WriterMarket

My first non-newspaper sale was to be to a religious magazine. Iwrote a query letter about how I wanted to write about new ways tohonor the Sabbath in our busy lives. I planned to write aboutfamilies who refused to join sports teams that practiced and playedon Sundays, modern people looking to the traditions of generationspast of doing no cooking or housework on that day, and ways to find aday of rest in the middle of the week for those in professions thatrequired them to work Sundays. Instead of giving a list of points I wished to cover, I wrote aboutthe Bible study class I taught for years and how we learned new waysto honor the Sabbath during the course's 34 weeks of meetings as away of selling...

I will never forget a truly disastrous gift exchange with my husband when we were newly married. It was my birthday and my husband told me he had a gift for me. He then handed me a paper sack and said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't have time to wrap it." The smile on my face was gone and was replaced with a look of disappointment. To this day I can't tell you what was in that sack because the joy was over for me. I opened the bag and held it upside down. The gift fell into my lap. There were no fancy ribbons, no pretty paper and there was no card. I thanked my husband for the gift, but he could tell by my expression that I was not happy. He got the message loud and clear and he has never done...

Every time you pick up your favorite magazine you pour over it, looking through every article. By the time you are finished many of the pages are dog-eared and you've discovered that so many of the articles are in line with your own personal interests and writing style. As a writer you find yourself considering the possibility of submitting something for the magazine to consider. You have even written an article or two, but never had the courage to send them on. You have dozens of ideas, but they never go any further than the dream you have every time you look at the publisher information and see the word 'Submission'. Most magazines have a certain amount of freelance material they accept for...

Writers block can be a significant obstacle, in some cases the most significant obstacle, to creating a beautifully crafted piece of work. Without writers block, you can feel completely free to express your thoughts and ideas into a moving piece of living articulation that can inspire, capture and lead the emotions of countless others. There are two basic reasons that people get writers block. Because they are two sides of the same coin, they can easily be dealt with, leaving you with the power to freely write and express your ideas for all those reasons that are important to you. The first reason is fear of failure. Everybody has fear of failure of one sort or another. Many people have a small...

ly 1,000 magazines are launched every year, according to Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni, a magazine consultant and chair of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi. Nearly 20,000 consumer and trade publications exist in North America, according to the National Directory of Magazines. These statistics don't include many of the small, independent start-up magazines. New magazines can be a goldmine to dig up freelance work. Editors of new magazines are eager to find freelance talent to write regularly or to pitch articles and column ideas for at least four to six issues in advance, depending on the magazine's frequency. New magazines can offer you, the freelance writer, an easier and...

The young man stood on the steps of the library, waiting for it to open. The librarians, three elderly ladies sedately dressed and whispering even amongst themselves, came at the appointed hour, unlocked the door, and went in. Ten minutes later, after completing their opening ritual, they decided to open the door five minutes earlier to let the young man in. "How may we help you?" asked one of the ladies. "It is I who have come to help you," he said. "Please gather your colleagues around, I'd like to speak to them as well." "I'm sorry, young man," said the librarian sternly, "we don't accept sales solicitations." "It's not about selling," he said. He showed her a sacred symbol, which he pulled out...

One of the most common questions we get at Ebook Architect is "how much money will I make selling ebooks? Well, like most businesses the answer will depend on many different factors. For example the amount of time you put into the promotion of your ebook will have a direct consequence on sales and market interest in your ebook topic is another important factor. People who are good at picking good ebook topics and promoting their ebooks usually stand to make a lot of money with ebooks. How Much Money You Ask? Some Ebook entrepreneurs lose money in the course of a year while some make hundreds of thousands of dollars. More realistically however is somewhere in between these two points. Many ebook...

When it comes to writing for online markets, one of the most important things you can ever master is how to know your reader. While it sounds like a given, there are still many online writers who write for themselves and not the reader and then wonder why their content does not perform as well as they would like. Knowing your reader allows you to know what they want to see from your article or other online content. It's about respecting their busy lives and hectic schedules and understanding that you need to provide what they want and need or they are going to find it elsewhere. It's not enough just to know Internet readers. This is because there are now more Internet readers than ever before. With...

