Not to blow my own horn, which would be a very small one probably resembling a kazoo, I’ve included the Cliff Notes version of a bio on me so you might get some idea of my background. It appears below:

Paul Sekulich is a thoroughly traveled Marylander who has lived in New York, Detroit, Chicago, Palm Beach, Los Angeles and Hollywood, California. He holds a B.A. degree in Theatre from the University of Maryland and Masters of Fine Arts and film school credits from Towson University and the University of Southern California.

He has written, acted in, produced and directed films, commercials and stage productions since he was 18 and has won awards for his work. He owned and operated The Limestone Dinner Theatre from 1991-1994 and now tours the country teaching seminars on screenwriting for television and the movies.
He was a contributing writer for Cheers and Head of the Class TV sitcoms in Hollywood and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the Actors Equity Association. He has just completed a new screenplay titled Sally McKay’s MacGuffin and is working on a millennium thriller called Annulla, due to be completed this winter.

Paul’s company, Cinemagic Productions, has just completed the 4-hour documentary, The Forgotten Birds, chronicling the history of the International League Baltimore Orioles from 1903-1953.

Back to the present. I have concluded that no one in Hollywood knows how to actually read a marketable screenplay, but persists in producing the onslaught of crap that some loosely call movies. I’ve often said the if I had my entire life to live over I would do everything exactly the same except I wouldn’t go see Ishtar. Things weren’t much better when I lived out in L.A. and I had to resort to TV work to make a living.

I have decided to write a novel on the advice of Elmore Leonard who went down several similar screenwriting dead-ends until he shifted his work to novel writing. We both agree that what could serve as a better outline for a novel than a well-plotted, character-driven, screen script. The conversion of script-to-novel is eased by the fact that you already have the dialog and story line, so all you need to add is the narrative. I realize that while rolls off the lips easily it actually can be somewhat more arduous and daunting in the doing. However, I’m having a ball with it and hope to finish my script’s conversion to first draft in about 30 days.

I have ten screenplays completed so far, so if I should be lucky enought to find an agent/publisher that likes fiction that converts well to the silver screen, I’ll have plenty of literary ammo to throw at them. My primary genre has been comedy, action-adventure and action-crime stories, but I like variety and will stayopen to almost anything as long as it doesn’t include rap or Bradford Dillman.

Best to you and your writing career. Next time you’re in Balto, give me a whistle and I’ll treat you to lunch at a place where the waitresses still say “Hon” and the men at the bars still call everyone “Smoke” or “Bunky.”

Paul Sekulich [see-que-lik]
800-662-3670
410-557-0877
tvscribe@verizon.net

Garry mcelherron

But that might all be just fine with you. If your stories are just going to be gathering digital dust on your computer otherwise, and you’d like a nice bound book to sell to your friends and associates, why not? Just keep your expectations realistic.

I’m generally not comfortable disclosing particulars, but you should check out my pal Tobias Buckell’s SF author advance survey. It’s very informative and very sobering, as well.

All I can say is that I’ve never had any problems with Bruce or Bancroft. Feel free to email me if you want more detail.

Thanks,
AK Goodrich