* The International Screenwriter's Association offers screenwriters worldwide a reliable informational resource, a mutual support network and member-only benefits and discounts to improve and create opportunities for a growing career. Our informative monthly newsletter supplies writers articles and free tips on: improving your writing skills, secrets to winning contests, finding the right agent, pitching to producers and much more. *Membership is FREE! Connecting Screenwriters to the Resources needed to change their careers!

By Ginny Wiehardt
Creating the more complex round characters takes time -- time spent thinking about how your characters look, where they're from, and what motivates them, for instance. The questions below provide structure to this all-important thought process.... Read More>

By Anita Riggio
How much about your characters do you really know? Small details might seem superfluous even irrelevant to the story you intend to write, but the smallest detail informs the bigger picture. The more you... Read More>

By Squidoo.com
Fictional character development is one of the most important parts of fiction. It's also one of the hardest parts, because creating a whole new person is kind of hard (as any mother will tell you). Having a set of answers to common questions about your character can help you... Read More>

By K.M. Weiland
When Ernest Hemingway spoke about the dignity of an iceberg being “due to only one-eighth of it being above water,” he was speaking about the importance of the part of the story that isn’t told. Those seven-eighths underwater are...Read More>

By FilmScriptWriting.com
A good story needs a great cast of characters to be memorable. When you start your screenplay you need to think about the characters you are going to write about. There are ten things a character needs to be great...Read More>

By Dummies.com
Most writers dream a little before they tackle writing their scripts. Actually, they dream a lot. Before you craft an environment, you want to know its history, its geographical location, and... Read More>

By Désirée Nordlund
There is of course various ways to translate that great idea you have into a movie script. I do not intend to tell you there is only one way to do it. But there are certain things that are very important to understand if your movie script is going to work... Read More>

By Jennifer Chase
You have a movie idea in your head. Maybe you even have some scenes worked out with the main character or characters. And, maybe you even know how it’s going to end. But you need to... Read More>

By Gordy Hoffman
Starting a screenplay can sometimes be as hard as finishing one. Impatient to pull up to the front door of a classic motion picture, I want to get everything right so quickly. This impatience challenges... Read More>

By John August
What is the best method for optioning a script?
You often hear about options in terms of investments, but it means exactly the same thing in the film industry. When you option a script, a book, or some other piece of material, you’re making a deal that says basically: Read More>

By Kelly Thomas
As a writer, what should I keep in mind?
First of all, whenever you make a deal, make sure you get everything in writing! If you have an agent or lawyer, they can help you negotiate a contract. If you don’t yet have an agent or lawyer, do your homework and be sure to address the following deal points: Read More>

By Chip Street
What does it mean to have your screenplay optioned? Now that I’ve been through the option gauntlet a couple of times, I get asked about the experience and the process. It’s a little humbling, cuz I’m just a lucky guy with a couple of options, but I know how much I appreciate when I stumble across some good first-hand info... Read More >

By Erik Bork
A writer I work with as a consultant recently shared a phrase with me that came from her friend Craig Hammill (thanks, Craig!), which perfectly encapsulates a point that I often make with writers: “Don’t withhold; reveal, and complicate.” What that means is this:...Click title to read more...

By Gideon's Screenwriting Tips
Many screenwriters, particularly in thriller and mystery genres, withhold vital information to intrigue readers. Key plot points must be delivered when the audience requires the information; not sooner, not later. Delivering information too soon will...Click title to read more...

By Jeff Bollow
One of the most powerful lessons in screenwriting is the art of the reveal. A "reveal" is when a piece of information not previously known is shown to the audience. A reveal is the essence of EXPERIENCE. Click title to read more...

By Jacob Krueger
It’s a constant fear among young writers: finally coming up with that million dollar idea, only to have it stolen by some mustache twirling producer, some back-stabbing friend, or even worse, some untalented hack of a writer. For this reason, scores of writers hide away their best ideas, terrified to share them with anyone for fear of losing them. So, let me reassure you. You don’t have to worry... Click title to read more.

