Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 29 Sep
Story & Structure :: Beat Sheets and Act Structure for Television Drama :: Screenplay Review - Maersk Alabama (Captain Phillips) :: TV Script Review - Almost…
The Journal
Vol. 17 · 1,240 entries
26 August 2026
Quote of the day
Take what’s useful, argue with the rest.
Vol. 17
Video · 1 min
[Video]: Writing Better Action
Almost inevitably, Youtube instructional videos tend to involve several minutes of bad jokes, dithering and mildly embarrassing vignettes from the maker's personal life (try clearing your…
Story & Structure · 4 min
Writing the High ROI Screenplay (Part 9)
This week we continue with part nine in a twelve part series of JT Velikovsky's doctoral thesis: “Understanding And Exploring The Relationship Between: Creativity; Theories Of…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 22 Sep
Story & Structure :: Scene-Writing Month: Day 5 - Chase Scenes :: French Week - The Intouchables :: 5 TV Rules That Aren’t Rules Anymore ::…
Video · 1 min
Video: Robert Towne
To celebrate master screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown) joining the writing staff of Mad Men, enjoy a little-seen hour-long Writers Guild interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6r7exIYOo8 If you liked this,…
Pitching & Selling · 5 min
Pitching In The Room
Pitching a script on paper in a query letter and actually getting ‘in the room’ with a producer or executive and pitching your project are two…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 16 Sep
Story & Structure :: Breaking Bad and Cliffhanger Structure :: Why TV Is the Future, and How to Write for It :: Amateur Friday - The…
Logline It! · 2 min
Logline it! – Black List 2012 – Week 32
Writing loglines is an essential skill for screenwriters, from early development through to the pitch. In this section, we review the loglines and short synopses of…
Video · 1 min
[Video]: Save The Cat
A step back in time to an in-depth interview with Blake Snyder, author of the seminal screenwriting book Save The Cat. The conversation bounces from tangent…
Story & Structure · 6 min
How to Use Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a necessary part of any well-executed story. And yet, despite all its prevalence and importance, it’s actually a concept that many authors have a…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 8 Sep
Story & Structure :: Great Scene: “No Country For Old Men” :: Is Screenplay Structure Theory Ruining Movies? :: Speedrun: “The Matrix” and “The Big Lebowski”…
Movie Reviews · 1 min
Mini Review – Paranoia
Paranoia Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson Adam (Liam Hemsworth) is a junior brain at tech company Wyatt Corporation. He and his team are fired by…
Logline It! · 4 min
Logline it! – Black List 2012 – Week 31
Writing loglines is an essential skill for screenwriters, from early development through to the pitch. In this section, we review the loglines and short synopses of…
Video · 1 min
[Video]: Kevin Spacey’s Evolution of Story
This video's doing the rounds, and with good reason: it's a must-see if you're interested in how stories will be told in the age of digital.…
Uncategorized · 8 min
Two Stories Are Better Than One
Involving producers emotionally with your story is one way to involve them financially. And the best stories are actually two stories in one. by David Trottier…