Authoring & Playwriting

This is powerful, Joyce. Writing from real emotions always resonates deeper with readers. How did you balance the fantasy elements with the personal grief in the story?

Thank you, Wahab. I appreciate that. For me, the fantasy was never there to overshadow the grief—it was there to explore it. Creating an unexpected version of Heaven gave me a way to ask questions about loss, friendship, redemption, and hope that would have been much harder to tell in a purely realistic setting. The emotions are grounded in real experiences, while the fantasy allowed me to explore those emotions on a much larger canvas.

I feel this so much, and admittedly it’s why I’m incredibly nervous at the idea of sharing my first screenplay Marisol and Mezzaluna. Yes, it’s a pretty whimsical story with heavy doses of surrealism but the psychological aspect means I couldn’t not at least touch on mental illness. So as a result it’s quite personal and vulnerable ^^;

When I wrote my first novel, I was honestly afraid to share it. Not because the story was too personal, but because writing it forced me to face parts of my past and my country that are heavy and uncomfortable. I didn’t know how people would react, and I wasn’t even sure if I had the right to tell it. But I finished it because the story wouldn’t leave me alone — some stories just refuse to stay quiet. Looking back, I’m glad I wrote it. The fear didn’t hurt the book; it made it honest. I’m not a native English speaker, so my language isn’t perfect, but I try to say things clearly and sincerely.

My first traditionally published nove. Bobby's Socks.

The story is about the epi genetic link between child sexual abuse and young adult suicide.

Hi, great question. I don't think I was actually scared to tell the story, more avoided it because I didn't think I needed to be spotlighted and I should tell other people's stories. With my fun, crazy childhood, I knew it was interesting - so finally I did write a feature. In fact, it's due for a rewrite!

The stories that scare me the most to tell are the ones behind this chair—the journey, the mistakes, and the quiet moments that turned me into Jamez T.

The stories that scare me the most aren’t the ones with monsters or plot twists—they’re the ones that look like this photo.

Rooms like this hold a lot of truth: the grind, the pressure, the moments that almost broke me, and the people who saw me before the title on the back of the chair. To really tell those stories would mean being honest about the sacrifices, the doubts, and the versions of myself I had to leave behind to become “Jamez T.”

I’ve slipped pieces of those truths into my work, but rarely name them outright. Still, I’ve learned the projects that hit the hardest usually come from the parts of my life I’m least comfortable sharing. I’m still figuring out how far I’m willing to go on the page—but I know those are the stories that matter.

In my early writing days, I questioned everything — my ability, my vision, even my voice. I used a pen name because it felt safer than failing under my real one.

I had a tiny, short screenplay — just two scenes — that I abandoned. It sat for years, gathering dust and a bit of embarrassment. Then I pulled it out again, and four days later it was finished. The voice, the vision, the quirky humor — all still there. That back‑burner idea became Six Degrees of Ted, and I’m so glad I finally completed it. It’s getting seen, appreciated, and gaining momentum.

What makes me happiest is imagining it someday becoming a film that gives people the gift of laughter — that small, bright moment when a story lifts a little weight off someone’s shoulders. That’s the joy I want to share.

Samantha Rivera When I sell my first screenplay, I'll let you know.

Tim Mace especially as they always seem to want a pdf anyway, so may not even know what software creaetd it.

Philip Sedgwick, are you saying I have to adapt my only other novel into a screenplay quickly before they bring out the next version? I've adapted the first one already with FD13. Do they actually force us to upgrade? How expensive is it usually?

Tim Mace Final Draft really is the way to go. It's the industry standard and they have so many cool tools built in, including outlining features. Highly recommend.

I've been using Beat. I don't have much to compare it to, I tried Fade In but Beat seemed a little more straightforward. Previously I was using... Apple Notes. Moving huge chunks of dialogue around with copy and paste. I'm trying not to put the cart before the horse and actually have a product before I purchase Final Draft. I still like TextEdit or UpNote for jotting things down/doing some stream of consciousness to work things out.

Congratulations on everything you've accomplished as an indie author. Self-publishing several books is already a significant achievement, and it's exciting to see you're ready to explore the traditional publishing path. Building a strong platform while continuing to write is one of the best ways to attract the attention of agents and publishers.

