"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms."
—Muriel Rukeyser
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Story Merchant Book Deal: Writing Treatments to Sell by Kenneth Atchity and Chi-Li Wong

$1.99 March 18 - March 22nd!

We appreciate your Amazon review: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D3PZO5A


Writing Treatments to Sell - Kenneth Atchity

Writing treatments that sell is a first book of its kind devoted entirely to the function of treatments in film and TV and how to write and present effective ones. The book is a collaboration by Kenneth Atchity and Chi-Li Wong, partners in Atchity Productons.

Kenneth and Chi – MA is sincerely honored by your willingness to share your knowledge and adventure relating to this new book. So without any further ado here are all our questions.

What made you initiate the idea of providing a guide like Writing Treatments to Sell? 

The most frequent question we were getting from clients—novelists as well as itinerant screenwriters was “what is a treatment?” We realized that book answering this question would be helpful.

Who was your target audience? 

The book’s target audience is anyone who wants to write or sell a story to the motion picture or television world.

Who ended up putting pen to paper?  

We have a process where we outline the content together, Chi-Li takes a shot at the first draft, then Kenneth does the next, etc.

Is the book specifically targeted for the film industry only? 

Although we targeted the book to the film industry, in the years since it was first published we've learned that its useful to writers of all kinds—children’s books, novels, etc.—because it helps them to “get the story straight” before launching into the actual drafting.

Why a book based specifically on treatments? 

Because a treatment is a unique creature that will never itself see publication or production, and therefore everyone wonders why it even exists.

What is a “treatment?” 

To quote directly from the book: “A treatment is a relatively brief, loosely narrative written pitch of a story intended for production as a film for theatrical exhibition or television broadcast. Written in user-friendly, dramatic, but straightforward and highly visual prose, in the present tense, the treatment highlights in broad strokes your story’s hook, primary characters, acts and action line, setting, point of view, and most dramatic scenes and turning points.” The book goes into detail about the meaning of each phrase in this definition, distinguishing the treatment from “coverage,” “synopsis,” “outlines,” among others.

The Story Merchant itself is all about content, branding and consultation in the entertainment and media arena. How does this book tie into the bigger plan of Story Merchant? 

This book, like Atchity’s How to Publish Your Novel or Write Time: A Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision through Revision is a tool by which the Story Merchant shares experience in the commercial world of stories with aspiring storytellers.

Does reading the book create a sense of more business for Story Merchant or is it more directed towards internal growth for each and every writer / screen writer? 

We can’t spend time with every storyteller out there who needs guidance, so we wrote this book to  help anyone who’s motivated enough to buy it—now available in ebook for the first time. But that’s not to say Story Merchant has found coaching clients through this and Atchity’s other books.

Being an aspiring author myself, I find that optimism and endurance are two of the main things to hold onto while craving for acknowledgement towards your own work, what is your advice towards fellow aspirers who look up to yourselves for hope? 

We’ve learned that hope is great, but determination is even better, when it comes to success. Just keep working on your career, whether you’re in a good mood or not, whether you’re hopeful or not. Work is the only sure road to success.

In general how has publishing and moving into the entertainment industry changed for writers. I mean – I myself sometimes wish that I had started writing ten years earlier as it seems as if the market might have been less chaotic. In today’s time it’s as if everyone can put pen to paper and call themselves an author. How do you define the word author, writer? 

A writer is someone who WRITES, and who cares enough about her writing to find an audience for it. While everything else has changed, that definition has not changed and will not change.

Last but not least, what else can people look forward to? Being in the industry you are it is important to recreate your image and stay in the zone with current trends, how do you intend on moving forward while carrying the weight of years and years’ experience in the existing field? How do you mould yourself to be eye catching and present in the future?  

We've just launched Story Merchant Academy a brand new online course designed for writers to improve their storytelling.  Sign Up Now

As always, thanks a lot for your presence and willingness to Share.  

Thanks for providing this wonderful forum.

