REPOST: I recently taught a webinar for The Writers Store on Story Development. In it we talked about the importance of testing your story concept before you end up like Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation lost in a sea of notes and pages with...

Hollywood has a short attention span. Unlike writers, who may have all day to sit and ponder, plotting out their next script, or revising and revising a screenplay until their fingers are numb, the truth is: the people you need to impress with your...

Jason is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America with over 100 hours of original programming to his name. His most recent credits include E!’s hit series Botched and Disney’s reboot of Bug Juice. Horror is his genre of...

The delicate balance between art and commerce is often a factor in every screenwriter’s work. If every screenplay always played it safe, where how would filmmakers like David Lynch, David Cronenberg or Yorgos Lanthimos be? Would The Shape Of...

“Persistence And Constant Reinvention Are The Keys To Success.” Julio Vincent Gambuto & B.R. Uzun Talk ‘Team Marco ‘Filmmakers Julio Vincent Gambuto and B.R. Uzun got tired of trying to set up their film and TV projects...

Structure is one of the most discussed and important words in fiction writing. There are many theories of what exactly structure is. Screenwriting texts and experts, for example, often declare that structure is the proper placement of plot points or...

We spoke with Young & Hungry screenwriter Brian T. Arnold about his screenwriting journey. He grew up in Bluefield, West Virginia and studied Broadcast Journalism at Concord University. In addition to landing him on the Young & Hungry List,...

When it comes to sitting down to write a script, so many writers are concerned with what the market wants rather than on the story they want to tell. Obviously, writers want their scripts to sell; however, writing for the market means creating a...

REPOST: Earlier this month I posted a blog on How to Become a Professional Writer detailing the importance of writing consistently. I’d like to share some specific tools that have helped me and others overcome the self-sabotage,...

“Everything Will Take Longer Than It Should, But It Will Be Worth It.” Manager Lee Stobby’s Advice To Screenwriters:We interviewed literary manager Lee Stobby. He is a literary manager, producer, and principal of Lee Stobby...

Writer’s Block Has Nothing To Do With Your Writing – How Screenwriters Can Work Through It:During a counseling session, a young screenwriting client asked me, “Do you have to psychotic to be a writer?” At first, I thought he...

“A Negotiated Exchange Of Ideas.” Dedicated Talent Manager Markus Linecker On Working With His Screenwriter Clients:Boasting an impressive array of clients, Markus Linecker, Head Of Film & TV Development at Dedicated Talent...

Everything was run like a well-oiled machine; leaving one with the impression that this was not a DIY [Do It Yourself] production team at work. Perched on the camera dolly, with tracks laid neatly and evenly on the pavement. The bubble was dead...

One the most important (and least discussed) ways to create drama in a story is by using disguise and deception. Disguise and deception were central to much of the best plotted literature of the 19th century. Witness their importance to Les...

When I was a kid I thought I had Dissociative Personality Disorder. I always felt like there were three of me; The Innocent Child, The Business Mogul, and the Artistic Genius. I could feel when one of these personalities inside me took...

A script can have wonderful characters, a terrific plot, great scenes, amazing dialogue and perfect structure, but if there is no theme your script will always feel like “something’s missing”. But what...

From academics in film school to producers in Hollywood, ‘Theme’ is a term that gets tossed around a great deal.I’ve heard it used as a label for any myriad of aspects within the narrative structure; anything from plot structure,...

I had an interesting experience while binge-watching the first two seasons of the beautifully acted and tonally flawless British television series Broadchurch. In an attempt to keep this article spoiler-free, I will simply say that the program,...

I love the film Die Hard. A New York cop’s visit to reconcile with his wife in L.A. is interrupted by a terrorist attack in her company’s building. John McClane, the cop, becomes a one-man wrecking crew in order to save his...

“Be Savvy, But Follow Your Heart” Filmmaker Phil Volken’s Ode To Screenwriters:We spoke to filmmaker (don’t call him a writer-director) about screenplays and what attracts him to a project. If you don’t find a project...