# Style & Substance

... you are a chef and your script is the meal. Why? Because I’m hungry, recently rewatched "The Bear," and this analogy works.

Even if you’ve got a winner, endorsed with great notes from a pro, or some wins in a contest or two, what else can you do to give your work traction?

If you only try to find facts to support your hopes or assumptions, you’ll miss discovering things that could inspire you or help you write an even better story.

Shaky beginnings lead to problems down the road every time without fail.

The worst of mankind is more sellable to the American public than the best, it would seem, so anyone attempting to tell a tale of romance is up against a burgeoning trend of nastiness.

I apologize for nothing.

Hollywood exists for entertainment, and this often means facts get fudged in the name of keeping the crowd interested.

Francesca Brigandy’s synesthesia allows her to visualize sounds as colors when listening to music, giving her a unique polychrome perspective.

Five more tips on how to not annoy your reader shall be yours. But listen well, because I'm only going to say this once ...

Nothing is certain, so why not take the risk and be as bold or unusual or as personal as we want to be in whatever we are creating?

Have we gotten to the point where we need our hands held so continually?

With so many superhero shows and movies out now, what is a superhero, really? Are vampire, spy, space alien, and wizard stories all just sub-genres within the superhero genre?

An expertly crafted monologue can absolutely be an asset in your narrative toolbox, you just need to know how to wield it.

It’s time for a new model ... a model that truly captures the essence of every story; a model with guts and heart and sex appeal and bitchin’ VFX!

An ensemble movie and its script must recognize why such an ensemble is needed and what’s at stake in such a story.