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, ” … Read More
3 Steps to Unlock Your Extraordinary Villain Within
Are you, as a villain, reaching your fullest, most extraordinary villain self? Or is your villainy being limited by mundane, mealy-mouthed tropes or other half-baked screenwriting mistakes made by your creator, the screenwriter? It’s time to take charge of your … Read More
How to Improve Act One by Putting Your Characters Into a “Pickle”
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 … Read More
How to Write a Logline With Stakes and Irony
How to write a good logline? Easy. Just make sure it has stakes and make sure it has irony. How to do that? Lemme ‘splain: First up, what’s a logline? Well, a logline is a 1-2 sentence blurb that describes a film. … Read More
Fade In Screenwriting App — Can it take down Final Draft?
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, … Read More
3 Big Myths Script Consultants Love to Perpetuate
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 … Read More
Subtext in a Screenplay – How Screenwriters Can Write With More Depth
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 … Read More
Getting into scenes late and leaving scenes early
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. … Read More
Screenplay Action and Description – How to Write it Like A Badass
Writing a screenplay often involves coming up with beautiful characters, stark settings, and really cool hovercraft race sequences. Communicating these elements effectively is the task of the script’s action and description text. The challenge is that not only must the … Read More
How To Carry Your Screenplays With You, Wherever
You’re at a backyard barbecue in Encino, visiting with some old friends and having some vegan ribs. Then your friends’ OTHER friends show up. And the wife is one of the small handful of people in the film industry who’s … Read More
