Screenwriting

From structure to content to representation to industry trends, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on the craft and business of screenwriting

Don't Miss November's Community Open House- Free Webcast Event for All Members!

Don't Miss November's Community Open House- Free Webcast Event for All Members!

Tuesday, November 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

Every success story begins with a first step.

If you’re ready to take yours, join me, Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, for our November Community Open House Webcast happening Tuesday, November 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

Free Registration: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-november-community-open-house-webcast

Whether you’re chasing representation, looking for collaborators, or simply tired of creating in isolation, this live event is your chance to show up, be seen, and start making real progress.

This isn’t just an overview — it’s your creative launchpad. You’ll walk away with practical tools, new connections, and a clear path forward, no matter your background or where you are in your career.

You’ll Learn How To:

  • Navigate Stage 32 like a pro and make the platform work for your goals
  • Build authentic connections through the Stage 32 Lounges
  • Access Education, Certification, and Script Services tailored to your next big move
  • Show up in ways that get you noticed by the right people at the right time
  • Participate in real-time Q&A and get guidance specific to your path

Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, actor, producer, composer, editor, or wear multiple creative hats — this is where your Stage 32 journey truly begins.

If you can’t attend live, don’t worry — registering ensures you’ll receive the full recording to watch anytime from anywhere.

Who’s planning to join me live for the Open House?


Liked by Beridze Kakha and one other

Murat Ersahin
Selling the feature film plot urgently

Hi all!,

Due to my strict financial situation I need to sell my feature film plot urgently. First of all, I want to learn that is it possible to sell a feature film plot without actual screenplay text. If that is possible, how can I sell my plot, in which channel or through which ways? My terrible fi...

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Jon Shallit

You need to write the script. my friend. Then the logline, synopsis, treatment, budget, etc. It takes time but that is what you should do. Check out on youtube SETESH 2025-a full feature that followed that path, complete to final version.

Murat Ersahin

Maurice Vaughan Thank you Maurice. My book published in Turkish. I personally translate the stories in English and keeping them in PDF version. If you would like to read I can share one of them with y...

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Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Murat Ersahin. I have a lot of scripts and books to read, so it might take a while to read Turkey. I'll let you know when I can read your book. I bookmarked your profile....

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Murat Ersahin

Maurice Vaughan Okay Maurice, as you wish. I would like to hear you in future.

Göran Johansson

Selling is horribly difficult. I have created 3 no-budget TV-movies, which means that I am one of the most experienced persons here. I have even won a prize as best director. And I still find it difficult to sell a script.

Liked by Michael David and one other

Maurice Vaughan
Putting a Setup in Act Two, Three, Etc.

I usually see setups in the first Act, but you can put a setup in Act Two and pay it off later. You could also put a setup in Act Three, Four, etc.

What’s your favorite setup and payoff/one of your favorite setups and payoffs you’ve used? If you have any questions about using setups and payoffs, post them in the comments.

Maurice Vaughan

I need to see Fight Club, Elle Bolan. I already know about the big reveal though. I like your set up and payoff in Inspiration Inc. and the emotional rollercoaster of them! And incredible title!...

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Maurice Vaughan

That's a really unique setup and payoff, Meriem Bouziani! And being able to simulate universes is incredible, even though it's his hallucinations! I would be shocked if I saw that reveal....

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Meriem Bouziani

Not fully hallucinations — by the end, Daro discovers he has been predicting endless universes and possibilities from the start of the experiment, all the way through his attempts to solve his own los...

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Elle Bolan

Thank you! I'm honestly very, very excited about how it came out. I finished the first draft yesterday. I'm just... Not sure, exactly, what kind of movie it is. I'm having a genre crisis right now. To...

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Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Elle Bolan. I'm rooting for you to finish your script and sell it! I'll pay attention to the pacing in Fight Club. Thanks.

Liked by Yan Ju Zeng and 4 others

Upcoming Pitch Sessions

Happy Friday! Just to let you know, as quite a few writers were unable to book with me for the last pitch session because the spaces filled up so quickly, I will be participating in the December pitch session and I would love to see you! It's been a joy to read your material and I'm grateful for the trust. E

Maurice Vaughan

Happy Friday, Eileen Cope! What genres are you interested in?

