The Time-travel Historical Novel Set in the 10th Century Where the Volga Meets the Caspian

Of the dozens of novels I've written, almost none have been bought by others. And I've never earned any money on the novels that would even amount to buying a pair of shoes or a modest lunch. The same goes for most of my nonfiction written between 1959 and the present. But most of these time-travel or humorous novels seem to be my favorite novels. After all, if I don't read them, who will? My kids and grandkids aren't interested in my time-travel historical novels set in faraway places that don't relate to their present interests. And my great-grand kids probably will never hear about my novels. So, if I don't read my own novels, who else will? Not my husband. He likes nonfiction how-to books on home repair. I enjoy reading and writing historical time-travel novels. That's why I wrote them.

Want to read my time-travel historical novels? One of them is called, ADVENTURES IN MY BELOVED MEDIEVAL ALANIA AND BEYOND - iUniverse . Another of my historical time-travel novels set in ancient Rome, 150 BCE, is titled, Proper Parenting in Ancient Rome - iUniverse.

What I learned writing and reading my own novels

Here are some universal tips about what I learned writing novels and nonfiction books since 1959. What I learned as a Sacramento-based author, frequenting senior centers, parks, and noon concerts, after writing 91 published paperback books, numerous novels, 9 scripts, and two stage and/or radio plays, and around 2,000 or more published articles is that people in my age range of between 70 and 80 have a specific niche audience. Also, novelists, storytellers, and dramatists can travel backwards or forwards in time in the story to work with what the potential or intended audience of readers would most enjoy. These are the best years for understanding how writing can be used as a tool for healing, comfort, and learning as well as a creativity enhancer in the field that one enjoys best.

The first time I wrote seriously was in 1955, while still in school and with the outlook of a very young person. But after June 17, 1959, the day I launched my independent writing 'career' for at least three hours almost daily alongside my educational steps, that what I received back from writing each day was about making each day count for learning something new and universal.

Writing salable, marketable material can be a healing tool along with background music and illustration or photography to help you conceptualize certain types of writing such as creative nonfiction, novels, stories, and drama as well as humor. Many of my novels, stories, plays, and scripts for readers of different ages have lots of humor interwoven with the story line. The one universal that divides some can unite all of us with proverbs, humor and insight based on hindsight which leads to foresight for some.

As a published novelist and playwright, many of my stories have been turned into novels, plays, or scripts. Turning a play into a script or a script into a multi-cultural play, or adapting a novel or an interview into a true story documentary video give the works additional markets.

Sacramento makes an excellent setting for a play since this is a diverse community with many approaches to various ethnic-related plays, skits, or scripts that can be expanded into novels or condensed into short stories or monologues. Another form is the dialogue between two characters in a play or skit.

A Sacramento setting also can be used for a play, script, or documentary about local government or Sacramento history. You have numerous libraries here full of archived history and related topics, such as found in museums.

But a playwright or scriptwriter's most tedious style-related chore is trying to keep the columns and scenes aligned when what writers want to do is emphasize content. Also check out my instructional book with sample play, monologue, and other materials, Ethno-Playography - iUniverse.

How I solved this problem when adapting my novels or short stories to plays and scripts is to use and highly recommend Final Draft Scriptwriter's Suite. The software contains Final Draft, professional scriptwriting software for writing my plays or dramatic scripts, and also Final Draft A/V for audio-visual or documentary script writing'"for my nonfiction scripts.

The old version I still used was released in September 2005 of Final Draft A/V contains a new function called Rearrange. Think of Rearrange as having super-strength Drag'n Drop capability. If you're interested, look for the latest versions of the software.

What I like about this software is that each paragraph stays aligned as you keyboard the words on your computer. When I write my documentary scripts that require one column for video and another column for audio, the software automatically puts each paragraph in the correct place.

For example, when you add or subtract text from a Video paragraph, the matching paragraph in the audio column automatically stays in the correct place of alignment. So you don't have to repaginate manually or change the paragraphs to make them fit right in the columns.

They're placed where they should be. There's no time lost having to retype anything just to line up the columns or scenes.

The Scriptwriter's Suite works with either Windows or Macintosh. I use it with Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office Professional, but you also can use it with Windows. Look for the latest version. Not only is the software well-suited to writing scripts or plays, but also excellent for writing and formatting presentations and advertising copy as well as TV or film scriptwriting and for writing and formatting theatrical stage plays or radio drama.

The software is really the best you'll find for scriptwriting or playwriting. It's an industry standard used by many academy-award winning scriptwriters and their staffs.

