# Style & Substance

A new spin on the art of craft—without the buzzy, cliché keywords.

A Workshop on Emotion

A Workshop on Emotion

Emotion is what makes stories memorable. It's the special sauce that makes viewers come back again and again.

# Read # Style & Substance
11 min read

Your Voice is Non-Negotiable

Your Voice is Non-Negotiable

He has a style all his own, one that captivates and entertains readers all across the world. No one else writes like he does ...

# Read # Style & Substance
8 min read

The 2024 Script Pipeline Finalists: What They All Had in Common

The 2024 Script Pipeline Finalists: What They All Had in Common

... if you've got an idea that you want to tackle but it feels like it's just "too insane" to pull off ... you might want to rethink that.

# Read # Style & Substance
8 min read

Everything Else Has Come Back, Why Not the Variety Show?

Everything Else Has Come Back, Why Not the Variety Show?

I’d bet on a variety show starring Taylor Swift versus sinking $200 million into another superhero saga any day of the week.

# Read # The Business of Art # Style & Substance
6 min read

I Watched Forrest Gump with My Mom

I Watched Forrest Gump with My Mom

I’m willing to bet that if all of you made your heroes more like Forrest Gump, your scripts would be much better for it.

# Read # Style & Substance
6 min read

The 5 Notes I Always Give

The 5 Notes I Always Give

So many of you seem to be making the exact same mistakes with your writing. And from my vantage point, they're all easily fixable.

# Read # Style & Substance
7 min read

Looking for New Stakes? Shame on You

Looking for New Stakes? Shame on You

Shame is, in many ways, like that gun being held on a crowd. Everyone can relate.

# Read # Style & Substance
5 min read

How to Write Better Comedy. Seriously.

How to Write Better Comedy. Seriously.

Shows trying to tickle our funny bones have become so prolific that we have started to collectively yawn—it takes a lot more to stand out.

# Read # Style & Substance
7 min read

How Clothes Can Make the Man (or Woman) in Your Script

How Clothes Can Make the Man (or Woman) in Your Script

Indeed, clothes not only make the man (or woman), but they can tell us so much about a character the second they appear on screen.

# Read # Style & Substance
6 min read

How to Find a High-Concept Story Idea that Sells

How to Find a High-Concept Story Idea that Sells

First of all, let’s get clear on what ‘high-concept’ means.

# Read # The Business of Art # Style & Substance
5 min read

This is How I Fangirl: I Wrote a Novel

This is How I Fangirl: I Wrote a Novel

But the way I see it, all fiction originates as fan fic in one way or another.

# Read # Style & Substance # The Creative Mind
4 min read

The New Heroes in Movies and TV Shows? Villains.

The New Heroes in Movies and TV Shows? Villains.

Getting a fractured audience’s attention is getting harder and harder.

# Read # Style & Substance
6 min read

Raiders of the Lost Art: An Argument for Dialogue-Driven Set Pieces

Raiders of the Lost Art: An Argument for Dialogue-Driven Set Pieces

... well-rendered and delivered dialogue can surprise and turn a story on its head in ways that action scenes only very rarely can ...

# Read # Style & Substance
11 min read

The Three Things All of 2023’s Best Screenplays Have in Common

The Three Things All of 2023’s Best Screenplays Have in Common

It is a shining example of how a film can be distinguished just as much by what its script doesn’t reveal as what it does.

# tag # Style & Substance
4 min read

Yes, Page Count Still Matters

Yes, Page Count Still Matters

Think like a salesman ... if you have a product you need to sell, which would you rather have? More potential buyers? Or fewer?

# Read # Style & Substance # The Business of Art
8 min read
Click here for our recommended reading list.

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