About Me
As a professional writer I am dedicated to creating the best screenplays and novels possible.
Thoughts on writing
Writing isn't something you happen to do; it's something you must do. The ability to write is a gift. You can be taught about writing, but not how to write. Want to write? You have to read. Everything you can get your hands on.
Brief history
I grew up in the military. An Air Force brat. Attended fourteen schools in twelve years. Lived in Michigan, California, Florida. Tainan, Taiwan and Bitburg, Germany. Always meeting new and interesting people. A wonderful resource for creating believable characters.
I received my B.A. in Theater from California State University Long Beach where I concentrated on Acting, Directing and Playwriting. I have appeared as an actor in twenty-one plays, including Promises, Promises, Showboat and My Fair Lady. I did not play Eliza Doolittle.
My wife Virginia is an artist from London, England. She is the funniest woman I have ever known and is the rock of stability who keeps this writer sane.
My Screenplays
I am a multi-optioned screenwriter who enjoys writing in a variety of genres. My scripts reflect my background as an actor, director and playwright.
Based upon my experience as a novelist, several of my scripts are action-adventures. Other genres include comedy, science fiction, thriller, mystery, horror, western, fantasy and animation.
With few exceptions, my recent screenplays have been comedies. I'm a strong believer in laughter being good medicine.
While many of my screenplays have been written on my own, eighteen of my scripts are the result of collaborating with my brother Mark.
Mark frequently refers to himself as the "Gag Man" on our team, but the truth is he brings a vast richness and heartfelt humor to each and every project.
Mark is hilarious. But then, he should be. He had a good teacher. Mark's philosophy when it comes to writing is this: "A punch line is a terrible thing to waste."
Recently, my wife Virginia and I worked together rewriting my comedy LIMITED ENGAGEMENT to transform the script into a story set in France. The new script is titled NOTHING TOULOUSE.
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关于我
作为一个专业作家,我致力于将我的天分通过创作最好的剧本及书籍的方式展现出来。也正是同样的天分使得我在编辑和修改他人的作品时也以同样的热情试图使之绽放光芒。
关于写作的想法
写作不是你碰巧选择的职业,它是你所必须从事的事业。写作的能力是一种天赋,你可以被教授写作,却不能被教会创作。想写作吗?你需要先阅读手头所有的一切。
我的简史
我生长于行伍之间,十二年间辗转十四所学校,在世界各地都生活过。我常认识一些新的、有趣的朋友,而这是创作可信人物的源泉。
我在加州大学长滩分校获得了我的学士学位,在那里我专注于表演、导演及剧本创作。我曾在21部戏剧中演出。
我妻子弗珍尼娅是来自英国伦敦的艺术家。她是我所知的最有趣的女子,且是我们31年共同生活的过程中让我这个作家安宁稳定的基石。
我的商科背景
我曾有多年为金融服务行业自由写作的经历。在那里,我曾主持了数以百计的访谈,为书刊杂志写下了数不清的文章,并从未错过截稿日期。
我的剧本
我是一个擅长创作多种风格作品的剧作家。我的作品可以反映出我作为演员、导演及剧作家的多种体验。
由于我过去的小说家经历,我的一些作品是动作及冒险题材的。其他题材则包括喜剧、科幻、惊悚、悬疑、恐怖及幻想。
除了少数作品之外,我最近的剧本都是喜剧。我强烈地相信笑声是治疗疾病的有效手段,特别是在当今社会压力极大的特殊情况下。
虽然我大多数的作品都是独立创作完成的,但我的34部剧本中有18本是与我的兄弟马克合作完成的。