I'd also recommend making sure each manuscript is as polished as possible before querying. A professionally edited manuscript and a strong submission package can make a real difference when approaching literary agents or publishers.

Are you mainly looking to publish your books traditionally, or are you also hoping to find representation for your screenplays? I'd be happy to share any insights or resources that might help if I can.

The best place to start is ‘The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2026’. Also subscribe to the website ‘Authors Publish’ - it’s free with daily lists of opportunities and companies for publishing all sorts including books. It has links to publishers. ALWAYS read what the individual publisher is looking for and follow their individual rules - each publisher may differ - only give them what they ask for.

He R.L. Canupp, congrats on getting your work out into the world! I work as a full-time book coach and have ties in traditional publishing. Querying previously published material really only works IF you have great sales numbers to pique an agent/publisher's interest. Otherwise, you're better of focusing on marketing what you've already got out there and querying NEW projects. Check out the book "Get Signed" by Lucinda Halpern and the podcast "The Shit No One Tells You About Writing."

"Writer's block" is a convenient term employed rather liberally. My first paid writing position came when I was 25 working for a TV station in San Diego and hired to produce all on-air promotions and commercials. I was given 2 1/2 days to complete the work weekly for material that had a shelf life of maybe 5 days. Writing for newspapers and magazines had hard deadlines. Writing, producing and directing commercials for clients like Jack-in-the-Box, GMC and Ford trucks, San Diego Zoo, May Co and Taco Bell all had hard deadlines Working as a script analyst at Disney Studios taught me tell the story in 2 sentences. I was expected to complete reports on a minimum of two dozen scripts a week. Writing is not an easy job. That is why they call it work. Writer's block is a convenient term that has been employed by way too many who either don't care to do the work or lack the skills to step up to the plate when it is necessary.

Challenge Meta AI to write something about your writer's block. That should piss you off enough to jumpstart your creative engine.

All this advice—like “take a week off,” “rest so your brain can relax,” “take your mind off things,” or “listen to psychologists”—doesn’t always work.

There’s one old, tried-and-true method. Grab a shovel and go dig a hole—one meter by one meter and one meter deep. As you dig, your head clears, your thoughts fall into place, and many problems no longer seem so complicated. Sometimes the best way to reset isn’t another piece of advice, but simple physical labor

But if you need some, I have plenty of ideas

Go to an interesting place with a lot of activity. Airports are good for this, especially if you can watch the planes land and take off. Very inspirational to see lives moving about and going places in transit.

Lauren Hackney - Just messaged you! Let me know when you want to chat. Happy to help!

An excellent tool to use at agencies that use it.

I've used it quite a lot being on both sides of the industry - both submitting and publishing. I find it is efficient and many industry professionals use it properly. Sometimes there are wait times for a response but in this industry it's common to get no response anyway. Good luck with your submissions!

I forgot about QueryTracker lol. I rather liked it when I was still writing novels.

As a crime thriller reader, I say, I would prefer one large book. I don't see why you couldn't divide the novel into volumes inside. I have read books that are divided into parts.

Yes, you can do this type of format, works best for Kindle and other e-readers. Then when the story is completed you can offer a full book broken down by the individual sections.

Stephen King kinda did that with The Green Mile. So why not?

Hey Muzafar Batyrkhodzhaev this can be a tough strategy to get away with unless you've already got an audience who is accustomed to the serialized style. That said, if each volume has its own arc, climax, and ending like you said, then it's definitely worth trying. What readers don't like is feeling like they've been left in the lurch, but sounds like that's not the case. In that case, it sounds like a solid ebook strategy, especially if you use tools like BookFunnel to give away early volumes for free or low-cost to build up your audience.

Lauren Hackney I have several children's books but haven't had time to think about illustrating or publishing! I need to talk to you!

Private message me and we can set up a meeting

That's a useful breakdown, and the 32 page rule and the 50/50 royalty split are details many authors don't find out until they're already signing the contract. Have you ever seen a writer successfully push back on the lack of artist choice, or is that simply a non-negotiable part of the standard deal?

Samantha Rivera In my experience I haven't seen many authors push back however some suggest illustrators when submitting. Thanks for commenting Samantha :)