Screenwriting Tag Results for "characters"

10 Questions To Ask Before Adapting A Book Into A Screenplay

Marilyn offers some great advice on the things you need to consider before adapting a novel into a screenplay.

12 Years A Slave: Hanging With Solomon

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this powerful scene from Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave

20 Things To Think About When You Option Your Screenplay - Part I

Screenwriter Chip Street discusses the common yet often complex matter of script optioning.

2001 A Space Odyssey: HAL Reads Lips

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this classic "movie moment" from Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking 2001: A Space Odyssey.

22 Ways to Learn & Improve Your Screenwriting

Writer, producer and author Hal Croasmun gives you some great tips to improve your writing and get your script sold.

4 Ways to Unlock Your Screenwriting Potential

Writer and filmmaker Dan Black discusses various ways to improve your screenwriting.

A Fast Way to Improve Your Plot Using New Year's Eve

Marilyn offers great advice on how to use New Year's Eve to raise the stakes in your screenplay.

A Simple Technique To Avoid Endless Rewriting

Marilyn offers some great advice on how to properly plan your script by outlining your story.

A Simple Way To Develop Rich Characters

Marilyn offers advice on how to improve your script by putting yourself in the shoes of one of your story's key characters.

A Way Out of Writer’s Block

Writer/director and teacher Elad Fichman dicusses the many causes of writer's block and suggests possible solutions to overcome this co…

Achieve Success As A Screenwriter

Freelance writer Brian Konradt gives some great pointers on how to be a successful screenwriter.

Act “As If” to Truly Write Better in Half an Hour

Marilyn applies an acting techqniue to help improve your writing.

Adaptation 101 - From Novel to Screenplay

How to successfully adapt a novel into a movie script.

An Original Backstory Can Be the Key to a Strong Plot

Marilyn explains how creating a strong backstory can help the writing of your protagonist and screenplay.

Blade Runner: I Want More Life

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this powerful "Movie Moment" from Ridley Scott's classic Blade Runner.

Breaking Bad: How Far Are You Prepared To Go?

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this powerful "TV moment" from Breaking Bad.

Cinematic Storytelling and Directing the Director

Screenwriting teacher Jennifer van Sijll discusses how to write cinematically and whether to include direction in your screenplay.

Creating Movie Characters That Jump Off The Page

Screenwriter and author Robert Gregory Browne gives some insightful advice on effective character development.

Creating Wonderfully Wicked Villains

Clinical Psychologist Carolyn Kaufman peers through the psychological looking glass to shed some light on what makes fiction villains t…

Creative Writing: An Accident Waiting To Happen

Produced screenwriter Dan Bronzite explains how listening to your inner voice and going with the flow can help you write a better scree…

Die Hard: Welcome To The Party, Pal!

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this great "movie moment" from Die Hard.

Don't Withhold; Reveal, and Complicate

Screenwriter, teacher and script consultant Erik Bork discusses the importance of garnering audience identification with your character…

Each Of Your Main Characters Should Have A Secret

How creating a secret for your principle characters can improve your script.

Exploring Unusual Character Relationships To Improve Your Script

Marilyn offers advice on how to improve your story and characterization.

Fact, Film and Fiction

Hollywood screenwriter, psychotherapist and author Dennis Palumbo explains the importance of grounding your fiction writing in reality.

Finding and Developing Ideas For Your Screenplay

Authors of the critically acclaimed book 'I Liked It, Didn't Love It' discuss the genesis of story.

Five Reasons Why Writing Plays Can Make You a Better Screenwriter

Playwright Jonathan Dorf reveals how writing stage plays can help improve your screenwriting.

Focal Points: Screenplay Theme, Structure & Characters

How the wrong theme, extraneous subplots and ill-considered characterization can sink a screenplay.

From Story To Screenplay, Keeping It Commercially Viable

Marilyn offers advice on how to ensure your screenplays will have commercial appeal.

Frozen: Disney's Snow Queen

Script Consultant Karel Segers dissects Disney's Frozen.

Heat: Cops & Robbers

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this memorable "Movie Moment" from Micahel Mann's Heat.

Hit Me With Your Best Subplot!

The Unknown Screenwriter discusses multiple plot lines and how to use them in your screenplay.

How An Overheard Conversation Can Improve Your Plot

How the real world can help your fictional world feel real.

How Can Valentine’s Day Help Your Plot?

Marilyn explores how understanding your characters' attitutude to love and romance can help your screenplay.

How Do You Know When Your Screenplay is “Finished?”

Marilyn offers some advice on when to stop tinkering with your screenplay.