 

‘Meg’ Author Steve Alten Sets Original Football Feature ‘Mr. Irrelevant’


Steve Alten, author of Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror and Meg: The Trench, has optioned an original football movie, Mr. Irrelevant, to producer David Rubenstein (1917), and his partners Ken Atchity and Scott Becher of Win-Win Partnerships (formerly producer/director NFL Films).

Billed as an inspiring tale of perseverance and unexpected second chances, Mr. Irrelevant follows the story of a 21-year-old college quarterback after the loss of his father leads him to bomb the tryouts on Pro Scout Day. But when an NFL head coach accidentally sees his potential, the young man gets the opportunity of a lifetime to make his late father proud and go from Mr. Irrelevant to starting quarterback.

“I set out to write an original underdog story with characters audiences could relate to while tapping into my own personal experiences,” said Alten. “Whether writing fictional thrillers like The Meg, or an original script like Mr. Irrelevant, I always endeavor to get the smallest of details correct.”

Among other investors, the production team has announced that Howard Schuster’s Major Studio Partners Film Fund has confirmed its intention to finance the film. MSP had financed over 300 feature films, including Ford v Ferrari, The Devil Wears Prada, Wall Street, Bohemian RhapsodyX-Men, Walk the Line, and Die Hard.

Atchity’s current slate also includes Gambino: The Rise, in development in Italy with producer Jules Nasso, Alan Gibson’s The Seeding with Rubenstein as executive producer, and Amanda Lear’s My Life with Dali with Tommy Dorfman attached and Chi-Li Wong, Anna Synenko and Anonymous Content also producing. Meg 2: The Trench is also set for an August 2023 release.

Via Deadline

We invite you to join the Mr. Irrelevant Movie community where we always say, "Never Underestimate Heart!"

Steve Alten, author of "Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror" and "Meg: The Trench," has optioned an original football movie, Mr. Irrelevant, to producer David Rubenstein (1917), and his partners Ken Atchity and Scott Becher of Win-Win Partnerships (formerly producer/director NFL Films).

https://mrirrelevant.com/


WE ALL FEEL OVERLOOKED AT SOME POINT — EVEN THOSE AT THE PINNACLE OF THEIR PROFESSION. MR. IRRELEVANT SHARES THE JOURNEY OF A STAR COLLEGE QUARTERBACK WHO, AGAINST ALL ODDS, OVERCOMES HEART-WRENCHING PERSONAL AND ATHLETIC CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVE HIS SPORTING DREAM.

FROM THE PRODUCER OF THE MEG, MR. IRRELEVANT IS A STORY OF UNBELIEVABLE COURAGE, PERSEVERANCE, AND UNEXPECTED SECOND CHANCES.

THIS FILM CURRENTLY IS IN DEVELOPMENT WITH ATCHITY PRODUCTIONS.

                            PRESS                                            

DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD:
‘MEG’ AUTHOR STEVE ALTEN SETS ORIGINAL FOOTBALL FEATURE ‘MR. IRRELEVANT’

Tome Tender Reviews A Potter's Tale by Dave Davis



A fascinating and intriguing tale of life, love, betrayal and murder, Dave Davis’s A POTTER’S TALE challenges readers with mysteries from the past, the brilliance of a present day life snuffed out too soon and long held secrets that could spell the destruction of the universe.

When a former physician now reporter teams up with his tenacious partner, they had no idea that the story of the murdered teen would lead them across continents, civilizations, religions and scientific research facilities. Who is trying to cover up hidden secrets of the universe? To what end?

Dave Davis has added enough twists and left enough imaginative breadcrumbs along the way that science fiction buffs, history buffs and lovers of all things mysterious and suspenseful will each find a compelling reason to turn page after page! Taut writing, believable characters and some “didn’t see that coming,” moments make this one of those tales that boggles the mind, because, what if?...


SYNOPSIS:

Love. Betrayal. Murder. Then the universe started to collapse. They say it all started in 1935 when Roz Lhulier and his team unearthed the massive tomb of Pakal, the greatest Mayan king, and with it, an ancient text, called a codex. They're wrong.

The codex is deciphered by Alan Turing, the genius who broke the German's Enigma Code during WWII, but its message is jealously guarded by the Astronomers, a lethal offspring of the Catholic Church. Astronomers have compromised or killed anyone with knowledge of the secret--presidents and prime ministers, just for instance.

