The “right” script vs the phenomenal script.
The only thing better than writing a phenomenal script is writing the "right" script. Unfortunately, you don't have any control over that.
Pay attention to page count.
It can feel like page count is the enemy. It isn't. It's a limitation that often forces you to be better.
When to write for free.
Yet, I have never found this blanket policy of "never write for free" realistic or even desirable. But there is a time and place.
When creative priorities collide in action lines.
I have three priorities for my action lines, which are ranked in a hierarchy.
How changes can affect narrative momentum.
Even the most minor revision in a screenplay can have a ripple effect, affecting narrative momentum for each scene.
The three wants of a character.
Dig deeper into the character's path to genuine change by examining these three wants.
What is the audience rooting for?
If I know the answer to these two questions, I can usually make any decision and work myself out of any corner.
What story are you telling?
There is so much going on in a screenplay, that we often forget the most important thing:
You are telling a story.
Sequence 4 and how to attack it.
The pivot into Sequence 4 is not an independent choice. It is dictated by the needs of the larger choices around it.
The why behind the rule is what matters.
A screenwriting "rule" is something someone repeats when they don't fully understand the WHY behind it.
Does the scene advance the story?
The larger transformation of the story is composed of smaller transformations in each scene. All pushing, pulling, or diverting the transformation to its completion.
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.