I can't recommend this course highly enough. There is nothing else out there like it. It will change the way you think about writing, and it will change how you think about yourself as a writer. It is incredibly motivating. The lessons are interesting and thought-provoking, and the techniques are practical and useful no matter your writing style. There's something for everyone. The sheer volume of information offered in this class could fill a library of how-to books about writing, publishing, and marketing.

Here are a few of the things you'll learn in the course:

• How to come up with great ideas on a deadline
• How to develop rich, detailed plots
• How to create realistic characters with layered personalities
• How to dig deep into your own psyche to add depth to your stories
• How to maintain the discipline to write regularly
• How to query agents, write a book proposal, and get your books published
• How to write and get published in multiple genres
• How to make a living as an author regardless of whether you make the bestseller list

And that's just a small sample of what is covered in How To Think Sideways. Each week, you'll learn new techniques, and every technique is accompanied by examples to demonstrate how you can use those techniques in your own writing.

Along with the weekly lessons (which, on their own, are worth far more than the fee for the class), you'll also get access to the online discussion forum where you can interact with other students, discuss the lessons, share your experiences, and get tips and recommendations. Students even have the option to participate in smaller workgroups to critique each other's writing.

How To Think Sideways is offered over six months for a fee of $47 per month. Students have the option to cancel at any time if they feel like they're not getting what they expected from the course. Having experienced the course myself, I can't imagine any writer not benefiting from all the terrific material. When you consider a Creative Writing college course lasting a single semester can cost upwards of $200 and covers only a fraction of the material included in the How To Think Sideways course, $47 per month is quite a bargain.

And how about this for flexibility: If $47 per month is beyond your budget, or if you're too busy to devote time each week to a new lesson, there's also a $25 per month option to spread the course out over twelve months instead of paying $47 per month for the six-month version. In the twelve-month course, you'll receive a new lesson every two weeks instead of every week.

Each course is limited to a certain number of students. The last time it was offered, the course filled up in less than 24 hours. The next course begins soon and enrollment is open from September 1st through the 8th, but I recommend signing up right away because there's a good chance the new class will fill up as quickly as the last class did.

If you'd like to learn more about the course, please visit the How To Think Sideways web site.

In The New Diary, where I first encountered the technique a few years ago, author Tristine Rainer presents clustering as a journaling method for personal transformation. In the How To Think Sideways course, we used clustering to explore ourselves via a process that generated a wealth of material to mine later for story ideas.

The potential applications for clustering are numerous, but today I'm going to describe how I've been using the technique to develop realistic characters with depth.

Clustering is similar to mind-mapping. You begin with a central theme or a single idea and write it in the middle of the page. Then you branch outward, adding related words or phrases as they pop into your mind, and drawing lines to connect any related items.

How to Use This Technique for Character Development

I'll explain the process first, and then I'll walk through an example with images to demonstrate how the character cluster evolves.

I've found clustering works best if I already have a general idea of my character's occupation or have at least one or two basic personality traits in mind before I begin the exercise.

I start by placing the character's name or initials in the center of the page, and then I add branches related to any personality traits I've already decided the character should have. I also add branches related to the character's occupation or important events from his/her past.

For each item I add to the cluster, I ask myself questions: Why does the character have this trait? What event prompted him/her to be this way? How did the character end up in this occupation? How did this event from the character's past affect him/her? How did it change him/her?

As you answer your own questions, you'll add new ideas to the cluster. What you'll quickly notice is how important events from the character's past give rise to personality traits. It works in reverse as well. You'll find yourself adding new personality traits and then creating a backstory to explain how the character acquired those traits.

Let's say you've decided your character is a workaholic. Ask yourself why she's a workaholic, and add the answers to your cluster.

- Is she a workaholic because she loves her job so much she wants to spend every waking moment involved in that field? (And if so, what aspect of the field most interests her? Why? How did she get involved in it?)

- Is she a workaholic because she has difficulty making friends and turns to her job to fill her spare time instead? (And if that's the case, why does she have difficulty making friends? What events in her past prompted this difficulty?)

- Is she a workaholic because she's trying to make a name for herself in her field? (And if so, why is success so important to her? Does she have to work harder than others for recognition? Why?)

If you don't already have a few personality traits in mind, start with the basics. Is your character shy, outgoing, stubborn, patient, impatient, happy, sad, intelligent, dull, witty, lonely, needy, nurturing, loyal, protective, jealous, confident?

Add a few traits to the cluster, and then ask yourself how and why the character acquired those traits. Be sure to ask yourself whether the character is aware that he possesses a particular trait. The answer to that question can have a big impact on your character's personality.

What are your character's biggest fears? Strengths? Weaknesses?

What are your character's hobbies? How did he become interested or involved in a particular hobby? Why does he enjoy it? What does it offer him?

Does your character have any unique or unusual skills? How did he acquire them? How do they affect his daily life and his behavior?

