Screenwriting

Emilia-Maria I am well versed in the self loathing/unseen genius dichotomy lived with each page of a new script hahahaha.

congrats! love that feeling.

Big congrats!

Congrats! May your script go forward toward the green light.

This is a great win especially when it comes from someone outside the usual pipeline. That kind of response tends to be more honest, and it says a lot about the strength of the work itself.

It also highlights something important: sometimes it’s not that the material isn’t working, it just hasn’t reached the right set of eyes yet.

On pitching what you’re describing is more common than people admit. It’s rarely about the idea, it’s about holding the structure under pressure. One thing that helps is anchoring yourself in the core spine of the story rather than trying to recall everything. If that’s solid, you can navigate the rest.

Either way, this is a strong signal you’re on the right track. Keep going.

You're welcome, Hicham Koriga. I like the poster. There's a Mystery element to it.

You could post your script on your profile. Producers search profiles for projects. 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”)

Norbert DuBois Haha, exactly!

Hicham, has casting completed and filming started? In Europe? Wishing you uninterrupted progress!

Yes has the casting been completed and the filming started?

The logline really gets me. Would definitely give it a read. It seems like The Matrix is bearing down on one person, but not with agents and SWAT, but the code itself.

The Matrix meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Fabio was all the rage as a male model with long hair, great build, but zero personality, I think in the 70s-80s here. He became almost a cliche. Mine was back in 1999. Yeah, I've been at it a while.

Goran - I think instead of going to Cannes, screenwriters should try "no budget" screenwriting. What do you think?

So I'm up to 42 awards in some of Hollywood's top screenwriting competitions. I've been a finalist a few times. They didn't directly lead to the managers the competitions suggested they would, or advertised, but what that amount of awards did do was give producers trust that I can get the job done. Many have contacted me out of the blue and I landed story editing jobs, writing original pilots and more. I think they are one piece of the puzzle, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. Also, I don't pay for reader reviews from these competitions unless it's at least at the semi-finals stage. My rule is, if I don't know who the reader is, I don't pay for them. I don't care how reputable the competition. I've met readers who worked for major studios and regret their position 'cause they look back, knowing what they know now about screenwriting, realizing how many incredible scripts they passed on 'cause they weren't very experienced. There are great readers out there, but if you don't know who is reviewing your work, don't pay for it.

Some very sound advice, thanks Joshua!

Joshua Young if you don't know who is reviewing your work, don't pay for it. Amen!

I'm not a member but I think I've read that some people use it to cull email addresses and make cold query email pitches.

Yeah, that's what I did before, too, but I just don't know how to find the right place to pitch to now. I feel like I'm just flailing. If you see a movie and it's similar to something you've written, why query someone who'd just done something like that?

I’m an independent book editor and translator . I work closely with authors who want their manuscripts to feel polished, professional, and truly ready for readers, not just “edited" but refined with care. I genuinely love working with authors, especially those who are passionate about their stories but want a professional eye to help bring everything together. If you’re working on a manuscript and need thoughtful, honest feedback, I'm a Freelancer working on Fiverr.

That would be nice, if I could afford it. I'd prefer someone edit it who can then get it to a producer.

$30 per month to host it. $100 to get a professional read and score

$100?! Heck no - way out of budget for me... but I do hope you get good feedback!!

Good luck with your screenplay on The Black List !!

Blacklist should not be used for coverage, or be in a writer's toolbox. It's not designed that way. It's a system that allows a writer to gauge where their script might fall industry-wide. The only one that really benefits is the multi-millionaire owner, Franklin Leonard. High scoring scripts are not a superhighway to success that Blacklist self-believes.

Beside that limitation, the vastly underpaid writers hastily skim scripts for a paltry sum. It's part time 'Mad Money'. Their notes are frequently incorrect, ill-advised or half-baked. There have been many instances where the same script has been awarded both an 8 and a 3. Taste is taste, but that's beyond the pale. A script deserving a rare 8 should not also stand as a POS 3.

Also, AI has been creeping in though Leonard swears on his mother's grave this does not go on.

An anecdote about AI. A writer friend received Blacklist feedback spit out by AI. They complained and offered pages of proof. They sought either a refund or another eval. Nope, nope, nope said Blacklist support. The writer sent a refund request to their CC provider who agreed it was definitely AI and refunded the $100 fee.

Caveat emptor. Blacklist sucks money from writer's pockets with a crevice tool. All a writer is left with is lint.

BTW, anyone know where we can find an independent book editor and translator who works closely with authors who want their manuscripts to feel polished, professional, and truly ready for readers?

