My Fellow Cut The Crap Writers,

Just like with any non-fiction work, life happens, knowledge is gained, and there's always more to say. That is true for Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY! I am very pleased with how well the First Edition of my book is being received and, more importantly, how well it is helping new writers to cut the crap and get that screenwriting done! This book not only has helped many of my readers but has helped me in ways I've never even imagined. Because of my book, many doors have been opened to me that have previously either been closed or unknown. And with that I have learned so much more since the book's original publication on July 2nd, 2010. Therefore, not only do I want to share all of this new experience with all of you but also expound on topics and concepts that I didn't get to in the First Edition!

So a Second Edition of this book is being planned for Summer of 2013. It will contain expansions of the existing chapters with more examples from classic and contemporary films, more writing tips, insights, and true stories based on my ever-evolving experience in this amazing industry—and two new chapters.  One will be called When to Break the Rules that will look at Well’s Citizen Kane, Stone’s The Doors, The Coen Brothers' True Grit, and Nolan’s Inception as examples of this concept.

And the other will be called Revising Without Being a Reviser! It will take a deeper look into the process of screenplay revision from a cutting the crap and getting it done point of view (while avoiding the trap of becoming a hopeless serial reviser that I rail against in Chapter One)—with strategies like writing the first and second drafts concurrently!

I'll also be adding a new section in Chapter Nine: Where Do We Go From Here Now? called Bringing the Fun. Here I'll talk about four new concepts that are neither plot devices nor writing strategies, they are simply enhancements that'll add lots of fun and humor to your screenplays (even dramas) to lighten things up and keep the pace driving forward. These concepts are: the shtick, the running gag, the inside joke, and the easter egg. I'll be using examples from beloved films such as Used Cars and The Hangover, my own writing (including a family holiday adventure that I have in the works right now!), and one of my good friend's work: filmmaker Anthony Ambrosino and his raucous new comedy Sleather.

The second edition will have a foreword written by my closest friend and independent L.A. filmmaker Daniel G. Thron. His kind words about my book mean the world to me. In fact, he is almost solely responsible for me getting off my lazy butt and writing that damn book in the first place! I'll actually tell the whole story about this on my blog sometime soon.

The second edition will also have an endorsements page from working writers and filmmakers so you'll know who's saying what about my book.

And finally there will be a tear-away cheat sheet with quick tips to aid writers during their writing sessions.

I want to offer my readers, and aspiring fellow writers, the best possible help I can give them and my hope is that the Second Edition will continue to do just that!

Cheers,

Nick