Writing > Lighting A movie can look rich and complex, but if the script stinks the movie stinks. A movie can look plain and simple, but if the script shines the movie shines. Producers, take note. #scriptsky

Getting to the end of an outline is a pretty special feeling. Sure it’ll all end up changing by the time you get to a final draft of the screenplay. But from here on out you have a solid foundation to build those changes on. You’re now officially standing on solid screenwriting ground. #scriptsky

Thank you. Too often pros mock any kind of guideline because *they* no longer need it (and are probably in denial they ever did). It sends the wrong message to aspiring screenwriters, who then jump into the deep end without a life jacket and drown. Guidelines guide. That’s the point. #scriptsky

AI won’t replace human screenwriters. Remember when CG was getting so good it would soon replace actors? CG has only gotten worse since then. The tech hit a wall and became a commodity. We’re already seeing this with AI. Don’t be discouraged. Real screenwriters aren’t going anywhere. #scriptsky

This applies to the style and length of prose in your action lines so much. Not every single moment of your script can be the most important. Save the poetry and verbosity for when you need the reader to really lean in. For the rest, keep it clean and simple and help their eyes glide. #scriptsky

Just walked by Aaron Eckhart on the sidewalk chatting with a tech (maybe the director?) and resisted the urge to pay my respects. Why? Because he was clearly working. I know if I were in the middle of writing a sentence or thinking of a word, I’d appreciate not being interrupted. #scriptsky

It’s incredible how much writing your brain keeps doing in the back of your mind when you give the front of your mind a break from it. When you feel a tad too close to the material, taking a break can help you gain a sort of outside perspective that powering through can’t give. #scriptsky

A lot of movies/scripts today truncate act 1 to get to the excitement of act 2, which ends up feeling lifeless because it lacks the context a micro act 1 can't give. The Matrix has a long first act, with more action and intrigue than most second acts today. Do with that what you will. #scriptsky

Yes and no. Notes like these from experts in a given field often miss the story forest for the trees. When the doc finds a cure significantly faster than normal, they pulled off a one in a million shot. It’s only a problem if the story doesn’t convey how extraordinary a feat this is. #scriptsky

I’m with Sorkin on this: characters don’t have backstories. It’s either in the story or it isn’t. Giving characters actions or motivations that only make sense if you know something about their past that isn’t in the story is a recipe for confusion. #scriptsky

When I worked on #TheOffice, my best friend on the show was also an aspiring writer. He was talented, well-liked, worked hard, but his writing career didn’t pan out. Years later, his biggest regret was “not being more ENTITLED.” I knew just what he meant. A 🧵 on good/bad entitlement. #Scriptsky 1

Harmony is boring. It's also not very revealing. Conflict is not only far more interesting, but it forces characters to reveal their wants, fears, plans, etc, in a natural way. Conflict is a cheat code for exposition AND entertainment. It's quite literally the stuff movies are made of. #scriptsky

First ideas are exciting. There’s this “Oh, I have it!” quality that is almost impossible to ignore. But more often than not, if you let the idea marinate, more and better versions will come to you. Your first incredible idea is just the catalyst. You’re capable of even more. #scriptsky

That voice telling you 'it shouldn't be this hard to break in'? I hear it too. And you know what? The journey IS tough. But the writers who succeed aren't the ones with shortcuts—they're the ones who fell in love with the process of becoming better. #scriptsky

There’s a reason why first draft rhymes with worst draft. Don’t beat yourself up. Or read it through rose tinted glasses. Be proud of your accomplishment, but also be aware it’s gonna need work. A lot of it. That’s just part of the process. #scriptsky

The most liberating mindset shift for writers? Understanding that the person across the desk in that big meeting is HOPING you're amazing. They need great writers as much as you need opportunities. You're not being judged—you're being discovered. #scriptsky

Plot problems are often due to missing conflict, rarely solved by forcing the action through. Instead try going back to create more problems that challenge or weaken your protagonist. Suddenly the plot moves in a whole new and natural direction, and the problems aren't problems anymore.

#scriptsky

Masterful screenwriting takes time. Especially when you're still developing. Once you get past your first 1-2 screenplays, tips & tricks that make writing faster and easier could be a trap. You get faster and better by mastering a technique. And that takes considerable time and effort. #scriptsky

Writing in sequences and taking breaks in between to reflect and refine can help avoid the pitfalls of plot taking over and driving your screenplay down easy street to the finish line. Sequences are natural pause points to ensure you keep challenging both your protagonist and yourself. #scriptsky

Premise will catch people’s interest, but premise alone can’t sustain a story for 90-120 mins. Character is everything. A story that sounds cool as a pitch but lacks a central character with a flaw who grows as a result of their hard fought pursuit of a goal… will not go very far. #scriptsky

Developing screenwriters remember how their fave movies made them feel but miss all the scaffolding that went into it, then wonder why their script isn’t wowing readers like it wows themselves. Big moments can’t exist without all the meticulous little moments that hold them together. #scriptsky

Firmly believe it takes at least five screenplays to understand the basics and start uncovering your potential. Contests and coverage before then can help guide if used sparingly, but easily spirals into lotto ticket addiction. Put the work in to find and fix your flaws first. #scriptsky

Super useful if you’ve put the time in honing your story craft and are polishing a final draft for submission. But please, if you are writing say the first draft of your second screenplay, do not concern yourself with this. Window dressing comes last. Get a sturdy house built first. #scriptsky

Validation is such an alluring experience that chat gpt has bet the farm on dolling it out, truthful or not. But being lied to isn’t helpful when you’re trying to learn and grow. The most successful screenwriters lean into criticism and away from ego fluffing. They have thick skin. #scriptsky

Movies aren’t real situations. Characters aren’t real people. Audiences are meant to believe the clever illusion, but as screenwriters if we must construct that illusion using the tools of story craft. A magician who believes magic is real will never pull a rabbit out of anything. #scriptsky

Uh oh, bad news. This screenwriting thing probably isn’t going to work out for you. There’s a chance it will, but that chance is slim. Knowing that, do you still want to continue? If you just answered yes, your chances just increased. Turns out unwritten screenplays never get made. #scriptsky

“Listen Lady”, he said, addressing the Listen Lady by her preferred title as a marker of respect.

