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One of the upspoken benefits of knowing people in the business is seeing proof that a screenwriting career is even possible. TONS of talented people don't pursue it because they never think of it as a viable option. Just choosing to pursue this career is a bigger hurdle than we realize.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

In almost 29 years, I've been given two format notes. Two. The last one was in 1998. Yet it is perhaps the most common topic in screenwriting social media. Tomorrow, I'll share with 8k+ subscribers why we're obsessed and how to get over it. Interested? Link in the replies to subscribe. 👇

submitted 3 days ago • 2 comments

Yes, it’s much safer to like a script from an established screenwriter. But it’s much more exciting to love a script from a writer no one’s heard of. Trust me. This industry wants great screenwriting. Don’t convince yourself that it doesn’t.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Don't try to cram ten different ideas into a screenplay. Have one idea and unpack it in 10 different ways. You should not be balancing theme, character, plot, motivations, motifs, setting. Find one central idea (the story) and have all these things support it.

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

I am immensely proud of how much teaching I offer for free. Take a course with me or not, there is always something for you. The Screenwriting for Beginners Free Email Course is maybe my favorite. It's everything I wish I knew when I started. storyandplot.link/bsecblue

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

The people who write that third, fourth, and fifth screenplay will always do better than those who keep rewriting that one screenplay over and over again. Yes, screenwriting is rewriting. But so is writing the next one. Early on, you'll take the biggest leaps BETWEEN projects.

submitted 5 days ago • 2 comments

No one cares how hard you worked. Everyone in this business works hard. No one cares how bad you want it. We all have our own dreams. All that matters is that when someone opens up your screenplay, they feel something. Do that, and your screenwriting will be rewarded.

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

Each time I thought my screenwriting career was dead—and it's been surely dead at least twice—it was a new spec script that revived it. Always write the next one. Always. You're a writer. Keep writing.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

What Tom said! Also what I said 😀 - www.andreamann.com/blog/the-myt...

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

Get better at the writing. Get better at the action lines and the flow of the page. But remember, that can’t save a bad story. It can only make a good story easier to identify. Your screenwriting is always going to be about what the reader envisions on the screen.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

It is all one story. Unifying the elements in your screenwriting amplifies them all. Yesterday, I shared with over 8,000 subscribers how it starts with the first few decisions you make. Did you miss it? One more chance below. 👇 #screenwriting

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Sometimes, in our screenwriting, we know something isn’t working or doesn’t quite make sense. But we're tired, and we turn it in anyway, hoping no one will notice. But they notice. They always notice. Screenwriting is problem-solving. Better to just get in there and fix it.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

My starting point for every screenplay is character, narrative, and concept. And while any choice is better than a non-choice, three unified choices working together will elevate your whole story. Tomorrow, I'll share with 8k+ subscribers how to do just that. Interested? The link is below. 👇

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

I have three types of notes: 1. 99% certainty. Do this, it will improve. 2. It's not working as is. Here are other ways to look at it and some options. 3. Personal preference. It may not even bother anyone else. When giving notes, it's important to know the difference.

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

So much of acting is listening and reacting. Want to improve your dialogue? Give the character something to listen to. Make each moment affect the next in truthful and surprising ways, and every scene in your screenwriting will improve immediately.

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

Early on, we hear notes on our screenwriting and we think those notes are why they passed. But their notes are not why they passed. They passed for much bigger reasons. And they also wrote down these notes. 95% of notes are incidental to moving forward with your script or not.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

A quick way to improve your screenwriting: Read your screenplay out loud. That's it. Just do that. Trust me, you'll be rewriting those pages in absolutely no time.

submitted 13 days ago • 2 comments

Don't write a story where the protagonist changes at the end. This is a huge mistake people make. They tack on an "arc" and call it a day. Instead, write a story where the protagonist changes throughout, and it is the change itself that allows for a satisfying end.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

How to define the protagonist early in your screenwriting. 1. Introduce them with a want to show them in action. 2. Force them to make a moral choice. 3. Show them at home, work, and play. 4. Reveal their expectations for the future. Ruin it all with the inciting incident.

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

Not every story has a naturally quick inciting incident. For those screenplays, there is a 3-Part Act 1. Yesterday, I shared with 8k+ subscribers how a late catalyst doesn't mean giving up narrative momentum. Did you miss it? One more chance in the replies. 👇 #scriptsky

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

If the expression “be undeniable” motivates you, use it. But if it ties you up in knots, remember, it’s not real. Every screenplay I ever sold had a slew of buyers who seemed VERY comfortable denying it. Some projects are easier; some are much harder. They're all deniable.

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

Not every story wants an inciting incident 12 pages in. But you'll still need to get that missing narrative momentum from somewhere. Tomorrow, I'll share with 8k+ subscribers how a 3-Part Act 1 solves that problem every time. Interested? The link is below in the replies. 👇 #scriptsky

submitted 17 days ago • 3 comments

I've been rewatching some of my favorite sitcoms from the 80s and 90s. I never realized just how much the jokes come from how well-defined the characters are. 90%? That's how good the writing needs to be. If the audience doesn't know just who the character is, it's not funny.

submitted 17 days ago • 3 comments

Clarity > Proper format. Emotional impact > Proper format. Readability > Proper format. The only time to stress about screenwriting format is when you get it so wrong that it interferes with the above. Your screenplay is for the reader. Worry about production later.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Good screenwriting transfers your confidence and enthusiasm to the reader. Don't write your action lines like you're asking permission to be there. Tell the story like it's worth telling. If you don't believe in it, the reader won't either.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

A key tactic to your screenwriting is to get the reader comfortable. Do the work on the page, so they don’t have to. Look for flow. A comfortable reader is more open -- more focused. And they’re more willing to feel something. Too many screenplays die by a thousand speed bumps.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

One of the most cynical things we do in screenwriting is trying to make the audience feel something we don’t actually feel ourselves. They can sniff it out in an instant and the moment feels false. Worse, people tend to resent the person who tries to pull a fast one on them.

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

Random advice for screenwriting or any other endeavor: Be quick to help others. Do lots of favors. When you do, you will feel far more comfortable asking for favors for yourself when needed. And it won't even have to be from the same people.

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments