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Screenwriting Tips, Help & Advice
Find expert screenwriting advice articles, industry leading interviews with writers, expert writing advice, screenwriting tips and answers to commonly raised questions from screenwriters, scriptwriters, filmmakers, and writers of all types. A little insider screenwriting help can go a long way toward improving the writing craft and working with screenwriting software.
The Importance of the Journey - Part Four
Last issue we examined the 7 surface journeys, and learned how finance, friendships, physical change, education, stature and family can quickly and effectively impact a character's journey. We've by now covered all of the profound and surface jour...
Read more... | Published: 03/15/05 | by Noah Lukeman
Why the Heck are we in this Business?
Five years ago, we set forth from Maryland cross-country to Los Angeles. We were following a script we had sent out there a few weeks before. The script was being submitted to producers and studios as we drove across the heartland, and our agent i...
Read more... | Published: 02/28/05 | by The Brothers Heimberg
The Importance of the Journey - Part Three
Last time we introduced the idea of the "surface" journey, a journey which lacks the depth of a "profound" journey but which is nonetheless highly visible and a powerful aid in complementing a work. One of the seven surface journeys (such as roman...
Read more... | Published: 02/28/05 | by Noah Lukeman
Write a Worthy Script
Our reader, Jimmy Pearson of Minneapolis, MN asks: I've got 3 scripts under my belt. How can I get someone to read my work? Professor Richard Walter, longtime Screenwriting Chairman of the legendary UCLA Film School, answers: Writers never s...
Read more... | Published: 02/28/05 | by Richard Walter
Tales from the Digital Frontier: Breakthroughs in Storytelling
As writers, we are practitioners of an ancient art: the art of storytelling. Storytelling is a continually evolving form of expression. The first storytellers had only one simple tool at their disposal - the spoken word. Later storytellers had mor...
Read more... | Published: 02/14/05 | by Carolyn Handler Miller
The Importance of the Journey - Part Two
Last week we looked at the three profound journeys. This week we'll turn to the seven "surface" journeys, journeys which are less profound, but equally important when crafting fiction. The profound journeys are internal and substantial; the surfac...
Read more... | Published: 02/14/05 | by Noah Lukeman
The Importance of the Journey - Part One
"Writing a book is like driving a car at night. You only see as far as your headlights go, but you can make the whole trip that way." -E.L. Doctorow Hollywood studios test market their major motion pictures before releasing them to the public. T...
Read more... | Published: 01/31/05 | by Noah Lukeman
Be the Writer You Want to Be Now
This morning I received an Industry email with a headline reading "Get it together. Start fresh!" I don't want a fresh start. Despite all of the spiked eggnog-fueled New Year's Eve resolutions we make, the winter months can end up as creatively ...
Read more... | Published: 01/17/05 | by Michael Lent
Breaking into Television Writing
Reader Lauren Machin from Atlanta, Georgia asks: How do I become a television writer if I don't have any contacts? Writer/Producer Lee Goldberg responds: I get this question a lot, but it's disingenuous, since I'm a TV writer/producer and wh...
Read more... | Published: 01/04/05 | by Lee Goldberg
Blockbuster Plots by Threes
If you make explicit what you already know intuitively about the structure of movies and stories, you'll have yourself a conscious plotting tool. The rhythm of story is in all of us right now, especially for those who were read to as youngsters an...
Read more... | Published: 12/06/04 | by Martha Alderson, M.A.
Writing the Action Script
With a good Action script you can write your own ticket. But Action is the most deceptively challenging genre in Hollywood. What may seem simple and straightforward on the movie screen actually requires careful planning and extremely creative solu...
Read more... | Published: 11/08/04 | by John Truby
The Playwright's Guide to Submitting Smarter: A Baker's Dozen Tips to Maximize Your Chances and Minimize Your Aggravation
Your new play is finally ready for submission. ("New play" means your targets are theatre companies and contests - save publishers for plays with a production history.) Of course, too many writers think their scripts are finished when they're not,...
