An Introduction to Screenwriting - Free Online Course

If you've ever wanted to learn about screenwriting, this free online course will interest you.

The University of East Anglia’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing (in the UK) have built this course with instructors and recent alumni from their famed course in Creative Writing.

The University of East Anglia is an internationally renowned university providing top quality academic, social and cultural facilities to over 15,000 students from over 100 countries around the globe.

This online course explores the key concepts and fundamental principles involved in the process of screenwriting.

Explore key issues in the practice of creating screenplays.

• Explain the basic principles of the screenwriting process
• Identify the essentials of the screenplay format
• Discuss the construction of a professional script
• Design a story 'pitch'

There are no formal requirements for this course, just an interest in screenwriting.

What topics will you cover?

• Basic characteristics of a screen story
• Development of a basic storyline
• Story structures including The Three Act Structure and alternate story structures
• Characters and developing character outlines
• The construction of scenes including the role of dialogue and character voice
• The workflow for writing a first draft of a feature film screenplay
• The process for screenplay formatting
• Writing – and finishing – a first draft

At the time of writing, this course was open for registration and immediate start.

Find out more and register now using the link below:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/screenwriting

Writing Updates and Other Interesting Things

It's not even the end of January yet and already this year is going great.

As you've probably seen in the news recently, here in Australia we've been having some horrendous bushfires which have been compounded by the fire crews not putting them out fast enough and instead issuing 'watch & wait' notices while the bush and the wild animals burn.

Thankfully, we're now having plenty of rain so most of the fires are out AND our land is green once again and the rivers are full. It's been a drought here for 6 months but it's certainly over now. Only last week I was down at the creek watching a poor little platypus turning over and over in the muddy water, unable to dive because the water had mostly dried up and the creek had become patchy puddles in amongst stretches of dried creek bed. I felt so sorry for the poor little thing (and platypus really are small).

But now it's been raining for days, and the platypus is happily diving deep for food again, and the land is burning no more, not that the fires came close to where I live anyway.

Also, thanks to the rain, the unbearably hot temperatures have dropped somewhat (but it's still hot because it's Summer), so all is well with the outside world again.

And on the writing front, here at chez Ruth Barringham, there are many changes afoot.

Firstly, I'm in the middle of writing my next book which is a novel. And I've been rocking on with it really well so I'm excited about finishing it soon.

I also have my web designer, aka my husband Dean, working away diligently in his study (and not swearing TOO much) redesigning my RuthIsWriting website. He's even changed the colours and the layout and has taken away everything that is not necessary.

And when he's finished, I'm going to begin a new subscriber list. I haven't done that for the past few years, but I have lots of plans for subscribers. It will be free to sign up so watch this space. I'll let you know when it's all online and ready to go.

I've also bought a new domain name. Well, actually, it's an old one that I found out was available again. It's a site called WorkAtHomAholic. I used to have this domain name years ago and now I have it back and I plan to use it as a website all about different ways to make money working from home.

I'm also still working my way through reading the amazing book by Eugene Schwartz called 'Breakthrough Advertising.' I've been trying to get through it for weeks but it's so good that I don't want to miss anything so I keep going back over and over parts I've already read. This is a book that is now difficult to get hold of, and when you do find it on places like Amazon, the price is ridiculously high.

And speaking of books, my latest one, Mission Critical For Life, is selling really well and it's available in hardback and as an ebook. It's a small book, a quick read, and packed with instantly usable information to help you transform your life. You can read it in one day and start making changes immediately.

I've also been working hard this past week restoring a dining table and four matching chairs. I've been busy sanding, varnishing and painting, and now it's finished and looks amazing. It's a fixer-up job I've been threatening to do for the last three years and I've finally done it, so it's one more thing I can tick off my to-do list.

And that is all for now.

So stay tuned for lots of up-and-coming books, websites, newsletters, and freebies.

There are plenty of things in store as my marvellous little monkey mind continues to work overtime and my fingers (which feel really rough at the moment from handing so much sandpaper) are glued to my keyboard.

:)

3 Simple Life-Changing Things

The other day I was reading about a copywriter who said he was asked to write the sales material for a self-help course that cost $1,500.

He spent time looking over all the course material and said that after reading all the information, it all boiled down into just 3 simple things:

- Get more sleep.

- Eat more vegetables.

- Find something you like to do in life and do that, whatever it is.

The first two are a given. Everyone knows to get plenty of sleep and to eat lots of vegetables.

It was the third one that got my attention because that is almost what my new book is all about.

But there's more than simply finding something you like to do. There are other factors involved in being able to enjoy your life and live it on your own terms.

And in my book, Mission Critical For Life, I tell you what you need to do to find your own mission in life, and how to do it.

