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William M. Akers

@ProfAkers

Lifetime WGA screenwriter. Author, Your Screenplay Sucks! and Mrs. Ravenbach's Way. Script consultant. Teacher.

 Nashville, TN
keytostorytelling.com
Joined February 2015
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Photo by William M. Akers (@ProfAkers)Photo by William M. Akers (@ProfAkers)Photo by William M. Akers (@ProfAkers)Photo by William M. Akers (@ProfAkers)Photo by William M. Akers (@ProfAkers)Photo by William M. Akers (@ProfAkers)
Casting is Everything yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Casting is Everything

Casting is Everything

Casting is everything. Cast your movie right, your troubles are mostly over. Don’t take the time to find the perfect actor, everything after casting will be a waste of time. For you…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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Hello there! Starting afresh! Happy to be back in the Twitter saddle. Pay a visit to my Instagram @keytostorytelling
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Do NOTHING that might confuse your reader! yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Do NOTHING that might confuse your reader!

Do NOTHING that might confuse your reader!

Like, f’rinstance: character names! Bob and Todd. Sally and Sarah. Virginia and Veronica. Sauron and Saruman!! Here’s an image that’s intensely confusing — a map showing the…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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“Start” is a 7 Deadly Sin Word for a Good Reason yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
“Start” is a 7 Deadly Sin Word for a Good Reason

“Start” is a 7 Deadly Sin Word for a Good Reason

The 7 Deadly Sins list (See Handouts! Free!) is a picky little thing. Ignore at your peril, gentle reader. Profit from this wee excerpt from the superb The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes by multiple-…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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F for Spell Check – Parents Night yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
F for Spell Check – Parents Night

F for Spell Check – Parents Night

When I first started writing, I used a typewriter. If you made a mistake, you could correct it while the page was still in the typewriter. If you pulled it out and then found a mistake, you had to …

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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Michael Wiese changed my life yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Michael Wiese changed my life

Michael Wiese changed my life

In 2008, Michael Wiese agreed to publish my book. At the time, I had no idea how much Your Screenplay Sucks! would change my life. Michael died last week at his home in England. This blog…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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It Takes Two Things yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
It Takes Two Things

It Takes Two Things

To be a good writer, you must do two things. 1.) Master the craft. 2.) Have something to say. That’s it! End of lesson. No really, that’s it. Like Ferris Bueller at the end of the movie…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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Just read The Cat In the Hat. Thought of you and your writing! yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
The Cat In The Hat teaches You Story Structure!

The Cat In The Hat teaches You Story Structure!

Story structure is story structure. What works has worked for a long, long time. Even children’s books have a hero with a problem, an Inciting Incident, Act breaks, a Midpoint, and an All is …

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
The WOLVES “3 Reads” Rewriting Rule yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
The WOLVES “3 Reads” Rewriting Rule

The WOLVES “3 Reads” Rewriting Rule

When I was rewriting my first script, THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE, I had next to no idea what I was doing. There was the draft, three hole punched, in a three ring binder… and I was strugg…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
Bury That Set Up! yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Bury That Set Up!

Bury That Set Up!

I’m enjoying Carry On, Jeeves, a collection of Bertie Wooster short stories by P.G. Wodehouse. “Without The Option” is one of the best. At the end, when Jeeves explains the sublim…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
Are You a Professional? yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Are You a Professional?

Are You a Professional?

Do you have an amateur’s point of view or a professional’s? One way to tell: “How do you react to notes?” A TV producer-director friend, who’s directed hundreds and hu…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
When To Start Your Story yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
When To Start Your Story

When To Start Your Story

Until you know your story’s precise timeframe, it’s a horrible idea to start writing. When does it begin? When does it end? As short an overall story-length as possible! Do not start wh…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
Isolate Character Scenes yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Isolate Character Scenes

Isolate Character Scenes

Try anything! Guess what?! It may help. A useful tool is isolating character relationships. “Why isolate character relationships and what the hey is it, anyway?” you ask. “Happy I…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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The Lego Sandwich: Everything Is Specific yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
The Lego Sandwich: Everything Is Specific

The Lego Sandwich: Everything Is Specific

When, for your dining enjoyment, a child hands you a sandwich made of Legos, it’s a superb idea to ask her what every single Lego block is. You’d better remember which is the patty, the…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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No Time for Wasted Words yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
No Time for Wasted Words

No Time for Wasted Words

Would you like to know a stupid expression with no use in the English language? Of course! “At this time.” It’s meaningless. “The voicemail box is full and is not accepting …

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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Dumped in Love = Rewriting! yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Dumped in Love = Rewriting!

Dumped in Love = Rewriting!

Once Upon A Time, did someone break up with you? Hurt like hell, didn’t it? Everything was terrible. Nothing worked. Life would never be the same. As Jon Stewart says, “Food no longer t…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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Saw HOUSE OF GUCCI. Why did they make this movie? Has two main characters, neither of which I liked.
Don’t Be a Show Off! BUT!! Remember What Your Characters Know! yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Don’t Be a Show Off! BUT!! Remember What Your Characters Know!

Don’t Be a Show Off! BUT!! Remember What Your Characters Know!

Here’s a dangerous double-edged sword. Welcome to writing! Research as eeeevil vs. research as crucial. Just because you learned something existed in 1921, don’t tell us to prove your r…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
Don’t Give Characters Numbers For Names yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
Don’t Give Characters Numbers For Names

Don’t Give Characters Numbers For Names

I was 100% dead certain this superduper learning experience was in my book. It’s not! Ooops. Beginning writers constantly (and irritatingly) give characters numbers instead of “names…

yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com
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The Hunter Thompson Writing Method yourscreenplaysucks.wordpres…
The Hunter Thompson Writing Method

The Hunter Thompson Writing Method

Learn about writing from famous people! Deep in this website is The Keith Richards Writing Method (dictate while falling asleep), an amazingly useful tool. It may have brought him an entire career,…

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