How To Write a Logline
Being a screenwriter isn’t just about writing a screenplay. You also need to know how to write other important stuff like treatments, synopses, one-pagers, and loglines.
Screenwriting Tips
Adding Camera Direction to Your Screenplay — Yes or No?
If you’ve ever read a book on screenwriting, you’ve probably heard that adding camera movements to your script is a no-no. The reason for this is simple: novice writers overuse camera movements to the point that they distract the reader…
When to Use CUT TO: (and When Not To)
The majority of screenwriting books tell you that you should avoid using CUT TO: between scenes because it reeks of amateurish writing and quite frankly, it’s obvious that to go from one scene in a movie to the next, there…
Every Screenwriter’s Toolbox
For every successful screenwriter, there’s a unique story of how he or she made it over the wall. Each one is different, and no one’s journey can be duplicated by anyone else. Some had parents in the industry, some got…
When Actors Ad-Lib Your Dialog
I was recently on set talking to some of the actors that had been hired to say the dialog I’d written into my screenplay. They asked me if it annoyed me when actors ad-lib and embellish the dialog I’d written.…
When to Invest in Screenwriting Software
New writers often ask me how important it is to use specialized screenwriting software. It’s a good question. This stuff isn’t cheap and until you make money writing, it’s hard to justify throwing out several hundred dollars when there are…
Why You Can’t Judge Your Characters
There are many rules in screenwriting, but one of the most important is ‘Never judge your characters.’ I thought it was worth a minute to explain what this means and why it’s so important.
Writers Need to Network
I’m a big advocate of networking and writers don’t do it enough. There are millions of writers out there with millions of scripts, and very few producers with the money to produce them. You can’t simply be a name on…
Writing Good Dialog
Some writers have a natural gift for writing dialog. Others don’t. If you’re the latter, here are a few tips to help you write better dialog.
