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8 Keys to Writing a Marketable Script
1. ONE GENRE TO RULE THEM ALL I recently sat through a webinar where writers were given the opportunity to pitch their concepts. One lady stuck out to me because she described her project as a suspense, thriller, and comedy, with horror elements....
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” 7 Tips for Great Dialogue
Jacob Stuart's advice on writing dialogue for screenplays.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...
7 Ways to Make Sure Your Screenwriting Career Never Takes Off
Often, I get asked: What are the commonalities you’ve seen among your writers who have broken in? What are the shared traits of working screenwriters? And, even more specifically, what are the most important things that a screenwriter can do...
How to Write Action Description
Alex Southey explores five different kinds of action description, and how they dictate tone in a script. Many people tend to assume that because it doesn’t affect the final film, action description doesn’t matter very much. But this couldn’t...
Vince Gilligan on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul
Showrunner Vince Gilligan discusses structuring an episode, pacing a season, character development, and Easter eggs for fans.It’s not every day one has their work referred to as quite possibly the greatest television series of all time. And...
To Every Character Their Moment
Art Holcomb discusses the importance of Moments for characters, and offers advice on how to use them in your own scripts.By Art Holcomb.Moments.They’re what the audience remembers about a great movie. They’re what actors (and script...
The Power of Belief
We all have obstacles of some kind. A personal challenge. A flaw, or for most of us, a series of flaws – a whole host of issues, really. We deal with them on a daily basis, whether they’re literal and physical, or mental and...
Breaking In: Representation – GETTING SIGNED
When one of my clients emerges from a meeting with a potential manager that, for all intents and purposes, seems to have gone well (good flow to the get-to-know-you conversation, interests in similar types of projects, maybe a few people in common...
Why The Crocodile Dundee Super Bowl Ad Made An Impact
Are They Really Remaking Crocodile Dundee?
No, but the Super Bowl ad was pretty fun!
For all of you out there who are Eagles fans, I send you a happy congratulations on your Super Bowl win. Being a fan of the Chicago Cubs, I know how difficult it...
Have a Horrible Holiday
Horror Equity Fund discusses the relationship between Horror and the Holidays.
'Twas the night after X-mas and all through the house… bodies and corpses were starting to mount...Most people don’t think of Horror when they think...
Screenwriting Within The Parameters of a Film Budget
Films right now are very expensive to make, and very expensive to market. Even TV series on streaming networks such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are dealing with multi-million-dollar film budgets per episode. If you're trying to work in Hollywood,...
Interview with ISA Fellowship Winner Sean Collins-Smith
Ever since graduating from film school in 2010, Sean Collins-Smith has wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue a TV writing career. His goal seemed unobtainable, though, until he won an ISA Fast Track Fellowship on the basis of his...
Pick Your Lane: Lit Reps Weigh in on Screenwriting Brand
Pick Your Lane: Lit Reps Weigh in on Screenwriting Brand(scroll down for bonus video!)All too often, when I talk to my friends in representation, I hear some version of: “Writers who are looking to break in HAVE TO pick their...
The 5 Powers of Screenwriters
Writers often feel powerless in the face of pursuing their goals. They feel helpless in the face of a business they perceive to be difficult to enter and succeed. We fight off overwhelming feelings of confusion when developing our stories. It...
Interview with Bestselling Author and Screenwriter Dougie Brimson
"I never actually set out to be a writer at all, it just kind of happened. Indeed, it's fair to say that even after three award winning feature films and 750,000 book sales, I spend most days waiting for the literary police to bang on my door and...
Don’t Ruin a Good Read! Screenwriting Mistakes to Avoid
While I don’t fashion myself a script or story consultant (because, let’s face it, there are already enough of those – including a few really great ones – out there), the simple reality is that at this point in my career, I...
Manager Andrew Kersey’s Advice To Screenwriters...
Manager Andrew Kersey’s Advice To Screenwriters: “Develop Your Craft. Develop Your Voice And Your Time Will Come.”
Creative Screenwriting Magazine spoke with manager Andrew Kersey who represents screenwriters. He shares his...
You're Not Going To Win An Oscar...
You're Not Going To Win An Oscar......but hold on, I'll explain.I'm sure most of you did it Sunday night at some point in the evening (if you watched the Academy Awards). You imagined what you would say if you were up on that stage accepting...
Are You Sabotaging Your Dream of Being A Writer?
I was my own worst enemy.I had a really bad habit of sabotaging myself as a writer. Just when I saw a bit of traction in my writing, I would stop for a few days, weeks, even months once I’ve gotten more readers, more comments, more engagement...
Tossed Salad, Scrambled Eggs, and the Sundance Film Festival
How can I be expected to get any writing done when there are eleven seasons of Frasier on Netflix? That was my first thought when I sat down to write about my experience winning the 2018 Table Read My Screenplay Competition. Some iteration of...
