Welcome
to the
Iowa
Scriptwriters Alliance
| Welcome to the website of the ISA! Stay a while. Take a tour. Let us know if you have any questions. |  |
Welcome
to the
Iowa
Scriptwriters Alliance
| Welcome to the website of the ISA! Stay a while. Take a tour. Let us know if you have any questions. | |
I struggled for some time with the proper opening for this message. Should I begin with some profound inspirational quote? A witty joke? Perhaps with “something that my grandfather once told me...”
Then I realized, perhaps a simple introduction is in order. So, here goes...
My name is Lewayne L. White. I'm a husband and father, and more relevant to this message, a screenwriter.
Many of you have never met me, and may not have even realized that I was the ISA vice-president for the last two years, nor that I became president at the recent annual meeting. That's okay. I don't know all of you either, but I hope over the course of the next two years of my term to meet as many of you as possible.
The best way for that to happen is if you and I are doing things with the ISA.
“All About Me” is a great place to start. You get to hear ten pages of your work read aloud, and you get honest feedback. You get to help fellow writers bring their masterpiece to completion, and enjoy Caribou Coffee's great beverages and snacks. Currently we meet on the first Monday of every month, and hope to add a second session to the schedule soon.
Board meetings, held the third Wednesday of the month, are a great place for your voice to be heard. Have an idea for a group project or concerns about the ISA? Come by Cup O' Kryptonite on the third Wednesday of the month and talk with me or any of the officers and members of the ISA board. We're happy to consider suggestions for things the ISA can do.
Group projects are a great way to learn more about writing and production, and to spread the word about the ISA. The recent Seven Sins project not only gave writers a chance to see their scripts come to life, they let the community know that there is an active writing community in Iowa. Our association with the Iowa Digital Filmmaker's Guild has given members an opportunity to submit short film scripts for possible production. The most recent film shot in conjunction with the IDFG was ISA vice-president Matt Berge's comedy “The Superhero's Wife.”
Contributing to “Three Brads And A Passion,” the ISA's official newsletter, is a great way to connect with other writers when you can't attend regular meetings. Have a fabulous writing tip? Suggestions for festivals or competitions that are looking for scripts? Have you seen a great (or horrible) movie and want to tell other ISA members about it? Then contact the newsletter editor Sean Gannon at 3brads[at]iowascripts[dot]org and submit your article, essay, or review.
We are writers because we all feel a need to create and share a story. It is my hope, as president of the ISA, that we can all work together to make our stories the best we have in us.
—Lewayne L. White
History of the ISA
Five Des Moines area writers founded The Iowa Scriptwriters Alliance (ISA) in May 1997. Today, ISA membership includes almost forty professional and part-time scriptwriters from across Iowa. Some are accomplished playwrights and screenwriters, and others are aspiring writers.
ISA-member playwrights have had their plays performed on stages across the country. Screenwriter members have garnered awards and some have had their scripts produced and screened.
ISA special events have included performances of six member-written plays at Living History Farms in central Iowa, and filming of three member-written five-minute screenplays.
Monthly ISA programs and workshops for members build and enhance writing skills. Industry professionals bring insights to marketing, refining, protecting, and enhancing scripts. Organized readings of member-written scripts provide evaluation and commentary from other members.
Script development, from initial ideas to polished final drafts, is supported through continuous review and encouragement from fellow members. A quarterly ISA newsletter, Three Brads and a Passion, publishes information on ISA events, member profiles, articles about writing, and reviews of books, movies and plays. And this website is the source for up-to-date information on meetings and events, resources and member accomplishments.
Most importantly, the ISA (501c status pending) has provided Iowa scriptwriters with access to and support from other scriptwriters. All are in the ISA to teach, learn and perfect the art and craft of scriptwriting.