What do you know about your character's past? His childhood? His family? His culture? Add those details to your cluster, and then ask yourself how your character's past contributed to who he is today.

With each new detail you add to your cluster, consider how that information connects to the rest of the information. You'll begin to see how your character's personality and background are tightly interwoven.

You may end up with words or concepts that don't seem at all related to the central theme. Allow one word to lead to another and let your mind follow the path those words create, regardless of where that path takes you. It doesn't matter whether or not your logical mind thinks a particular word is relevant to the character. Write it down anyway. It might become relevant later.

Character Cluster Example

Here is an example of the beginnings of a character cluster. We'll start with a character's name in the center. I'll use "Jack Smith" for this example. We'll make our character a doctor. We don't need to know yet what kind of doctor Jack is. For now, we'll just keep things simple and explore our options. Something else in our cluster might lead to ideas about a specific field of medicine.

I'll add a couple of personality traits: Jack is a workaholic, likes challenges, and has trouble connecting with women. He's also lonely. We'll throw in a hobby — hiking/backpacking — and then we're ready to start asking some questions about Jack.

Here's what our cluster looks like so far*:

This is where things get interesting. Pick an item from the cluster and ask yourself questions about why that item is there.

Let's take "doctor" for starters. What motivated Jack to become a doctor? Maybe his mother died of a terminal illness when he was young and he decided someday he would find the cure for whatever killed her. Now we have even more to work with, because that detail resonates with some of the other items in our cluster. Perhaps Jack has trouble connecting with women because he had no mother around during his childhood, or maybe it's because he's afraid of making a connection and then losing another woman he loves.

We can tie his loneliness to his trouble connecting with women, and to the fact that he is a workaholic and spends most of his time alone in a lab. Let's assume he hasn't found the cure yet and is still desperately searching for it even though his mother passed away long ago.

Let's add those items to our cluster and make the connections*:

Now we can take a look at some of the other items in our cluster. Jack's hobby is hiking/backpacking, and since we also know Jack likes challenges, let's assume he prefers to hike in exotic or even dangerous locales and enjoys tackling rough trails most people wouldn't dare attempt. He probably likes to push himself, to overachieve. We can use all those details to explore other aspects of Jack's life — aspects that could potentially generate story ideas.

Maybe during his trips to other countries he also spends time volunteering his medical services as part of a program like Doctors Without Borders. Perhaps he took up backpacking as a hobby because he heard a rumor about a rare plant curing the disease that killed his mother and the plant can only be found deep in the jungle. Or maybe he simply enjoys exploring the quiet woods on his own, a hobby prompted by his difficulty connecting with other people.

The important thing is to dig deep, to delve below the surface and discover what makes him tick. Keep asking yourself those questions. You'll discover new layers of your character's personality, and in the end you'll have a realistic, three-dimensional character instead of a cardboard cutout.

* The cluster maps shown in these images were created with a free mind-mapping software program called Cayra.

Here are some problems aspiring screenwriters should avoid when writing a spec script:

"We hear" or "We see"

Phrases such as "We hear" and "We see" should never appear in a spec script. They momentarily force readers outside the story. You want the reader to become so involved in your story she forgets the rest of the world exists. You want readers to live and breathe your story as they read it.

The imagery evoked by your words should drive what we're seeing or hearing as readers. Phrases like "We see" and "We hear" make the reader feel as if he or she is part of an external audience, not part of the story itself. Instead of reinforcing the idea the reader is immersed in a powerful story, those phrases do nothing but remind her she's holding a script.

Camera directions such as “PAN” and “CLOSE UP”

Avoid the use of camera directions to describe shots in a spec script. Once your script becomes a film in production, camera angles and shots will become the responsibility of the director and the director of photography.

As a screenwriter, your responsibility is to craft words that trigger the desired imagery so those individual "shots" move naturally through the reader's mind.

When writing a script, screenwriters have a very vivid mental picture of the images they are trying to convey. Most of us think in film, meaning we imagine our story unfolding as a series of images or visual scenes. The best way for a writer to direct the script is to format the description in such a way the shots appear to separate themselves. This is called the White Space technique. With the correct use of this technique, you can pace your script and divide each image as if it were its own shot.

As you write your script, imagine where you would change the camera angle or shot. At that point, begin a new paragraph of description. Keep your paragraphs shorter for a rapidly paced scene and slightly longer (but still only a few sentences!) to maintain a slower paced scene. For more detail on the best ways to use the White Space technique in your script, check out the article conveniently titled White Space.

Beginning and ending each page with (CONTINUED)

At one time, screenwriters were required to begin and end each page with the (CONTINUED) notation to indicate, obviously, the script continued onto the next page. Later, the (CONTINUED) at the top of the page was ditched but the one at the bottom of the page was retained. In the past decade, the use of (CONTINUED) at either the top or bottom of the page has been almost entirely abandoned. It is no longer a requirement and is sometimes viewed as more of a nuisance than anything else.

