Tom Vaughan

How to cut 8 pages from any screenplay right now.

How to cut 8 pages from any screenplay right now.

One of your primary tasks early in a script is to convince the reader that they are in excellent hands with you as their storyteller. The page count is the first evidence you submit to persuade them.

The two most important decisions in your screenwriting.

The two most important decisions in your screenwriting.

One of my primary goals as a writer and a teacher is to simplify. We need to get out of our own way. We do this through a process.

The most important part of Act 3.

The most important part of Act 3.

The moment when a character earns ownership of their change by surrendering something they once valued but is no longer aligned with their new value system.

Does your protagonist really need an emotional wound?

Does your protagonist really need an emotional wound?

Past wounds or traumas can help motivate and explain choices but do not replace them as the defining trait of character.

How to interpret some of the most common screenplay notes.

How to interpret some of the most common screenplay notes.

Our response to a screenplay doesn't come in the language of structure. It comes in the language of emotional response.

5 simple ways to improve your action lines immediately.

5 simple ways to improve your action lines immediately.

You can take a giant leap in the readability of your action lines just by paying more attention to them. It's about committing to care about the little things.

How I learned screenplay structure.

How I learned screenplay structure.

Plots seem complicated when you're in the moment, but when you lay them out scene by scene it's clear how simple they really are.

How to be a more talented screenwriter.

The Mental Battle

How to be a more talented screenwriter.

Much of what we consider talent is simply processing certain crucial things at a faster pace. And like anything, that can be developed.

Know your goal before you start writing your screenplay.

Know your goal before you start writing your screenplay.

It does not matter whether you start with the project or the goal itself. What's important is that they are in agreement.

How to structure a story with a relationship at the center.

How to structure a story with a relationship at the center.

Relationships are vital for every story. Audiences care deeply about relationships, perhaps more than anything else. But what about when the relationship is the story?

The key to a sensational inciting incident.

The key to a sensational inciting incident.

The most effective inciting incidents are personal, and the best ones evoke an emotional reaction from the protagonists and from us.

The want drives everything.

The want drives everything.

Without a want, the narrative is stagnant. But with it, we can map out the entire story structure.