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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Write your Spec. But first, write your treatment.
I used to hate treatments. Now it's an immensely valuable part of my process.
What fear are you exploiting?
Fear works best when it is primal and taps into something much more profound than jump scares
Five ways to simplify your screenwriting.
Have you SEEN how much information is available on screenwriting?
How can we possibly keep our minds clean to write?
When your story idea starts with a world.
Stories can come from anywhere. A great source is simply recognizing an interesting world that is ripe for narrative attention.
Bad notes, unskilled notes, and knowing the difference.
The world will never run out of notes. As long as you keep asking for notes, you will get them.
And even some after that.
Three foundations to solve any screenwriting problem.
Most everything I teach comes down to three pillars. I have found that when I am struggling, one of them has broken down.
Falling to the level of your systems.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." — James Clear.