There are many script coverage buyer’s guides but I’ve never wanted to do one, because I didn’t want to be part of the noise and bullpucky that so many other script coverage services are churning out. But man, after seeing SO MANY “Top 5 Script Coverage Services” articles which are just flat-out stupid wrong and self-dealing, I said to myself, “Self, let’s write a script coverage buyer’s guide that cuts through the crap, once and for all. Read more
Blacklist score has become the holy grail for many aspiring screenwriters. But does it really matter? I mean, really? Do any screenplay ratings or scores matter? Dive in and get my short answer, my medium answer, and my long answer. Or don’t. That’s cool too. Read more
AI script coverage (that is, script coverage generated by AI or “artificial intelligence”) is starting to take hold of the screenwriting space, and it doesn’t bode well for screenwriters looking for honest, critical feedback on their screenplays. When I started this script coverage company in 1999, AI was firmly in … Read more
“Is script coverage necessary?” I’ve been asked this question hundreds of times in my long, long career as a script reader and script consultant. When I first started out, as an intern at a talent and literary agency, and was asked to read scripts and write coverage, I even asked … Read more
What kinds of screenplays does Hollywood want? What screenplays are getting made? We can tell you this much: agents and producers are looking for three key elements in scripts right now… Read more
Script readers hate the word beautiful. When many new writers describe characters in a screenplay, it goes like this: Tom is attractive. Beatrice is beautiful. Their dentist is gorgeous. Their mail-carrier is a MILF. Having read hundreds of scripts in my career as a script reader, I’ve encountered these sentences … Read more
Screenplay readability? Yes, it’s a thing. Script readers read scripts. A lot of scripts. Sometimes our script readers will chew through 10 or more in a week. (Overall at Screenplay Readers, we’ve read tens of thousands of scripts since 1999.) But what is it like for a script reader to … Read more
How do I write a screenplay logline? What is a screenplay logline supposed to do, really? Wikipedia’s illustrious hive mind defines a screenplay logline like so: A screenplay logline is a brief (usually one-sentence) summary …that states the central conflict of the story, often providing both a synopsis of the … Read more
A writer in my class the other day asked me “What are the three basic things I should know about writing script coverage?” The short answer is: avoid anger, see the big picture, and be as objective as possible. The long answer is: there are a lot more than three … Read more
“Screenwriting guru.” Ick. If those two words don’t make you nauseous, you’re either not a screenwriter or you’ve sniffed too much glue. Over the two decades of running my script coverage service, I’ve seen a lot of self-appointed screenwriting experts come and go, and it hasn’t always been pretty. At Screenplay … Read more
Screenplay dialogue which sounds authentic means writing it like real people speak. Here’s a few quick tips how to do it: Read more
Hey. You. Write interesting characters. Yes, I’m talking to you. I said WRITE INTERESTING CHARACTERS. There’s no reason in the world for any screenwriter to force a script reader to read boring characters. None. Let this script reader give you five quick things you can change in your screenplay right … Read more
“How do I sell my screenplay?” “My screenplay is done. Now what do I do?” “How do I get my script produced?” These are the eternal questions asked by aspiring screenwriters everywhere. But, as you might’ve noticed, get paid for writing for the film and tv industry is not an … Read more
Screenwriter networking is absolutely essential to any screenwriter’s career. People knowing people, referring people, befriending people — without any exaggeration, this is how films and television get made in the film industry. Once more for emphasis: meeting and working with film and tv people is mandatory if you want to make … Read more
It’s not hard to write strong female characters, but for some reason, poorly written female characters seem to be the default for many screenwriters. I suspect that it’s because most writers have probably absorbed and accepted much more culturally reinforced sexism than they realize. Believe me, we see a lot, … Read more
Hey Clyde, Is it me or has the docuseries just exploded overnight? Ever since Making a Murderer caused an uproar on the digital platform medium there has been nothing but a consistent wave of excellent documentary series coming through the trenches. There have always been documentary series that have existed … Read more
Screenwriting and Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). What possibly could a roleplaying game have in common with the century-old art and craft of writing a screenplay for film or television? What on Middle Earth could these two worlds have in common? Believe it or not, there’s actually a Hobbit-ton (pun intended) of overlap … Read more
Script Studio isn’t a screenwriting app. It’s more like a suite of screenwriting apps, all bundled together and, with its full array of powerful writing, editing, planning, outlining, and polishing tools, clearly capable of taking on newbie screenwriters and pro screenwriters alike, and everything in between. Upon first launch, it’s … Read more
The difference between mediocre screenwriting and solid screenwriting often comes down to the screenwriter knowing the difference between what’s working in her script and what’s not. Beyond the various euphemisms for cutting your favorite moments (e.g. “Killing your darlings, ” or its less popular counterpart, “Drowning your puppies/kittens”), there comes … Read more
Is the villain in your screenplay reaching his or her fullest, most extraordinary villain self? Or is your villain limited by mundane, mealy-mouthed tropes or other half-baked screenwriting mistakes? It’s time to take charge of your villains, screenwriters! I’m here to help you unlock your villains’ potential, and unleash your … Read more
Somebody once said — I think it might’ve been Mel Brooks — “If your Act 3 doesn’t work, go back and rewrite Act 1.” Every movie and film must start somewhere, right? If the movie doesn’t start, then there’s probably something wrong with the projector. But if the feature-length film … Read more
Fade In is a screenwriting app in a world full of screenwriting apps. Where there once was only one or two big screenwriting software packages — the venerable Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter — now there are several upstarts, seeking to usurp the de facto Final Draft throne. Enter … Read more
Script consultants are miffed. Some of them, at least. Because script coverage exists. And because screenwriters not only have a plethora of free feedback options (writers groups, online forums, etc.), they also have paid script coverage services like mine as a low-cost alternative to high-priced script consultant services. So many … Read more
Subtext in a screenplay isn’t easy to spot, and writing subtext — or writing subtextually — isn’t easy to do. A screenwriter requires not only verbal dexterity, but a certain depth of life experience to draw from, in order for her subtext to actually work. At the end of Arthur Miller’s … Read more
Getting into a scene late and leaving it early. It can be difficult, even for expert screenwriters. But in Hollywood filmmaking, screenwriting lives or dies depending on how well it can dance on the ever-shrinking stage of audience attention span. In other words, there’s not much space to tell the … Read more
Writing scene description, for many screenwriters, often involves going into super-fine detail for every element of a scene, but that’s simply not the way to do it. It might be fine for a book, but not a screenplay, which is essentially the blueprint of a film, with its own special … Read more
Are script coverage services worth it? Paid script coverage, that is? Commonly, when screenwriters need notes, they ask their peers, their fellow writers, or their writers groups. But what about writers who don’t have a lot of access to any of those resources? That’s where paid script coverage services come … Read more
Crafting a lush fantasy world is no small feat. Not only does the screenwriter have to concoct a myriad of otherworldly details, she also has to connect us with those details in a meaningful way… Read more
What makes good screenplay exposition? I compare some exposition in the Raiders of the Lost Ark screenplay with a user-submitted script. Read more
Racist screenwriter isn’t an archetype you see a lot of in Hollywood. But racism in screenwriting is all too common. It’s true that the film industry is taking significant steps towards diversity, and that we can discuss how big those steps are, or how late they are, or whether or … Read more