Making money writing means working as a freelance writer. If you want to become a freelance writer then you are reading the right article. There are many freelance writers all over the internet who are making six figure income as a freelance writer. There are many things which you should know before starting as a online writer. An online writer can make money in many ways. Let's talk about the jobs which you can perform as a freelancer. - There are many companies out there who need press releases to be written and submitted all over the internet. Reputed companies are ready to pay good amount of money for high quality press releases. So if you want to make money writing then it is a good idea to...

There are many ways to write a book. Sometimes the decision is based on how efficient the technique is. Sometimes it just comes down to what you prefer. There are two ways which are often lumped together as "following a template" or "the cookie-cutter style of writing". Books written using this method are referred to as formula book. However, that is a simplification. There are really two types of template: the "cookie-cutter book" type and the presentation model. The former applies to the organization of the whole book, while the latter is focused on the presentation of the content. In this article I'm going to discuss the true formula or cookie-cutter type of writing. Certainly, a cookie-cutter...

I recently set up a website to promote a new suspense novel. Once it started receiving hits I began getting questions about why I chose to write in third person. The truth is, I didn't make a conscious decision to write that way. I just sort of happened and I went with it. As I got through the manuscript, I found that writing in the third person "flowed" better than any other voice since throughout the story I used a lot of dialogue between characters. It just fit. Other people wrote and asked what difference it makes which voice you write in and that's what I'll try to address here. First of all, choosing which voice to use depends entirely on how you intend to tell your story and how you want your...

English is the foremost spoken language in the whole world. That's why it is absolutely crucial for you to know how to develop good writing skills in English. Unfortunately, not everything can be learned from the classroom. A little extra help can go a long way. Here are some ways on how to develop good writing skills in English. 1) Read Books. If you're an avid reader, then this should not be a problem for you. Reading books helps you get a better grasp of the English language. You're able to see how people use certain words or construct sentences apart from the examples on your language handout or references. Plus, you'll also gain more confidence in your own writing style. If you're not a fan of...

Writing horror stories that can immerse your readers completely and make them relive the terror is something that most writers in this genre are trying to achieve. It’s not always easy though and a poorly written horror story can be almost comedic in comparison. The writer has to establish a creative and solid foundation to their story first which means knowing the plot inside and out and then weave the suspenseful elements into that existing plot. Writing horror may not be the easiest genre to write in, but it can certainly be an exciting and captivating one and a lesson in writing and building suspense.   When writing horror, it is important that the writer knows the direction of the story as...

Writing and selling eBooks online are no easy tasks. But they can be very rewarding and downright profitable. That is why electronic book writers are multiplying by the minute. If you would like to get ahead of the pack, these 8 steps to advance in eBook writing are for you: 1. Be original. Don't just copy or rehash other writer's eBook. Come up with something that is truly yours. Put your unique ideas to writing and offer your readers with fresh ideas and information. 2. Strike a good balance between your content and your ads. Sure you can sell ad space on your eBook but don't overdo it. Ensure that your electronic book has more content than advertisements. 3. Make your eBook "meaty". Ensure that...

So you want to write a fantasy novel? You love the work of so many fantasy writers and you have a partially formed idea about an elf, a dwarf, and an odd love triangle. Where to begin? The answer is the first of my eight rules for writing fantasy. Enjoy! 1. Begin with the world. Creating the world where your fantasy novel is set is one of the most important parts of creating a successful fantasy novel. And this world must be pretty fleshed out before you move on to the next step. Why you ask? Because just as earth has specific rules that cannot be violated without explanation (for example, the law of gravity), your world will have laws too. It will also have its own geography, weather patterns...

This brief article is the first in a series which provide guidance for new authors. In addition, I hope it can also provide inspiration to experienced authors. With this first installment I will begin from the rejection pile, as it were: Things Not To Do. My reasoning is simple, if we can help you eliminate some bad habits, maybe we can free your fingers so they can dance joyfully over the keyboard once again. Are you game? Myth 1: Writing a book is like giving birth- one word at a time. Please let go, live free, and anticipate that this will be the first of several, if not many books. Do not agonize over each word. Let yourself experience the process of writing, revising, writing, and revising...

