Screenwriting

Juliana Philippi It's weird because I know my author voice- for novels and comics. But finding my screenwriting voice was a challenge. I don't stay on one single genre, and tend to mix genres because why not if it means something unique and not done before. But it's taken a while for that voice to shine through. I'm pleased to know I'm not the only one who was Christmas inspired. Now, that said, I'd love to see more non-traditional holiday movies about- various beliefs, including those considered esoteric- like Wicca, paganism, etc. For some reason, I think my writing tends to have that piece of "other" in them that makes me happy because everyone needs to be seen and recognised.

so SO inspiring Cynna Ael ! and also so happy for you - besides the joy of the accomplishment you've also built a lot of momentum with completing multiple scripts. No doubt 2026 will be an incredible year for you as a screenwriter. and great point about not working on different genres so closely in time - the emotional shift required could indeed be jarring.

Cynna Ael That's why we are all so called to write, because of our different view points, there are others who will be seen by our stories! So cool Cynna. I gravitate in challenging the status quo on silence and allowing things, like injustice, prejudice, fear, and "cultural baggage" expectations from certain ethnic groups. I like challenging this, mixing the proverbial pot if you will, and taking this to comedy, thriller, drama, and now holidays : )

Cynna Ael Wow, that’s some speed! How do you do it?? I write horror, and I can’t even imagine if I sat down to write a Christmas comedy on the same day, how much the vibe would get completely mixed up!

Thanks Sebastian Tudores! It's been a wild ride to be able to get this done. But I'm so thrilled to have written after so many years of not being focused or energised enough.

Thanks Maurice Vaughan, I do have the film version of that webinar on my to-watch list, so I'll check this one out, too.

Thank you, Meriem Bouziani, I hope so, too~ got a lot of stuff to keep me busy indefinitely haha

You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh.

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh Congrats and wishing you a productive 2026!

Thanks Kseniia Zhuravleva! I hope the same for you, too~

The psychology is important and determines what does and doesn't work.

The human brain loves figuring out puzzles. It's part of our survival mechanism. That makes us pattern finding animals that can predict the future based on previous events.

If you were to study a couple watching a thriller, you'll hear:

He didn't actually kill her.

She's still alive.

He changed his identity.

She's actually imaging this.

We love working things out and there's two satisfying results:

1) We predict exactly what turns out to be the case.

2) We are jolted by something we failed to predict, but is actually logical on reflection.

The twist in The Sixth Sense works because it was there all along. Same with Planet of the Apes. Flight Club's twist rationalises a surreal story. The twist in the finale of Se7en is the most logical ending.

Twists that are ironic work too, because they speak true of life. Butch pulling up the lights just as Marsellus Wallace is crossing feels like how life really goes. It's amusing and life affirming.

Twists that don't work tend to feel unearned and implausible. The audience feels cheated because there's no way they could have seen it coming or it just feels logically impossible. That's a great way to insult the viewer. The classic example is the "it was all just a dream" twist. Another is the character who knows exactly what's going to happen and has a secret plan-behind-the-plan which shocks everyone. Now You See Me was one of the worst offenders of that.

Yes, I have a plot twist in my story The De-Evolution Game. It’s the moment when Daro the AI — and the future audience — finally understand that all the parallel universes are actually predictions, not hallucinations.

Glad you mentioned the "it was all just a dream" twist, CJ Walley. I stay away from them in my scripts.

Sandra Isabel Correia I feel like the plot twist also depends on the genre and tone you want to convey through the actions and non-actions of the characters, what is said is as important, or less than sometimes, as what is not said, and in those "what is not said moments", the twists are born… Thrillers are my favorite land for these, but all genres can really stretch their legs and have fun, so I think the key: depending on the genre, is it adding to the world, the story you are sharing?

