Since last September we've been following Jean as she attempts to find an agent to represent her intergenerational novel Karaoke Nights at the Twilight Lounge. So far, Jean has received a number of rejections, but she still has some queries out.

Today we hear more about the fate of Jean's queries, discuss her dilemma about revising the opening of her story, hear some advice from Writing Show listeners, and learn that Jean has been holding out on us.

Dr. Linda Seger created and defined the job of script consultant when she began her business in 1981, based on a method for analyzing scripts she developed for her dissertation project. Since then, she has consulted on over 2000 scripts, including over 40 produced feature films and about 35 produced television projects.

Join Linda and host Paula B. for a fascinating exploration of creativity, including:

* What creativity is

* Whether creativity can be learned

* Whether great artists, writers, and musicians are more creative than other people

* Whether drugs and drink help people be more creative

* Whether you have to be a little crazy to be creative

* Whether you have to have a hard life to be creative

* How to jump-start your creativity

* How writers can develop their visual thinking skills.

Join ghostwriter Joey Robert Parks and Writing Show host Paula B. for part 2 of this riproaring discussion of ghostwriting.

Join ghost writer Joey Robert Parks and Writing Show host Paula B. for a riproaring discussion of ghostwriting, including:

* What ghostwriting is

* How he finds clients

* What the ghostwriting process consists of

* How he makes clients feel comfortable with him and the process

* How he deals with the business aspects of ghostwriting

* What happens if he doesn't like the client, or vice versa

* What he does when a project doesn't interest him

* What sorts of issues come up when ghostwriting a book

* What the pay for ghostwriting is like

* What his duties as a ghostwriter are and aren't

* Who holds the copyright to a ghostwritten work

* What advice he has for those considering going into ghostwriting.

In episode 3 of "Getting Published, with Mark Leslie," we learned that Mark was planning to take a detour from working on his novel, A Canadian Werewolf in New York, ACWINNY, for short. He had decided to self-publish a picture book for his five-year-old niece to clear his mind and experiment with self-publishing. Only after he completed that project would he be ready to continue with his horror story.

Today we present episode 4 of our reality show, "Getting Published, with Mark Leslie" and find out what happened with "A Horse Named Cow" (or was it "A Cow Named Horse") and dig into a fabulous critique of ACWINNY submitted by Writing Show guest host and Internet bad boy, Mick Halpin.

This month we've heard from an attorney who examines and compares self-publishing contracts and an entrepreneur who runs his own self-publishing company. Today we hear from an author who has chosen to self-publish her books.

Lyda Phillips is an award-winning journalist, novelist, and screenwriter who has written two award-winning young adult novels: Mr. Touchdown and Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River, as well as several unpublished novels for both young readers and adults.

Join Lyda and host Paula B. for a first-hand look at a self-publishing experience, including:

* Why she decided to self-publish

* What the production process was like

* How she got reviews

* How she got her books into libraries

* What obstacles she's faced as a self-published author

* How she thinks authors can improve self-publishing's image

* How she thinks iUniverse could help its authors more

* What she's learned from her self-publishing experience

* Why she's now looking for a mainstream publisher.

We've had more requests for a show on writing groups than any other topic. It's been a long time coming, but here is our first look at this important subject.

Join writer Sean Dent and Writing Show host Paula B. for an illuminating discussion about writing groups, including:

* How writing groups work

* Whether writing groups help writers gain commercial success

* What sorts of pitfalls groups encounter

* How to provide good feedback to other writers

* What to do when you feel you aren't getting quality feedback

* Whether writers should worry about their work being stolen when they participate in groups

* What you need to run your own group.

Having trouble getting a Hollywood production company to read your screenplay? Submit it to the Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition, and they will!

Join Mark Andrushko and host Paula B. for a fascinating conversation about Scriptapalooza, including:

* What the contest offers its winners

* Who reads the scripts, and how many scripts each judge reads

* How the judges grade the scripts

* How many entries they get

* How winners get connected with the film industry

* Why they have three deadlines

* Whether a film's potential budget affects a screenplay's chances of winning

* Whether a lousy script hurts a contestant's chances in the future

* How they got so many production companies involved in the contest.

In episode 3, Jean reported her progress after having sent out several queries and told us that she had modified her query letter based on a listener suggestion. We also explored the idea of overpolishing one's work, and Jean admitted that she enjoyed her scenes from the sixties more than the ones based in the present.

Today we hear more about the fate of Jean's queries, discuss the state of the industry, and hear some advice from Writing Show listeners.

First prize is $10,000. The deadline is March 1st. Are you ready for the BlueCat Screenplay Competition?

This week, screenwriter/director and BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman joins us for a look at this internationally acclaimed contest in which every entrant receives a written script analysis.

Join Gordy and host Paula B. as they discuss:

* What the contest offers its winners

* What sorts of screenplays have won

* How winners get connected with the film industry

* What sorts of critiques entrants get

* Whether a film's potential budget affects a screenplay's chances of winning

* What some of the most common writing faults are

* How you can insert back story elegantly

* How to write great log lines

* How Gordy feels about titles.