By The Hot Script blog
Most writers I meet live with a deep-seated fear that someone will steal their screenplay, or will steal the idea in their screenplay, or will steal the title of their screenplay. This is such a source of anxiety that most aspiring writers become paranoid and preoccupied with frightful imaginings of... click title to read more....

By ScriptFaze
Writers are smart people, and it is generally hard to tell the difference between someone who’s pretending, and someone who has an actual career. HOWEVER, there is one very-common point of conversation that immediately blows the top off any writer’s cover, and exposes him for the amateur he really is: ....click title to read more.

By John Winston Rainey
Let me state the obvious: movies are a dramatic visual medium. So, it behooves the screenwriter to represent a scene on the page as the audience sees it – with images...Describing images on the page in vibrant language in the present tense carries with it an immediacy that keeps the reader in the moment. Stated facts make the reader think, and thinking takes him out of the moment... Click Title to Read More

By FilmScriptWriting.com
There are a number of times that I’ve referred to the phrase “show don’t tell” on Film Scriptwriting. You’ve probably heard it before too. It sounds simple on paper but it can be difficult for a beginner scriptwriter to master...Your writing will improve immensely just by getting to grips with the “show don’t tell” principle. Let's cover the difference between telling and showing...Click Title to Read More

By ScreenplayLifeTips.com
Movies are visual. Their stories unfold through moving pictures—pictures that show action—with the help of dialogue. This is why scripts are always written in the simple present, as if the film were rolling before our eyes... Click Title to Read More

By Lynne Pembroke
Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing the rights to adapt John Doe's fabulous, but little known novel, Lawrence of Monrovia, to screenplay form. Suddenly, panic sets in. "What was I thinking? How the devil am I going to convert this 400-page novel to a 110-page screenplay?"

By SydField.com
As far as I'm concerned, adapting a novel into a screenplay is just like writing an original screenplay. The two forms are as different as an apple and orange. Though both may be fruits, and both grow on trees, they are totally different in taste, color and texture. Whenever I approach a new adaptation, I approach it as if I were writing an original screenplay.

By John Folsom
Let’s face it: A novel and a screenplay are two very different creatures. It’s like comparing a housecat with a bobcat—both are cats, but one you want curled up on your lap and the other, not so much. It can be difficult adapting a novel that runs 300 to 600 (or more) pages. Click title to Read More

By Michael Ferris
Before we start, I have to make a confession... I’m a script analyst. I know, I know – I have a conflict of interest here. Feel free to take this with a grain of salt – but I promise you, this will be a balanced and insightful article on story notes, and why they are a vital component in every serious screenwriter’s arsenal. There is one key to success... Click to Read More

By Scott Myers
"...A script notes meeting - or notes meeting as it's usually called - can be anything from a hellish experience to a gruesomely hellish experience. Okay, okay. I'm being Mr. Negative. [Takes deep breath] The fact is that, yes... there are times when what emerges in a notes meeting actually benefits the story.... Click title to read more.

By Mark Sanderson
Yes, it’s an art and a craft indeed. Your script will always garner varied opinions and notes, but if you’re lucky enough to be paid to write the script, the most important notes come from the producer. In the wee small hours of this morning, I completed my third draft of a recent script assignment — my 26th feature length screenplay....

By David Trottier
Few people realize that Writer's Block is a progressive disease that not only attacks the verbal processing lobes of the brain, but also debilitates the emotional response center as well. What starts out as a minor case of idea retardation can eventually deteriorate into acute blithering idiotus. The final stage of this horrible disease is anonymity.

By FilmScriptwriting.com
Writer’s block is a scriptwriter’s worst nightmare. As a scriptwriter there is nothing worse than sitting down with the intention of completing 10 pages of your script only to achieve absolutely nothing. You leave the writing session feeling depressed and angry at yourself. This can snowball next day when you realise you are 10 pages behind schedule.

