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

Liked by Kenneth Ellis 2 and 5 others

David Miller
Slug Lines - Love 'em or Leave 'em?

In a recent review, the reviewer stated, “…transitions like “Fade in/Fade out” are generally discouraged in modern screenwriting.”

This got me to asking myself, should these transitions be removed out and left to directorial discretions? My current thinking now is to leave them out.

Would love to kno...

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CJ Walley

Certainly not discouraged at all and a very concerning comment from anyone giving reviews. I say that as someone who doesn't personally use FADE IN and FADE OUT to bookend a script.

Transitions are gen...

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David Miller

Ilanna Mandel I don not.

Ilanna Mandel

good to know

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

I hear so many conflicting views on whether you should use transitions if you're writing the script, I respect that they're up to the director primarily. I'm now of the mind that I'll use FADE IN/FADE...

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Mike Boas

“Cut to” is not necessary because it is understood. For all other transitions, put in when you feel it is important for storytelling purposes. Don’t overthink it.

I believe CJ was indicating that slug lines and transitions are two different things.

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Scott Westover
Logline for "Confessions of a Sony Adman--Based on a True Story"

I'd be ever so grateful for your feedback on the following Logline for a feature screenplay I'm developing.

Logline: In 1985, a daring ad executive bets his career on a groundbreaking campaign for Sony's compact disc player featuring four superstars, including Stevie Wonder—none is under contract. A...

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Maurice Vaughan

I'd watch this, Scott Westover! I think your logline is too long. It's 61 words. Long loglines can make producers, directors, etc. pass on a project.

What about this: After betting his career on a grou...

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Maria Restivo Glassner

I'd love to see this one! Here's my shot at it: To get the funds to save his daughter's eyesight, an ad exec gambles on a one-in-a-million chance at getting four superstars to appear in an ad campaign for Sony's groundbreaking compact disc player.

Liked by Peta Meredith Williams and 4 others

Jon Hersh
Ask Me Anything (AMA) 11/21 to 11/22- How to Utilize Agents, Managers, and Dev. Execs. In Your Screenwriting Career

Jon Hersh is an independent literary manager working with writer and writer/director clients in film and TV. Jon created Night Drive Management (previously Housefire Management) in 2017 with the intent of finding bold voices with incendiary material. Since then, his clients have gone on to develop f...

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Maurice Vaughan

Hi, Jon Hersh. I hope you're having a great week! Thanks for having this AMA! What's one way to get noticed by reps?

Billy Kwack

Hi Jon, is it better to write low budget than high budget?

Tom Schaefer

F.W.D.I.E.B LOL

Cynna Ael

Thanks for doing this, Jon. This really means a lot to many of us. My question is-- if you're a new screenwriter- what kind of scripts should you have in your portfolio? Is there anything in particula...

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Liked by Sam Rivera and 4 others

Michele Baker
Vision, Passion, Voice

Characters and stories that inspire, encourage, generate laughs--and hope. That's my vision for the creative work I do as an author and screenwriter. We live in a world that seems so divided, yet we humans are hard-wired to seek companionship and community. I love it when my creative work gets peopl...

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Maurice Vaughan

I love when my creative work gets people talking and connecting too, Michele Baker. I think writers can do both. Write to entertain and write to change/help people and things....

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Kevin Hager

That is what I want to do.

Sam Rivera

The fact that your voice is both affirming and unafraid is a powerful combination. The stories we tell need that exact balance of heart and courage. Wishing you great success.

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Sam Rivera
OWAs Are Live! From Micro-Dramas to Christmas Movies - Closing in 2 Weeks!

Attention writers, We have some OWAs ready for your script! This diverse collection features urgent requests from top-tier producers, showrunners, and production companies for everything from pre-teen micro-dramas to heartwarming Christmas features.

This is your first major opportunity of 2026 to get...

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Liked by Brett Page and 2 others

Sam Rivera
CONGRATS! 90 Script Requests and 22 Meeting Requests in the last 2 weeks! 11/25

Hey everyone! I wanted to congratulate our fellow community members who had scripts requested through Stage 32 pitch sessions over the last 2 weeks. We are thrilled for the opportunities for the following writers to have their scripts requested by various producers,

87 North, Mission Control, Crossov...

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Maurice Vaughan

WOW! That's A LOT of requests!!! Congratulations, everyone! I hope the requests turn into sales and more!

Liked by Canon Robertson and one other

Libby Wright
Then What Happens? A Fun Excercise In Creativity

I have an idea- a fun experiment we can do together! Let's Start with this picture and an inciting incident. After that, each person builds on the comment before them until we have a full story arc. Are you game to play? Let's GO! Got this free image from Stockcake.com.

