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The idea matters.
Process

The idea matters.

My first screenplays were never going to go anywhere. And not because I was a bad writer, though I was. Those screenplays were doomed because they were bad ideas for screenplays.
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Tom Vaughan
Our skill goes where our attention goes.
Process

Our skill goes where our attention goes.

The world wants your attention. Badly. But your creative energy is as much a limited resource as your time. Treat it as such.
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Tom Vaughan
How does the character solve problems?
Character

How does the character solve problems?

How a character solves their problems is a defining characteristic that we often forget.
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Tom Vaughan
Why are emerging screenwriters obsessed with format?
Action Lines

Why are emerging screenwriters obsessed with format?

Format is one of the first and easiest things we learn. So why are we so concerned about doing it right?
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Tom Vaughan
Unified choices elevate the whole story.
Process

Unified choices elevate the whole story.

Unified choices enhance each other. They answer why this character, in this plot, with this concept, and this ending.
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Tom Vaughan
The 3-Part Act 1 and the Inciting Incident.
Structure

The 3-Part Act 1 and the Inciting Incident.

Sometimes the needs of Act 1 do not lend themselves to an early inciting incident. For those unique stories, you have the 3-Part Act 1.
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Tom Vaughan
Stop trying to sell your screenplay.
The Business

Stop trying to sell your screenplay.

It’s not your job to sell your screenplay. That is for others. Your job is to give them something to sell.
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Tom Vaughan
The three deadly sins of the pre-outline phase.
The Mental Battle

The three deadly sins of the pre-outline phase.

Early on, I managed to overcome my self-sabotage with resilience and some wildly good luck. But when the luck ran out, the resilience started to look a lot more like stubbornness.
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Tom Vaughan
Mind the flow on the page.
Action Lines

Mind the flow on the page.

We are telling a story meant for a visual and aural experience by using a medium that lacks both: text.
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Tom Vaughan
It's the trend line in our screenwriting that matters.
The Mental Battle

It's the trend line in our screenwriting that matters.

No one’s work just gets better and better and better. No one’s.
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Tom Vaughan
The habit of making choices.
Scene Work

The habit of making choices.

Get into the habit of making choices, and you will get increasingly better with the choices you make.
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Tom Vaughan
What screenwriters can learn from Kelvin Sampson.
Process

What screenwriters can learn from Kelvin Sampson.

Coach Sampson doesn't bring anything entirely new to this. What he does bring is clarity and commitment. And those two things are what matter.
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Tom Vaughan
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