The main reason you shouldn't bother to include (CONTINUED) at the top and bottom of each page is that it wastes a significant amount of space. It requires two lines at the top of the page and another two lines at the bottom. In a 90-page script, those extra four lines per page can amount to several pages of wasted space. In a screenplay, space is a precious commodity that definitely should not be wasted. And, as Denny Martin Flinn notes in his book, How NOT to Write a Screenplay, "Anyone reading your screenplay who doesn't know he's supposed to turn the page is a numskull."

POV (indicating the camera's point of view)

POV is a camera direction, not a writing technique. Do not use a POV notation unless the imagery seen from one character's point of view is distinctly different from the rest of the scene and, more importantly, that difference is integral to the plot.

The scene below provides an example of an inappropriate use of the POV technique.

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In the above example, the image of the children running under the table is part of the overall scene. A shot of the children crawling under the table could be taken from any of several different camera angles and does not specifically require John’s POV. The POV is not integral to the storyline and is not separate from the rest of the kitchen scene, so it is not necessary.

Always remember, camera angles are the realm of the director and the director of photography, not the writer. There is no need to forfeit two lines of space in your screenplay for an unnecessary camera direction.

Transitions such as “CUT TO” and “DISSOLVE TO”

Spelling out transitions is another technique reserved for a shooting script. You should not use transitions in your spec script.

A transition indicates the movement from one scene to the next. This event is already indicated by the use of a slugline defining the new location and time of day. Since the new slugline has already made the reader aware of the shift from one scene to the next, the transition simply takes up space, and space is a precious commodity in a script.

I've heard many writers attempt to justify their use of transitions… "I wanted to let the reader feel the intensity of the scene by cutting it off with a CUT TO," or, "I wanted to let the reader know time had passed by using a DISSOLVE TO."

Your story and the quality of your writing, not your transition, should cause the reader to feel the intensity of the scene. If your story isn't already intense, no amount of CUT TO's is going to make it that way. CUT TO's are only going to interrupt the smooth flow of your words and cause the reader's eyes to jump across the page.

When the script is put into production, the director and editor will determine which type of transition is used, and their decisions will be noted in the shooting script.

Capitalization of specific words to draw attention

In the 80's and 90's, the use of capitalization throughout a script in order to draw attention to specific words became trendy — so trendy, in fact, some writers tended to capitalize fifteen or more words per page, not even including the appropriate capitalization of sluglines, first-appearance character names, and dialogue headers.

Writers capitalize words in this manner with the intent to force a more vivid image into the reader's mind, but using capitalization doesn't necessarily create a more vivid image. Instead, the capitalization makes the sentence visually awkward and detracts from the mental imagery of the scene. It cuts into the flow of the sentence and forces the reader's eyes to stop and adjust. And what happens whenever readers must stop and adjust? They remember they're reading a script, which is exactly what you don't want. In order to avoid constantly reminding people they're reading a script, your writing must flow visually, and capitalizing words halts that flow.

Many writers mistakenly believe sounds, objects or actions to which the writer wishes to add emphasis must always be capitalized. Capitalization does have its uses, and those uses can occasionally have the desired effect of evoking a sense of urgency or intensity, but only when used sparingly.

Your choice of words, not the capitalization of those words, should be what adds focus to a specific object or action. If a word or descriptive phrase doesn't possess the impact you feel it should, check out my previous article titled Selecting the Most Powerful Words for Your Novel or Screenplay, or simply open a thesaurus and find a more intense and dramatic word to use in its place.

Standard disclaimer: Please note, web browsers don't allow for the presentation of a screenplay in its correct format. Excerpts and examples of screenplays found in these articles should not be used as examples of proper screenplay format. To learn how to properly format your screenplay, David Trottier’s The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script is an excellent reference.

There are two types of writer's block. Writers who experience the first type suffer from a lack of ideas. Writers dealing with the second type have no shortage of ideas but suffer from an inability to get into the flow of writing.

This technique is intended for writers bogged down by the second type of writer's block. It's a trick I learned a couple of years ago but at the time I thought it sounded a bit silly. It seems to work well for me now that I've given it a fair chance. Give it a try. It will help you get the words flowing again.

Step 1

Grab one of your favorite books, preferably in the same genre as the story you're trying to write. You'll only need the first two to six pages, so if you don't have a copy of the book handy, feel free to select an excerpt from the author's web site and print it for use with this exercise.

Step 2 (optional but recommended)

You'll need to be able to see the pages of the book while you type on your computer's keyboard or write in a notebook. For the sake of protecting the spine of the book from breaking, I recommend photocopying the first six pages of the book onto regular sheets of paper instead. Feel free to make double-sided copies to save paper.

Step 3

Position the pages next to your computer (or next to your notebook if you prefer to handwrite instead). Make sure the pages are placed in a location where you're able to easily read them while you type or write.

