Skip to the content
The Story Department Est. 2009 · Karel Segers
Logline It Story Doctor
The Journal Vol. 20 · 1,240 entries 25 October 2026

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 14 Aug

Story & Structure :: Symphonies and screenplays :: 2 kinds of endings :: What monkeys mean in movies :: Rom-Com truisms Script Perfection :: Revising as I go :: From pixel…

Story & Structure · 4 min

Stick. To. One. Hero.

I shouldn't be telling anyone what type of story to write. But it's astounding how many screenplays by first-timers attempt to juggle the journeys of more…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 31 Jul

Story & Structure :: More ladies please :: 'Alien': Looking back in horror Script Perfection :: Screenwriting Tips: Sure in your action lines :: Margaret Atwood's 10 rules for writing…

Video · 1 min

Video: Scriptwriting with Sean Astin

It kinda looks wrong. A hobbit telling you how to write screenplays. I expect Sean Astin to crack a joke any moment. Still, Sean's advice is…

Video: Scriptwriting with Sean Astin

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 24 Jul

Story & Structure :: Is there only one? :: Second chances :: Non-linear storytelling :: How to conquer your second act :: 5 keys to writing a summer blockbuster Script Perfection…

Script Perfection · 5 min

Write Your World (3)

Perhaps you are already a pro at using your scenic descriptions to create a tangible environment for your characters, but do you also use it to…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 10 July

Story & Structure :: How a good script can become a bad movie Script Perfection :: Screenwriting Tips: Speed :: 2 stories about ourselves :: Tim Powers on research Pitching…

Video · 1 min

Video: Script Cops

Apart from the fact that you can purchase Final Draft at a serious discount from us, we don't have any affiliation with the company.  But this…

Video: Script Cops

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 3 July

Story & Structure :: 10 screenwriting tips you can learn from Say Anything :: The Long Goodbye by Robert Altman Script Perfection :: Screenwriting Tips: A good twist | Everyone's…

Story & Structure · 10 min

Structure: E.T.

As a young teenager, Close Encounters made the deepest impression on me. Five years later, E.T. became the first movie I ever went to see a…

Story & Structure · 1 min

Video: Brian McDonald (with Warren Etheredge)

Just when I had given up all hope on finding fresh, insightful videos on screenwriting and storytelling, I got this tweet from Warren Etheridge. Well, in…

Video: Brian McDonald (with Warren Etheredge)

Script Perfection · 6 min

Write Your World (2)

Hopefully my last article encouraged a few writers, far to fearful of accidentally directing, to use the power of scenic description to bravely walk their characters…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 19 Jun

Story & Structure :: Saw myself some Super 8 :: 10 ways at looking at The Dark Knight :: Theme vs territory :: What kind of story are you writing?…

Logline It! · 4 min

The Judges: Week 21

10 judges review two short synopses from films that are currently in development. The objective is to all (that includes us judges) learn from the exercise. Please…

The Judges