Billy Kwack

Hi Eileen, do you like sci-fi?

Eileen Cope

Hi Billy, I'm afraid it isn't my strong suit although I do love suspense (Twilight Zone). I love drama, historical drama, mystery, thriller, biopic, narrative nonfiction, biography, romance, pretty mu...

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Eileen Cope

Happy Friday, Maurice!

Maurice Vaughan

I'm working on a Body Horror feature script that's kinda like The Substance, Eileen Cope. I'll keep you in mind for a Pitch Session. Hope you have a great weekend!...

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Liked by Priya Mistry and 6 others

Cynna Ael
Let's Talk 1 Page equals 1 Minute

So, this is probably end up being ranty-- and I apologise ahead of time. But I keep running into this issue with some of my scripts-- the one page equals one minute. I swear I'm developing a phobia about this aspect that's becoming ridiculous the more I dwell on it.

For new screenwriters and even fo...

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Action Lines: The Do's and Don'ts to Make Your Script Move - Celtx Blog
Action Lines: The Do's and Don'ts to Make Your Script Move - Celtx Blog
If you want your script to captivate, your action needs to pop. These tips will help keep you on the right track when writing.
Cynna Ael

Antony Voronov See- that's the problem. Though the script may be only X amount of pages, it doesn't always equal the screentime when filmed. One of my producer friends has always said- though succinct...

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Cynna Ael

@eoncrambally I agree. I swordfight, I know how to use guns and have access to people who have used them in war. Am I an expert? Absolutely not, but it does allow me to figure that a one page swordfig...

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Cynna Ael

Hey @dougnelson I've got 2 scripts under my belt- an UF romdramedy and a thriller/horror. The differences between their action scenes and dialogue scenes are truly remarkable. That said, after 17 nove...

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Eon C. Rambally

Ok! Wow! That's some formidable portfolio statistics Cynna Ael ! Gives you the edge on the average screenwriter. Therefore to note for instance remembering filmmaking in general is a collaboration of...

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Cynna Ael

Eon C. Rambally Thanks. I have to admit-- there's so much I don't know in screenwriting. I'm coming from published in novels and novellas, working in indie comics. So it's... such a change. I'm used t...

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Maurice Vaughan
Week 3’s Update for November Write Club and TWO Ask Me Anything Events!

I wrote a one-page script and made pitch material for it this week. I also thought of some script ideas, networked, and got my plan ready to do another rewrite of my feature script next week (the main project I’m working on for Write Club).

How’s your November Write Club goal(s) going?

There’s still...

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Liked by Marc Ginsburg and 7 others

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh
Breaking your own heart

Lol so BoFS has an absolutely devastating climax that I feel I pulled off well… so much so that I’m still reeling from it. I’ll refrain from spoiling, but it’s one of those cases where I broke my own heart. The only other times this happened was when I was writing my novel Seed’s climax as well as a...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Michael Dzurak absolutely, this scene was one I knew had to happen ever since TER when I noticed even the character was unwittingly foreshadowing it pretty heavily. The more I thought about it, the cl...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Nice Maurice Vaughan. I’m usually not so easily swayed by my own writing, mainly because I don’t always write heavy stuff, but this time I definitely outdid myself lol...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Erin Leigh lol I feel that. I’m usually excited to write juicy stuff, but I’ve never been the type to be a wreck after something I wrote. When writing Seed’s climax I was of course obsessed with it fo...

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Marc Ginsburg

what's BoFS?

2. I remember writing the breakup scene in the middle of DNC Chairman. Mike and Alice were on a vacation in Ireland staying at a cousin, when, in the middle of primary season, Mike gets a...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Marc Ginsburg dang! That’s a very complex and affecting scene for sure!

And BoFS stands for The Ballad of Fallen Stars, my latest screenplay and fourth entry in the Finding Elpis series....

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Maurice Vaughan
Wearing Many Hats As A Creative

If you’re struggling with writing loglines or you want to get better at them, check out today’s blog written by Libby Wright. www.stage32.com/blog/wearing-many-hats-as-a-creative-4291...