If you don't already have a document holder or a clip to hold the sheets of paper in your line of sight while you type, try a Page Up. They come in a variety of colors and designs, and you can get them for a few dollars from Amazon.com or from Cool Safety Products. (You can see all the colors and styles on the Cool Safety Products site.)

Step 4

Open a blank document in your word processing software, or open to a blank page in your notebook. Start transcribing the pages of the book. Type the text exactly as it appears on the page. Type each sentence, each paragraph, each bit of description and dialogue.

It might take only one or two pages of typing to get you into a writing groove. Sometimes you may have to transcribe five or six full pages before you find yourself writing freely again. I've found it rarely takes more than six pages to get me into the right state of mind.

Regardless of whether it takes you one page or ten pages, it won't take long to break through the wall that was holding you back. When you reach that point, set aside the book and start typing your own words instead.

At the time, I didn't know what changed. I only knew I'd suddenly lost my writing groove. The ideas came at me fast and furious, as always, but when I sat down to write, the words just wouldn't come.

I put my hands on the keyboard and froze. My mind drew a blank. I couldn't string two sentences together to save my life.

This went on for days, then days became weeks and weeks became months. I went through bouts of depression. I felt frustrated, angry, stifled, and confused. Writing was my outlet, and now that outlet was gone. It had slipped from my grasp for reasons I couldn't even explain.

I hadn't lost my creativity. The ideas were still there, and more new ideas turned up every day. I hadn't lost my motivation. I sat down nearly every day with the intention to write.

I tried everything I could think of to get past the problem. I read books about writer's block. I tried journaling, freenoting, and every other technique I came across, but nothing worked. I joined online discussion forums and writing groups. The words still didn't come.

I've heard people say writer's block doesn't exist, that it's a myth. I used to think so too, until I experienced it myself.

A few things finally helped me escape the miserable, wordless void I was stuck in. Here are two of my favorites:

The first was a book called Writing From the Inside Out, which I wholeheartedly recommend. Dennis Palumbo's book is not a how-to primer filled with writing techniques. It's therapy for writers, and it works.

The second was Holly Lisle's How to Think Sideways course for writers. I'd already read and enjoyed a few of Holly's books geared toward writers, so I enrolled in her new online course in the hopes of reviving my writing brain. I went into the course with no expectations, just a promise to myself to make an honest effort.

After only three weeks, I'm already glad I enrolled, because in the very first lesson I learned how to get over myself. I realized I am my own worst enemy. I have trouble turning off my "editor mind", the internal perfectionist who thinks every word that hits the page must be magnificent and riveting. Because of this problem, I froze every time I faced a blank page. I couldn't write because, on some unconscious level, I was afraid my writing wouldn't be perfect. I've now discovered ways to temporarily turn off that part of my mind, to forget about perfection and write anyway, because once I start writing, the words begin to flow. That's only one of the many things I've learned since enrolling in the course.

A few days from now, I'll post the first in a series of articles about the other techniques that made a big dent in my writer's block and helped me to get writing again. Stay tuned and enjoy!

How, you ask? Make use of that fantastic tool we call a thesaurus. You've all seen them before — you know, in the bookstore, shelved side-by-side with the dictionaries and a myriad of "How To Get Published In 90 Days Or Less" handbooks — but do you own one? If you don't already own a thesaurus, stop reading right now, head to the bookstore or Amazon.com and buy yourself one. A writer without a thesaurus is like an artist without paint, a sculptor without stone. The tools to create are there but the substance is missing.

Many a writer will claim, "I have all the words I need right here in my mind," but why limit yourself? Every one of us is raised differently, our environment playing a major role in the extent of our vocabulary and many times limiting that vocabulary to the specific slice of culture we're exposed to as we grow and mature.

In a language filled with variations and nuances, there may be twenty different words used to convey a similar meaning, and some words are naturally more powerful than others. While writers and readers may recognize each of the twenty words and clearly understand the implied meaning, they might possess only two or three of those words in their functional vocabulary.

Your functional vocabulary includes words you recall easily and use often when speaking and writing, without resorting to any additional resource beyond your own memory. Your recognition vocabulary is made up of words you don't use actively but still recognize when you hear or read them. On average, a person's recognition vocabulary is three times the size of his or her functional vocabulary.

What does all this mean to you? It means for every thought and image you attempt to convey, you probably know three times as many words with the same meaning as those few words that come to mind when you first put pen to paper. What else does it mean? Your reader probably recognizes three times as many words as well.

Start using those words you wouldn't typically use. Every time you find yourself writing action or description, stop and take a look at what you've written. Locate any adjectives or adverbs, then pick up your thesaurus and look up each of those words. Read the list of synonyms next to the word and consider each one. Do any of them have more impact, more power, than the word you originally selected?

