It Takes an Outside Voice
It often takes an outside voice to help you get where you want to be. In my painting class, I was struggling to paint a Paris subway platform. You could barely see the electrical cables and dark...
View ArticleWhat?! The Main Character in AIR doesn’t change?!
In Screenwriting 100, the first thing you learn is that the main character changes. They end the story in a far different place, personality-wise and character-wise from where they started. “Your...
View ArticleCasting is Everything
Casting is everything. Cast your movie right, your troubles are mostly over. Don’t take the time to find the perfect actor, everything after casting will be a waste of time. For you, your crew, and,...
View ArticleDo NOTHING that might confuse your reader!
Like, f’rinstance: character names! Bob and Todd. Sally and Sarah. Virginia and Veronica. Sauron and Saruman!! Here’s an image that’s intensely confusing — a map showing the three Superstates in...
View Article“Start” is a 7 Deadly Sin Word for a Good Reason
The 7 Deadly Sins list (See Handouts! Free!) is a picky little thing. Ignore at your peril, gentle reader. Profit from this wee excerpt from the superb The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes by...
View ArticleF for Spell Check – Parents Night
When I first started writing, I used a typewriter. If you made a mistake, you could correct it while the page was still in the typewriter. If you pulled it out and then found a mistake, you had to...
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Michael Wiese changed my life
In 2008, Michael Wiese agreed to publish my book. At the time, I had no idea how much Your Screenplay Sucks! would change my life. Michael died last week at his home in England. This blog exists...
View ArticleIt Takes Two Things
To be a good writer, you must do two things. 1.) Master the craft. 2.) Have something to say. That’s it! End of lesson. No really, that’s it. Like Ferris Bueller at the end of the movie, “You’re still...
View ArticleThe Cat In The Hat teaches You Story Structure!
Story structure is story structure. What works has worked for a long, long time. Even children’s books have a hero with a problem, an Inciting Incident, Act breaks, a Midpoint, and an All is Lost...
View ArticleThe WOLVES “3 Reads” Rewriting Rule
When I was rewriting my first script, THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE, I had next to no idea what I was doing. There was the draft, three hole punched, in a three ring binder… and I was struggling to...
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Bury That Set Up!
I’m enjoying Carry On, Jeeves, a collection of Bertie Wooster short stories by P.G. Wodehouse. “Without The Option” is one of the best. At the end, when Jeeves explains the sublime way he vanquished...
View ArticleAre You a Professional?
Do you have an amateur’s point of view or a professional’s? One way to tell: “How do you react to notes?” A TV producer-director friend, who’s directed hundreds and hundreds of hours of television,...
View ArticleWhen To Start Your Story
Until you know your story’s precise timeframe, it’s a horrible idea to start writing. When does it begin? When does it end? As short an overall story-length as possible! Do not start when the problem...
View ArticleIsolate Character Scenes
Try anything! Guess what?! It may help. A useful tool is isolating character relationships. “Why isolate character relationships and what the hey is it, anyway?” you ask. “Happy I dropped by.” I say....
View ArticleThe Lego Sandwich: Everything Is Specific
When, for your dining enjoyment, a child hands you a sandwich made of Legos, it’s a superb idea to ask her what every single Lego block is. You’d better remember which is the patty, the Volcano Sauce,...
View ArticleNo Time for Wasted Words
Would you like to know a stupid expression with no use in the English language? Of course! “At this time.” It’s meaningless. “The voicemail box is full and is not accepting messages at this time.” Why...
View ArticleDumped in Love = Rewriting!
Once Upon A Time, did someone break up with you? Hurt like hell, didn’t it? Everything was terrible. Nothing worked. Life would never be the same. As Jon Stewart says, “Food no longer tastes good.”...
View ArticleDon’t Be a Show Off! BUT!! Remember What Your Characters Know!
Here’s a dangerous double-edged sword. Welcome to writing! Research as eeeevil vs. research as crucial. Just because you learned something existed in 1921, don’t tell us to prove your research skills...
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Don’t Give Characters Numbers For Names
I was 100% dead certain this superduper learning experience was in my book. It’s not! Ooops. Beginning writers constantly (and irritatingly) give characters numbers instead of “names”. You know, COP...
View ArticleThe Hunter Thompson Writing Method
Learn about writing from famous people! Deep in this website is The Keith Richards Writing Method (dictate while falling asleep), an amazingly useful tool. It may have brought him an entire career,...
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