Notes from a Screenreader: Old News nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. How long ago did you write your script? Does it show? It is impossible to stay convincingly up to the minute with technology and pop culture in a script, but it is possible to blow the dust off by doing a careful…
Read moreGive your story room enough to breathe.
Read moreinvoluntaryadult: Writers always talk about how they had to get ten or so bad scripts out of their systems before their work started getting good, and I so feel that. Honestly, I kind of still think I’m still in that bad/average phase. But the important thing is, I’m getting better. Looking between the first script…
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THE PILE OF SCRIPTS YOURS IS SITTING IN
This is why finding a way to stand out is incredibly important.
Read moreNotes From a Screenreader: The Likability Trap
Notes From a Screenreader: The Likability Trap nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. Protagonists need a bigger than life personality. Most spec scripts have protagonists without one. The average protagonist is unobjectionable. They color inside the lines and find a way to get what they want without breaking any rules. That is the…
Read moreCOINCIDENCES SOLVING PROBLEMS
JUST A FEW STORY NOTES
HOW DOES THEME WORK?
Theme happens when your script makes a convincing argument that its protagonist is better off fixing his flaw.
Read moreDON’T WATCH THE DAMN MOVIE FOR ME
Look at your script. Are you telling me what’s going to happen next? Stop it.
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