And it will cost you a lot less than $1,500.

In fact, you can download the ebook for less than $10.

And buy a hardback copy too.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Life Saving Mission

I've been talking a lot lately about my new book, Mission Critical For Life.

And that's because, not only is it a great book and an absorbing read, having a mission can literally save your life.

Now I know that might sound over-the-top, but it's true.

You see having a mission gives you a purpose in life. It's productive and you enjoy it. And this has the knock-on effect of making you less needy of other people's time and attention when you have your mission always waiting for you.

Unproductive people who don't have a mission are always miserable. You can usually tell who they are because they have dirty homes, use drugs or alcohol, are lonely, depressed and lack confidence.

On the other hand, people with a mission are the exact opposite.

They don't need others at all (although others need them) and so they are never lonely, are happy, healthy, driven and confident.

And mostly, they really enjoy life and love what they do.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

I love this saying because it's true:

'Use absence to increase respect and honor' 
~ 48 Laws of Power

In fact, I like this saying so much that I used it in my new book, Mission Critical For Life.

When you start to get busy with your mission, it also makes you remove yourself from your social circle more. Being elusive (reclusive) makes you appear more valuable to others. People will want to spend time with you.

The opposite is true of chatty non-stop talkers who are always available. They are the least respected. People want to get away from them.

When those in your social circle start to see less of you, they place you in higher esteem. It's such a natural phenomenon.

And you don't even have to try because having a mission, naturally makes you absent from others more.

So no matter who they are, and no matter how they let you down, or how much they want to be with you, you can (and will) always have your mission to turn to.

And once you discover what that is, you'll be Mission Critical For Life.


https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Spend Time. Don't Fill It

What's the difference between spending time and filling time?

Filling (killing/wasting) time means you have nothing to do so you look for things to distract you while time passes by.

Spending time means doing what matters - to you. Something substantial that gives you an ROI.

What's surprising is that most people expect you to waste your time on things that they think you SHOULD be doing. This is just another form of bullying.

The proof that so many people are bored and looking for something to fill the time in their boring unfulfilled lives is all the passing bandwagons that people jump on. At the moment it's climate change.

Before that, it was the diminishing ozone layer, and before that, it was acid rain. Now they don't care about any of those things and instead think that burning coal is the issue.

There are always passing bandwagons for bored people to jump onto.

And they always think that they are experts. Yet they have nothing better to do with their lives except copy whatever others are doing. They are reactive. Never proactive.

Cafes and bars are always full of people filling their time gossiping and talking much without saying anything.

And while all this time-wasting is going on, there are others who are filling their time and their lives by pursuing their mission.

They don't have time for idle chit-chat and other time-killing activities.

They prioritise their mission and spend their time doing what they want to do. Something substantial that gives them an amazing ROI, including financial freedom, astounding self-confidence, and peace of mind.

This is Mission Critical For Life.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Why Do I Bother Getting Out of Bed?

A while back I was talking to a woman I know and I was saying how much it was raining when the alarm went off and it felt too cozy to get out of bed.

Note: it was REALLY a while back because we've been in a 6-month drought and are currently suffering through the Australian Bush Fires. :)

Anyway, she asked me an unusual question. She said, 'Why do you set the alarm every morning?'

I said, 'To get up every day.'

And she said, 'What for?'

I said, 'So that I don't miss the day.'

She then went on to say that she couldn't understand why anyone would set an alarm clock every night when they don't have a job to get up and go to in the morning.

I didn't know what to say. She then told me that she never sets an alarm and simply wakes up when she wakes up and if she doesn't want to get up straight away, she just reads a book till around lunchtime and then only gets up because she's hungry.

I was flabbergasted. I couldn't imagine my life being so tedious and boring that I wouldn't want to get out of bed every day.

Imagine having no reason at all to get out of bed?

That's where she and I are so different.

I have a mission. It's my writing and every day I look forward to doing it.

I look forward to getting up every single day and working on it.

My mission is the most constant thing in my life.

Even if I lost everything else, I'd still have my mission.

It's why I get out of bed each and every day.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Fed Up? It's Time to Steer Your Own Ship

The problem with life is that everyone thinks that your business is their business.

It can be tough. No one wants to say 'Mind your own business.'

But what if things could be different and you could take control of the reigns of your own life?

- Steer your own ship.

- Build self-esteem and self-confidence.

- Stop being reactive and start being pro-active.

- Make things happen.

- Put up boundaries and let no one overstep them.

- Do something that matters - to you.

- Be your kind of busy, not theirs.

Well, this is it.

It's time to do all of those things.

It's your time and no one else's.

What you do is none of their business, but they'll think it is, especially when you don't want to be around them much anymore.