What the professionals are saying about the software is that it's intuitive. While you're writing, you can imagine your movie or documentary in script form. To write documentary scripts, you have to think in cinematic terms, and the last distraction you want is to think how to format your script, aligning those columns of description, effects, and dialogue.

According to the eight different quotes from movie industry professionals on the back of the box of Final Draft Scriptwriter's Suite (which includes Final Draft and Final Draft AV), the software lets you focus on being filmmakers, video producers, advertising copywriters, news correspondents, presentation writers, or scriptwriters.

When a movie industry professional's entire staff uses Final Draft, or a TV news correspondent needs to format two columns, one for audio and one for video, or a playwright requires a format appropriate for stage plays, they all need software that makes it easy to format scripts as the writing, imagination, and organization of words take place. The back-of-box quotes come from eight professional and/or academy award-winning film, TV, news, and advertising industry celebrities such as Tom Hanks, JJ Abrams, Alan Ball, Anthony Minghella, James Moll, Ted McCagg, Jon Crowley, and Andy Field.

The careers of these celebrities include scriptwriter, actor, producer, director, senior copywriter (advertising), and TV news correspondent. What entertainment, news, and advertising professionals look for in boxed and/or downloadable software for writers is flexibility.

Scriptwriters and producers want the ability to use the software for writing news, advertising copy, stage plays, radio drama, narration, two-column documentaries for reality TV, and industrial/educational/corporate training documentaries, as well as the ability to format dramatic film scripts for entertainment. Industry professionals look for a suite of software packaged in one box that does all of the above.

I use Final Draft Scriptwriter's Suite to turn my numerous published novels into stage plays or scripts for documentaries or radio. I switched to this software because I needed multiple formats and templates.

This software offers ease of formatting and flexibility. Final Draft Scriptwriter's Suite evolves and is supported. My particular need is for software that formats in two-columns for my nonfiction documentaries, but I need to switch to cinematic formatting style for my stage plays and radio or TV scripts, copywriting, or news (in my niche area) and for my instructional books on how to write plays, skits, and monologues from life stories, current events, or news.

Of all the script software I've tried, Final Draft Scriptwriter's Suite is my choice because with it, I don't have to do any manual work setting up different formats for cinematic scripts, stage plays, radio, documentary style, or advertising copy. I also like the choice of template styles.

What are your scriptwriting needs in formatting software? Do you write presentations, videos, advertising, theatrical plays, or scripts for TV and film?

The software called Final Draft Scriptwriter's Suite (includes Final Draft and Final Draft AV) and has the Microsoft and Mac stamp of approval on the box. You also can buy Final Draft or Final Draft AV by itself.

The cross-platform compatibility gives you powerful features for scriptwriting and production. Why I highly recommend this software is because it makes scriptwriting easier to manage. Movie and TV industry professionals helped create this software suite.

We watch the shows that the software helped to align and manage. Why this outstanding software is used by most people in the movie and TV industry is that the software understands the correct formats for screenplays, stage plays, sitcoms, advertising, and documentary videos. The biggest problem for scriptwriters is not creativity block, but actually wondering how to lay out the words on the page in the correct format.

The cross-platform compatibility allows scripts written on a Windows format to be read and edited on a Mac format or vice versa using identical file formats. First Draft Scriptwriter's Suite uses a 'Panels' system that allows you to view your script, its outline and index cards simultaneously.

What I like and highly recommend about this software is the unlimited revisions and page-locking mode. You can view, edit, or discuss our script with numerous people using the Internet. Look at reports and use the word processing that shown to you as "what you see is what you get."

Another feature is "Ask the Expert." Use it as a guide if you need a question answered on your story development, character, plot or structure. You also can get help from each Final Draft window and most dialogue boxes. There's also a user guide.

Another application called Tagger-The Final Draft Breakdown utility allows you to tag separate elements of a script. Various scheduling programs often require a script breakdown. So you can tag each element you break down to fit your individual scheduling program need.

When using my Final Draft AV software, for documentaries, what I like about this suite is that audio visual industry professionals designed this software'"just as movie industry professionals designed Final Draft for movie scripts, plays, and advertising.

Final Draft A/V (audio-visual) makes those dual-column, audio-visual scripts format. The script templates and the powerful word processing make the application easy to use.

What I like best about the A/V is that you don't have to learn commands. If you remember back in the previous decade, a lot of formatting software required commands. This decade, there are no commands.

