Screenwriter and TV Writer James Strauss

Best Selling Author Joseph Finder

Sunrise on Waikiki Beach

I started the Hawaii Writers Conference at 8am with a session on 8 Questions Editors Ask with David Fryxell. Next our morning keynote was with fellow Bostonian, best selling author Joseph Finder (High Crimes) on the Long and Winding Road: How I Ended Up Writing Thrillers. He had some funny stories about dealing with Hollywood – one time, he requested first class travel, and he went First Class to LA, was picked up by a limo and then unceremoniously dropped off at one of the biggest dump hotels in the area. His agent said, “Well, you didn’t ask for a nice hotel!”

Next Screenwriter Michael Arndt presented The Good, The Bad and the Insanely Great, Part I and II.

After my sushi and lunch break poolside with my niece and sister, I attended James Strauss’ session: “Designing Your Way to Become a Hollywood Screenwriter.” James was one of the funniest speakers at the conference. When asked about his writing credits for Entourage and how he came to be involved, he answered “theft” and shared stories of how several of his works have come to be reused for different television shows. He also generously offered to connect attendees in Hollywood if they follow up with him.

James Hornfischer, Georgia Hughes, and Neil Nyren had a panel on publishing, sharing war stories and pitching their client’s recent and upcoming books like Wendy Merrill’s “Falling Into Manholes” and “When In Doubt Make Believe” By Jeff Bell. Neil actually told us that when Wendy was at the Maui Writers Conference, she was overhead on a news segment asking if she could use the word blowjob. It was a great story and everyone loved that he shared it.

Finally, another top session – “Buy this Book!” a really useful workshop lead by Jeff Kleinman, with Neil Nyren, Jamie Levine, and Marcia Markland. Jeff had worksheets for all attendees and two lucky authors got to get up and pitch their work. The panel and audience asked questions like: do you have a following, how many words in your final draft, how promotable is the author? Jeff also said that fiction authors should absolutely have a complete final draft, but memoirs can be unfinished with a few chapters completed as most agents might want to help mold the end result. Kleinman referred to the conference as “one of the best writing conferences.”

This evening there is a poetry slam – looking forward to it.