By Ginny Wiehardt
Though some people say that writer’s block doesn’t actually exist, the fact remains that most writers will have trouble writing at some point in their careers. The possible reasons for it are myriad....

By eHow.com
1.) First things first, make sure you have a working outline of your overall story. This means you have a fairly specific roadmap of how to begin your story, force your characters into complications and then finally end their journey. And believe me, that's no small task! 2.) Now it's time to tackle an individual scene....

By Denise Shekerjian
What makes a great scene, anyway? A great scene is one that fully engages your reader by triggering a powerful emotional response. It doesn’t matter what the response is—fear, lust, envy, despair, pain, joy, shock, you name it—an emotionally engaged reader will continue to read... Now, how do you get there?

by David S. Freeman
David Freeman's approach skips all theory and instead offers specific and proven techniques a writer can immediately use to increase the artistry in his or her dialogue, characters, scenes, and plots. This article exemplifies this approach. What makes an unforgettable scene? It's not what people think... Click title to read more....

By John August
We all watch movies and television, which is chock full of dialogue: good, bad and inane. One might think it helpful to listen to great actors speaking great words. It’s not. In fact, it will probably screw you up.....

By Rob Tobin
Great dialogue does not come from having a good ear for dialogue. It does not come from having some innate gift or talent for writing dialogue. It comes from this:.......

By Dummies.com
A well-crafted verbal exchange is like a catchy song. Diction provides the lyrics; music provides the tune. Dialogue relies on the sounds of words as well as their definitions, on the rhythm of a conversation as well as its meaning....

By C.J. Perry
As you're thinking about getting ready to try and sell your script, you should be asking yourself, is it really ready? The business of screenwriting is hard enough without jumping into the market unprepared. Besides the actual writing, which....

By Lenore Wright
For months (or perhaps years) you've channeled passion and energy into finishing your screenplay. You've poured your heart and soul into your characters and their conflicts....But is your script ready.....

By Donie Nelson
One of the most frequent questions I am asked is Is my script ready? Whether or not a specific script is ready is open to interpretation, based on who is reading the script. However, here are some guidelines

By Dana Dorrity
Often my screenwriting students hand in final scripts that are 80-90 pages long. Initially, when critiquing their scripts, I would make suggestions on plot elements they could beef up or characters to develop. Click title to read more...

By Candace Kearns Read
In some respects, the ending is what the audience takes away when the film is over, and it can stay with them forever, if the writer works hard to craft the best climax. Click title to read more...

By Danny Manus
There are lots of different and often confusing opinions on what the third act is all about and needs to include. Click title to read more...

By Gideon's Screenwriting Tips
Writing a great screenplay is a lot like a hot date. You have to enter and exit at the right time… Starting too late, peaking to early, vacillating in the middle can ruin your night… It’s got to be timed just right.......

By T. Robinson
Picture this: It is Saturday night at your local cineplex. The concession stand is bustling with activity. Excruciatingly long lines form outside the restrooms. The lobby overflows with multitudes of patrons checking their voice mails. Why aren’t these moviegoers actually watching the movie.....

By Stephen Pressfield
I’m reading a terrific book by David Mamet called Three Uses of the Knife. It’s not a play or a novel, it’s a treatise on the subject of drama. There’s some great stuff in it, particularly in the section Mamet calls “Second Act Problems,” that we as writers, artists, entrepreneurs (and just plain human beings) can profit from.

By Don Macnab-Stark
Getting the First Act right is crucial for screenwriters. We look at what you need to do in your First Act if you want readers to keep reading past the first ten pages...

By Dummies.com
Every act in the three-act structure has a set of tasks to accomplish.
The first act serves as your audience's introduction to the entire world of the script — people, places, time frame, and all. Remember that your audience members begin in a neutral darkness. In their advance toward some new awareness...

By Charles Deemer
When we watch a movie, we enter a world created by the screenwriter. From the very first scene, events and characters begin to define a world, set in time and place, with implied values and social nuances...