The codex pulls others into its deadly orbit: Noah, a former physician, and his partner Kate, reporters for the Washington Post. They investigate the murder of DiShannia, a precocious teen, who's achieved national recognition for her research on the demise of Mayan civilization. They're led from Washington DC, to the British Museum, to the Center for Nuclear Research in Geneva, to Melbourne, Australia.

Each step enlightens them, offers clues, frightens them. And us.

The two strands of the novel--the codex and its rich human stories--are joined by another narrative, creating a kind of weird DNA. This third strand involves the Potter, who crafts the story. And the genes that craft us all.

Does the universe collapse? The Potter knows the answer. Noah, Kate discover it. We learn it too--on the last page.

Tales From The Story Merchant an interview with Hollywood Producer, Ken Atchity

via Awakened Nation



Ken Atchity, producer of the movie The Meg, staring Jason Statham, joins us for a fascinating discussion on becoming a Hollywood producer of such movies as "Life, or Something Like It," "The Expatriate" "Joe Somebody," and the HBO movie series "Shades of Love." ...but our time together was much more than talking about his international blockbusters.

Ken is a Story Merchant...and he opens up about his roots , studying in French, Latin, Greek and conversational Japanese, along with enlightening stories of self sabotage, the dangers and blessings of A.I., and making peace with his brother Freddy. This episode is about family, and the melting pot that truly makes America great.

About Kenneth Atchity: Ken Atchity is an American movie producer, author and columnist, book reviewer, brand consultant, and professor of comparative literature. Ken calls himself a professional Story Merchant. His decades well spent in the world of stories prompted the telling of his own. When it came time to do so, he thought “who is better to do it than me?”


MY OBIT: Daddy Holding Me , Volume I, is published by Story Merchant Books, in paperback and launched late last year. Volume II, My Southern Belle, was published February 28, this year and also published by Story Merchant Books, in paperback. Atchity has also produced 30 films, including "Hysteria" with Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Expatriate" with Aaron Eckhart, "The Lost Valentine" with Betty White, "Gospel Hill" with Danny Glover, "Joe Somebody" with Tim Allen, "Life or Something Like It" starring Angelina Jolie, "The Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes," "Shadow of Obsession," "The Madam's Family" with Ellen Burstyn, and "The Meg" with Jason Stathum. In addition to his literary management and coaching business, Ken recently added “Write Your Own Obituary” to his consulting options. Who better? After all, he wrote his own obit. Atchity is married to
 documentary filmmaker and former NHK producer Kayoko Mitsumatsu.

Ken Atchity Quotes...

“Write to make a difference. Write because you have something to say to us all. In dramatic writing, fiction, and nonfiction, this means knowing exactly what your work is about and being able to tell the publisher in ten words or less..."

― Kenneth Atchity, Write Time: Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision through Revision-and Beyond





How To Be Productive: Understanding Time, Work and Creativity by Dr. Ken Atchity



Film Courage: One of your many books Ken is WRITE TIME? And in the forward you say that the world can be divided into two people, productive people and non-productive people. And you say that productive people have a love affair with time. I’ve love to know what makes someone on the right side of time and what make someone where time is their enemy?

Dr. Ken Atchity, Author/Producer: Well that’s a very good question put in a very intelligent way that makes it hard to get a handle on it because time is…time doesn’t really exist. Time is a human construct, we created time. Squirrels and chipmunks don’t have much idea of time. They know that the sun rises and the sun goes down and they know that it rains but they don’t think the way that we do and they don’t keep track of their birthdays for example, only humans do that. And it’s unfortunate because you’re only as old as you think you are. And that’s the way a squirrel looks at it and nobody is arguing with the squirrel about it but humans know better.