I rarely use plot twists because they're powerful tools that can be misused. I personally prefer subtler twists that make me go "oh okay, nice" happening more often than huge twists since the former can keep you engaged while the latter is risky. My favourite twists to do are name reveals, which I often do in Petal, since names are deeply significant in its overall universe and can affect your entire personality, and that, of course, affects the plot.The most significant reveals are of course first names.

Meriem Bouziani Absolutely Meriem, I feel that too, lots of creative seeds, germinating, and this community has bee instrumental in our creative, at least in my creative conscious and subconscious. I am so happy to be here with all of you!

Leonardo Ramirez 2 Thank you! And congratulations to you, and it's such a good thing, to know your genre, and know what you love to write, but I also support that branching out and writing something different. Because of your other strengths, you may bring a new flavor, a new energy to this new type of story, and who knows...it may be the making of you.

That's incredibly encouraging Juliana Philippi - thanks so much! I needed to hear that.

"The momentum is created by the choice to show up, and be the person we are. This choice right now, aligns with the next one, and so on and so forth…that's what I feel happens on the page too." - that's just beautiful... and true Juliana Philippi - extremely happy with how your NOVEMBER resolved - congrats!!

December for me is about finishing the day to day logistics of my commitment to return to those things I find most valuable: working on connection, through my screenplays, my work with actors and writers, and my directing. Because eventually, as they say, no matter where you go, there you are - and sooner is better for those kinds of things. :)

Thank you for sharing of your wonderful November.

Sebastian Tudores You're welcome, and I definitely resonate with your logistics, the things that need to get done, they do present themselves, and that is a definite part of the flow. Making a film, a career like my mom says with a smile, is everything, especially when it's production time, and acting time in my own life as well. I love acting, and it's panning out in a different way than I thought, but I am embracing it, and already feel like, in the flow and joy and trust state, everything just…IS.

Thank you very much for your encouragement Sebastian Tudores

Hey @Sebastian Tudores. It's the last day of the month, and I wanted to check in and say, she's not a pretty pitch document yet. Rough draft is the phrase to use, but it is a completely written pitch document Ready for prettying up.

How are you doing on your end of our deal?

hi Elle Bolan ! sorry I'm late checking in. ended up having to take a short-notice 10hr drive west through the night and STILL recovering haha. CONGRATS!!! that's awesome and, really, the hard part.

it's interesting to see how everyone goes about it - I have a tough time not doing both the copy of the deck and the design set up at the same time. So I've been able to complete most sections - 1) still short of a mood board; 2) I realized I need to revisit my comps toward more of an 'elevated espionage thriller' vibe; 3) and need to simplify the synopsis. but definite progress - thank you for being my AP! :)

what app/software do you use for the 'prettying up'? I've found myself using almost exclusively Canva lately.

@Sebastian oh yes, Canva Pro all the way. I love how I can build the look of each slide in layers. I do have my images ready. So now I can clean up my copy and create the deck.

And thank you for the same! I needed it. I've been stalling for two weeks on this thing. Appreciate the nudge!

Hopefully you get some r&r in soon!

Go Canva Pro! ;) and thank you Elle Bolan - trying to use today's writing session as relaxation time... alas, apparently that doesn't go together with espionage thrillers haha

You're welcome, Liger Bashiir. Glad to hear it. Do you make bios for your characters?

Mourice Yes, I do create bios for my characters. I try to include their background, personality traits, daily habits, and motivations to make them feel real and drive the story forward.

That's great, Liger Bashiir. I do too. I also come up with a character's story goals, life goals, secrets, etc.

this is an important 'thing' Maurice Vaughan (forgive the pun lol) thx for sharing it! McKee, for example, separates character (who the individual truly is, emotionally, psychologically) from characterization (which is what you're bringing up here) - things get really fun when you contrast character with characterization - imagine the car in your picture here zooming into the parking lot and skidding perfectly into a spot, then out comes... an 85-year-old college professor in a bowtie and checkered suit :)

I tent to forget how valuable this tool is - appreciate the reminder :)

Haha Sebastian Tudores. You're welcome. Thanks for the contrast idea! I'm gonna try it. Maybe in a Comedy or Horror Comedy script.