Chances are, you'll find at least one synonym that packs more of a punch than the original word. Use that word instead and it's likely you'll be using a word the reader probably doesn't already encounter several times each day, adding extra oomph to the equation.

Try to eliminate as many adverbs as possible. Instead of writing, "He walked slowly," how about ambled, strolled, sauntered, meandered, crept, snuck or skulked?

Take the advice of author Ursula K. Le Guin:

"When the quality that the adverb indicates can be put in the verb itself (they ran quickly = they raced) or the quality the adjective indicates can be put in the noun itself (a growling voice = a growl), the prose will be cleaner, more intense, more vivid."

Check out these common words, along with a sampling of their synonyms found in Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus:

HAPPY - glad, joyful, joyous, radiant, beaming, glowing, starry-eyed, sparkling, laughing, smiling, cheerful, blissful.

TIRED - weary, fatigued, exhausted, spent, run-down, worn, drawn, frazzled, beat, wan, wilting, run ragged.

RUN - sprint, dash, rush, plunge, race, scamper, flee, take flight, scurry, make off, take to one's heels, rush headlong.

Anyone can use the word tired to describe a character's current feeling, but don't exhausted and frazzled take that emotion one step further? If a stronger word is available, use it and every inch of your writing will carry more weight.

The best part is, as you encounter these words and begin to use them regularly, you'll add them to your functional vocabulary and you'll need that thesaurus less and less as time goes on.

Through print-on-demand publishing, a writer can pay the POD publisher a fee to publish his or her book. The POD publisher accepts a manuscript from the writer in a file format such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect and then uses that file to create a digital copy of the book. Whenever someone orders the book (whether it is the writer, a bookstore, or a retail customer placing the order), the POD company prints exactly enough copies to fill that order.

POD companies do not stock copies of the writer's book in a warehouse to fulfill orders. Instead, the digital printing technology allows them to print copies only as needed. Unlike traditional publishing, in which print runs of smaller quantities are cost prohibitive, a POD publisher can print only one copy at a time without incurring any additional expenses.

The print-on-demand publishing method has its advantages and disadvantages, but in my view as a novelist, the disadvantages outweigh any advantage POD publishing may offer.

The primary advantage to POD publishing is that you are able to circumvent the process of finding a traditional publisher who will publish your book. Finding a publisher willing to publish and market a book is often an author's biggest obstacle to overcome, and many authors believe that advantage alone outweighs the disadvantages of print-on-demand publishing, but there are many disadvantages worth considering before you decide to go the POD route.

Here are a few of the important disadvantages to consider:

1. The first disadvantage is the pricing. When setting a retail price for your book, print-on-demand publishers typically set a price a few dollars higher than the prices charged for traditionally published books. The price difference is not enormous, but it certainly is noticeable and may be enough to dissuade some readers from purchasing your book.

2. The second disadvantage relates to print quality and cover design. Print-on-demand books have a reputation for bad print quality, faded ink, etc. This is not true of every POD book, but it occurs frequently enough to make it worth mentioning. In addition, the cover design on many POD books is sorely lacking in aesthetic appeal. Since so much of a book's selling potential is wrapped up in whether or not the cover attracts the attention of readers browsing in a bookstore or viewing your book on a web site, a cover that looks unprofessional may make or break a sale.

3. The third disadvantage is that many readers may see the name of an POD publisher and refrain from purchasing the book simply because they assume the writing must be of lesser quality. The sad fact is, that assumption usually proves correct. Not everyone is a skilled or talented writer. Without editors and traditional publishing houses to filter out manuscripts that don't meet even the most basic standards of quality, anything and everything can be published. When it comes to traditional publishing, far more manuscripts have been rejected than published. POD publishers revel in this fact because it means any author who has ever been turned down by a traditional publisher is a potential customer for their POD service.

If you believe your manuscript truly is ready to be published and you choose to go the print-on-demand route, be sure to consider how potential readers will perceive your book if it is labeled with the name of a POD publishing company. With certain POD publishers, you can get around this disadvantage rather easily because they will allow you to create your own "publishing company" and, when listing the publisher info inside the book, will use that name instead of their own. The reader will see only your publishing company's name rather than the print-on-demand publisher's name. Some print-on-demand publishers charge a small fee for this extra service.

4. The fourth disadvantage is the marketing issue. Traditional publishers will take steps to market your book. They will mail galley copies to magazines and newspapers for potential book reviews. They will print postcards and bookmarks featuring your book, and will send press releases to hundreds of media outlets. Some of them also run large advertisements in major newspapers, such as the New York Times, listing the details of their newly published books. Some will place advertisements in magazines, and some will work with major bookstore chains to arrange book-signings for you.

Traditional publishers have spent years building a network of contacts in the industry. They've done this sort of thing before and they know exactly how the system works.

