Why Your Outline Could Kill Your Screenplay
Your outline could be killing your screenplay. That’s right, the tool everyone says you must have in order to start work on a successful screenplay could be doing the opposite. Why? Because outlines force you to plan like an engineer not craft like a storyteller. Outlines drive you into linear thinking when the most memorable […]
You Will Never Run Out Of Screenwriting Ideas If You Keep Killing Them
At some point early in the creation of their screenplays, students I work with need to share their loglines with their fellow screenwriters, and very often the air of unease about this process is palpable. Not so much because these authors are nervous about having written a poor logline, but because once the idea is […]
That Scene In Your Screenplay Sucks
The number one failure for most non-pro screenwriters (and for some pro writers) is as fundamental as FADE IN: It’s the scene. Flabby, flaccid, forgettable, feckless… yeah a lot of F-words – because most screenwriters just deliver either a clichéd presentation or do only one thing in a scene and then move on. Your screenwriting needs […]
How to Write a Vomit Draft (And Why It’s So Important)
For me – and I think for many writers – the most intimidating part of the writing process is typing the first words of the first draft of a new film or TV script. It’s terrifying. I will procrastinate at that point of the writing process longer and with more steadfast dedication than at any […]
Have You Wondered Why Your Screenplay Was Rejected?
The big thumbs down or PASS is a heart-wrenching experience of every screenwriter. Get used to it. Sometimes you hear back from a production company with a polite “not for us” message. Most times, you don’t hear back at all. When writers enter their screenplays into screenwriting contests, they often feel their entry has entered […]