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Liked by Maurice Vaughan

John January Noble
Against time

When I spoke to a member of Stage32 who asked me if I would like to participate in the NOVEMBER WRITING CLUB, I replied that I wouldn't have time because I was busy with work. Well, I decided not to leave it until 2026. So here we go, and I only have a week, Maurice Vaughan.

Maurice Vaughan

That's great, John January Noble! A week is enough time to reach a goal. You also have today, tomorrow, and Sunday of Week 3 to work on your goal. Today's the last day to the challenges for Week 3 tho...

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John January Noble

At a fast pace...Thanks !

Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, John January Noble. I'm rooting for you to reach your goal!

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Srinivasa Peddi
Grand Son - Learning is powerful than Education

Hello everyone - I’m very new here and had accidentally posted this on my wall earlier, so I’m reposting it here in the Screenwriting Lounge. I’d love to share the logline for my feature film and would really appreciate your thoughts. Logline: An 8-year-old boy, overlooked in a family obsessed with...

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Mimi Ogbu

I would advise keeping it simple but intriguing.

Srinivasa Peddi

Thank you for the suggestion, Mimi — I appreciate it. I’ll refine the logline and keep it simpler and more intriguing in the next post. Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback.

Srinivasa Peddi

If you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate your honest opinion on this logline and the story. Thanks for taking the time to look at it — your feedback means a lot as I’m still learning my way around here. I’ve shortened the logline as you suggested.

Maurice Vaughan

I like the idea, @Srinivasa! What about this for a logline: After finding wisdom in his uneducated grandfather, a __________ (the main flaw he has to overcome in the script or an adjective that descri...

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Liked by Jim Boston and 2 others

Aleksandr Rozhnov
Lawyer of the Absurd

Friends, in my previous post I shared an idea about a film where a lawyer fights in court for the right to transfer debt through a will. After thinking more about it, I realized this concept has the potential not just for a film — but for an entire series.

The protagonist is a brilliant lawyer who al...

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Aleksandr Rozhnov

You could also create an episode where he represents a group of bank robbers who walked into a bank with guns, took the money, but never said a single word. And since, legally, for it to qualify as a...

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Maurice Vaughan

I think it works better as a series, Aleksandr Rozhnov. You can have more storylines, themes, relationships, and character arcs. And I like the bank episode idea and other episode ideas. I haven't see...

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Liked by Eon C. Rambally and 5 others

Sandra Isabel Correia
November Write Club! Week 3 Goals & Reflections

Hey Screenwriters!

How are you doing with your week 3 for NWC?

For Week 3, my goal is to close Act 2 at the climax with 75 pages total. I’m currently about 20 pages away, and I’m determined to hit that milestone this week.

Preparing for Future Meetings, Pitches & Collaborations

This week’s Stage 32 blog...

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Sandra Isabel Correia

Thank you, Elle Bolan. I am for you also.

Sandra Isabel Correia

My hermano, Leonardo Ramirez 2 :)) Thank you so much. Today, I have an impossible mission. To write my last 10 pages of Act 3. I worked hard this week, and I believe I will finish my NWC one week earl...

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Sandra Isabel Correia

Happy NWC for you, too, Meriem Bouziani. I am so proud of your 11 pages; you are amazing. I know how English sometimes can be tricky. Also for me, it isn't my native language; I am Portuguese, but we...

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Meriem Bouziani

Yes, we can make it, no matter what.

Happy NWC...

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Eon C. Rambally

Always welcoming the challenges Sandra Isabel Correia! It's what keeps us going!

Liked by Maurice Vaughan and 2 others

Srabon Ghosh
Which script competition should I submit my script?

I’m reaching out to share my completed English feature screenplay titled God’s Deception, a thriller / sci-fi / crime project designed for a visually ambitious and intellectually suspenseful cinematic experience.

Logline:

When two shape-shifting aliens arrive on Earth posing as superior beings, they m...

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Michael Dzurak

Here's a list of some popular ones:

But read the details of each announced contest carefully, to see what genre and tone they're looking for....

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Maurice Vaughan

Stage 32 is the Global Screenwriting Contest Hub, Srabon Ghosh. You can search contests by genre and format. www.stage32.com/scriptservices/contests...

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