Since I am not the card-shuffling type, I do not use the old file card approach to create a book outline. Instead, I use another high school English approach, the classic outline with Roman numerals, capital A, B, and C, and numbers in parenthesis. This outline is like a mini thesis and my outline includes every point, sub-point, reference, and page number. Writing a nonfiction book outline can take months. A new book is rattling around in my head. Before I started it, I decided to research outlining and came across something called mind-mapping. How does it work? Would it work for me? Judy Collins discusses the outline approach in a Hub Pages website article, "Book Chapters -- Organize and Outline...

"By failing to plan, you are planning to fail." Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) A good story is made up of a logical beginning, a bumpy middle and a satisfying end. But a good plot is made up of more than just these three basics. Plotting an entire novel is a complex task, best summed up by saying it is the author's way of showing the reader the events as they are unfolding. A successful plot depends largely on how the author chooses to display those events as they unfold. A carefully crafted plot-line, interwoven with clever characterizations, tightly written dialogue and enough action to hold a reader's attention are only some of the factors which determine whether a book is a memorable journey, or...

One of the most popular word processing programs for writers is MS Word. MS Word is a very powerful program and is capable of helping the writer in many ways. However, many people don't know how to use the program properly and often simply use it as an overgrown version of notepad. This article will help you get the most out of writing a book with MS Word. Here are six formatting tips and tricks: 1. Use Format>Paragraph to double space not line feeds. Manuscripts have traditionally been presented double spaced. However, the finished book is often presented using line and a half spacing. This helps to use less paper than double spacing, and is easier to read than single spacing. Use Edit>Select All...

With a society that is often prone to rush to litigation, the use of legal disclaimers in books have grown in popularity and are often strongly recommended. These disclaimers are suitable when your book offers health, fitness, diet, or financial advice. They also serve to protect the author and the publisher against liability when their book's topic might invade someone's privacy or result in a claim of defamation. In addition, when you provide instructional information or advice, it's a good idea to protect yourself and your product from being held liable for the results achieved from their use or implementation. That said, how do you, as an author, craft a legal disclaimer that will protect you...

One of the aspects of writing a book for publication that I emphasize with the Writer's Journey approach is to give as much attention to preparing yourself for published authorship as you do to preparing your work. This is because who you become in the process of writing your book is just as important as what you write! One facet of this relates to developing and strengthening certain qualities that are proven to be of value to support you on the path to publication - and beyond! The 5 qualities that I recommend cultivating are: courage, commitment, perseverance, patience and authenticity. Courage It is said that courage is a decision made in the face of fear, not in the absence of it! And most...

Extracurricular activities make the student life in college a bit more interesting than it happens to be. Some students are rather passive and need some encouragement, while others are active and can share their activity with everybody around. A certain sparkle is the peculiar feature of active people. They always find some activities to participate in. They find alternative approaches in the most common cases. Creative people are often active by their nature. Creative approach Creativity defines painters, musicians, sculptors, and representatives of other professions as those being full of living energy. It is not surprising that the paintings of the greatest artists in human history make people do...

When you write an E-Book you can't win someone over using a fancy title and pretty cover picture alone. Once you get them interested they can't go and read the first and last paragraphs, unless you put them up for that purpose. Because of this you will have a more difficult time getting someone to buy your book, and so the blurb you write on the front will be more important. If it's your eBook then you're in luck. The place to start is with the problem you're solving. Every non-fiction book should have a problem or set of related problems that it solves. Next look at who the book is marketed at. You do have a reader profile, don't you? Using this you will decide how your blurb will be written, and...

Whenever you meet someone new, especially at a networking event, you are likely to be asked what you do. After "How are you?" this is perhaps the most common conversational question. As a small business owner or independent professional, this questions gives you a great opportunity to grab the attention of a potential client with your reply. This is why your 30 second introduction, elevator speech is so important. So what are the key factors to include in your elevator speech to make it memorable? 1. Understand your IDEAL client profile. Not any client, not: "we can work with anyone", but your IDEAL client. Those you love to work with, those you set your company or practice up to serve. Get as...

