How To 105 results

The Pros and Cons of Writing Screenplays with a Partner

Parasite. The Shape of Water. Legally Blonde. Election. No Country for Old Men. What do these titles have in common? All these films were famously written by screenwriting duos who were writing partners. The writers for the above films are ...

Why Doesn’t Everyone Love My Script?

Picture this: You give your script to everyone in Hollywood, and they all scream out, as one, I LOVE THIS SCRIPT SO MUCH IT SHOULD BE PUBLISHED AS LITERATURE IMMEDIATELY ALL HAIL THIS MAGNIFICENT WRITER. Most writers are rational human beings ...

Does the World Really Need Your Art?

Human beings have always felt the need to express themselves, beginning with cave drawings of buffalo and spears. The same impulse moves through current poetry, drama, music, and dance. We need art -- it is a fundamental part of human existence. ...

How a $0 Budget Film Topped the Box Office Thanks to the Pandemic

As screenwriters, many of us have fantasized about having a movie that hits number one at the box office. But considering our country is in the grip of a pandemic, it doesn’t seem possible to even get a film made, let alone soar to the top of ...

Three Ways to Avoid Tired Clichés in Your Script

Most of us have watched a movie scene that was horribly cliché. Maybe you’ve seen a frustrated detective take a shower and put one hand on the wall. Maybe you’ve seen a fight scene that involves the hero literally standing up in order to ...

How to Survive Writing During a Pandemic

Every writer I know is struggling. They’ve got a good reason, too. Writing is tough under the best circumstances, so it’s no surprise that writers are having a hard time getting words on paper during a global pandemic that threatens our collective economic future. We are all doing our best to stay safe and help others.

Want To Create Dynamic Drama? Try this

Everyone wants to add more dynamic drama to their screenplays. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comedy or a horror film, drama is the secret sauce that makes a story great. Without it, the story falls flat. But how do we dial up the drama? What ...

How To Use Personal Experience As A Writing Tool

Advice on writing usually starts with a grand statement about digging deep into your soul and unearthing a secret golden story that will bewitch the masses. If you can do this, so be it. But what if your soul is filled with…a lot of boring ...

Picking the Perfect Story To Tell

You’ve got an idea for a screenplay. In fact, you’ve got three – plus the one your taxi driver is pitching you right now about space whales enmeshed in a bitter divorce. All the ideas are good, but you’ve only got a limited amount of time ...

Why Do Character Arcs Matter, Anyway?

Picture this: We open on a girl’s frightened face. She’s wearing a red riding cloak of some kind and she’s scrunched up in a very tight space. We hear her voiceover: “It was dark inside the wolf.” Then, she stays there and does nothing ...

What Are Your Characters Hiding?

You’ve got a secret. Don’t you? If you’re like most of us, you have a secret you don’t want anyone to know. Maybe you’re wearing mismatched socks, maybe you’re the lunchbox thief at work, or maybe you’re a hundred rats in a trench coat posing as a Brazilian spy. The point is: most of us know what it means to worry someone will find out our secret, leaving us vulnerable to rejection and shame.

7 Insider Tips for Getting Into the Sundance Screenwriters Lab

The adorable new indie comedy Before You Know It stars Hannah Pearl Utt and Jen Tullock as sisters who find out their mother, played by Judith Light, isn’t dead, but alive and acting on a popular soap opera. The two women must overcome their ...
Join Our Magazine
Get a free subscription to Screenwriting Magazine and download over 40 Academy Nominated screenplays.
No Thanks
Thanks for Joining ScreenwritingU Magazine!
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Join today!
×
×