Some people look at time as the enemy and some people look at it as a friend. There is an old Spanish saying that is “There is more time than life,” which I always thought was a wonderful way of looking at it because that is what a productive person would say “there is more time than life.” And another Spanish or Italian saying says that “Life is short, but wide.” And that’s another way of productively looking at it. Like people say “How can you do as much stuff as you do?” Well that’s because that’s what I do. I don’t do anything else. And I used to give classes on time management and do a lot of studies on it, in fact WRITE TIME is filled with time management theories. And one of the things I noticed about people was they had no idea where their time went. And they go “I don’t know where you find all the time.” And I would say “I don’t know where you lose it.”

I mean we all have the same amount of time and they go “How much time do we have by the way? How much time is in a week?” And 2 out of 10 people can ask the question right off the top of their heads because they’ve never really multiplied 25 by 7 and realized exactly how many hours there are in a week.

Everybody has the same amount of time. So what I would do in a time management class at UCLA or elsewhere is I would say let’s chart your time this week. I just want you to make a chart of what you do with your time and let’s come in and talk about it next week when we come back together. And they would come back in and that was before I asked them how many hours there were in a week I would wait for the third week to ask that question.

And some people would come in with 98-hour weeks and some people would come in with 62-hour weeks and nobody seem to agree in general how many hours there were in a week because the hours they gave me didn’t add up, they didn’t make sense. They’d say “I sleep six hours a day.” But it turned out in the third week of analysis that instead of 6 hours a day they were actually sleeping 10 hours. They just were telling themselves they were sleeping 6 hours a day.

How much time do you spend talking on the telephone? Most people thought they maybe spent 15 minutes a day, when in fact it might be an hour a day. And watching television (of course). Some people said they were only watching an hour a day when they were actually watching three hours a day.

But a productive person knows exactly how long it takes to do something. Like when I write a screenplay or a book, I can tell you how many hours it takes to do it and so I know that I can get it done in a certain amount of time. Agatha Christie apparently wrote as many as 10 books a year. She had to use four or five pen names because she just kept writing. When you think about it writing is a function of how fast you type. Because I always say (in my writing book including that one) if you’re making a rule not to sit down to write if you don’t know what you’re going to write then you’ll never waste any time and you’ll never have writer’s block. So simply don’t sit down until you know what you’re going to write. It’s just a matter of how fast can you type. So it’s better to be walking along the beach thinking about the structure of your story then it is to be wasting a lot of time sitting in front of the computer typing stuff and throwing it away and all that stuff. Just figure it all out in your head. “Well what if I forget it?” Well guess what? If you forget it that’s probably good. You are forgetting forgettable things? You won’t forget it when it starts getting really good. Because then it will do what Faulkner said, it will start haunting you and you won’t be able to forget it and then you’ll just write it down.

William Saroyan was asked once how long it took him to write the Human Comedy because somebody had told the journalist it had took him three days and he said “No, it took me all my life to write it. It just took me a few days to type it out.”…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).




NEW From Story Merchant Books: Romeo's Beat by Vincent Atchity



How do you make a garden grow?
How do you find a beat that will just go on and on?
How do you find a love that lasts forever?

Juliet Sawyer, renowned botanist, tends a garden that is like none other in the Midwestern suburb where she lives. The envy of her neighbors and of landscape architects all over the world, Juliet hasn’t gotten there without learning some hard lessons—about soil and sunlight, about desire and letting go.

Colin Hogan is a musician on the verge of greatness, and a solo traveler with an imaginary companion. If only he can find the sound that will set him apart from the teeming masses who record songs without ever getting a hit. If only he can find the special someone who can make his world and work come to life.

When Juliet meets Colin, in a quiet cafe on a side street in a faraway city, neither one of them suspects how wide their worlds will become.

Romeo’s Beat is a timeless love story about a woman who is true to herself and to her beliefs about truth, about a man who is a seeker and a listener, and about the unexpected shape of the love that conquers all. It’s a story about the power of love to lead us into an unfamiliar territory of soundscapes and landscapes, the sorrows that come, the joy that endures and permeates all, love that turns the world upside down and sets it straight, love that carries us away from wrong ideas we had about ourselves and puts us in touch with the reality that makes our hearts come alive.



About Vincent Atchity
Vincent Atchity has lived in Spain, Scotland, California, New York, Kansas, and the District of Columbia. He now lives in Colorado with his wife and their three sons