Some authors think a book editor's job is to correct spelling and punctuation, but a book editor does so much more. Yes, part of their job is proofreading a manuscript and correcting spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors; however, a book editor is also a fact checker and a manuscript doctor. In addition, there are different levels and types of book editors. Copyeditor: Basic copyediting involves reviewing text and correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation. A copyeditor will read your entire manuscript, checking for consistency, redundancy, flow, transition, and the proper use of words. He or she will ensure that the proper tense and tone are maintained throughout the book, and provide...

Need a budget-friendly gift that's always a hit with any target market in any setting? A promotional stressball can do just that. It offers a lot of benefits to both young and not-so-young users. Stress can affect anyone – no matter what kind of lifestyle he or she leads or their age level. With stress plaguing nearly everyone, a promotional stress ball can be something anyone can enjoy. Custom Stress balls are great for offices to help relieve stress at work. Stress balls doesn't have to look like balls, stress balls come at a variety of shapes. Many of these are modeled in amusing shapes with corporate logos. Some are regular sports balls like, baseball, football etc. Some are custom designed...

Recently I was in an Office store and met a fellow writer. She was looking for writing software and desperately needed assistance. All she's ever used was author-writing software and she was lost without it. She was a published author of two books and a screenplay. There was a need to finish her project before the fast approaching deadline, and she didn't have the software she normally used to do her work. I would rather use writing software myself, but if I don't have access to it, I can make do. I asked her if she had Microsoft Word or Corel Word Perfect. She did. I explained to her that once she adjusted and set the proper parameters, the rest would be ok and the work could get done with the...

Some people think that working is difficult. However, some jobs can be considered easy and pleasant due to the functions performed. It is really nice when a person likes his/her job and can maintain the family with the help of this legal activity. Most people have nice jobs but do not realize the essence and different advantages and opportunities provided with their profession. When a person understands the pros and cons of the issue, he/she is able to make appropriate decisions. Moreover, understanding of the career advantages can bring a successful result in terms of promotion. The life in college is a nice period to think about the career and future profession. Regardless of difficulties...

Often when we are editing, we come across sentences that we can revise in several ways. When we cannot easily select a particular revision, we employ a strategy we call R & R, which stands for "Rephrase and Replace." Rephrasing the sentence is creating a new sentence that follows the same sentence structure as the original and that contains the same problematic words. We do this so that we can evaluate the structure and word choice in a simpler, easier to understand sentence. For example, we were recently revising a sentence and came up with two options. Option one was "The book is fearless as it rips through the veils of illusion." Option two was "The book is fearless. It rips through the veils of...

  There are various types of universities and colleges, so it is very important to concentrate the college search on locating the best school for you. The most significant characteristic of a university or college is the school's size. Actually, the size of the campus and the student body, and the whole scope of the college, are major factors in defining a university or college's educational setting. Generally, large universities are the schools having student bodies of more that six thousand undergraduates. In fact, school sizes differ, but certain state universities boast the enrollments of more than fifty thousand graduate and undergraduate students. Large universities provide a lot of benefits...

Bob ran really fast down the brightly lit hallway to the slowly closing door at the very end. He was on his way to his most favorite class: Grammar 101. While we commend Bob's enthusiasm for grammar, this use of adverbs is excessive. We call this "adverbial pollution." Just like industrial pollutants pouring into otherwise clean rivers, using too many adverbs in a passage saps the life out of the text. Many environmental pollution problems are solved through chemistry, and we can use two chemistry processes to solve adverbial pollution: organic synthesis and filtration. We'll discuss these strategies below, but before we do, let's clarify our understanding of adverbs. Adverbs 101 Adverbs...

Murder mysteries are a dime a dozen these days but Charlie Hudson's "Shades of Gold" combines many hues to produce an intriguing blend of colorful characters. In Hudson's latest work, she weaves a complex yet coherent and comprehensive tale. Hudson's style is reminiscent of a "CSI" episode with many subplots. Her character development is personable, describing not only their physical appearance, their vocations, and interpersonal relationships, but she allows you inside the character's head to see what makes them tick. All this could become very tedious but Hudson pulls it off with a cohesiveness of a consummate storyteller. Drawing from her personal life experience as a U. S. Army veteran and avid...

