Script Magic : Subconscious Techniques to Conquer Writer's Block

Book Description

As any screenwriter knows, the pressures of pursuing the dream of landing that big script sale can be counter-productive to the writing process.

Customer Reviews:

Great for all types of writing.......2004-09-17

I bought the book because of the other reviews here. The book exceeded my expectations. Although there are some places where this book, subtitled "Subconscious Techniques to Conquer Writer's Block," were too touchy-feely, the other 95 per cent of the book really delivered practical advice.

I liked the author's recommendations for keeping a "Magic Book," a place to store all your critical creative work on your target writing. Although most of the author's examples reference stories for TV and movies, her recommendations really fit nearly any type of creative writing. The author tells you about the contents of the Magic Book and teaches you many ways to add to this repository of creative thinking.

This book allows you to organize and focus your creative thinking directly onto your story.

Unfortunately, there are too many techniques to list here. The author is particularly good on finding and developing initial story ideas.

Even though the book is targeted to screenwriting, I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to write creatively.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

Great Lessons and Realistic Examples.......2004-04-10

D'Vari's book offers excellent techniques to jump start one's creativity. She has spent years in Hollywood and her lessons, as well as her examples, are rooted in realism. The film examples (Fatal Attraction, Pretty Woman) represent some of Hollywood's greatest hits and deserve to be taught.

Great Lessons-Bad Examples.......2003-11-29

This book is a treasure chest full of great and exiting ways to unleash creativity and make great scripts. This book has helped me in many ways and has had a strong impact on how I look at writing. I do object, however, to the examples of other films used to back up what is being taught. These examples leave a bad tast in my mouth because they deal with many ungodly, immoral issues that should not be mentioned at all. The film industry is a powerful force in our nation. By filling it with immoral acts what do you think will be the result? These films should never be used for examples, be wary! This book has a great lesson but I do think the examples could have been different.

It rocks!.......2000-10-07

Hi, I'm a screenwriter, story consultant, and former studio executive and I have found Script Magic helpful and entertaining. I'm at a place in my writing where I need lots of creative stimulus and the exercises and the breezy writing style were right for me. Sometimes you have to trick yourself into avoiding cliches or into opening up the deeper, truer sources of good work, and the book was good at giving some concrete ways to do that. This will become a classic for screenwriters but the creative way of thinking about writing will be useful for any form of storytelling. There's also a lot of practical info about the business end and some common sense about how you integrate writing into your life. It's worth reading just to shake yourself up!

Fresh and Fun.......2000-09-22

"Script Magic" is an amazingly fun and easy way to let your creativity run free. After reading and trying Marisa D'Vari's techniques you'll be chomping at the bit to put pen to paper or fingers on keys. I recently sold a screenplay and became a member of the Writers Guild. I wish I had this book a year ago, I'd have probably sold three by now. You'll never think about writing the same way again.

Script Magic : Subconscious Techniques to Conquer Writer's Block

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Script Magic : Subconscious Techniques to Conquer Writer's Block
Marisa D'Vari
Manufacturer: Michael Wiese Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MC1QR2

Customer Reviews:

The adventures of Lennon-McCartney as told by a Quarryman.......1999-02-09

I've always been interested in the Beatles early days so this book was a must. Fellow (Quarrymen)bandmate Len Gerry does a good job documenting the first gigs, run-ins with Teddy Boy gangs, and the significance of Penny Lane. I could have done with less of Garry's personal biography, but I mourned along with him as he told of the loss of his friend John Lennon.

Miners, quarrymen, and saltworkers (History workshop series)

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Miners, quarrymen, and saltworkers (History workshop series)

Manufacturer: Routledge & K. Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0710083548

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Miners, quarrymen, and saltworkers (History workshop series)

Manufacturer: Routledge & K. Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 071008353X

North Wales Quarrymen (University of Wales Press - Studies in Welsh History)

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North Wales Quarrymen (University of Wales Press - Studies in Welsh History)
R. Merfyn Jones
Manufacturer: University of Wales Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Industrial | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Wales | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Labor & Industrial Relations | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0708308295

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Fascinating and fun
The Pre-Fabs

The Quarrymen
Hunter Davies
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me

ASIN: 071198526X

Book Description

Author and journalist Hunter Davies traces the fortunes of the Quarrymen, the 6-man skiffle group formed by the young John Lennon in the 1950s. The group later took on Paul McCartney and then George Harrison, leading into the creation of the legendary Beatles. Davies reveals the personal histories and facts surrounding Lennon's original group and how their lives have evolved since that monumental time in musical history. Includes rare photos!

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating and fun.......2002-05-15

Hunter Davies doesn't take the Beatles phenomenon nearly as seriously as most writers, despite the fact that he wrote the only authorized biography of the Fab Four back in the 60s. This book is part biography and part personal memoir by Davies (recalling the times and some of the fibs surrounding the Beatles).