@E Langley - spot on! And no, unfortunately I only know of someone who loves working with authors, especially those who are passionate about their stories but want a professional eye to help bring everything together!

Appreciate it! I’ll watch it to study the tone and structure.”

Twenty is too many.

Why thanksgiving? It’s not explained in your synopsis. Especially since most teenagers would be with their families on thanksgiving.

I too love that premise and the synopsis - all the best on your journey to bring it to life and success!

Really helpful feedback, thank you Mike . I’m already reconsidering the group size to keep it tighter and more character-driven. And you’re right about Thanksgiving — I need to make its relevance clearer in the synopsis so it doesn’t feel arbitrary.”

“Really appreciate that, thank you Pat ! It means a lot and keeps me motivated to push this story further.”

I think I've got some hooks for ya for this, so I write action thriller stories and the psychological thrillers and them tend to overlap depending on the direction you wish to go in, but you have three doors right, so if your main character goes into one, maybe for one he's replaced by an imposter that looks like him and talks like him and nobody recognizes who he is and when he reports it, he's seen as crazy, for door number two, maybe he could be in a hospital undergoing surgeries but they keep happening every single day, but the biggest thing Nadine is this, what if, and i'll put extra emphasis on the what if here, the final door could be the same hallway he's already entered in the abandoned mall, feel free to play around with those if you wish

I don't write this genre, but I enjoy watching this type of movie. Excellent setup. Would love to see what you do with it.

Well then you've misinterpreted my comments. I like flashbacks and voice-overs very much when they're done well. But doing them well isn't the easiest part of screenwriting to master IMO. That's all I meant to say.

Spencer Robinson Really valuable insight. I’ve realized the same while writing devices like flashbacks or voiceover only work when they’re serving the story, not decorating it.

The point about placement really hit. When it doesn’t connect to the present moment emotionally or thematically, it breaks the flow instantly.

I think as writers, we sometimes use these tools thinking they’ll make the script feel more “cinematic,” but clarity and intent matter more than complexity.

This really resonates, especially the idea of being intentional with every device. I’ve found that when something like a flashback is used just to explain something, it often weakens the present moment instead of strengthening it.

When it works, it usually feels like it’s adding emotional context or shifting how we understand a character, not just filling in information.

Otherwise it starts to feel like the story is stepping away from itself instead of moving forward.

Spencer, I hear you loud and clear!

I'm not really a flashback fan when it comes to writing scripts...that said, during the October 2024-April 2025 period, I worked with a producer named Dennis Erichsen to help script out his "Mental Lockdown" psychological thriller.

Because "Mental Lockdown's" lead character, Kenny Martin, was a suspect in the murder of his mother Ella, and had to spill the beans to a police detective named Nancy Brigati, Dennis wanted the story primarily told in flashbacks...beginning with the day Kenny's father John was robbed and murdered: 9-11-1984...Kenny's seventh birthday. (And that also was the day Ella started forty years of messing with Kenny's head.)

Other than that...as long as I can find a way to tell a story free of devices, I feel I'll be fine.

Thanks for sounding off...glad you're here on Stage 32!

Hmmm. My second novel, Terminal Cascade, I have converted into a screenplay and the whole story is "Present", "Past", "Present", "Past". Every chapter throughout the entire book follows this. The reason is that I take you through the development of this mild, brilliant, GRU scientist, how he develops this thrombotoxin, and how he figures out how to develop immunity for himself, at great...I mean great...personal sacrifice. At the end of the "Past" chapters there is a great reveal...how is he deploying the toxin? He is the walking Grim Reaper...able to take out city blocks and walk away completely unscathed. It is a very unusual format...but for my story I believe it works... I guess they wouldn't be considered flashbacks...but two completely intertwined stories that collide at the end...

Congrats on the placement!

I’m an independent book editor and translator . I work closely with authors who want their manuscripts to feel polished, professional, and truly ready for readers, not just “edited" but refined with care. I genuinely love working with authors, especially those who are passionate about their stories but want a professional eye to help bring everything together. If you’re working on a manuscript and need thoughtful, honest feedback, I'm a Freelancer working on Fiverr.

Great job, Leonardo! Here's wishing you more and more success with "18!"

Me~ just waiting on a couple script feedbacks (and maybe a table read) before sending in the final version~

I’m an independent book editor and translator . I work closely with authors who want their manuscripts to feel polished, professional, and truly ready for readers, not just “edited" but refined with care. I genuinely love working with authors, especially those who are passionate about their stories but want a professional eye to help bring everything together. If you’re working on a manuscript and need thoughtful, honest feedback, I'm a Freelancer working on Fiverr.