Story and Plot Screenwriting
A weekly screenwriting lesson from a professional screenwriter of 28 years who has been teaching the subject for almost as long.
Sequence 6: The Drive to the Finish
Want to read this online? Click HERE. Sequence 6: The Drive to the Finish Act 2 is where you should be having fun. Act 2 is where the transformation happens. Either the protagonist or those around them. It is, by nature, the least static of the acts and will often require the most problem solving. Despite this (because of it?), Act 2 is what seems to give writers the most trouble. It doesn’t have to. Don’t let it intimidate you. Remember, Act 2 isn’t really an act at all. It’s two acts...
Write your spec. But write your treatment first.
Want to read this online? Click HERE. Refer Screenwriting for Beginners. You can now refer friends, family, and total strangers to enroll in my FREE email course Screenwriting for Beginners. If you know someone interested in screenwriting and they're just starting their journey (Say, from 0-4 screenplays), send them to Screenwriting for Beginners. If they're not already signed up to The Weekly Email, you can earn some very cool free stuff like video lectures, courses, and discounts. I love...
What fear is your screenplay exploiting?
Want to read this online? Click HERE. What fear are you exploiting? I am working with a development client on a horror project. She has a great concept, but the outline focuses too much on plot and doesn't leave room for enough great scenes. This rarely moves the needle for any project, but it's especially harmful for a horror film with a great concept. The solution seems pretty straightforward, right? More great scenes. But how do we do that? In this case, we do this by leaning more into the...
The relationships go the way of the story.
Want to read this online? Click HERE. Relationships go the way of the story. This week's email is a natural extension of last week's dive into the structure of the scene where I used the example from A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. That email broke down the final moments of Bob Dylan's primary romantic relationship. In the film, Dylan's journey is illustrated, not just by his own actions, but the effects those actions have on those in his life. This included his lovers, his friends, his fellow artists...
Know the mini-story of each scene.
Want to read this online? Click HERE. Know the mini-story of the scene. Scenes are the most fundamental element of the screenplay. At its core, screenwriting is scene work. You can get everything else right, but if you cannot write great scenes, you're sunk. And like everything else, scenes have a story. The scene's story is its purpose. Just like the larger story the scene is in, it is only when you identify the story that the real work begins. Story structure is fractal. A few weeks back I...
A nepo baby's primary advantage is something you can emulate.
Want to read this online? Click HERE. Another nepo baby succeeds, but so what? Another TikTok video about industry nepotism (Yes, I am on TikTok!) gained traction last week. The poster chronicled their emotional journey watching a TikTok sketch writer/performer get hired on Saturday Night Live. Initially excited because they liked this person's work and it was fun to see someone crossover from one platform onto another, the poster was disappointed to discover that the performer's father was...
For your screenwriting, it's show THEN tell.
Was this forwarded to you? Click HERE to subscribe. Show, then tell. Perhaps the most repeated bit of screenwriting advice is "show, don't tell." Which is, of course, good advice. Film is a visual medium. The more the audience sees action and feels like they're drawing their own conclusions, both emotionally and intellectually, the better. But there is a catch to all this. That's the final product. That's what we see on the screen. And as much as we want the reader to see the final product in...
Five ways to simplify your screenwriting.
Was this forwarded to you? Click HERE to subscribe. How do we simplify with so much information? One of the primary goals of my teaching is to simplify the art and craft of screenwriting. This is a tall task given everything we have access to. Have you SEEN how many books are available on screenwriting? There are even more academic books meant for higher education. The vocabulary, the theories, the minutiae. How can we possibly keep our minds clean to write? To be honest, you can't. It's too...
When your story idea starts with a world.
Was this forwarded to you? Click HERE to subscribe. When your story idea starts with a world. Stories can come from anywhere. They can originate with a situation we imagine, a character, a newspaper article, an unplanned brainstorm with a friend, or whatever. The sources are endless. A big one is simply recognizing an interesting world that is ripe for narrative attention. This world can be a historical or contemporary subculture, or perhaps a fictional world of our own imagination. A...
A useful acting tip for screenwriters.
Was this forwarded to you? Click HERE to subscribe. The Pipeline Artists Symposium on Story Concept is Tonight. I have been working extremely hard on this workshop covering story concept. It's always fun to present an entirely new course. Here is the outline: Why Concept Matters The Evolution of Studio Marketing Concept Defined The Two Primary Benefits of Concept Scene Generation With Concept Validating Your Concept This is a gung-ho charge into commercial screenwriting. The symposium is...
A weekly screenwriting lesson from a professional screenwriter of 28 years who has been teaching the subject for almost as long.