A few years ago, I was sitting with a friend looking at the results of a "personal values" quiz. "It seems you are drawn to values reflecting independence, creativity, and freedom. It suggests that you need a creative outlet and you share the values of an artist," my friend said. I shook my head. "I'm not an artist." Sound familiar? "But you're a writer," my friend said. I shook my head again and pushed the test back at her. "I'm more of a...craftsperson. I'm not an artist." She leaned forward and said the words that made all the difference in my life. "Oh!" she said. "You think artists are special people" Until then, I did not realize I carried around this misconception of artists or even that the...

Punctuation isn’t complicated once you know what you’re looking at. I see many writers making errors when punctuating appositives. This may be a new term for many folks, so we’ll take a look at what I mean by “appositive,” and then we’ll figure out how to punctuate them correctly. WHAT’S AN APPOSITIVE? An appositive is a word or phrase that 1. renames something you have written and 2. can serve the same grammatical function as the word or phrase it renames. If the word or phrase passes these two tests, it is an appositive. FIRST EXAMPLE OF AN APPOSITIVE Here’s a sentence with an appositive. Let’s take a look at the phrase “a harsh and stubborn woman.” Is this an appositive? The...

If article writing is getting mundane or if you are at the early stages of your writing career, setting a challenge for yourself can spice up your routine and teach you a thing or two along the way. If you are seeking a challenge, here are a two for you to try. (1) Write an article or two directly to your audience. In other words, see what the latest discussion is from your audience and deliver an article addressing these issues. For example, you can visit online discussion forums, blogs and chat rooms and see what people are talking about. If you have a particular genre that interests you the most, such as the financial markets, then visit those types of discussion sources. This type of research...

This is the time of year when many students are beginning their final papers. Whether you are writing a master’s thesis, graduate paper, or undergraduate essay, you need to submit a great paper. The reason is simple: you want to get a good grade in your course. In many academic courses, the final paper carries the most weight for your final grade, and this means the final paper needs to be well written. Based on many years of assisting students with their academic paper (and acquiring multiple advanced degrees myself!), I have five recommendations for writing a great paper. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WRITING A GREAT PAPER 1. Paper organization – the big issues All academic papers, from essays to theses...

Moaning, groaning, and sorrowing sobs could be heard all the way down the corridor of the Office Building. People rushed to the cubicle where several employees had gathered and found Valerie lying in the floor curled into the fetal position. "What happened?" one employee asked seriously. "Valerie was asked to give a presentation at a corporate meeting and she freaked out." That was before she became a Toastmaster. Stage fright is common to all speakers who are concerned about their performance, yet for some it controls decisions, creates limitations and causes drastic responses in the body. You may not think you need any training in public speaking because you never do any public speaking...

Writing a whodunnit, an amateur sleuth, or a hardboiled private eye story? Whatever kind of sleuth you're writing, part of his/her skill set is to conduct surveillance, but keep in mind that surveying someone in the city is different than in the country. This article offers tips for accurately depicting a rural surveillance, of if you'd like to add some story conflict, simply have your sleuth do the opposite of these tips! Before your fictional sleuth travels to a rural region, he/she should: 1. Know the Region. Have your fictional sleuth study the area before he/she travels there. In our state, we have some big stretches of country outside "the big cities." When we're going into the country, we'll...

Many people will read what you write. We call these people your audience. When you write, your document or manuscript is the tool you use to communicate with them, so understanding them helps you communicate in an appropriate manner. However, unlike some other forms of communication, you actually have two audiences, which we call “primary” and “secondary” audiences. We’ll look at each in turn. Your primary audience is the person or group of people who will directly receive, or buy, what you write. For example, if you write a book, your primary audience is the person who buys the book. If you are writing a financial report, the primary audience is the person to whom you deliver the report...

If you love to write, are highly organized, and enjoy working for a good cause, grant writing may be the perfect career for you. With more than 1.5 million nonprofits and thousands more organizations depending on grants in the United States alone, grant writers are in high demand. What Do Grant Writers Do? Grant writers are an integral part of the development or fundraising field. The term “grant writer” is a bit of a misnomer since grant writers actually write proposals to get grants.  Writing is just one part of the grant writer’s job. Grant writers also help develop programs, research potential funders, and draft reports and letters to donors. Grant writers come from a variety of...

