Rattlesnake Publishing Inc.

27/05/2025

Join us TONIGHT 5/27 for "Talk Story Tuesday" with Margaret South and Frank too. A free hour long zoom by and about writers and writing. This week's topic: "Plotter or Pantser?" Do you outline, beat-sheet, work your story, screenplay, memoir, or novel before you start? Or do you just jump in and see where the words take you? Or a combination of both?
Zoom: 690-840-2240
No password tonight.

27/05/2025

25/05/2025

Ready to finally get your story out of your head and onto the page? In this four-week, hands-on course, writing coach and Beaches producer Margaret South will guide you through the essential elements of powerful storytelling. Each session focuses on a key building block of story—paired with prompts designed to move your writing forward with purpose. Whether you're starting from scratch or refining an idea, you'll leave with a strong foundation—or even the makings of a solid first draft.

Weekly Breakdown

Week One: Protagonist and Friends – Build a Cast that Matters
What makes a protagonist truly compelling? Margaret shares five essential traits every hero needs—and how to surround them with characters who deepen the story.

Week Two: Story Structure – Your Secret Weapon
Structure isn’t the enemy of creativity—it’s what sets it free. Learn the timeless tools Margaret has used for over three decades to shape meaningful, page-turning narratives.

Week Three: Get It Going – The Power of a Strong Start
Act One introduces your world. Act II A kicks your hero into action. This week, we’ll explore how to launch your story with momentum, clarity, and emotional stakes.

Week Four: Downs and Ups – Delivering the Drama
From the Dark Night of the Soul to the final Climax, Act II B carries your story home. Discover how to create emotional resonance, drive conflict, and keep your reader hooked to the last page.

What You’ll Gain:
A deeper understanding of story structure and character development
Weekly writing prompts to keep you focused and inspired
Personalized feedback from Margaret
A draft-in-progress or a rock-solid story foundation

Join us on June 12 at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific—and start building your story like a pro.

23/12/2024

From Margaret, a sweet and haunting holiday memory. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15P3K29ueY/

One Christmas Eve, when I was eleven, Mom worried about Midnight Mass, the snowstorm, and whether I would make it to sing in the choir.

01/10/2024

To all the Moms of ADHD Kids

A long time ago, I chose to leave an amazing job so I could spend more time with my kids, and not be as stressed out as my husband was with his amazing job. I wanted to be an amazing mom. And I was.
Until my son was diagnosed with ADHD. Then I wasn’t so amazing anymore. I went from a rising Hollywood producer to Pharmacy W***e, begging drugstore clerks and insurance companies and psychiatrists for a few extra pills so we wouldn’t run out by the end of the month. Then my husband was diagnosed. Life got even more complicated as I found myself handing out medicine every day, checking about the afternoon doses, and monitoring sleep patterns.
“Whatever you do, don’t lose Harry’s medicine,” I said to Frank. He volunteered to chaperone on the fifth grade trip to Sequoia National Park, which was made possible when he lost his job on account of not paying attention when there were some problems at work. But he loved being available for Harry and me, and he didn’t lose Harry’s medicine-- but he did lose his own medicine.
“I had it right there in my bag. I don’t know what could’ve happened to it.”
No one was hurt, so no harm done, I thought. I would practice that philosophy for years to come. Soon, my daughter was diagnosed as well, and I was the last neurotypical person in the family.
“Mom, you don’t understand. Our brains are different from yours. You can’t help us with our homework.”
Shunned. So Frank became the go-to homeschooling parent for a while. We muddled through, though, and now, the kids are grown. ADHD did not stop them from being happy, nice people with jobs. It’s what we always wanted.
If you’re still on the ADHD journey with your children, have faith. This road is not for sissies. Accept the limitation, both in your children and in yourself. Celebrate the small victories. And keep going.

10/09/2024

Thank you to David Kirkpatrick and the folks at Story Summit for making this happen.

21/08/2024

We all have certain gifts. Mine is the ability to read a story and immediately recognize the underlying structure. It’s in my DNA. After one read, I can provide a writer with the structural fixes they need to tell their story. This has paid the bills for a long time, with jobs as a reader, then developer and producer. But writing my own work is more of a struggle. You can know a lot about the craft of story. That doesn’t make you a writer. My happy place, my comfort zone, is helping other writers tell their stories.

That’s not the same thing as writing. Back in my Hollywood days, I wrote a couple of screenplays, if for no other reason than to understand what the process was like for the writers. It was fun. But recently I set out to write a memoir, not to publish it, but for curiosity’s sake. I wondered if my chaotic life made sense. Could it be told as a story? The best way I know to create order out of chaos is to write it out. As a story. On paper.

After about six months of writing and thinking, then writing and thinking some more, I found a story line. But it wasn’t the whole story. After another two years, I’d restructured the thing to focus on a different element. An improvement, but still not the whole story. What was missing?

I knew what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to write a gossipy Hollywood tell-all. I didn’t want to write a misery memoir. But what was I trying to say? That question came up time and time again from beta readers and writing groups. It’s humbling to put yourself out there. Sometimes humiliating. You think your message is clear, but your readers don’t agree. So you go back to work.

Having spent my life working with writers, I can tell you they work hard. They experience crushing rejection. But the best of the bunch, the ones who achieve their goal, never, ever, ever, ever give up. They put the work in. I weigh in, along with other mentors and groups and readers. The writer listens. They take the bad news along with the good. They go back to work. Like Joan Didion, they find out what they think and how they feel. There comes a time when they send in a solid draft. It shows dedication to craft. The hours at the computer. The investment of time— and money.

Nothing makes me happier than to say to one of my writers, “It’s ready.” I dream that someday, some way, I’ll be able to say that to myself. Meanwhile, I learn every day from the writers I work with in my happy place.

11/08/2024

Margaret's Master Class.
I couldn't be prouder of my brilliant wife.

This 43-minute course will give you the secret—a foolproof method developed by Story Summit faculty member Margaret South, who founded All Girl Productions with Bette Midler and Bonnie Bruckheimer.

07/08/2024

Put a Woman in Charge. Wisdom from Keb Mo and Rosanne Cash.

06/06/2024

https://youtu.be/CyQw6DAP9v8?t=519

On June 6, 1944 U.S. Army Rangers climbed the 100 ft. cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, destroyed a critical German battery and took control of the coastal highway, p...

02/05/2024

Preparing for my class Monday night May 6.
A Cast of Characters

From the campfire to Aristotle and the Greek Theatre
To the Stage
To the New York Publishing World
To the Glory Years of Old Hollywood
To a new world of story-driven video games

The recognizable character archetypes keep showing up. If you haven't already, sign up!

09/04/2024

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. --Maya Angelou

Facebook Friends,

On April 15-- this Monday!

I can help you tell your story. In my Beat Sheet Workshop, offered through Story Summit, I'll show you what to do if:

--You don't know where to start.
--You started, but you're stuck in the middle. (AKA the Muddy Middle)
--You finished a first draft but want to make it better.

Details in the comments!