Title Excerpt Author Date Total Comments Recent Comment
The Fame Game I’m in college learning how to write movies and I was wondering how long it takes someone to become a famous screenwriter? Holden B., Blueface, NH Dear Holden, Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… ha… wheeze… choke… ha ha. No, you deserve a better answer than that. Ha ha… Jeffery Stevenson 05/04/09 1 07/04/09
Agent Season I'm an aspiring writer with lots of potential, but I can't seem to find an agent that will talk to me. Is there any foolproof way of getting an agent to speak to me? Joey Desperrit, Neucleu, VT Dear Joey, Finding an agent is easy.  They're listed everywhere, but getting… Jeffery Stevenson 03/30/09 0
To Know or Not To Know Is it true that "it’s not what you know, but who you know" that’ll get you a shot at breaking in? Albert E., Princeton, NJ Dear Albert, We’re serious about getting proper answers for your questions here at The Creative Adviser, so we went all out and set up a… Jeffery Stevenson 03/22/09 0
A Monopoly in Hollywood Michael Bay producing Ouija?  Ridley Scott on Monopoly?  Are Hasbro games going Hollywood? Jeffery Stevenson 02/21/08 0
Akira: Who’s That Writer? The popular anime Akira is getting the live action treatment, but… who’s that guy writing it? Jeffery Stevenson 02/21/08 0
Striking Propositions So what options do I have as a new writer while the Writer's Guild is on strike? Hauss P., Scabsville, PA Dear Hauss, A strike seems so black-and-white, doesn't it? Stand strong with your writer brethren in the picket lines or... cross the line to pick up a little money… Jeffery Stevenson 12/07/07 0
Contested Conspiracy Can I really get my screenwriting career started by competing in contests? Competence N., Taylorville, IL Dear Competence, Ahh, the contest. The everyday person's shot at fame and riches. A chance to be noticed by the Hollywood playmakers. A chance to hop on board the money train and party with… Jeffery Stevenson 11/15/07 0
New Movie Musings Quick thoughts on this week’s new releases... Jeffery Stevenson 09/28/07 0
Midweek Movie Minutiae A little taste of movie goodies for your consumption... Jeffery Stevenson 09/26/07 0
Good Luck Waffles Chuck used to have some butter fingers... Jeffery Stevenson 09/25/07 0
Routh-less, Bale-free Justice League And the big screen Justice League of America has a director... Jeffery Stevenson 09/20/07 0
Beowulfy Beowulf has a new trailer... Jeffery Stevenson 09/20/07 0
New Movie Musings Quick thoughts on this week's new releases... Jeffery Stevenson 09/19/07 0
It’s Bionic Bionic Woman hype looks like it's carrying over... Jeffery Stevenson 09/14/07 0
Trailer Full of Dragons Equals… The Dragon Wars trailers remind me of some other movies... Jeffery Stevenson 09/13/07 0
The Morning Movies Minute A quick rundown of some recent movie-related news... Jeffery Stevenson 09/12/07 0
Tron Remake on the Run Disney in final negotiations with a director for the Tron remake... Jeffery Stevenson 09/11/07 0
‘Dragon’ Is Better Than ‘Knock Stuff Over’ Wars Actor Craig Robinson (Dragon Wars) has an opinion about disaster movies... Jeffery Stevenson 09/11/07 0
Return of Drop Dead…Wait a Minnit This movie remake caught me off guard... Jeffery Stevenson 09/10/07 0
Jet Skating Playboy of Iron (trailer) It's the trailer for Marvel's Irony Manatee... no, wait... it's... Jeffery Stevenson 09/10/07 0
Act Out Your Career As an actor waiting to hit the right audition at the right time, I'm working temp jobs to pay the bills. I was thinking of finding a better job to cover the rent and help with my acting career. Maybe some grunt work at a Hollywood studio or something like… Jeffery Stevenson 07/18/07 0
Reader, My Writer How can a wannabe writer be a script reader for a studio when they don't even know what they're doing yet? Jimmy O., Dying, VA Dear Jimmy, You're absolutely right. There's no way a no-talent, nobody writer should be providing coverage for high-powered Hollywood studios. There should be a law… Jeffery Stevenson 06/26/07 0
The Failure Principle I'd like to know how famous writers like William Goldman, Stephen King, and Joss Whedon got their big break. Ya know, learn by example and see how the famous writers did it. Josh Joshington, Turnpike, NJ There's a saying out there when it comes to breaking in... "if you find… Jeffery Stevenson 06/12/07 0
Testy Testy I was flipping through the TV channels after my mom grounded me from playing games on my Xbox360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, cell phone, and the computer, and I caught a special about video game testing. They were having a blast! How can I do that for a living?… Jeffery Stevenson 02/20/07 0
Artsy Fartsy If all I want to do is write comic books and not draw them, why does everyone tell me I need an artist to show what I can do as a writer? Francois-Marie Arouet V., Paris, TX Dear Francois-Marie, That's totally a myth! And to prove it, I've drugged dragged… Jeffery Stevenson 01/09/07 0