These two words, with such different meanings, are frequently interchanged in writing. The problem is that they sound so similar, which causes many writers to use the wrong one. A little basic knowledge of English grammar will help you know which one to use--and why. 1. Common uses "Effect" is most commonly used as a noun and refers to something that happens because of some action or event. A good synonym is "result." For example, pretend that you are watching a fireworks display, and one rocket makes a really big boom. The person next to you, deafened by the blast, turns to you and shouts, "That was a really great effect." That person is referring to the blast that occurred when the rocket exploded...

Does anyone set out to write a bad dissertation? It hardly seems possible. Most of us probably begin our doctoral programs convinced that the ideas we put forth in our dissertations will change the face of our disciplines forever! But after years spent reading hundreds of doctoral dissertations--first as a grad student, then as a professor, and now as a professional dissertation editor and coach--I can't help but observe: There are a lot of bad dissertations out there! Really great dissertations are pretty rare. They require unique insight, groundbreaking research, rigorous logic, and a touch of artistry. So I'm not sure I could promise to tell you exactly how to make your dissertation great. But I...

Hundreds of thousands of writers have had one united thought - "I wish I could make a living writing". Is this your dream? Why do you think you can't have writing as a vocation? Is it the way you were raised? False humility? Feelings of insecurity and self-esteem? Lack of education? Perhaps all of the above, since it seems few writers have the courage to believe they can actually succeed. Have you ever heard a factory worker say, "I can't reach my quota"? Or a pilot say, "I can't fly this plane"? Have you ever heard a teacher say, "I can't teach"? Writers must think they are the only ones to have the corner on "I can't". When I was a child, I told Mom, "I can't" all the time, to which she would...

Star Trek (2009) Star Trek 11 Prequel - The Future Begins The story of a young crew’s maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever created: the U.S.S. Enterprise. On a journey filled with cosmic peril, the new recruits must find a way to stop an evil being whose mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind. The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James T. Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where...

I think risk factors into the equation but, like you hear from pretty much everyone who is successful in one field or another..Persistance is key.   It’s the dedication that you put into your craft and the enjoyment you take from it. This along with a general commitment that you express to the others on the set as well as your attitude that will set you apart from the rest.   Don’t show up late and don’t let your work slide when asked to do something. Always stay on top of your game and even one step ahead to anticipate what else might need to be taken care of.   So, you are worried about the title you might be given. Titles, well that is another topic entirely but somehow relates with the...

Screen play software for professional screenwriting that is endorsed by some of Hollywood's biggest writers like Oliver Stone and Syd Field is Final Draft. This screenwriting software is the market leader and most widely used script formatting program in the world. It is also the most preferred program for script submissions amongst production companies. Final Draft has a host of intuitive features that enable a writer to focus on the story while freeing them from all the technical hassles and redundancy of properly formatting a screenplay. There are shortcuts and time savers inherent in this program and many of them take experience to implement; here are some screen play software tips for Final...

Changing someone's life with hormone replacement is easy. Hormone replacement can provide individuals with myriad health issues with a seemingly fresh slate. People who haven't been able to even consider feeling "good" for years are able to achieve better general health through hormonal balancing. It is vital. But hormone replacement therapy isn't for everyone. Just because someone is experiencing negative physical or mental health doesn't mean that hormone replacement therapy will fix the problem. This kind of thinking can be very harmful to the general health of the individual. Hormone replacement should be a response to thorough testing during which clinical deficiencies and low levels are...

FORWARD Kal Bishop's 188 stage Hero's Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template. Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft. [The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse...

There are first time filmmakers that never get a movie off the ground because they put together an unrealistic "dream budget." What I mean by a "dream budget" is a budget based on what a filmmaker wishes they had to spend as opposed to what they can spend. These "dream budgets", from a indie film perspective, aren't grounded in economic reality. If you don't have access to a helicopter for a daring rescue scene then why have a helicopter scene in your movie? If you can't afford to block off a street and have a shootout scene, then why have that type of scene in your movie? Those types of scenes cost money that most independent film budgets cannot absorb. It's a huge long shot to find a major movie...