Hi, Steven A. Wood. Catchy title. I like it! Reach out to the Success Team at success@stage32.com. Geoff and his team can help you connect with reps, executives, and more.

congratulations Tony Yancey.

Congratulations, Tony Yancey! I entered this contest too, but didn’t make it far. I’m genuinely happy for your first place and I believe your story deserves to be seen. Congrats again and cheers on the win!

Congrats Tony!!!

Congrats Tony

Congratulations!!

It's very good as an assistant. Think of it as a robot that can perform and summarise a week's worth of Google research in less than a minute.

The likes of ChatGPT are configured to be painfully pandering in tone though. Everything you suggest will be responded to as genius and the missing part of the puzzle that you've just solved. You have to drive it hard.

When it comes to craft and career stuff, the general GPT is just pulling from forum threads, so almost entirely built on garbage. I built a custom GPT that uses my blogs and Turn & Burn guide as its learning. You can find my screenwriting GPT here.

Great for research. Fun to brainstorm with as it can keep all your scatterbrained ideas in order.

Completely agree with what CJ said. I use it as a light assistant only. I’ve always thought of it as a 24/7 sounding board for research, summaries, and catching small grammar or spelling things I might miss. That’s where it ends for me. I will always be the writer, but it can be a powerful tool.

It is absolutely geared toward positivity and can pander if you let it, but you can adjust that in the settings. I usually set a few parameters that force it to respond more critically and objectively. I’ll also ask it to respond like a reader or audience member, which helps cut down on the fluff and gives me more honest feedback on a scene. Other than that, generating character images has been fun, and making mock storyboards from scenes I’ve written has been a genuinely helpful visual tool.

Hi Doug, how is your film festival going?

I will third the insight from Martin Graham and CJ Walley - great research assistant (BUT always ask it provide the sources, and you may want to check them periodically) and congrats on this next phase of your screenwriting Doug Nelson !

Hey I use Grammarly all the time, it's a good way to make sure my spelling and punctuation are on point. Nothing wrong with it in my opinion.

Congratulations, Francisco Castro!

COngratulations

THRILLED to hear ❤️❤️

Francisco, that's GREAT news! (Come on, Hollywood...get "The Splinter" filmed! Looking forward to seeing it!)

I'd love to write scripts for Zach Cregger, Jordan Peele, Zack Snyder, and Kathryn Bigelow to direct, Holly Fouche. And roles for Lupita Nyong'o, John Boyega, Samara Weaving, and Mahershala Ali.

love this prompt Holly Fouche - for me, they'd be too many to list! :) and your and Maurice Vaughan are awesome

Thanks, Sebastian Tudores. And I forgot to add Jim Carrey.

Lol forgot about Jim! He'd definitely be amazing to work with!

You're right, Holly Fouche. A Comedy story or serious story.

On the one hand Leonardo Ramirez 2 we could say that everything in our stories is a part of ourselves, since we are the medium that processes it and, hence, a part of ourselves will always latch on and escape into our writing. But in the more literal, conscious sense, I am aware (though not always willing to admit) that the series I am developing right now is not about an investigative journalist who travels back home to Eastern Europe and becomes entangled in the East/West energy wars but about me starting to process some of my unresolved feelings conceived at the moment I had to leave my birth country at 12-years-old. So, yeah - point well taken lol

Loving this thread Leonardo Ramirez 2 - thank you for it.

I think I love that idea better Maurice Vaughan. I'll put that in my pocket and pull it out when the time comes. Good thinking!

Oh man Sebastian Tudores. That's such a tough age to make such a big move. You're old enough to remember details like sights, sounds and familiarity so you remember what you're missing. I'm so sorry my friend. But yes, you're right - everything in our stories is a part of us.

Thanks, Leonardo Ramirez 2. Or start with live-action and make an animated version later.

I'd love to do both Maurice Vaughan - at least some kind of American anime style.