The latest
WATCH, READ, WRITE.
Aspiring screenwriters keep telling me they watched nothing this week. After nearly forty years in the industry, let me be blunt about what that answer costs you — and the simple habit that fixes it.
The Journal
Vol. 20 · 1,240 entries
25 October 2026
What this is
How screen stories are built, from idea to “action”.
Karel Segers has read six thousand screenplays since 2009. Every entry here is a note from that desk.
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Today
Vol. 20
Pitching & Selling · 14 min
Story Analyst Michael Sweeney on Script Reading, Taylor Sheridan, and the Future of Screenwriting
For 10 years, Michael Sweeney has been a script reader for Netflix and other producers. In this interview, he talks about working for Taylor Sheridan's 101…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Thematic Structure: Umbilical Between Character And Meaning
Screenwriting books evangelize the importance of theme, without properly investigating thematic structure. They rightly identify that it’s the source of meaning in a story. It’s what…
Story & Structure · 7 min
How’s Your Pacing: Rushing Or Dragging?
Pacing is critical. Rush through the story, and viewers struggle to understand what is going on. Slow down too much, and they get bored. How do…
Pitching & Selling · 7 min
Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan: Power, Politics & Progress
In Variety's Top 100 telecasts for 2021, Yellowstone features as the only cable show on the list. And while all other major scripted shows - NCIS and…
Pitching & Selling · 4 min
Why Taylor Sheridan Is The Most Relevant American Screenwriter
After seeing Sicario and sourcing the script in 2015, I instantly fell for the voice of this new writer. But Taylor Sheridan was not new. His…
Story & Structure · 5 min
Ready To Break Rules? One Word Will Tell.
Nothing appears more appealing to the beginning writer than to break rules. And nothing is more annoying than hearing "Do this; don't do that!" Some will…
Script Check · 4 min
FORMATTING TIP: Accent, dialect and foreign language in dialogue
A powerful tool in creating distinctive characters is their language, using accent, dialogue and even foreign language. In the real world, everyone speaks in a way…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Reading Screenplays — Without Wasting Your Time
One of the most effective ways to learn about screenwriting is - wait for it - reading screenplays. Duh! Yet, I've read so many rants about…
Story & Structure · 9 min
Taming The Industry Standard 1-Page Synopsis
Isn’t it remarkable how a simple synopsis, a seemingly innocuous 1-page text, can give a writer a world of pain. If it’s such a drag, then…
Story & Structure · 6 min
Wow Them In The End – Give Your Screen Story An Amazing Ending
A great ending can save an otherwise problematic or difficult script - like The Muppet Man. Or have you seen Tarantino's Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood? Industry pros know…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Masks, Archetypes and Metaphors [and why the Donald doesn’t don]
In this post, I want you to bear with me, as I meander through Covid-19, The Don and masked superheroes, to finally demonstrate how masks and…
Story & Structure · 8 min
The Dreaded Passive Protagonist Will Never Kill Your Script Again
It keeps surprising me how many writers turn in scripts with a passive protagonist, or featuring characters that are barely active. I'm talking about writers who…
The Screenwriter's Life · 8 min
Courses, Books & Consults Won’t Cut It.
In addition to working with writers, producers and agencies everywhere, I teach screenwriting courses at film schools in Australia, Europe and online. The school gigs largely…
Uncategorized · 6 min
10 Audience Principles In Screenwriting
As a writer, you are playing a game with the audience. Therefore, in order to find success in screenwriting, it is necessary to understand how audiences…