Just write. So if you created a script at any time in the past with another word-processing program, the script can be converted into professionally-formatted audio-visual scripts that meet the industry's requirements for how a nonfiction script such as a documentary, should look to be judged professional, according to industry standards.

Final Draft opened back in 1990. The software provides updates on the Web. It is endorsed by well-known professionals in the movie industry such as Tom Hanks, Sydney Pollack, Oliver Stone, Steven Bochco, Lawrence Kaden, Stephen J. Cannel and others.

Why spend your creativity trying to format your script or align your columns and design your page or template style? Instead, emphasize and apply your imagination or research. As writers, you and I are content-oriented. This is a software company that really takes to task and puts to work feedback from users.

The software evolves, and the updates regularly become available online. Software improves with age, and this software since 1990 has an excellent rating by the scriptwriters who use it. The tutorial is in the handbook.

If you think there's some world-wide format for writing audio-visual scripts, the answer is no. Most scripts conform to a style. The software offers you numerous options so you can customize and tailor your script layout.

Since I write a lot of radio scripts, what I like about Final Draft A/V is the layout offered for radio scripts. You can use the three default layouts as you learn. Scripts have elements.

I switched to Final Draft AV because, according to the software manufacturer's Guide, the automatic formatting specifically "lines up multiple audio/video columns automatically and keeps them aligned when text is added, edited or deleted. When text is added to a video paragraph the matching paragraph in the audio column automatically stays with it."

This is a major requirement for my documentary scripts. In Final Draft AV, paragraphs stay aligned as you type. When you add text to a VIDEO paragraph, the matching paragraph in the AUDIO column automatically stays with it. You never have to retype, rearrange or repaginate manually.

Look at the AV screen. If you're using Windows, you'll find a toolbar, header, scene marker, insertion point, column, labels, column separator, footer, page number, page count and element label. If you use a Mac, the User Manual will show you with an illustration what's on the screen as you begin. So the tutorial in the User Manual gets a top rating from this desk for ease of use and clarity.

It's good to know you can use this software with Windows or on a Macintosh. By not having to focus on aligning your script columns or scenes, you're free to focus on your writing. Be sure to check out the system requirements on the back of the software box for either a Windows-based PC or a Macintosh.

Final Draft, Scriptwriter's Suite includes Final Draft and Final Draft AV. It's made by Final Draft. Write to the company at Final Draft, Inc., 26707 Agoura Road, Suite 205, Calabasas, CA 91302. Email info@finaldraft.com.

Now, let's look at what you need to do after you finish writing your script. Begin by syndicating online excerpts or promotional content related to your factual research that lends credibility to your point of view, goal, and script.

After You Write a Nonfiction Script for a Documentary

1. Syndicate Your Content Online

2. Write a Time Budget

3. Write a Money Budget

4. Raise Funds for Financing Your Documentary

5. Produce Your Script as a Documentary

6. Promote Your Scripts with RSS Feeds and MP3 Audio

Files for Podcasting on Web sites

7. Promote Your Documentary

8. Launch in the Media (Free Publicity)

9. Distribute

10. Find Hidden Markets Worldwide

Writing a script is only the beginning. You'll probably also want to produce your script if you're making a reality-based documentary video and own an industrial-quality or broadcast-quality camcorder.

What I used dual-column script formatting software for is to create scripts with two columns. The dual-column script format lets me clearly show what appears on the screen as dialog and/or narration in one column along with specific sound effects. Video is described in a second column. There's an audio and a video column in documentary script writing.

The dual-column audio-visual script format is used by writers, producers and directors who create the following types of scripts:

'¢Commercials

'¢Corporate/Industrial Videos

'¢Documentaries

'¢Corporate Presentations

'¢Music Videos

'¢Radio Spots

'¢News

'¢Infomercials

'¢Speeches

'¢Video Games

Here's a book review on my playwriting/skitwriting/monologue book on ethnoplayography: In the book on playwriting and video production titled, Ethno*Playography How to Write Salable Ethnographic Plays,Monologues, & Skits from Life Stories, Social Issues, and Current Events'"For all Ages with Samples for Performance, by Anne Hart, 2007, ASJA Press imprint, iUniverse, Inc. (ISBN: 978-0-595-46066-3), you'll learn how to how to research, interview, write, and market ethnographic plays, monologues, or skits, docu-dramas, or documentaries from life story experiences, highlights, social issues, current events, rites-of-passage, coming-of-age, and life's turning points.