How Do You Know When Your Screenplay Is Ready For Market?

Producer and script consultant Wendy Kram offers sage advice for eager screenwriters who are preparing to shop their script.

How Does Your Character Feel About Snow?

Marilyn offers great advice on how to use an impending severe weather event to better understand your characters.

How Living a Day in the Life of Your Characters Can Help Your Story

Marilyn offers some advice on how to write better characters by puttin yourself in their shoes.

How Technology Has Ruined Romantic Comedy

Danny Manus explains how technology has taken the romance out of romantic comedies.

How To Add Emotional Depth To Your Dialogue

Marilyn offers some practical advice on how to better understand your characters.

How To Connect Better with Your Main Character

Marilyn offers some great advice on how to better identify with your protagonist.

How To Create A Better Character By Knowing What Defines Them

Marilyn offers more practical advice on how to better understand your characters.

How To Create Memorable Characters & Develop A New Story In Three Easy Steps

Marilyn offers advice on how to improve your story and characterization.

How to Develop Characters Intuitively

Writer, writing coach and blogger Lauren Sapala delves into character observation to help build more complex three-dimensional characte…

How to Find the Concept for Your Screenplay, TV Pilot or Novel

Marilyn explains the importance of drawing upon universal emotions in screenplay writing.

How To Improve Your Plot By Doing Research

Marilyn offers some practical advice on how to improve your script through research.

How To Improve Your Story By Understanding Your Main Character’s Spiritual Beliefs

Marilyn offers some practical advice for improving your story by exploring your protagonist's spiritual beliefs.

How to Keep Your Story From Stalling

How to write better stories by keeping your stakes high and cutting exposition.

How To Raise The Emotional Stakes in Your Screenplay

Marilyn offers some great advice on how to improve your screenplay by raising the stakes in your story.

How To Set Up Act 1: Think In Your Hero Or Villain's Voice

How writing a first person narration from the perspective of your protagonist and antagonist can strengthen your first act.

How To Strengthen Your Dialogue In One Easy Exercise

Marilyn offers some practical advice for improving your written dialogue by using an overheard conversation.

How To Structure Your Story Fast

Marilyn suggests you interview your principle characters to help you plan and structure your screen story.

How To Use A Political Or Legal Situation To Improve Your Romantic Comedy

Marilyn offers an innovative way to strengthen your romantic comedy script using the backstory of a political or legal situation.

How To Use Real People To Create Movie Plot And Characters

Marilyn offers some great advice about using real people to help your screenwriting.

How To Use Shot Headings In Your Screenplay

Writer & teacher Christopher Riley offers some great formatting tips for screenwriters.

How To Use Your Characters Relationship With Their Parents To Improve Your Screenplay

Marilyn introduces an exercise to flesh out your story's characters using their family relationships.

How to Utilize Story Development Services

Script consultant Mere LaTour explains how story development services can improve your screenplay and writing.

How To Write A Professional Screenplay: Tips From the Chair of the UCLA Screenwriting Program

Sound advice on the Dos and Don'ts of script writing by longtime Chair of the UCLA Graduate Screenwriting Program Richard Walter.

How To Write Great Dialogue

Author Nina Munteanu offers some practical advice on writing better dialogue from the perspective of a novel writer.

How To Write Screenplay Dialogue

How to write great dialogue for your film screenplay and how to write high structure, high concept movies

Interview With Author And Story Consultant Michael Hauge: Part 2

Concluding part of interview with story consultant, lecturer and author of "Writing Screenplays That Sell" Michael Hauge

Interview With Author Rex Pickett: Up, Down, and Sideways

Vera Caccioppoli, screenwriter and founder of Hi-Way-Haven, recounts her meeting with Rex Pickett, author of Sideways.

Is Your Movie Script Ready for the Marketplace?

Script consultant Donie Nelson gives practical advice on preparing your script for submission.

Jaws: Who's The Baddie?

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this great scene from Spielberg's Jaws.

Mad Men: Lifting The Veil

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this powerful scene from Mad Men.

Movie Storytelling & Free-Form Screenwriting

The pros and cons of free-form cinematic storytelling and adhering to the rules when writing your screenplay.

Network: Hell In The Boardroom

Script Consultant Karel Segers disects this powerful scene from Sidney Lumet's Network

New Year's Resolutions for Your Main Character and You

Marilyn offers great advice on how to use New Year resolutions for your characters.

Rewrite Your Script: 3 Angles of Attack for Rewriting A Screenplay

Author of Your Screenplay Sucks! William M. Akers gives practical advice on how to approach a rewrite of your script.

