Screenwriting

Yes, nowadays I’ve gone back to Tom and Jerry. I think it’s an excellent cartoon for learning how to show, not tell in writing. Juliana Philippi

Thanks for sharing those things, Meriem Bouziani. Writers can use fairy tales that are in the public domain or make up their own fairy tales.

You’re welcome. I think the influence isn’t always direct. When you consume a lot of stories over time, your brain quietly gathers small insights from each one and recombines them into something new. That’s the reality of creativity: we don’t truly create from nothing. The subconscious draws on countless stored details and reshapes them into new patterns. Maurice Vaughan

Sounds like an idea for a cartoon, movie, TV series, etc., Meriem Bouziani.

Hi Maurice, probably knowing is half the battle, from gi joe

You're welcome, T.A. Uner.

I tend to try and write as tight a first draft as possible, so that means there's an extra layer of intensity that goes into it. Planning, outlining and so forth. Because of that, I always take at least 2 weeks before even beginning the rewrite. I need some distance and perspective before diving in again.

Richard "RB" Botto thanks.

But of course, my friend.

T.A. Uner That’s a really interesting question.

Yes — I’ve set my script aside many times, sometimes for as long as a year to two at a time.

Why? I didn’t always know in the moment. But looking back, I think I needed to live a little more before I could add more substance to the work. Has that helped my script in the long run? Absolutely. A lot happened in between those breaks that ended up making the writing deeper and more layered.

More recently, something surprisingly simple shifted everything for me: someone suggested that screenwriters take an acting class. That immediately reminded me of something my old-school acting teacher used to say: “Less is more.”

That clicked in a new way. It made me reframe how I was writing scenes — using description to do more of the storytelling, and letting dialogue support the description instead of repeating it. Let the words add something only when the action doesn’t already say it.

When I re-read my script from that perspective… wow. It made a huge difference. Suddenly the script was doing what it should’ve been doing all along.

I also think the reason it took me so long to get here is because the script itself is layered. That kind of story demands a certain amount of life experience and perspective. I couldn’t have written this version of it years ago, even if I wanted to.

Now? I feel like I’m on the highway going a hundred miles an hour. Once I’m done with this final pass… it’s actually done.

It only took 16 years. All based on a medical experience I had combined with natural medicine.

Welcome to the community, Tatiana Prokopieva. Stage 32 has a blog that'll help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry professionals all over the world. Writers, directors, producers, managers, actors, and more. www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-successfully-navigate-the-stage-32-platform-...

Stage 32 had its monthly Community Open House last week. It'll also help you navigate the platform and connect with creatives and industry pros. You can watch the free recording here: www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32s-january-2026-community-open...

I figure out as much as I can about a story in the series bible before writing the pilot script. The series logline and series bible are my ways of testing the concept.

Thanks, Maurice — appreciate it.

That’s very similar to how I work as well. I usually push the logline and series bible as far as possible first, just to see if the concept really survives before writing the pilot.

Nice to see that approach reflected here.

You're welcome, Tatiana Prokopieva. I haven't done it with a TV series, but sometimes I test out a feature script idea by writing a short script.

Darrell Pennington well said. Agreed, the value in unmasking what may be seen as 'flawed'. Tonight, watching Fifty Shades of Grey brought that home here. Wonderful, that you approach your work in this way.

Slop tends to come from playing it safe.

You can have a really edgy concept that gets dampened by the sales agent.

You can have a brilliant script that gets watered down by the investors.

You can have an ambitious production that's compromised by budget.

You can have the resources, but you have to spend it all on talent.

You can have a radical team that's at the mercy of a dull director.

You can have a niche film that's oversold to a general audience.

Everything tends to go back to attempts to shore up the bottom line and try to guarantee a return.

The result can look insane, and obviously compromised, and go on to perform poorly, but the decisions that led to it individually made sense.

Writers often critique films for this all the time, but fail to see that they are doing it themselves with their specs, which are derivative, generic, and written to please everyone in an attempt to be undeniable.