Nearly all on-demand publishers either do not offer any marketing support whatsoever or charge you an additional fee for their marketing services. Even if you pay extra for a marketing package, you may be shortchanged and not receive the appropriate amount of marketing attention from the company. Their marketing departments are usually focused on selling their POD publishing services to new authors instead of promoting your book to bookstores.

You will need to spend a considerable amount of time marketing your book on your own and at your own expense. You will need to purchase galley copies and send them out yourself, contact local bookstores to arrange book-signings, try to set up your own interviews, and/or purchase magazine advertising. The advertising expense alone can be intimidating. A 1/3-page ad in most magazines with lower circulation rates will cost, at minimum, $1,000. The same ad in a major magazine with larger circulation rates could cost anywhere from $5,000 to much, much more. (Try these prices on for size: $68,295 for a 1/3-page ad in Men's Health magazine; $115,130 for the same size ad in Time magazine.)

On the other hand, many traditional publishers may not work overly hard to promote a new author — at least, not nearly as hard as they would work to promote an author who has already published a bestseller or two — so you could end up spending much of your own time marketing your book regardless. The disadvantage isn't applicable solely to print-on-demand publishing, but the level of self-promotion required from a POD published author will be much higher.

5. The final disadvantage — and one that could determine the success or failure of your book — is that retail bookstores will not stock POD books on the shelves. Most on-demand publishers claim your book will be available through bookstores, but what they really mean is your book will be listed in a catalog with thousands of other books and the store has the option of ordering copies or not. Because there is such a huge volume of books available to them, bookstores aren't likely to notice your book and will only order a copy if a customer comes into their store and requests it. And to make matters worse, some bookstores aren't willing to order a copy of your POD book even if a customer requests it.

There is one very important reason bookstores will not stock POD books. When bookstores order books through publishing companies or distributors, they purchase those books only on the condition they will be allowed to return any unsold books to receive a refund. This is a huge factor in any bookstore's decision to stock a particular book or a particular publisher's line of books. Print-on-demand publishers do not stock copies of your book and therefore do not accept returned copies from bookstores. This means there is no return clause available for POD books. The simple fact that they will not be able to return unsold books is enough to make most major retail stores such as Borders or Barnes & Noble refuse to stock POD books.

You might be able to convince privately owned local bookstores to stock a few copies of your POD book on consignment, but it's highly unlikely your book will get major distribution.

There are many other disadvantages as well, but hopefully the five disadvantages mentioned above are enough to make you think twice before signing up for a print-on-demand service. If not, consider this statistic: the average POD book sells less than 150 copies.

Despite the many disadvantages, there are certain situations in which it is worth considering the print-on-demand publishing option:

1. If you speak regularly at seminars and workshops, or if you have a web site and have accumulated a very large mailing list (tens or hundreds of thousands of members), you already have an audience to which you can market copies of your book. If you know there is a ready-made audience, it may be worth printing a batch of books to sell at each seminar or to sell through your web site.

2. If the topic of your book covers a specific region or a local attraction, with its appeal limited to people living in that area, you may be able to sell enough copies at local events to make it worth using the print-on-demand method.

3. If you want to publish a very small number of copies of a book for a limited audience (such as family members, employees, or members of a specific group or organization), but you want a professionally bound book instead of a photocopied handout, the POD method may be your best option. You will be able to print any number of copies you desire. Just keep in mind the per-copy price of POD books is higher than the price of traditionally published books.

If your situation doesn't meet any of the three scenarios described above, please be sure to perform thorough research before signing up for any print-on-demand service. You could end up forfeiting your rights to your own material and receiving very little or nothing in return.

The job of the screenwriter is to convey those vivid images and scenes to the reader. This is often confused with the director's job of determining how certain scenes should be filmed. Deciding where to place the cameras, which actors to focus on, and when to pan or when to include a close-up are all factors that will be up to the director, not the writer.

So the question remains. How can you, as the writer, direct the reader's mind to imagine your film as you envisioned it, shot by shot and image by image?

The answer — through the use of white space.

One immediately noticeable difference between script format and manuscript format is the amount of white space included on every page of a script. In a screenplay, the ratio of blank space to text is high.

White space is the screenwriter's ally.

How does the use of white space help you? First, breaking your action and description into smaller sections makes the script seem as if it reads quickly, giving the reader the effect that your story also moves quickly. A story that moves quickly is more likely to hold a reader's attention.

Smaller sections of action draw the reader's eye down the page. Screenwriters should make their best effort to limit sections of action and description to a maximum of five or six lines. Several consecutive smaller sections of action will appeal to a reader more than one large paragraph of action.

Second, it provides the writer with a method of delivering the story shot by shot, in essence "directing" the film as it plays through the reader's mind.

Screenwriters should not write the screenplay by directing the camera shots, since describing specific camera angles serves as a reminder to the readers that they are reading a script. Your goal is to get readers so caught up in your story they forget they're reading a script.

