far and few between: Author

Michael J. Farrand is a poet, lyricist, playwright, screenwriter, blogger, essayist, and short-story writer who makes himself available as an editor.

Early

Mr. Farrand wrote freelance articles for a major newspaper in the summer before starting college, and at college, before rising to features editor of the student paper of a major liberal arts university. In his professional career as a management consultant, he often relied on his ability to explain highly technical subjects to non-technical audiences.

Creative writing

He first turned his pen to plays and screenplays, after leaving the corporate world, and then to lyrics and poetry. Following the release of a book of his quatrains titled The Man Who Didn't Exist in 2016, he's released other books of poetry, including:

He appears as "The People's Poet" at events, offering to write custom poems for patrons. He reads his longer pieces at a variety of live events (including "slams").

Screenwriting instructor

From his experiences founding and administering the Empire Screenplay Contest, he developed the online resource "How to Write a Screenplay". This resource included Story Dynamics instructional material, a concept he developed, as well as the Magic Star of Dramatic Writing which he compiled. He has taught screenwriting online and in-person, and he offers script consulting.

Recent assignments

Example editing assignments the author has worked on recently include:

offering input on the sprawling World War II novel of a 90-year-old Vermont writer.
editing a Vermont-based multi-generational novel for a Vermont author.
editing numerous encyclopedia entries on a range of topics and subjects.
editing and rewriting the autobiography of a prominent Virginia businesswoman.
editing and proofing a retired professor's polemic on a social and economic utopia he devised.
proofing a Vermont poet's poems as part of a manuscript.
editing various screenplays for submission to Hollywood.