Business and art do not play well, as the former leans into absolutes and the latter thrives in chaos.

The remedy to this used to be the slate; you made a dozen films of various degrees of artistic risk with budgets proportional to perceived return. The result was staple blockbuster returns upfront, the odd sleeper generating long-tail income, and some festival darlings that raised various entities' profiles. The problem is that the market and economic dynamics have changed radically since the era of theatrical and home video. Streaming killed it. There is no longer much perceived reward for risk, so fewer people are taking them.

Melody Lemond Fair point, actors work with what they have, most of the time, until they reach a level of picking a choosing, but, at times: we try to see the good in the script, as weak as it may be, or, we may be talked into it, or...we need to pay the rent, lol. I have learned, by trial and error, to always trust my gut, speaking as an actor now, and when reading a script, considering it, I really trust my intuition: the message, the character, the story, do they resonate, do they challenge me, excite me, and will it be for the greatest good...Is it fun! Is it inspiring!

Darrell Pennington Our industry is very similar to others, and I absolutely see the direct similarity between the big leagues in Hollywood and big soccer, European football leagues, really any top, top level sport. People recycled, players and coaches swapped. And, yes, we are certainly somewhere else in out career...but I feel, and know, it's a wonderful place to be. We are individuals, picking, and choosing, with every thought, every script, every audition, whether we will conform to the "status quo", mentioned several times here ( I am loving this discourse y'all! ) or, whether we will challenge, change, innovate, and transform filmmaking, acting, screenwriting. Aren't the most iconic movies, scripts, actor's interpretations of a character, weren't they, at first, thought of as wild, crazy, non-conformists, "out there", even a bit disliked at first? Our work, is individual, and we can all choose what we put out there, and the tippy top where they keep swapping the same people? At some point, that all falls apart as well.

CJ Walley And mic drop CJ...that's it. The money. Money, money, money : ) There's a phrase in Spanish " Poderoso caballero es Don Dinero", meaning " Powerful Gentleman is Sir Money". We always think having lots of money as artists, as people really, will solve all of our problems. Yet...that's rarely the case. Look at most people who win the lottery! They .... well, most do not end up in good places. Compromising for money changes compromise, to slop. Exactly that word. Slop. Nothing of substance, of...passion. We should always trust our heart, and that word, heart has bee taken out of the equation it seems, due to people thinking "oh, that's not part of the bottom line, no place here for heart or passion..." Yet...without passion, risks, heart, love, feeling...we have stories that...flop.

Congratulations, John Doble!

well done

John, way to GO! Congratulations...and here's to "Sisterhood's" continuing success!

Awesome!!

Great work. Let me know when and where it's playing.

It is self serving to say this but I wonder why long term committed relationship stories that demonstrate how people can stand the test of time aren't considered 'rom-com'. Although the premise of my project Dixie Dynamite is predicated on an out there premise it ultimately is a love story of 2 mid 50's that have been together 30+ years, weathered the storm of life, personal mistakes and failings and kids and are still in love decades later. I've actually had near universal acclaim and applause from pitches that the main characters are actually 'in-love' with one another rather than 'putting up' with one another but these types of stories don't see a lot of screen time in my experience.

Great news and great work Geoffroy Faugerolas @Stage32. Epic!

I really need to cook up more romcom ideas lol

Darrell Pennington,

Because romantic comedy is a genre in which a simple, sweet young girl seduces a confirmed bachelor, a handsome successful man, to start a serious relationship.

Haha Arthur Charpentier it's not always easy to tell but I am sensing a bit of well placed sarcasm in your reply but it is a well made point I suppose. Perhaps it is a well defined toolbox that must be drawn from in order to qulify as a 'romcom'....I need to create a snappy phrase that defines the romance and comedy stylings of a mature and complex relationship. Silver Shenanigans perhaps.......

My mind's blown! Congratulations, fellow semifinalists!!

Congrats to all of you!!!

Congrats to everyone! This is so exciting!!!

Still in shock, but congrats to my fellow semifinalists!