Camera directions should be reserved for the shooting script and the director. Screenwriters must use the writing of action and description to depict the story exactly as they want the readers to see it in their mind. The best way to achieve this is by breaking that description into smaller pieces, illustrating the action step by step based on how you envision the shots on screen.

A terrific example of this can be found in the following excerpt from Jeb Stuart's Die Hard script. (Please note, due to how some internet browsers display text, the following segment should not be used as a guideline for proper screenplay format.)

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Notice that although this is one scene with continuous action, the action is broken up into smaller pieces. On the script page itself, none of these sections of action is more than three lines long. Each of those pieces represents a shot:

Shot #1 - The elevator door opens and Hans emerges.

Shot #2 - Theo enters the room and gives Hans the computer card.

Shot #3 - Hans uses the card to lock the door.

Shot #4 - Hans surveys the quiet street.

As the reader, you get a clear mental image of each shot as the action unfolds. Breaking the description into smaller pieces does not disrupt the flow of the action. In fact, it propels the action forward. It reads quickly, and offering the action in smaller segments creates a rhythm.

Smaller sections also mean fewer words. As a screenwriter you must learn to write economically — using as few words as possible to describe the action — and your description must be crafted using the most vivid words you can find to portray the image.

Standard disclaimer: Please note, web browsers do not allow for the presentation of a screenplay in its correct format. Excerpts and examples of screenplays found in these articles should not be used as examples of proper screenplay format. To learn how to properly format your screenplay, David Trottier's The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script is an excellent reference.

Why do characters need flaws? Perfect characters are boring, and sometimes even annoying. Perfect characters don't have to struggle as hard to achieve their goals. After all, they're perfect. Things come easily to perfect people. If there's no struggle, there's no conflict, and conflict is what makes good writing. Character flaws provide sources of conflict. They can be sources of conflict with other characters, conflict with the environment, and, in many instances, conflict with self.

In most cases, you want a character who isn't perfect but is in some way better than average, or at least a character who has the potential to be better than average. Fulfilling that potential — overcoming obstacles and growing into that better-than-average self — will become part of the conflict that drives your story. You want a hero, someone willing to take action, not a passive wimp. Readers are living vicariously through your characters. They want to feel special, and for that you need special characters. At the same time, a character who is too special, too perfect, seems unrealistic and comes across as a cardboard cut-out. Give your character some flaws in one area to compensate for his above average skills in other areas.

Why do we love flawed characters so much? Because we feel like we could be them, we could walk in their shoes, we could — with the right kind of skill and motivation — overcome the same obstacles they overcame. We can immerse ourselves more fully in the story because we can step into the character's shoes, see things from his perspective, and believe in the reality of it. If they're heroes with flaws, we can aspire to be like them and actually have some hope of succeeding in that endeavor. They give us hope. They give us, imperfect and flawed beings that we are, a glimpse of what we could be. If they're perfect, we dismiss any hope of ever reaching such glorious heights. We can't relate to them. We can't empathize with them.

Make your character's flaws intriguing and interesting, not tedious and irritating. You want someone readers will enjoy spending time with, preferably so much they reread your novel or screenplay until the pages are worn and tattered. You don't want a character whose qualities grate on the reader's nerves. Give your character enough flaws to be interesting but not so many as to be overwhelming. It's a delicate balance. Unless done right, characters who are too flawed are almost as annoying as characters who are too perfect.

Ask yourself: How does this flaw affect my character's behavior, his attitude, his reactions? Take, for example, Tony Shalhoub's character on the television series Monk. He is obsessive-compulsive about germs, cleanliness, and order. That flaw is a factor in each storyline. It affects how Monk acts and reacts in every situation. How do your character's flaws affect her actions? How do they affect the storyline?

If you can't come up with any flaws for your character, look around. Think about your friends, your family, your next-door neighbors, your boss and coworkers. Contemplate what it is about each of them that irritates you. Is your neighbor a nosy gossip? Is your brother too impatient? Does your boss have a temper? Does a friend have a tendency to act first and analyze the situation later, usually after his impulsive actions trigger unpleasant consequences? Voila! You've pinpointed flaws you can incorporate into your characters.

If all else fails, draw on your own personal flaws for inspiration. (What's that you say? You have no flaws? Think again.)

Consider how those flaws impact the person's personality and behavior. How do the flaws manifest in his actions? Is he aware of these flaws, either consciously or subconsciously, or is he blissfully ignorant? Does he take steps to compensate for the flaws? Does he unconsciously compensate for them? How do other people respond or react to the person when these flaws are on display?

To illustrate this point, let's go back to my personal addiction. Two weeks ago, I tried to quit. It was agonizing. I struggled. I swore. I lasted thirteen days, until I simply couldn't stand it anymore. I caved, and it was off to the 7-11 to get my fix… Mt. Dew Code Red.

Caffeine. Sugar. Deliciously sweet cherry flavor. Pure bliss in a bottle.