The Quarrymen were John Lennon's skiffle band, the group Paul McCartney went to see on July 6, 1957 (when he first met John) and that Paul and George subsequently joined, which changed everyone's life forever. The book focuses on the original Quarrymen (Rod Davis, Len Garry, Eric Griffiths, Collin Hanton, Pete Shotton and John Lennon) and follows them through to their "reunion" minus John in the 1990s. It is principally interesting for (1) placing the Beatles' phenomenon in the context of the place and times, and (2) illustrating the amount of hysteria that continues to cling to the Beatles' legacy to this day. It is NOT a prequel to Davies' Beatles book, nor is it "essential reading," but it is definitely fun.

Plus, it's interesting to look at the Beatles' vague memories of the Quarrymen in Davies' Beatles book and then to compare those with the vivid memories that the Quarrymen themselves have of their close brush with fame (including the fact that they couldn't afford to have a tape made of their 1958 record (which everyone except Quarryman Duff Lowe, who had it, had forgotten about) -- it cost about one pound more than they could scrape up between them!).

The Pre-Fabs.......2002-04-02

Anyone who has ever read Hunter Davies' authorized 1968 biography of The Beatles (-and it's worth noting that its 1996 revised edition contains many very good pages of added preface, additional writing on 1968-1996, and appendices-) knows that he is a good writer, not just another silly fan writing another Beatles book. The Quarrymen is the story of John Lennon's first band told with interviews with all of the other musicians as we follow their lives, as well as those of John and later Quarrymen Paul and George, over the many years. The regrouped Quarrymen were quite the rage at 90's Beatles conventions around the world and the book tells that tale too. Normal Liverpudlian blokes whose lives were brushed by fame and passed by all those years ago. Only Pete Shotton, Lennon's best friend from childhood, kept up with the Beatles over the Fab years and this too adds entertainment to his life story. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern to the Fabs, normal folk with normal lives, who just happened to play in Lennon's skiffle band. A fun read for any fan.

English Rock Terms Chiefly Used By Miners and Quarrymen

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English Rock Terms Chiefly Used By Miners and Quarrymen
W J Arkell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KN0ZWA

English rock terms: Chiefly as used by miners and quarrymen (University of Durham publications)

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English rock terms: Chiefly as used by miners and quarrymen (University of Durham publications)
William Joscelyn Arkell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Miners, Quarrymen & Saltworkers

Manufacturer: Routledge & Kegan Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H629GU

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MINERS, QUARRYMEN AND SALTWORKERS.
Raphael. Edited by. Samuel
Manufacturer: Routledge & Kegan Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQQ6D8

The North Wales Quarry Hospitals and the Health and Welfare of the Quarrymen

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The North Wales Quarry Hospitals and the Health and Welfare of the Quarrymen
Edward Davies
Manufacturer: Gwynedd Archives Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Health Care Delivery | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Oil & Energy | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0901337838

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Chess's Cultural Cachet

milestone

Well-researched and interesting history of Soviet Chess

A fascinating look at chess history

Soviet Chess 1917-1991
Andrew Soltis
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Russia | History | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Mastering the Chess Openings: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Modern Chess Openings, Volume 1

Garry Kasparov's Greatest Chess Games, Vol. 2

ASIN: 0786406763

Product Description

This large and magnificent work of art is both an interpretive history of Soviet chess from the Bolshevik Revolution to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 and a record of the most interesting games played. The text traces the phenomenal growth of chess from the days of the revolution to the devastation of World War II, and then from the Golden Age of Soviet-dominated chess in the 1950s to the challenge of Bobby Fischer and the quest to find his Soviet match. Included are 249 games, each with a diagram; most are annotated and many have never before been published outside the Soviet Union. The text is augmented by photographs and includes 63 tournament and match scoretables. Also included are a bibliography, an appendix of records achieved in Soviet national championships, two indexes of openings, and an index of players and opponents.

Customer Reviews:

Chess's Cultural Cachet .......2006-05-08

This is a fascinating account of the Soviet (chess) compound. Whether you be an academic or an avid chess player, this book will suit you well. Complete with annotated games and extensive Soviet history, Soltis' scholarship is superb. Sovietologists will likely find themselves in uncharted but important territory.

Those who have read 'Bobby Fischer Goes to War' will recognize this as Edmond & Eidinow's main source. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this work is its politically unbiased nature.

Best read with a board, pen, and notebook.

milestone.......2001-07-07

Soltis and Mcfarland realized a great work. Soviet chess is an historical topic of absolute interest for chess players and not. Soltis keeps a good balance between historical/anecdotical facts and chess facts. the price is high but correct: hardcover, good paper, many photopgraphs.

Well-researched and interesting history of Soviet Chess.......2001-05-21

GM Soltis has produced a fine work here, just like his biography of Frank Marshall, as well as his 70s book "The Younger Soviet School of Chess" (more than can be said for his opening books alas). He covers chess in the Soviet Union from the October Revolution to the Union's demise.

