Script Check · 3 min
Formatting Mistakes [Get Ready For The #1 Goof]
About 90% of the complaints I hear from agents and producers have to do with formatting mistakes in scene headings, sometimes called slug lines. by David…
The Journal
Vol. 17 · 1,240 entries
26 August 2026
Quote of the day
Take what’s useful, argue with the rest.
Vol. 17
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 20 Apr
Story & Structure :: Screenplay Review - Demolition :: Amateur Friday - Marlowe Script Perfection :: Mad Men Writing: How They Get the Language Right ::…
Video · 1 min
[Video]: Seinfeld on How to Write a Joke
Seinfeld is possibly one of the most successful shows in TV history, and it owes much of its success to the titular character who brought so…
Script Perfection · 6 min
The Tenets of Tentpole Movies
It’s almost summertime at the box office, which means big effects, big budgets, and even bigger stakes for the studios. Because it’s tentpole movie season. by…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 13 Apr
Script Perfection :: Curiosity and the Kill. :: Eric Heisserer's Writing Advice Pitching & Selling :: Why Producers Will Not Read Your Script :: My thoughts…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 6 Apr
Story & Structure :: How To Write Characters That Bank Billions of Dollars :: Screenplay Review - Serena Script Perfection :: 9 Steps To Get Your…
Video · 1 min
[Video]: Darren Aronofsky on floating Noah
Darren Aronofsky has always had a knack for nailing critical interest as well as attaining commercial success, with Requiem For a Dream, Black Swan, and The…
The Screenwriter's Life · 2 min
Writing With a Partner
Writing partnerships are like marriages. They can continue in bliss or end up in bitter divorce. by Steve Kaire Working with a writing partner can either…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 30 Mar
Story & Structure :: The Secret To Writing Good Dialogue :: Handguns: 7 Screenplay Do’s and Dont’s Script Perfection :: How to Make Yourself Write When…
Story & Structure · 6 min
The Micro Budget Movie – Ten Tips On Writing It
"Writing a low budget or Micro budget movie is a waste of time!" Over eleven years of screenwriting I have lost count of the number of times I…
Video · 1 min
[Video]: Craig Wright’s Rite of Writing Right
Craig Wright is another one of those insufferable creative polymaths, having written the screenplay for Hollywood's latest gamble on the nostalgia dollar, Mr Peabody & Sherman…
Story & Structure · 4 min
When Your Scene Focuses on What Isn’t Happening
Here’s a little-known secret about stories: they’re about what your characters do. Okay, so maybe it’s not so little known. I mean, duh, right? Your character…
Script Perfection · 4 min
David Mamet on Exposition
Cinephilia and Beyond published a brilliant piece on David Mamet, where he rails against exposition. The article opens with James Foley's director's commentary on Glengarry Glen Ross, and…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 23 Mar
Story & Structure :: Great Scene: “Apocalypse Now” :: "The Good Wife" Creators On Adult Storytelling :: Russell T. Davies on Writing Action :: Great Character:…
Movie Moments · 3 min
Hitch Says You’re A Psycho, Too
Over half a century on, Psycho is still a tremendous inspiration to low budget filmmakers, as Hitchcock shot the film on a shoestring budget of under…