Browse the book at: the publisher's site. Or start your own play-based or dramatized life story, news, and social issues or current events-based documentary and/or ancestry-television business online. Ethno-playography is a word coined by playwright and novelist, Anne Hart in 2007. The term describes the geography and joy of play, song, dance, music, art, writing, oral traditions, poetry, and drama around the world encompassing ethnic customs, folklore, games, life story experiences, reminiscence, and traditions. Another term, ethnoplayology was coined earlier by Ellie Katz of San Diego.

Learn how to launch ethnographic or multi-cultural family history/genealogy television shows globally on your Web site, produce videos, and publish hobby materials or life stories as a pay-per-view or sponsored free entertainment. Genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the country, with more than 113 million participants and researchers. Create social, oral, or personal history documentaries highlighting life stories.

Or customize vintage maps and family atlases and use copies of them as props in your play or skit. Then put your drama in a time-capsule to show to future generations.

Develop an educational business supplying explorers and investigators in family history, ancestry, or DNA-driven genealogy as social history. Most people want to know more about their roots, origins, home life, work day, social status, relationships, migrations, marriages, health, attitudes, customs, folklore, clothing, foods, environment, and the social issues in the news during the time in which their ancestors lived.

You'll learn how to adapt real life stories into romance novels, skits, plays, monologues, or biographies. You'll see the techniques of starting and operating a genealogy journalism and personal history business. Here's how to interview individuals or groups and record life experiences as an oral historian.

Avoid the pitfalls. Learn how to start a genealogy television network (station) on your Web site. Here's how to finance, write scripts, interview, and produce a documentary. The book shows techniques and tools for you to write, publish, and market family or personal history publications such as books or newsletters on a shoestring budget.

Start and operate a business supplying tools, research, training, and entertainment for those interested in playwriting and/or video production related to genealogy, family history/ancestry, vintage maps, and current issues in the news'"for the hobbyist, researcher, or entrepreneur. For further resources, see the author's website at or the publisher's site for the instructional book, Ethno-Playography - iUniverse.

Here's how to research, interview, write, and market ethnographic plays, monologues, or skits, docu-dramas, or documentaries from life story experiences, highlights, social issues, current events, rites-of-passage, coming-of-age, and life's turning points. Or start your own play-based or dramatized life story, news, and social issues or current events-based documentary and/or ancestry-television business online.

Keeping Short Stories and Skits Brief Interestingly, the best thing I learned in writing dialogue for plays, skits, and novels is to keep it brief. I always aked myself these three questions that have been said many times before writing a book, article, or fiction--novel, script, play, or life story. Lecturing isn't communicating. Connecting is.

1. What's the situation, event, or experience?
2. What outcome/impact/result is it causing?
3. What's your resolution? (Solve the problem or get measurable results in clearn and easy-to-understand steps the readers can follow.)

It really works as a formula for writing book proposals as well as a query letter and also for the book or follow-up. That's the basis of a good novel or nonfiction book. The details are in the where, how, why, and when.

Ethno-playography is a word I coined in 2007. It's not ethnoplayology, which is a list or database and guide to ethnic plays. The term describes the geography and joy of play, song, dance, music, art, writing, oral traditions, poetry, and drama around the world encompassing ethnic customs, folklore, games, life story experiences, reminiscence, and traditions.

Learn how to launch ethnographic or multi-cultural family history/genealogy television shows globally on your Web site, produce videos, and publish hobby materials or life stories as a pay-per-view or sponsored free entertainment. Genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the country, with more than 113 million participants and researchers.

Create social, oral, or personal history documentaries highlighting life stories. Or customize vintage maps and family atlases and use copies of them as props in your play or skit. Then put your drama in a time-capsule to show to future generations.

Develop an educational business supplying explorers and investigators in family history, ancestry, or DNA-driven genealogy as social history. Most people want to know more about their roots, origins, home life, work day, social status, relationships, migrations, marriages, health, attitudes, customs, folklore, clothing, foods, environment, and the social issues in the news during the time in which their ancestors lived.

You'll learn how to adapt real life stories into romance novels, skits, plays, monologues, or biographies. You'll see the techniques of starting and operating a genealogy journalism and personal history business. Here's how to interview individuals or groups and record life experiences as an oral historian. Avoid the pitfalls.

Relevant Link:

Ethno-Playography - iUniverse. Ethno-Playography: How to Create Salable Ethnographic Plays, Monologues, & Skits from Life Stories, Social Issues, and Current Events. For all Ages with Samples for Performance, by Anne Hart. Published: July, 2007. Pages: 651. ISBN: 9780595460663.