Say Goodbye to Writer's Block: Introducing the Moral Premise

Award-winning writer Stan Williams explains how your story's moral premise can strengthen your screenplay.

Screenplay Story & Theme: Making Movies About One Thing

Award-winning writer Stanley Williams explains how your story's moral premise can strengthen your screenplay.

Screenplay Structure in Four Easy Pieces

writer and script consultant Jengo Robinson breaks down the structure of film.

Screenplay Writing Partners: How NOT To Collaborate on Scripts

Script Collaboration: The pros and cons of working with a writing partner on your screenplay.

Screenplay Writing: Taking the Mystery Out of Writing Mysteries

Hollywood screenwriter, psychotherapist and author Dennis Palumbo unlocks the secrets to writing effective mystery stories.

Screenwriting Structure Series Part 14: Subplots & the Midpoint

The Unknown Screenwriter discusses how to use subplots and what should occur at the midpoint of your principle storyline.

Screenwriting Tips To Take Your Script To The Next Level

Author and scriptwriter Lia London offers some great tips on improving your stageplay or screenplay.

Script Notes: Feedback For The Faint-Hearted

Screenwriter and script consultant Julie Gray gives practical advice on the best way to give feedback.

Script Rewrites: How To Find Weaknesses In Your Script

Don Bledsoe, Founder of ScriptNurse, gives practcal advice on how to get the most out of your screenplay.

Scriptwriting For Beginners: Learning The Basics Of Screenwriting

Produced screenwriter Danek S. Kaus shares some insightful tips that every new scriptwriter should consider when working on their first…

Scriptwriting: How To Write Killer Dialogue

Former Hollywood Lit Manager Michael Ferris offers some great advice on how to make your script POP.

Show Don’t Tell: When To Break The Rules Of Screenwriting

Award-winning screenwriter, director and professional writing coach Jacob Krueger discusses when to break the rules of screenwriting.

Sitcom Pilots & The Promise of the Premise

Successful TV writer and producer Sheldon Bull explains what makes a good sitcom and how to set up an effective premise in the Pilot ep…

Story & Plot Devices In Your Screenplay

Writer and script consultant Ray Morton looks into the trends of using writing devices in your movie script.

Story Structure: The Tragedy, Mystery and Romance Of Genre

Writer and story consultant James Bonnet dissects story structure.

Subtext Speaks: How To Write Effective Movie Script Dialogue

Playwright and screenwriter Penny Penniston explains the importance of using subtext when writing screenplay dialogue.

Subtext: The Art of Backstory

Author K.M. Weiland discusses how to effectively use subtext when creating and communicating backstory.

Television Script Format

Script analyst Diane House sheds some light on the structure and formatting of teleplays.

The 11 Laws of Great Storytelling For the Movies

Professor, screenwriter and script consultant Jeffrey Hirschberg reveals the key elements of writing an engaging screenplay.

The 4 Rules of Comedy Writing For Screenwriters

How to write a funny screenplay by following the simple rules of comedy.

The Agony of Short-Film Writing

Screenwriter Persephone Vandegrift gives some practical advice on how to write a short film.

The Benefits Of Outlining

Author K.M. Weiland discusses the benefits of planning your story.

The Big 7 Differences Between Writing Novels & Screenplays

Former Hollywood Lit Manager Michael Ferris explains the key differences between writing novels and screenplays.

The Curse of Quirky Parentheticals - Using Wrylies in Your Screenplay

Author & script consultant Christina Hamlett explains how to correctly use parentheticals in your screenplay.

The Hero's Journey - Mythic Structure of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth

How to structure your story with Movie Outline script writing software following the mythic structure template of Joseph Campbell's Her…

The Hero's Role in Screenwriting

Quigly Down Under scribe John Hill discusses the traditional Hero's place in contemporary film-making.

The Real Key to Writing Great Screenplays and Novels

James Bonnet reveals the secrets of storytelling and how it can help improve your screenwriting.

The Right Hook: How To Secure Literary Representation With Your Best Logline & Pitch

Producer Marvin V. Acuna explains how important it is to get your logline and pitch right when seeking literary representation.

The Secret Language of Great Stories - Part One

Teacher and story consultant James Bonnet gives us a unique psychological insight into the hidden power of story metaphors and our crea…

The Struggles Of The Screenwriter: Nobody Said It Would Be Easy

Practical screenwriting advice from an industry pro to help you get your script on track.

The Twelve Writing Tips of Christmas

Marilyn offers some great advice on how to get your creative juices flowing over the holiday season.