You'll be too absorbed with your mission once you're Mission Critical For Life.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Have Self-esteem and Confidence Like You've Never Known Before

There are many ways to increase your self-esteem and to gain the confidence to do anything you want and be your true self.

One of the things that can help is to have financial independence.

This means having enough money so that you don't need your job or need anyone else's money.

Some people think that money isn't important. But it is.

It's the difference between needing a job and having a job. It's the difference between needing other people and being independent.

Can you imagine how freeing it would be to have enough money of your own to be able to quit your job if the demands got too much or if your boss started giving you a hard time? Most people work because they have to and worry that they might get fired. This causes a lot of stress.

But how easy would it be to go to work every day knowing that you don't NEED your job? You'd be able to relax at work or quit if you had to.

Eventually, you wouldn't have to work at all.

But how do you accumulate enough money to gain such financial freedom?

It all starts with one small step.

And once you're confident about your financial situation, you can then work on other ways to completely transform your life.

You can find out how to do and have it all in my latest book, Mission Critical For Life.

A short book. A quick read. Then get to work.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

Criminal Minds Mission

The other day I was watching a few episodes of the TV show Criminal Minds.

If you haven't seen it, not only are you missing out on a great show, it's all about a team of FBI agents who work at Quantico in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. What they do is they track down serial killers by profiling them from their behavior.

One of the agents is called Derek Morgan (played by Shamar Moore).

In the show, even though Derek, along with his other profiling teammates, work exceptionally long hours (often flying interstate and taking their 'go bags' along with them because it involves staying for a night or two), he manages to spend time working on his mission on his few days off.

His mission is restoring houses and renting them. He's been doing it for years and has quite a few houses in his portfolio, all of them looking quite immaculate.

And it's his mission that finally enables him to quit the team when the going got too much for him after he was kidnapped and tortured.

Because of his houses and the rental income he gains from them, he's able to quit his high-paying job and still be financially secure and never needs to work again. He even moves into one of his own houses so he doesn't even have to worry about paying a mortgage.

And this is how having a mission can improve your life.

You don't have to restore houses. Your mission can be anything you want it to be.

And in my new book, Mission Critical For Life, I show you how to discover your own mission and how to use it to transform your life socially, financially, and personally.

All in 10 easy steps that I layout for you in a step-by-step process to follow.

It's a small book and easy to read so that you can get going fast.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCFL.html

10 Steps to Transforming Your Life

This month my latest book, Mission Critical For Life has been published and it's available as a hardback book and an ebook.

And it's all about transforming your life in every way (even getting more writing done than you ever thought possible) in just 10 simple steps.

The best thing about it is that you can start straight away.

As soon as you start to implement these 10 easy steps, you'll instantly go from bored and needy to confident and living a life that's fulfilling.

You'll no longer need other people or their opinions or their unwanted advice.

And all it takes is to discover your life mission.

What sort of mission is completely up to you.

But once you have it, no matter what happens, or whenever things become too much to deal with, you can go home, ignore everyone and work on your mission.

I know that it seems hard to believe right now, but once you start the process of working through the 10 simple steps, your life will be transformed.

You'll have more money and the confidence to finally start living life on your terms.

And it all starts right now by clicking the link below.

https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/MCFL.html

The Lazy Man’s Way to Writing More

Before we get into the subject of writing more, let me be clear that when I say ‘lazy man’s way to writing more’ and also mean ‘lazy woman.’ I know that seems obvious, but there are always a few who don’t seem to get simple things like that.

Anyway, what’s really important is writing more and not needing more time to write.

Because, let’s face it, no one wants to work any more than they need to.

But if you love to write, then it never feels like work. Writing should be something that you enjoy.

It should be fun.

That way, no matter how much time you have, you’ll always be able to write more.

Yet even for the most prolific writers, writing can sometimes seem like a struggle if it goes on for too long in one sitting.

That’s why I like to use a timer.

I set it for one Pomodoro (25 minutes) or for a Gene Schwartz 33.33 minutes, or for 45 to 60 minutes (my own choice) depending on what I’m writing and how long and complicated it is.

For short articles, I only set it for 15 minutes.

Working this way makes me focus more because when I know my time is limited, I’ve got no time to waste.

And strangely, writing this way is easier and faster. I’ve heard that it’s because it engages the subconscious brain more.

Try timed writing and see how it can help you too.


Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/15.html

Why The Usual Advice About Time Management is Wrong

It’s usually around this time of year (New Year) that the usual pieces of advice come out about managing your time better so that you can write more.

And if you’re anything like me, you not only actively look for this type of advice, but you read it all and drink up all the information.

But I usually find that everything I read gives the same advice:

write out a daily to-do list
do less wasteful things
get more done in less time

Sadly, although well-meaning, none of these things will help you write more. They may help for a while, but ultimately, nothing will change.

