What’s Your Next Script?

Some screenwriters face the dreaded writer’s block, while others have far too many story ideas to write. Both cause untold distress to the screenwriting species. The latter may not be as much of a problem as you previously thought. Having too many screenplay concepts means you have choices. Then comes the big question. What screenplay…

What Motivates Antagonists To Act?

The antagonist in your screenplay places obstacles to your main character’s goal. They need to provide formidable opposition to your protagonist rather than being an inconvenience to make these obstacles meaningful. But what drives your antagonists? Most of the time they have a specific goal in mind, but other times, their motivations are less clear. Let’s…

Comedy vs Humor. Is There A Difference?

The terms comedy and humor are often used interchangeably in screenwriting. Is there a difference between the two? Actually, there is. And screenwriters should know them. COMEDY Comedy is the premeditated act designed to cause an audience to laugh. Comedy relies on jokes, visual gags, and physical acts to amuse and entertain an audience. It…

How To Write Characters Who Lie

Screenwriters will have to write lying characters in at least one screenplay. There are various patterns and gestures that liars fall into, so it helps to make them believable. This article isn’t so much about ‘liespotting,’ ‘gotcha,’ or ‘bazinga’ moments. but rather an overview of the behavior of liars so you can write more authentic…

Desire Is The Basis Of Your Characters’ Behavior

Humans beings are a curious lot. So too are your characters. Traditional storytelling tropes dictate that the characters in your screenplay must have a goal. They must relentlessly pursue that goal to its conclusion whether they achieve it or not. They must have compelling stakes to reach their goal, and the escalation of the obstacles…

12 Types Of Character Intelligence

Richly layered characters form the basis of every quality screenplay. Characters have distinct learning and processing styles which influences their knowledge. Their knowledge also informs their moral codes and personality types. Intelligence is both a function of what someone knows, but also how they can best learn it. There is a distinct difference between intelligence…

How Do Single-Cam TV Shows Differ From Multi-Cam Ones?

Television shows are often referred to as being single-cam or multi-cam.  This directly relates to the style of filming. Back in the day when TV production was more straightforward, mutli-cam referred to 30-minute sitcoms and single-cam to hour-long dramas. This general rule of thumb isn’t always the case any longer. It most closely correlates with…

How Do Your Characters Communicate?

Screenwriting involved mining character relationships and their interactions. There are a number of ways characters communicate with each other. As a screenwriter, you must give each character a predominant communication style to complement their personality. Moreover, look at ways to give your main characters opposing communication styles to generate conflict between them. When constructing your…

Why You Must Kill Your Screenplay Darlings

Screenwriting is hard. Really hard. No surprises here. Shaping and telling a story takes a long time. It’s a long process of trial and error. You must write many permutations and combinations of your story during the outlining, writing and rewriting process. This process of creating, destroying and recreating your screenplay is something every screenwriter faces…

What To Do When Your Screenwriting Muse Needs Some Help

Creativity ebbs and flows. Flows and ebbs. It is finite, yet it is infinite. Sometimes there’s a story inside us dying to get written. Sometimes, there isn’t. As screenwriters, our creative juices don’t flow at will. Their will, not ours. But it doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom. Embrace the messiness of the…

5 Ways To Add The WOW Factor To Your Screenwriting

There are tens of thousands of screenplays registered with the WGA each year. Many thousands more screenplays are written, but not registered. Even more screenplays than that are works in progress. That adds up to a hell of a lot of screenplays. All vying for attention. Screenwriters must be aware that this places an enormous…

What Types Of Scripts Should Screenwriters Focus On To Break In?

Screenwriting is a blessing because it requires so little equipment and expense to write a screenplay. It is also a curse because there are so many screenwriters out there clacking away at their computers. So much competition. But not all competition is created equal. Many scripts end up in the digital trash. That means you…