Maybe you want to write a screenplay or pilot, but you don’t have any ideas, or you have a few ideas, but you don’t know if they’re any good. Or maybe you have too many ideas and you don’t know which is the best one to focus on. Whether it’s too many...

In a highly competitive and constantly growing marketplace, it’s important to stand out if you want a career writing for film or television. Many of the most sought-after screenwriters have memorable or larger than life personalities.

Like It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation are holiday staples, it’s hard to imagine a Thanksgiving week without Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Written and directed by John Hughes, the film was a critical and commercial suc...

Like with any kind of writing, it’s important for a screenwriter to create a personal work routine.

A film industry professional continues reading a screenplay because it has a great first act, but it’s the third act that’s likely to stick with them afterwards. When you finish watching a film, isn’t it the ending that’s freshest in your mind? It’s ...

Over the years, if it’s one thing I’ve heard screenwriters struggle with the most, it’s the second act of their script. Even if they think they have a great concept and strong first act, they suddenly get to the second act and they find their creativ...

There isn’t a perfect screenplay.

Many aspiring screenwriters might not be aware of the term “through line” and how it’s frequently used in the development process. When I first broke into the film industry I wasn’t aware of the term myself, and I definitely wasn’t thinking of themat...

In my article 5 Clichés to Avoid in the Opening of Your Script, I stressed the importance of grabbing industry professionals in the first couple pages of your spec script. Whether it’s a feature screenplay or a television pilot, most managers, agents...