The Very Best Way To Pitch: Bait The Hook To Suit The Fish

How to create a successful pitch for your screenplay.

The Wire: Officer Down

Script Consultant Karel Segers highlights this tense sequence from hit show The Wire.

This Scene Sucks: Screenwriting Mistakes to Avoid

Award-winning filmmaker and comedy writer Timothy Cooper highlights some of the common mistakes to avoid when writing screenplays.

Three Important Things to Know When Writing a Screenplay

Marilyn discusses the differences between writing novels and for the Big Screen.

Three Simple Techniques To Assess Your Screenplay’s Marketability

Marilyn offers some sage advice on how to assess and improve your screenplay's marketability.

Tips For Creating Effective Dialogue

Screenwriting advice to help you write better character dialogue for your stories and screenplays.

Tracking Story Thru-Lines: The Secret To Successful Rewrites

Award-winning writer and story consultant Catherine Ann Jones offers an insight into rewriting your screenplay.

Transformational Character Arcs: Part 1

The Unknown Screenwriter begins an excellent series of articles about creating three-dimensional characters and engaging story arcs.

Transformational Character Arcs: Part 2 - Personality Types

The Unknown Screenwriter discusses common personality types.

Transformational Character Arcs: Part 6 - Building Your Character

The Unknown Screenwriter focuses on building your character bio and arc.

Turning A Novel Into A Screenplay

Screenwriter John Folsom offers practical advice on screenplay adaptation.

Unlikable Main Characters

Screenwriter, teacher and script consultant Erik Bork explains how sometimes empathy is more important than likability.

Use Storytelling to Create Depth and Subtext in Your Screenplay

Marilyn offers some great advice on how to develop characters and create depth and subtext in your screenplay.

Use the Cultural Context of Your Screenplay To Improve Your Plot

Marilyn's advice to let the world around you influence your screen story.

Using Halloween to Round Out Your Character

Marilyn offers some great advice on how to learn more about your characters using the costumes you may choose to wear for Halloween.

Using Juxtaposition In Your Screenplay To Make A Better Story & Script

How contrasting elements of your story and using juxtapostion in your screenplay can help your script.

Using Metaphor In Story Writing

Teacher and story consultant James Bonnet discusses the subtext and message behind movie story structure.

Using The Weather To Improve Your Screenplay

Marilyn offers great advice on how to use the weather to add drama to your script.

Vladimir Propp's Narratemes & Morphology of the Folktale

Vladimir Propp's Narratemes & Morphology of the Folktale.

What Happens When Your Script Receives "Coverage?"

Script consultant Mere LaTour explains how to prepare your screenplay for industry feedback.

What I Learned About Screenwriting From My Composer

Produced playwright and fiction author Persephone Vandegrift applies her experience of working on a soundtrack to her film to developin…

What I Learned From Being A Fulbright Scholarship Judge

Marilyn poses some key questions to help you better define the theme and storyline of your screenplay.

What steps do I need to take to secure the rights to adapt a novel?

Question by Lillian from Massachusetts.

Why Comedy Makes Everything Better

Author, teacher and script consultant D.B. Gilles discusses the importance of comic relief in screenwriting.

Will entering screenplay competitions work against me when I try to sell my script?

Question by Keith in California.

Writers Rehab: Hope For Writer's Block

Author, teacher and script consultant D.B. Gilles discusses the 12 Steps Of Conquering Writer's Block from his new book Writers Rehab.

Writing A Sitcom Pilot: Theme

Successful TV writer and producer Sheldon Bull discusses the importance of choosing a strong central "theme" when writing your spec sit…

Writing Characters Using Conflict & Backstory

Corey Blake delves into character development for screenplays.

Writing For Television: The Top 10 Reasons to Write a Spec TV Pilot

Emmy-nominated producer, writer and script consultant Ellen Sandler reveals the importance of writing spec pilots.

Writing Great Dialogue For Movie Scripts

Robert Piluso sheds some light on how to write effective dialogue for your movie.

Writing is Deleting: Script Editing Techniques For Screenwriters

Script-a-thon co-director Matt Giegerich gives practical advice on rewriting your screenplay.

Writing The Third Act: Resolving Your Plot With The Climax

Dana Dorrity, assistant Professor of Communications and Media Arts at Dutchess Community College, gives some great advice on how to cre…

Writing With Passion – Without It, Forget It

Screenwriter, author and script coach Christopher Keane makes you think twice about writing anything if your heart isn't in it.

Your Protagonist: Likability and the Finish Line

Screenwriter and professional script reader Monica Partridge discusses designing your screen story's central character.

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