Party at LA 5 Rotary Lunch

Barbara J. Ross with Amy Ziering, Hawk Koch and Marietta Melrose at the LA5 Rotary Club of Los Angeles lunch

Networking can be hard for an introvert... but it's still an essential part of a writer's life. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced writer, building meaningful connections can help you advance in your career. And what better way to connect with peers and industry professionals than at writer's events? However, for many writers, the thought of walking up to strangers and striking up a conversation can be intimidating. Here' some of the ways I prepare for a networking event...

Research the event and prepare in advance
Before you attend any writing event, it's essential to do your homework. Research the speakers, attendees, and the topics that will be covered. Make a list of people you would like to meet and potential questions you could ask them. Have a brief introduction about yourself, your writing interests, and what you hope to achieve at the event. This not only makes it easier for you to strike up a conversation and leave a lasting impression. I like to keep my LinkedIn tagline in mind, because it's short and sweet and gets me out of the hot seat fast.

Attend the workshops and panel discussions
Most writing events feature workshops, panel discussions, and author talks, which are great opportunities to learn from experienced professionals and connect with fellow writers. Attend these sessions, actively engage in the discussions, and make sure to take notes. This not only help you improve your craft but also give you something interesting to talk give you material to ask questions.

Break the ice with small talk
Starting a conversation with a stranger can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Small talk can help break the ice and create a friendly atmosphere. Ask about the other person's writing interests, their favorite book or author, or their experience in the industry. Compliment them on their work or congratulate them on an achievement. Remember, everyone loves to feel appreciated and acknowledged.

Give and Take Business Cards & Connect on Social Media
At writing events, you'll meet several people, and it's impossible to remember everyone's name. I use an electronic card app, HI Hello. Makes it so easy to exchange business cards and connect with them on social media. This will help you keep in touch with them and follow up on potential collaboration opportunities. Make sure to give and take business cards and connect with them on social media to stay in touch. I like to be proactive and reach out too.

Follow up after the event
Following up after the event is just as important as making connections. Send a personal email or LinkedIn message to the people you met, reminding them of your conversation and the things you discussed. Thank them for their time and express your interest in keeping in touch. This will help you maintain a professional relationship and make it easier to connect with them in the future.

Happy networking!

Quote card reading I owe my greatest success to women, Frances Marion, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

The Woman Who Wrote Hollywood

By Barbara J. Ross • October 2, 2026
Frances Marion was the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood and the first woman to win an Oscar for writing. A woman gave her the first job.
Social card reading One Finds the Buyer, One Is the Buyer, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

One Finds the Buyer. One Is the Buyer.

By Barbara J. Ross • October 1, 2026
A sales agent works for you. A distributor is the buyer. Calling the wrong one first costs first-time filmmakers real money.
Social card reading 35% of Everything Except You, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

35% of Everything Except You

By Barbara J. Ross • September 30, 2026
California’s film credit now pays up to 35% on a $750 million pool. Writers are non-qualified spend, and here is why that still matters.
Social card reading NDA or Not to NDA, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

NDA or Not to NDA

By Barbara J. Ross • September 29, 2026
Almost nobody will sign a writer’s NDA. What a submission release actually says, and where to protect the work instead.
Quote card: Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim - Nora Ephron, on the Barbara J. Ross screenwriting blog

Above All, Be the Heroine of Your Life, Not the Victim

By Barbara J. Ross • September 25, 2026
Nora Ephron told Wellesley graduates to be the heroine, not the victim. For screenwriters, that line is a business instruction, not a sentiment.
Light blue blog card reading Ticking Clocks, tagged On Screenwriting, with a photo of Barbara J. Ross

Ticking Clocks

By Barbara J. Ross • September 24, 2026
A ticking clock is a deadline the audience can count. Not a mood, a number that gets smaller while they watch. A deadline with no consequence is a calendar.
Light blue blog card reading Scene Buttons, tagged On Screenwriting, with a photo of Barbara J. Ross

Scene Buttons

By Barbara J. Ross • September 23, 2026
A button is the last beat of a scene, the line that makes the cut feel decided. The best one is already in the scene, one beat before you stopped.
Light blue blog card reading Writing the Phone Call, tagged On Screenwriting, with a photo of Barbar

Writing the Phone Call Scene

By Barbara J. Ross • September 22, 2026
A phone call takes away everything you usually use. It's only half a scene, and you write the other half: what each person does, and what each one can't see.
Light blue blog card reading Chain of Title, tagged On Business, with a photo of screenwriter Barbar

Chain of Title

By Barbara J. Ross • September 21, 2026
Chain of title is the paper trail that proves who owns the story. If a lawyer can't draw a clean line from the idea to you, the script can't be bought.
Dark blue quote card reading A woman's best protection is a little money of her own, credited to Cla

A Woman's Best Protection Is a Little Money of Her Own

By Barbara J. Ross • September 18, 2026
Clare Boothe Luce knew what it took to get into those rooms. Having your own money isn't about being rich. It's about being able to say no and to walk out.
Blog card reading Voiceovers, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara Ross on a dark blue background