Read more... | Published: 10/24/04 | by Jonathan Dorf
Dare to Dream - Write Anyway!
Writers dream deep with eyes open. We dream about stories, characters and themes - about villains, heroes, ladies and dragons. But mostly we dream about writing. We dream about having written, about the process of writing, about the feeling we get...
Read more... | Published: 10/24/04 | by Marilyn Beker
Until Life (Plus 70) Do Us Part - The Writer's Prenup
For many writers, working with a collaborator is great. Instead of sitting in a room, alone, staring at the wall, waiting for inspiration to strike, now there are two of you, together, sitting in a room, discussing last night's episode of The Dai...
Read more... | Published: 10/10/04 | by Larry Zerner ESQ
The Real Key to a Writer's Success
We all know how incredibly hard it is to get a screenplay produced. We have all heard talk about all the great scripts out there that never got made. And that might be true. But why is it true? If you have a professionally crafted screenplay, one ...
Read more... | Published: 09/27/04 | by James Bonnet
Adding Depth to Villains
Our reader F.X. Snyder from Garden Grove, asks: My villain is a bit too one-dimensional. Any tips for fleshing out a character who's not the protagonist? David Freeman responds: Sure, I know a lot about villains, although not from personal ex...
Read more... | Published: 09/21/04 | by David Freeman
Securing Representation
On behalf of Crescendo Entertainment Group I attend a number of screenwriting conferences and events throughout the year. In doing this, I am able to get out there and meet screenwriters and hopefully impart a bit of advice to the many who are loo...
Read more... | Published: 09/13/04 | by Marc Hernandez
What Do I Do When Someone Wants To Option My Screenplay?
One of the best phone calls a writer can receive is when someone calls and wants to option his or her screenplay! For many writers, this can seem like a dream come true because it validates the months they have toiled away on their laptop, losing...
Read more... | Published: 09/13/04 | by Jonathan Treisman
Unique Speak
Our reader Singh from Toronto, asks: My dialogue sounds flat and indistinguishable between characters. How can I work on writing more engaging dialogue? David Freeman responds: Dialogue has long been a problem for writers. The problem is that...
Read more... | Published: 09/13/04 | by David Freeman
John Truby's Comic Journey
Writing is a craft, and undoubtedly it's the most complicated craft in the world. That's why I put so much emphasis on specific, practical techniques. Big esoteric words and inspirational slogans may sound good, but they don't get the story on the...
Read more... | Published: 08/30/04 | by John Truby
The Five S's of Screenwriting
Working with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jason Miller and the legendary Tennessee Williams offered me a tremendous entrée into the magical world of storytelling. As American icons, their extraordinary talent inspired the world; and as screen...
Read more... | Published: 08/16/04 | by Kate Wright
Documentary Storytelling: The Drama of Real Life
Documentary filmmakers, no less than dramatic screenwriters, strive to tell strong, often character-driven stories that have a beginning, middle and end, with something at stake, rising tension, and a narrative arc that keeps viewers actively enga...
Read more... | Published: 07/19/04 | by Sheila Curran Bernard
The Theft of Time
A particularly arrogant film producer once said to me, "I could be a writer, too, if I only had the time." Which implied, I guess, that if he didn't have to attend meetings, deal with studios, manage production budgets--in other words, if he didn...
Read more... | Published: 06/28/04 | by Dennis Palumbo
Did You Hear The One -- ?
-- About The Screenwriter Who Decided To Write A Comedy? There was a moment in your life when you acknowledged to yourself that you were funny. Maybe you were trying to be funny. Maybe you weren't. Maybe it just slipped out. But somebody laug...
Read more... | Published: 06/21/04 | by D.B. Gilles
Writing Effective Query Letters
Our reader Sanborn from Costa Rica asks: Why is there so much fuss about writing query letters? I always thought it's my story or script that counts, not my cover letter. Please advise. Marc Hernandez, Managing Partner and Literary Manager wit...
Read more... | Published: 06/21/04 | by Marc Hernandez
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