Inciting Incedent 1st Person...

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Libby Wright

I'll start us off: Holiday Break has begun for the Havel family, and every morning for a week now, a snowman has been peering into their window and the most delicious hot chocolate ever awaits them at...

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Liked by John January Noble and 6 others

Patrick Koepke
Finished My Last Script of the Year

Happy to say I completed the pitching draft of my final screenplay (The Linebreakers) of the year. For the last 18 months I have dedicated one to two hours every night to screenwriting, including writing, editing, pitching, maintaining a website, entering contests, attending festivals, and networkin...

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Kevin La-Rose

Congratulations Patrick, sounds like you have your discipline down. Ideas can come from anywhere, for me it can be an extreme extrapolation from a personal event, from another unrelated event or from...

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Alex Hunter

Great stuff! My ideas are random. For my current manuscript, for example, I had an image of a little boy, alone, a suitcase by his side. Then I sat down, thought about the picture in my mind, and set to spinning a yarn.

Patrick Koepke

Kevin La-Rose thank you! I find it very motivating when I key onto a specific project or character like you have and focus energy towards it like a laser. I'll look forward to seeing how it turns out...

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Patrick Koepke

@Alex Hunter that is a great approach! And in my opinion the world can use more yarn spinning.

Alex Hunter

Patrick Koepke always! The world needs stories and people to write them.

Liked by Cynna Ael and one other

Maria Restivo Glassner
November write club assignment

Joining this whole write club adventure. The assignment was what thought-provoking question would I ask a Manager? Hmmm. I have come to find that my favorite meetings are the ones where I feel like I am having a meeting of the minds, where I can relax, share my crazy ideas, and come away with even b...

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Maurice Vaughan

Hey, Maria Restivo Glassner. Glad you joined November Write Club! I had a manager for two years (2009 and 2010). Anthony was a great manager. He taught me things about the industry, gave me guidance,...

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Maria Restivo Glassner

@ Maurice, What would an ideal manager be like now?

Maurice Vaughan

I think an ideal manager would be like Anthony, Maria Restivo Glassner. And he was supportive.

Liked by Mick Eggins and 4 others

Sydney S
Work one-on-one with a top executive to take your historical pilot from concept to completed script!

Historical shows are more popular than ever. From THE CROWN to BRIDGERTON, OUTLANDER to BABYLON BERLIN and WORLD OF FIRE, these stories from yesterday are winning raves today from fans and critics alike. It’s never been a better time to write your own historical television pilot, and this exclusive...

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Anna Marton Henry

So excited to teach this lab again and dive into different worlds in time and space! Death by Lightning debuted on Netflix as the #1 show globally and top 10 most binged in the US. The Gilded Age cont...

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Liked by Cynna Ael and 12 others

Sandra Isabel Correia
November Write Club/Week 3 Achievements & Week 4 Goals

Hey Screenwriters crew!

We’re closing out Week 3 of November Write Club, and I’d love to hear from you:

• What did you achieve this past week?

• What are your goals as we head into Week 4?

My Update

I’m really happy to share that I achieved my major November Write Club goal one week early! Today I finish...

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Sandra Isabel Correia

You are doing very well, Maria Caeiro. I know that, so keep doing, even if takes more time, the quality will improve:))

Sandra Isabel Correia

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh, thank you so much! Huge congratulations on finishing BoFS. Recalibrating after a big project is such an important step, and it’s inspiring to see how you’re already diving into...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

You’re welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia, and thank you as well :D my brain hasn’t been this energized since working on Petal (which incidentally is a heptalogy of novels, among other things) and getting...

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Maria Restivo Glassner

I wrote a "one sheet" ,more like five sheet, that I was really proud of. I think I finally realized how vital a one sheet is before going to draft. I used to treat it like a vague synopsis and figure...

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Liked by Mick Eggins and 22 others

Geoffroy Faugerolas
Thankful!

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I just want to say how grateful I am for this community.

November Write Club has reminded me why I love this work: watching hundreds of you show up for yourselves every single day, cheering each other on, and making real progress. The momentum has been incredible....

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CJ Walley

It's posts like this that make Stage 32 special. Well done to all those taking part.

Michael Thorn

Very much enjoy the way you host the webinars so the gratitude is two-way

Leonardo Ramirez 2

I'm grateful for you Geoffroy Faugerolas. You've been a bright spot and an encouragement. Thank you so much for all you've done and all you're doing....

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Maria Restivo Glassner

Thank you for all the hard work you do. It really helps us grow and connect in this industry.

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