I know it may sometimes feel like the hardest part of screenwriting is getting read by the right people. But it isn’t. Writing a phenomenal script that gets people excited is the hardest part of screenwriting. And it’s not even close. #screenwriting

Making a movie costs millions. Of course the one you write has to be a 12/10 to stand a chance of getting any traction. Don't let cynicism over "bad" movies lower your bar. There's a thousand ways for a good script to get botched along the way to the cinema. Keep striving. #scriptsky

Beware feedback that tells you what you want to hear. Sharing our work is a vulnerable act, and while encouragement feels nice, it can have the unfortunate consequence of holding us back. Someone who will be honest, and risk being disliked for it, is rare. Resist pushing them away. #scriptsky

It's been said thinking is also writing, but I'll go it a step further. Taking a break from writing is also writing. Sometimes the best thing we can do is step back completely. Let the background processor do its job. Return with a fresh perspective that would otherwise be missed. #scriptsky

Bit if a downer, but there's no secret formula, special collection of techniques or professional guidance for writing the best screenplay possible in the shortest time possible. There's no hidden path to screenwriting greatness beyond buckling down to do the work and never stop learning #scriptsky

Hot take: writing a feature length screenplay is a slog! Hotter take: if you've written one, regardless of what came of it, you should feel immensely proud. #scriptsky

That shaggy bit of writing you do when you decide to forge ahead beyond the confines of the section you’re still working on because the flow state is really flowing, is the screenwriting version of “felt cute, might delete later” and it’s so much fun to imagine maybe actually keeping it. #scriptsky

Beware the allure of the vomit draft. Vomit = the path of least resistance to get something bad out. The path of least resistance in screenwriting is a trap. That's one thing leading to another down the wrong path for 100+ pages you'll have to backtrack to page one just to salvage. #scriptsky

Me: I know what needs to happen in these next five pages, this is going to be great. Also me: Oops I forgot how to write and am also a terrible writer, this sucks. Also, also me: I did it. I wrote the five pages and they’re great. Also, also, also me: These five pages are terrible. #scriptsky

Couldn’t figure out how to watch the home run derby, so obviously we’re watching ROBOCOP instead.

The secret to not being 'that annoying writer who won't go away'? Ask permission to stay in touch after your first meeting. Then respect their inbox like it's your own. Brief emails, real updates, genuine connections. Everything else is just noise. #scriptsky

Watching the men’s Wimbledon final with your tennis pal, breaking away for a few hours to work on your screenplay, then getting back together for an evening game under the lights as the sun is going down is a VIBE

Once heard an interview with an actor and director, ripping into screenwriters who dare to write tears on a character's face.

 Does it really need to be explained that was for the benefit of a dozen busy readers who had to sign off on making this thing first?

 Cut us a little slack.
 #scriptsky

that tingling feeling you think is an insect crawling on your arm, but then you check and there's nothing there? that's the ghost of an insect you killed, coming back to haunt you for your terrible misdeed...

Often what an audience needs to engage with a story is kept locked inside the screenwriter’s head. We think we’re being too obvious so we hold back, but it’s only obvious to us because we wrote it. Exposition is not a dirty word. Revealed through conflict, it’s vital to your story. #scriptsky

Before you consume every book, article, video and pod on screenwriting, try getting a few finished screenplays under your belt. Know what it's like to finish, and to be horrified by the results. Then, if you still want to keep going, you'll be primed to learn and apply those teachings. #scriptsky

I've reached the midpoint and things are really cooking. But a lot of what happens in the last 10-15 pages hinges on changes to act one that haven't implemented made yet. Hey #scriptsky, would you double back and bolster the first half before tackling the second, or charge ahead to the finish?

No spoilers, just kind of impressed by how #Superman didn’t shy away from exposition. They have people being told things they know from start to finish, but the audience would be lost without it, and the story has such a gigantic heart that you just accept, nay appreciate the gesture.

If you’ve written more than say 2 screenplays, vomit drafts probably hinder more than help now. You’d be better off taking your time and developing a solid first draft you can actually build on with subsequent revisions. There’s no revising vomit. It’s completion for completion’s sake. #scriptsky

Probably the two biggest pitfalls of developing screenwriters: 1. Avoiding conflict 2. Simplifying problems It’s a noble instinct, but making life easy for your protag is boring, and robs them of the opportunity to grow. Stories are what happen when characters struggle and strive and persevere.

There’s something about the feeling of washing down my meds with an ice cold beer on a hot summer sunday night that really taps into the unknown wonder of the universe for me

Fear is the mind honker

Try as you might, you can't write your second draft before you write your first. Immutable laws of the universe are funny like that. #scriptsky