Soltis covers the inauspicious beginnings of Soviet chess, largely due to the whims of Krylenko, the much feared Soviet prosecutor. There were bad setbacks at first, particularly the defections of Alekhine and Bogolyubov, the outclassing of the leading Russians (albeit of a pre-revolonary generation) by the best Westerners at the great Moscow 1925 tournament (of course, apart from the soon-to-defect Bogolyubov), to the rise of Botvinnik to world class.

By the end of WW2, Soviet strength had grown enormously, but was almost unknown in the West. The West realized it soon enough with the Soviets' drubbing of the USA team, victors in the four previous Olympiad. Then Botvinnik convincingly captured the World Title, and the Soviets held it ever since apart from the three-year reign of Fischer.

Soltis also covers the horrors of Communist Russia, showing that even chessmasters were not immune from Stalin's paranoia. Even Krylenko met the fate he had handed out to so many others. The "Great Patriotic War" also took a terrible toll, including Iljin Genevsky, and Romanovsky's first wife and all their daughters. Soltis speculates on the effects of the Soviet oppression on the character of many of its grandmasters.

There is a good collection of lightly annotated games, many unknown but still high quality. At the end, there's even a guide to pronouncing Russian names, which may surprise many, but on the ones I've heard pronounced by native Russian speakers, Soltis provides an accurate guide as far as is possible with the Latin alphabet.

A fascinating look at chess history.......2000-06-05

This book offers a fascinating historical account of chess in the Soviet Union. While it does contain lots of game scores with light annotations by the author, the book is more historical than instructional. The book gives a detailed account of the evolution of Soviet chess from the basement of a small house in Moscow just after the revolution, to a national fascination that would dominate the world scene. All throughout the book there is a strong emphasis on the connection between chess and politics in the USSR. A great read for history buffs.

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Soviet Chess: 1917-1991

Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HX7G70

Book Description

Legendary coach Vince Lombardi—loved by some, feared by others, but respected by all—was first and foremost a winner. Now, his son, Vince Lombardi Jr., reveals the bedrock principles behind his father’s legendary methods and explores the fundamental leadership qualities—character, mental toughness, and integrity—that Lombardi considered essential for success.

Download Description

In this inspiring book, Vince Lombardi, Jr. explores his father's leadership philosophy, and extracts powerful lessons about what it takes to be an effective leader.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2007-07-27

Vince Lombardi Jr. brings to the forefront his father's winning formula for success in leadership and everyday life. While many examples are spoken of in terms of football, the key elements that are always there is teamwork, teambuilding and producing results. This book will benefit anyone who wants to raise the bar in their personal or professional life. I particularly liked the reoccurring idea of running the drill over and over again until it becomes second nature. I also liked how Lombardi never discriminated against anyone but everyone was judged on their ability to produce results. Lombardi also brings to the forefront that the leader's job is never secure he or she must always keep producing results.

Last but not least, he talks in length about rejuvinating activities that can help one stay focused.

It's amazing that no matter how far advanced we get socially and technologically, the core of it all are the basic fundamental principles that our parents and grandparents taught us; Dedication, Hard Work, Loyalty and Honor.

In today's society where everything fundamental is under brutal attack, it's nice to read a book to where good, wholesome principles are once again proven to be the best way to success.

Great Book About Ethics.......2007-05-07

Like every book about leadership, you take what you think applies and leave the rest, but this book truly speaks about the ethics and moral values that people forget. Lombardi Jr. uses his father's words to illustrate that he believed that hard work and sacrifice are the ways to success. If you admired Lombardi and his style of leadership I think you will find this book very interesting.

Beware of what you are buying.......2006-09-17

This is not a reflection on the book itself, it is on the confusing information being presented. YOU MAY NOT BE BUYING THE FULL SIZE BOOK. I expected to get the full size 278 page book advertized. Instead I received a 109 page large print 2" X 2" miniature. The advertising on Amazon's page isn't very clear so be sure to ask the seller what you will get before you purchase.

A Keeper.......2005-03-07

To be honest, it's been a while since I've read this book, so I don't remember all the details . . . . Nonetheless, it seems that "What it Takes" is an accurate and exciting portrayal of Vince Lombardi and the reasons behind his success.

Even Teens will learn from this.......2002-10-30

I am 16 years old and I play on my high schools varsity baseball team. I feel this book has helped my outlook on my sports career, because some of his quotes are so true. Everytime I wake up at 5:30 to weightlift before school I remind myself "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." Just reading this book made me realize what it really takes to be #1. You can't be a sissy, you have to work for what you want. Any athlete who needs something to motivate them should read this book.

What It Takes to Be # 1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership

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What It Takes to Be # 1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership
Vince Jr. Lombardi
Manufacturer: McGraw- Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O01BKE

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What It Takes to Be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership
Vince Jr. Lombardi
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFNMZQ

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