Make Your Screenplay More Readable: Write Vertically
Put simply, writing vertically refers to making choices that push the reader's eyes DOWN the page more often than they go ACROSS the page.
Navigating the Rewrite Process: Finding New Perspectives
There's nothing magical about the rewrite.
It's the same as writing. So don't overcomplicate it, and don't let it intimidate you.
Five Phases of Feature Development
I left my last agents at Paradigm over a disagreement about two spec scripts.
I liked them. They didn't.
The Protagonist's Most Important Trait: Resilience.
By the end of your story, your protagonist should demonstrate resilience.
I know, I know.
How interesting could it be if every protagonist had this exact same trait?
It turns out, it's very interesting.
The When And The How Of Landing An Agent.
Getting representation is a process, like most things, dominated by economics. That is, the allocation of limited resources. Yours and theirs.
Character is story. Story is character.
Here are three character questions I ask to help nail down the underlying needs that drive a character’s transformation.
The Mental Battle of Screenwriting
Screenwriting is difficult. But, once we accept this — that it is difficult — and we abandon the idea that if it is difficult, something must be wrong… well, then we just… go on.
The Midpoint
An event at the midpoint of the movie that reverses what was previously believed to be true, changes the stakes, or otherwise creates a new environment or given circumstances for the protagonist
Tools For Character-Driven Dramatic Questions
Last week, I wrote about plot-focused dramatic questions and how they can make your job much easier.
But not every story wants one...
The Dramatic Question
The dramatic question is one of your best tools for your story structure.
So much so, that two of my three primary goals in the "pre-outline" phase of any project.
The Magic Why
I want to talk about perhaps our greatest weapon in the creative and emotional battle we call screenwriting.
I happen to think it's our greatest weapon in any endeavor...
Four Questions For Any Character Piece
Sometimes you have a character in mind. No situation, no world. You don't even know what the character will do, let alone what they want.
It's just the character.
What exactly do you do with them?