Screenwriting

Why 30 screenplays in 30 days? Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts. There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get from…

Gary is a successful Hollywood screenwriter with multiple film credits (he asked me not to use his real name). Early in his career, he was hired to write a script for an action movie that called for a crucial kidnapping scene. As part of his research, he read the book…

This was a popular story conceit back in the 80s and 90s. The [Blank] from Hell. The basic idea is that the Protagonist (and often their family / loved ones) intersect with a character who starts off as seemingly normal, then turns out to be a threatening presence. Examples include: …

“If I have a good idea, I try to write a brief summary of what that story would look like. We’re talking five paragraphs, maybe. If I can break five paragraphs down into a good logline, then it’s worth writing. If I can’t, then it’s probably not worth writing. To…

“Putting one right word after another” — that is so right. When you bust it all down, writing is about choosing words. A writer can choose them well, or not. From one of my favorite websites LettersOfNote: When copywriter Robert Pirosh landed in Hollywood in 1934, eager to become a…

Why 30 screenplays in 30 days? Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts. There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get from…

Screenplay by Lucinda Coxon, book by David Ebershoff A trailer for the movie: You may read the screenplay here. FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY! Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing…

If there is one thing about the craft writers hear ad nauseam, it’s this: There is no drama without conflict. And there is no story without drama. But why is conflict innate to drama and at the foundation of good storytelling? · Conflict generates tension: Whether the nature of the…