Let's hear it for all the Color Farm Diversity Contest semifinalists!

Hi, Dawn Ireland. This blog has some Sci-Fi TV series bibles you can download: www.stage32.com/blog/tv-series-bibles-that-every-television-writer-shoul...

Thank you so very much! This is exactly what I have been looking for.

You're welcome, Dawn Ireland. Okay, great!

Hi William, I love nightwing, would love to see it when your done

Welcome to Stage 32, William Sutton!

Congrats on finishing your first draft. that’s a huge milestone. A Nightwing fan-film sounds like a fun and ambitious project. I’m always interested in character-driven stories, especially within established universes. Happy to connect and exchange feedback where I can. Best of luck polishing the script!

Thanks, Jack Binder.

You're welcome, William Sutton. Great. I'm a Nightwing fan. I'm looking forward to watching your fan-film!

Have obtained the rights? I’d love to read it. Big fan of DC Comics.

If an item is really important to your story, you could get it made and use it to help pitch your script, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. Like on one of those promotional products websites or hire someone to make it.

Please, I don't want to be impolite, but since I have spent time directing and producing no-budget films, I hope everyone understands the practical constraints. If a location is unusual, you must be sure that actors and others who will read your screenplay understand wha each place looks like. And a location must also be within reach of the filmmaker who uses your screenplay. So when I write, I use locations which are easy to find.

Thanks for the insights, Göran Johansson. This post isn't just about micro-budget scripts. It's about low-budget, mid-budget, and big-budget scripts too.

Yes, I understand that some have far more money that I have had for my no-budget projects. But still there may be problems. Actors may have a phobia against spiders. Pentagon may not answer if you phone them and ask them for some photos of their most secret places so you can recreate the locations in your studio. And if somebody told me they had the budget to film onboard a space station, I would try to remind them about the fact that multiple astronauts have suffered from space sickness, including vomiting, which has caused problems in weightlessness.

Filmmakers will be able to work around those issues in my opinion, Göran Johansson. And a writer can describe the location so directors, actors, etc. will understand what it looks like.

Thanks for translating your post in the comment, Kevin Haquelle. You can edit your post by clicking the downward arrow to the right of your name and selecting "Edit Post."

I focus on the story first, the world, characters, then the episodes. Sometimes the order changes. I do that with any genre.

Merci beaucoup pour votre retour, c'est très clair.

C'est exactement l'approche que j'essaie d'adopter sur ce projet : à partir de l'histoire, de l'univers et des personnages avant d'affiner la structure des épisodes.

Votre message me conforte dans l'ordre de travail que je suis en train de poser. Merci encore pour le partage d'expérience.

Good morning, Kevin Haquelle. Can you translate your comment to English?

Thank you very much for your feedback, it is very clear.

This is exactly the approach I am trying to take with this project: starting from the story, the universe, and the characters before refining the episode structure.

Your message reassures me that the workflow I am putting in place is the right one.

Thank you again for sharing your experience.

You're welcome, Kevin Haquelle. Thanks for translating your comment. Once your pilot script is ready, you could post it on your profile. Producers search profiles for projects. That and networking are how I sold four short scripts to a producer. Click the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner and select “Edit profile” in the drop-down menu. Scroll down to “Loglines” and click “Add/edit loglines” to the right of “Loglines.” You can also post your script on your profile this way: www.stage32.com/loglines (near the top where it says “Add a Logline”)

Yes, it can be a good idea. A good rule if thumb is to give your characters relations. If you can't give one specfic character a relation to another human, you can give that person a relation to god.

Hi Göran,

You’re so right! That’s a really great point. Are you planning to attend the lab? We’d love to have you there!

Hey everyone! Looking forward to kicking things off in a few weeks. Let's help you tell your story!

Dear Sydney, I don't like to disappoint you but the lab costs 799 dollars. And I have already created a movie with one Christian character, plus the bad main character becoming a reformed Christian at the end. A 103 minutes long no-budget TV-movie which cost me "about 799 dollars".