Voiceovers

By Barbara J. Ross • September 17, 2026
Voiceover isn't cheating, but captioning the frame is. Goodfellas and Sunset Boulevard show the difference, and one test tells you which one you wrote.
Blog card reading Writing the Sex Scene, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara Ross on a dark blue ba

Writing the Sex Scene

By Barbara J. Ross • September 16, 2026
The good sex scenes are negotiations. Write the decision, not the choreography, and remember the agent and the line producer read the pages too.
Blog card reading What the Deal Memo Locks In, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara Ross on a dark b

What the Deal Memo Locks In

By Barbara J. Ross • September 15, 2026
The deal memo takes an afternoon and the lawyers argue from it for a year. Credit, rewrite steps, bonus triggers, reversion: know your three before the call.
Blog card reading Know Who You're Pitching, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara Ross on a dark blue

Know Who You're Pitching

By Barbara J. Ross • September 14, 2026
Lenders don't buy scripts. Fifteen minutes of research tells you whether the name on your desk is equity or debt, and whether your pitch has any chance.
Quote card reading They called you difficult, you were just the only one telling the truth, by Barbara J. Ross

They Called You Difficult

By Barbara J. Ross • September 11, 2026
Difficult is what they call you when you ask who is paying and want the credit in writing. It describes the inconvenience, not your temperament.
Social card reading Writing Twists That Don't Cheat, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

Writing Twists That Don't Cheat

By Barbara J. Ross • September 10, 2026
Withheld information is not a twist, it is a trick. A real twist uses what the audience already had and shows them they read it wrong.
Social card reading What's On the Nose, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

What's On the Nose

By Barbara J. Ross • September 9, 2026
On-the-nose dialogue kills a scene because it leaves the audience nothing to do. The fix is not vagueness. It is giving the character something else to want.
Social card reading What the Sales Agent Tells the Buyer, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

A Private Conversation Between a Sales Agent and the Buyer

By Barbara J. Ross • September 8, 2026
The buyer asks who else is looking. That answer, not your draft, is what moves the number. What agents are really managing is scarcity.
Social card reading Tax Credits Producers Chase, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

Tax Credits Producers Chase

By Barbara J. Ross • September 7, 2026
Georgia pays up to 30 percent back on qualified spend. That credit decides where your movie shoots, often before anyone reads your pages.
Quote card reading They told you it was too emotional, it was just true, by Barbara J. Ross

They Told You It Was Too Emotional

By Barbara J. Ross • September 4, 2026
Too emotional is the note you get when the scene is working and the room is uncomfortable. Keep the line. Cut the three around it that explain it.
Social card reading The Flashback That Earns an Interruption, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

The Flashback That Earns an Interruption

By Barbara J. Ross • September 3, 2026
A flashback that only explains is a footnote. The one that works takes something the audience already watched and makes it mean the opposite.
Social card reading The Character Who Only Says Yes, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

The Character Who Only Says Yes

By Barbara J. Ross • September 2, 2026
A character whose job is to agree cannot generate a scene. Give her a want that costs your protagonist something, or cut her lines entirely.
Social card reading The Back End Never Arrives, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

The Back End Never Arrives

By Barbara J. Ross • September 1, 2026
Net profit is a defined term written by the people who have to pay it. Negotiate fixed compensation, production bonuses and gross-defined escalators instead.
Social card reading Turnaround Your Script Might Actually Survive, with a photo of screenwriter Barbara J. Ross

Turnaround Your Script Might Actually Survive

By Barbara J. Ross • August 31, 2026
Turnaround is not a death sentence. It is a number the next buyer has to clear before a single new page exists. Columbia put E.T. in turnaround.
Catalina Film Festival poster: an illustrated woman in a red gown beside the Best Actor nominees

Catalina Film Festival

By Barbara J. Ross • October 3, 2023
At B Story Media, I go to film festivals to meet writers, producers and industry insiders. Catalina Film Festival is my favorite, and here's why.
A woman in an Elizabethan gown and ruff collar stands in a stone alley in A Discovery of Witches

Eliciting Desire

By Barbara J. Ross • April 26, 2023
Lighting, framing, editing and color grading shape a scene's mood and subtext. Here's why I think screenwriters should write with the camera in mind.
Barbara J. Ross holding her Best Writer trophy at Austin Film Festival Under the Stars

Best Writer Award Austin Film Fest

By Barbara J. Ross • December 28, 2021
My rewrite of #WHATNEXT won Best Writer at Austin Film Festival Under the Stars, and the short also took the People's award. What a night!
#WHATNEXT poster for Austin Under the Stars 2021, comedy, directed by Stanislava Ivy

#WHATNEXT at Austin

By Barbara J. Ross • October 7, 2021
#WHATNEXT, starring Marietta Melrose, was invited to screen at Austin Film Festival Under the Stars. I rewrote the script for this comedy short.
#WHATNEXT poster starring Marietta Melrose, written by Barbara J. Ross, directed by Stanislava Ivy

#WHATNEXT at La Femme

By Barbara J. Ross • October 7, 2021
I'm so happy for Marietta Melrose: #WHATNEXT was invited to screen at the LA Femme International Film Festival at Regal Cinemas in downtown LA.