Website Portfolio?

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  • Website Portfolio?

    Hey all,

    I've been wondering over the past while how a writer could display his/her portfolio of work. It seems easier for, say, visual artists to say "portfolio" and mean a physical collection of work. But for a writer, that'd mean a stack of paper.

    Has anyone made a personal website for their work, with sample pages, downloadable scripts and such? Or would having a website as a writer be pointless?

    Thanks

  • #2
    Re: Website Portfolio?

    Originally posted by samtocilarul View Post
    would having a website as a writer be pointless?

    Thanks
    Yes.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Website Portfolio?

      Hey samtocilarul,

      A website is not pointless at all... but what I think a lot of writers steer towards is blogs. Which is certainly fitting for writers. I think queries and reads get people interested in you, but once at that point they usually want to dig deeper and know more about you as a writer; and if you have a blog it is kind of like taking a meeting without you being there. They can go through you thoughts on things you blog about and get a deeper understanding and sense of who you are, your writing, and hopefully where you are coming from.

      That being said, if you do start a blog you probably shouldn't go on tirade about anything industry related because you don't want people to think you are difficult or 'sour grapes'... hopefully you aren't anyway.

      I think a good number of writers do have actual websites too, which certainly can't hurt... just remember it's like the blog and representative of you, so you don't want it to be crappy and filled with spelling errors, etc. With a website I think it is a good idea to follow query guidelines that are frequently talked about here. Your 2nd place finish in the Greater Bismarck North Dakota Screenplay Competition isn't going to impress, so you should just leave it out. However, if you get good marks from the Screenplay Mechanic or ScriptGirl (reputable sources in other words) I would certainly note that.

      Here are two of my favorite blogs:
      www.johnaugust.com
      http://bambookillers.blogspot.com/

      And this is a website that kind of shows you what you can do tastefully without being overbearing:
      www.caitlinmccarthy.com/

      Hope that helps.
      Get busy writin' or get busy dyin'.
      http://www.kiva.org/team/hollywood

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Website Portfolio?

        I tried it, not sure whether it is a good thing or not...?
        www.JustinSloanAuthor.com

        http://www.CreativeWritingCareer.com
        http://www.MilitaryVeteransinCreativeCareers.com

        Twitter: @JustinMSloan

        Want a free book?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Website Portfolio?

          Originally posted by samtocilarul View Post
          Hey all,

          I've been wondering over the past while how a writer could display his/her portfolio of work. It seems easier for, say, visual artists to say "portfolio" and mean a physical collection of work. But for a writer, that'd mean a stack of paper.

          Has anyone made a personal website for their work, with sample pages, downloadable scripts and such? Or would having a website as a writer be pointless?

          Thanks
          If you have credits, your portfolio is IMDB.

          If you don't have credits, you don't have a portfolio.

          So yes, I think it would be pointless.

          It is NOT the same as a visual artist putting their portfolio up. That is relevant because that is how they can find work. No screenwriter is finding work from a portfolio website.

          For instance, I have a personal website. There's a personal blog on it. I'm also a visual artist. So there is a link to my portfolio. But there are no links to screenplays.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Website Portfolio?

            As a writer it'd just be one more thing to distract you from actually writing -- maintaining and updating your website thinking someone who matters is keeping up with it.

            As a visual artist I get work that way as mentioned above. Whole different animal.
            One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

            The Fiction Story Room

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Website Portfolio?

              A free and easy way to do it is to put scripts up on Amazon Studios.

              You can also include your picture, bio, awards, etc. And then you can link to the page (or the page for each script) in queries.

              For example, mine is at:

              http://studios.amazon.com/users/20644

              (BTW, I don't put ALL my scripts there -- just the trunk ones.)

              I also have a domain name with a bare-bones WordPress site/blog, but I agree that it's a hassle to maintain something like that. I've never gotten around to fully developing it.
              "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

              Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Website Portfolio?

                Like LauriD I'm on Amazon Studios;
                http://studios.amazon.com/users/71778

                However, since web development is my thing I did whip up a simple website;
                www.cjwalley.com

                There's little benefit to having one, but if anybody wants the basic template to use, you're welcome.
                Script Revolution - A free to use script hosting website that offers screenwriters a platform to promote their scripts and a way for filmmakers to search through them.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Website Portfolio?

                  I never assume that the benefit of something like this has to be direct and quantifiable. No, it isn't going to result in a sale, but that's not really the point.

                  Unless there's a downside, why not? My website cost me exactly twelve dollars for the domain, a template I tweaked a little, and a year of hosting. That's definitely a "why not" price tag. If it's pointless, at least it was painless, too.
                  Doug Johnson
                  www.dojowrite.com

                  Comment

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