Superfabulicious 5-Step Diet I'm a prose writer, can I make the transition to screenwriting? Anne R., Lobster Bay, Maine Dear Anne, With resolutions flying about like spitballs in a school cafeteria, it's the perfect time of the year for a question like this. And why's that? It's the diet time of year, and… Jeffery Stevenson 01/03/07 3 11/05/09
Gatekeepers It seems like everyone in Hollywood is against me and trying to keep me out. How do I get past all the industry "gatekeepers"? Wiley C., Tuscon, AZ Dear Wiley, You really wanna get past the people keeping you from who you need to know? Get yourself a copy of… Jeffery Stevenson 12/19/06 1 08/22/09
Young Blood I'm sick of seeing the same old things hashed out over-and-over again. Why don't they bring some young blood into the industry to shake things up? Ollie J., Orlando, FL Dear Ollie, Who says the industries aren't bringing in youth to recharge the entertainment industry? One of my friends recently… Jeffery Stevenson 11/28/06 0
Talent Spoken Why do I have to jump through all these hoops when my talent speaks for itself?! Roman P., Bridgeport, CT Dear Roman, I hear that a lot, and I've always been curious what Talent has to say about it. People always like to jump on the Talent bandwagon when they… Jeffery Stevenson 09/28/06 0
Books to Assist Your Writing Career I want to be a full-time writer someday. What books do you recommend to prepare for a career as a fiction writer? Ms. McConnell, Boulder, CO Dear Ms. McConnell, The following is a list of books that should be in every writer's personal library. They each deal with the challenges… Jeffery Stevenson 09/05/06 2 11/03/09
Clarity Queen Okay, so let me give you a little back story on this situation to lead into my question, so you'll have all the information available. I went to this conference last year in October, I think. No, it was definitely October because I remember talking with someone at the bar… Jeffery Stevenson 08/20/06 1 05/28/09
Friend and Foe I should be in the middle of a bidding war for my screenplay, but no one in Hollywood seems interested. Everyone I've shown my work to says it's the best thing they've ever read. Why can't I get a break? Chester P., Ickypuck, WI Dear Chester, Today's your lucky day.… Jeffery Stevenson 08/17/06 0
10 Tips For Getting Solicited All these companies keep saying "no unsolicited submissions" and I just want to know... how do you get a "solicited submission"? Vivian W., Hollywood, CA Dear Vivian, So, you want to get solicited? Well, I could give you the same old boring, dry explanations everyone else gives, but that just… Jeffery Stevenson 07/31/06 0
The Spec Slayer Why can't I write a TV spec sample using my favorite TV show that's been canceled? I just don't see why it has to be a current show. Marcie Ross, Sunnydale, CA Dear Marcie, Some might think it's just a big network conspiracy to make sure aspiring TV writers watch… Jeffery Stevenson 07/24/06 1 10/12/09
The Editorial Approach Well, it's that time of year again, so let's take a look at the question often asked by thousands of writers storming San Diego this weekend. How do I approach editors at cons? The following are The Creative Adviser's foolproof strategies for getting an editor's attention amidst San Diego distractions… Jeffery Stevenson 07/17/06 0
The SPCI I had the most original, never-before-seen idea ever, but someone else sold a project almost exactly like mine. Should I still pursue this idea or should I abandon it? Jeremiah R., Clone, NM Dear Jeremiah, Each year, thousands of ideas find themselves abandoned or neglected by overzealous creators unprepared to… Jeffery Stevenson 07/10/06 0
This Time, It’s Personal Why did the rejection letter I got back from my submission to a major comic publisher feel so impersonal?  I took the time to add personal touches to my submission… why can’t they do the same? Jay G., Central City, NE Dear Jay, We’ve all run into this scenario at… Jeffery Stevenson 07/03/06 0
Film School Rock Classics   If they can spend money making crap movies with worlds flooded over, Spice Girls and Bat-nipples, why aren’t they all over my script that’s better than half the junk out there? Tuddle Middleson - Attila, IL Dear Tuddle, Better than half?  You’re aiming way too low there.  Your script… Jeffery Stevenson 06/29/06 0
Agent Declassified Most artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, actors, and other mainstays of the creative industries start out their potential careers with the simplest of notions… to create.  They live the life of imagination, wonder, passion, and creativity, and at some point, a thought hits them.  “I could make a living doing this.” … Jeffery Stevenson 06/22/06 0