So what will help?

If you want to write more, then there’s only one thing you can do that will help you.

Write more.

Simply that.

There is nothing in the whole world that can ‘help’ you to get more writing done.

You just have to write more.

When you’re not writing, no writing gets done.

So how can you find the time and the motivation to spend more time writing?

The remedy is to know what you want to write and then do it.

It’s best to have a simple system that you can use repeatedly so that whenever you get a great idea, you can sit down and get to work on it immediately.

So if you want to write a book you can sit and write a book.

And you’ll always be writing more.

7 Day eBook Writing and Publishing System
Want to be a published author by this time next week?
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/7day.html

Make Writing Fun and You’ll Do It More

A few days ago I wrote a blog post called ‘It’s Not What You Say, It’s the Way You Say It.’

This post was all about how prolific novelist, Dean Wesley Smith, says that writing should be fun. This post even included a short video about it.

In the video, he says that you shouldn’t take writing too seriously, and instead just enjoy doing it.

And he’s right.

I find that when I try and write something that I don’t enjoy (like when I write because I think I should or because I think it’s something that can earn me a lot of money) I’m reluctant to do it and find myself procrastinating a lot.

Also when it’s something I don’t enjoy writing, I tend to overcorrect my work which not only delays publication, but the work is never as good as it should be.

The thing about enjoying what you write is that you know you’ll enjoy it before you even write one word because you’ll be enthusiastic and fully motivated.

This is the complete opposite of writing what you think you SHOULD write or what you think will earn you the most money.

Instead, let writing be fun and relaxing and do the writing you were meant to do and you’ll know it by how much you want to do it.

And you won’t feel the need to overcorrect your work and you’ll earn money anyway.

Also, your writing will be better because your attitude also shows in the tone of your writing.

So now go ahead and write the book you’ve always wanted to write.

7 Day eBook Writing and Publishing System
Want to be a published author by this time next week?
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/7day.html

Earning Money as An Online Writer For Free

Not too long ago I was reading an ebook all about how to sell 100 Kindle books a day.

A day? Is that doable, even if you've never published an ebook before?

Well, according to the ebook I was reading, yes it is doable, but... you need to spend $100s a day with PPC ads, FB ads, press releases, etc, with no guarantee it will work.

So at the end of it, I'd gained no new knowledge. Not that I expected to. I already know how to sell books. I was just curious to see if there was something that I was missing. I love picking up little gold nuggets of information in other people's books.

I also don't like it when someone says it's possible to do something but only if I spend a lot of money. Anyone call sell a lot of books if they hyper-market it for $$$$. In fact, you can sell anything that way.

But if the readers don't like your first book, they won't buy any others you write, no matter how much you spend on marketing.

I also have a book about making money from writing, called Living The Laptop Lifestyle. But unlike the ebook I was reading, it shows you many ways you can earn money online with a cost of $0 to do it.

Once you buy the book (or download the ebook version) you can start and run your own Laptop Lifestyle with nothing more to pay.

So you have no excuse not to get started.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/LLS.html

The Only Way To Get More Writing Done

Now that it's a New Year, many writers think about managing their time better.

I used to do the same thing too. I used to think, "If only there was a way to get lots more writing done."

So I set out on a quest a few years ago to try and discover this 'secret' for having more time to write.

I wouldn't say I was actively pursuing the answer to this question all the time, but whenever I came across an article about how to have more time to write, I'd sit and devour it with my eyes. I would read every word hoping to find that elusive, time-creating secret to being able to sit down and write more.

And I think I did find it a long time ago but I ignored it because it's wasn't what I wanted.

And if I'm really honest, I knew how to get more writing done all along. I just chose to ignore it.

Yet it really is so slap-you-forehead simple.

What I discovered, and which I actually knew all along but I was trying to delude myself that there was an easier way, was that the ONLY way to get more writing done, is to get more writing done.

So there it is.

That is the 'secret' to getting more writing done. It's to do more writing.

What this actually means in day-to-day reality is making writing a priority and doing it every single day. No excuses.

It's not that hard to find time every day to write.

We all have 24 hours a day and how we shape our life depends on how we spend our time every day.

And to be able to write every day, means cutting out something else that isn't necessary and that won't help you reach your writing goals.

So it may mean watching less TV or getting an hours less sleep every day to get up early and write, or spending less time having after-work drinks with colleagues.

Or it may mean utilizing wasted time like writing during the journey to work or when your sitting in the car waiting for your kids to get out of school or when you're drinking coffee.

When you start to look at exactly how you spend your 24 hours every day, you'll find ways to change things around so that there is always time to get more writing done.

Make this the year that you write every day. No matter what it takes.

https://cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/LLS.html