellison’s quote: “The trick is not becoming a writer, the trick is staying a writer.”

When my THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SCRIPTWRITING was published in the 80s by Writers Digest Books, it became one of their best-selling titles and remained in print year after year, during which many working TV/Film writers said that the book was instrumental to making their first sales and subsequent success.

I’ve been asked repeatedly since then, “When are you going to do another book about writing?” But I wanted to wait until I had enough experience and training, and had acquired enough new tools and techniques to make it worth someone’s investment. This finally achieves that goal.

The first half, Becoming a Writer, is for those who have learned the basic elements of writing and want to begin making a living at their craft. It includes next-level techniques and approaches to the craft that can only come from decades spent as a professional writer.

The second half, Staying a Writer, is for those who’ve been able to start making a living as writers but want to take their work to the next stage, challenge themselves artistically, and reinvent their careers for a greater degree of success and longevity.

The book will be available not just in the United States but in Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, South America and elsewhere. Translated editions will also be published in Korea, Russia and other countries that are currently coming online.

I wanted to put everything I’ve learned in the last 40 years of being a writer into one book that could be of the most service to the most people, whether you work in prose fiction, TV, film, comics or any other creative medium. It’s the book I wish someone had written when I was starting out as a writer, not a dry text but a conversation-in-print about how to improve one’s writing, get an agent, create distinct voices and characters, build worlds, avoid sharks, and find happiness and success.

The book also covers: how to create really good bad guys and keep your work fresh, how to pitch and build a scene for maximum impact, keys to editing and selling your work, the benefits and drawbacks of collaborations and workshops, writer’s block and how to balance the work with one’s personal life.

It’s my hope that BECOMING A WRITER, STAYING A WRITER will help the next generation of writers achieve their dreams of creating new worlds and stories, and make their art a lifelong profession and a source of great joy. I’m very proud of it, and hope you will have an opportunity to check it out.

(I should add that this book owes much to the support of, and writing discussions on, my Patreon page, the VIP members of which are credited on the acknowledgements page.)
http://amazon.com/Becoming-Writer-Staying.../dp/1950665887

[Kraig]

Now available for pre-order on Amazon.

[Jan]

So I've managed to score an Advanced Readers Copy and I'm about a third of the way through it. Now, I'm never going to be a writer (though I did aspire at one time) but I've often found the writing advice that JMS gave could also help with business writing. So far, I'm liking this a lot. An example is how he's often said that one needs to get to start with character and get to know that person really well. In this, he actually walks one through that process. I stopped to write this but he's now moved on to creating a world and I think it's gonna be Narn.

[Jan]

The narrator for JMS' upcoming "Becoming A Writer, Staying A Writer" came on to Twitter and in his exchange with JMS a minor disaster regarding footnotes was averted!

https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1390091416454385664

[Jan]

Goodreads has a giveaway for "Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...aying-a-writer

Note that it ends right about the time that the book comes out on June 1. Note: It seems to be US only and you'll want to use a full browser as it doesn't seem to show up when you look for it on your phone.

[Jan]

Got this notice regarding the Kindvle version of "Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer". Generally this seems to happen when there's a delay of some sort. The e-book can still be pre-ordered via BenBella Books so it's *definitely* not cancelled.


Here's JMS' comment on it after investigating

[Jan]

Here's a good podcast focusing on the writing book and writing in general.

https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/j-michael-straczynski-on-becoming-a-writer-staying-a-writer/