Not to mention, hundreds of calories and enough chemicals to preserve an elephant.

It may seem silly, but it's an addiction nonetheless. I can't stop, and I hate myself for my weakness. I detest my lack of willpower. I despise the fact that when I take that first swig, my mind and body sigh in unison with complete and utter contentment. When I don't have it, when I try to stay away from it, it's all I can think about. It intrudes on every waking thought. Its power over me becomes painfully obvious. I can hear it calling my name from every convenience store within a twenty-mile radius.

All I can do, I finally decided, is find a way to use this in my writing, to turn this misery into something productive. Something good had to come out of all this suffering and self-loathing.

I gave one of my characters an addiction — not to Mt. Dew Code Red, but to something far more interesting instead — and was able to write about his struggle with powerful emotion, intensity, and insight. Not only that, but his addiction gave me an idea for a new spin on the story and I was able to tie it into the storyline in ways I hadn't even expected.

Flaws can generate new story ideas, or they can simply flesh out characters and make them more realistic and lifelike. Flaws give a character depth and move him from a two-dimensional page into a vivid, three-dimensional reality, even if that reality exists solely within the mind of your reader.

It's well known that readers are the gatekeepers of the film industry. It is also well known that while most readers would rather be doing anything but reading, they still spend countless hours making their way through stacks of scripts in the hopes of finding the next big blockbuster. The late-night caffeine-induced decision of one reader could be the turning point of your screenwriting career.

So how do you make certain that decision is in your favor?

Avoiding common mistakes is a key factor. There are 99 times as many bad screenplays as there are good ones. New screenwriters often take that as an exaggeration. Trust me, it's not. I was a judge in an annual screenwriting contest for several years, and we received hundreds and hundreds of entries every year, yet in some years we were hard-pressed to find ten scripts good enough to be selected as finalists in the competition.

Readers can spot a bad screenplay right away. No matter how terrific your story is, these common errors may cause a reader to overlook the quality of the story in the face of everything else. To a reader, these errors make your script look like the unprofessional work of a newcomer. They indicate a writer who hasn't taken the time to research the details of the industry and his chosen career. Once readers spot these mistakes, it's all uphill from there. They may relegate your masterpiece to the bottom of the slush pile for last-resort reading or skip it entirely.

Steer clear of these typical errors and your script won't be branded unprofessional:

1. Frequent spelling and grammar mistakes

Frequent spelling mistakes and grammatical errors are number one on any reader's hit list. Take the time to proofread your script several times. Have friends or family members proofread it for you, or enlist the aid of a professional proofreader. Never rely solely on your word-processor's spellcheck function. Though it has improved over the years, spellcheck is still notoriously inadequate, especially with its inconsistent ability to point out incorrect homonym usage. (Think their/there/they're, or to/too/two, or your/you're.)

2. Improper script format

Improper format is a big tip-off that the writer hasn't studied the industry guidelines. There are very specific standards for the layout of action, slug lines, character names and dialogue. There are many books and articles that explain script format in detail. David Trottier's The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script is an excellent reference.

There are several software programs that will format your script for you as you write. A script-formatting program can be an invaluable timesaving tool for the writer. The two most popular programs are Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter. Both programs offer many features beyond simply formatting your script.

3. Brightly colored paper and/or script covers

Many writers believe copying their script on colored paper or binding it in a brightly colored notebook will make it stand out. They're right. It definitely will make the script stand out. In fact, not only will it make the script stand out, it will make it scream, "I'm written by a beginner!"

Never copy your script on colored paper. It's harsh on the eyes, making your script more difficult to read and hence, more frustrating and less appealing to the reader. The industry standard calls for white paper, with a cardstock binding in white, ivory or light gray. Cardstock is available at any office supply store.

Your script should be three-hole punched and bound with two or three brass brads or script-screws. Make sure the brads are long enough to tightly secure the pages of your script but not so long as to be lethal stabbing devices capable of injuring the reader. Never trim the brads with scissors to make them shorter as that tends to make their edges razor-sharp.

4. Using a non-standard font

Typing in any font other than Courier 12 pt will make your script stand out in a bad way, as will using bold-faced or italic type. You may use capital letters to emphasize a word, but even that technique should be used sparingly.

5. Including illustrations, music or casting suggestions

Never include illustrations, photographs, or your suggestions for music or casting. While you may think Brad Pitt is the ideal actor to play your lead role, that's a decision for the casting director, not the writer. You may think illustrations or photographs will help the reader visualize the events in your story, but your writing should do that on its own.

How to grab the reader's attention

It may seem like the goal is to make your script stand out as little as possible, to make it blend in with the thousands of other scripts out there and do nothing whatsoever to catch the reader's eye. Make it your writing that stands out, not the font or the color of the paper. The real goal is to make the reader as comfortable as possible while reading your script so the power of your story grabs the reader's attention and holds it until the very end.