The BEST Series Finales and What They Teach About Writing TV
How do you finish writing a TV series? We all know the feeling of being disappointed by a series finale, mourning not only the loss of a treasured show but …
How-To Guides
“What we can learn from…” type articles.
Writing Act Three: The Conclusion – An ESSENTIAL Breakdown
The third act. The end. The stroll off into the sunset or dramatic cliffhanger. Writing your third act is the finishing stretch and, therefore, vitally important in leaving the audience …
The 22 PIXAR STORYTELLING RULES: Lessons for Screenwriters
Pixar films are some of the most well-crafted stories in cinema history. And so it’s no wonder that there appear to be Pixar storytelling rules that writers and directors of …
What are A, B and C Plots in TV Screenwriting?
When we watch a film or TV series, we’re often aware there are multiple storylines running concurrently but take them in as second nature. This is the benefit of TV …
Writing Act Two: The Conflict – An ESSENTIAL and SIMPLE Breakdown
So you’ve finished act one. You’ve got your beginning and you probably have some ideas about your ending, but how do you create your middle? What happens between the end …
What is Magical Realism? The KEY Steps to Using it in Screenwriting
What is Magical Realism? The phrase magical realism is really an oxymoron. But though contradictory, it describes what the genre truly is; a merging of fantasy and realism. Magical realism …
How Do You Write a Zombie Movie That’s ACTUALLY Original?
While movie trends come and go, there are some genres screenwriters will return to time and time again. The zombie movie is one of those; a trope that isn’t likely …
Writing Act One: The Setup – An ESSENTIAL and SIMPLE Breakdown
So you’ve prepared your story idea and want to put pen to paper. But where to start? No matter if you’re preparing to write the beat sheet or redrafting a …
How to Write an Anthology Series & The BEST Anthology Series Examples
The wide variety of anthology series that have emerged in contemporary TV can be attributed in part to the success of series such as Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone. …
6 KEY Ways to Adapt a Short Story & the Best Short Story Adaptations
Short stories can seem like unlikely source material for some of the best and most compelling feature films. They may be limited in their length but often it’s the confines …
How Do You Find a Writing Partner? 10 KEY Tips for Writing Partnerships
In ordinary discourse, the term partnership tends to be a simple synonym for cooperation. However, finding a writing partner refers more precisely to the mastery of creativity, talent, and experience …
How Do You Write a Screenplay Prologue? Dodge These Key Pitfalls
A prologue can be used to introduce the audience to the characters, tone and theme of your screenplay. It should plummet them into the story from the start as you …
How Do You Write BRILLIANT and ALTERNATIVE Teen Drama?
Teen drama is one of the most enduring genres to have graced TV screens since its inception. We’ve all been teenagers at some point. And the heartbreak, emotions, journeys, discoveries, …
How Do You Best Convey the Passage of Time in Your Screenplay?
It’s rare that you would find a script without any significant passage of time whatsoever. It’s often a vital part of how a script develops and keeps its audience engaged. …
How Do You Write Highly Realistic Dialogue? The 10 KEY Steps…
One of the biggest humps to get over when writing for film or television is dialogue. Even if you have a perfect story, outline, and characters, bad dialogue can bring …
How to Effectively Weave Character Backstory into Your Screenplay
So, you made it through one of the hardest parts of writing a screenplay; you created your characters. From childhood trauma to adulthood adventures, you’ve fleshed out your entire character …
10 INCREDIBLE Closing Scenes & What They Teach Screenwriters
The closing scene of any film is crucial. The last scene and image should stick with viewers. If done well, it can prove to be a vital cog in a …
The ESSENTIAL Ways to Craft a Brilliant TV Show Idea
Crafting a TV Show Idea How does one craft a brilliant TV show idea? First, it’s important to understand what exactly that means. Longevity of story is foremost what separates …
105 Famous Loglines: BRILLIANT Examples for Screenwriters
What is a Movie or TV Show Logline? A logline is more than a quick overview of a story. It is what will engage the target audience in the first …
How To Write an Active Protagonist (and Avoid a Passive Protagonist)
What is an Active Protagonist? An active protagonist is a main character who is not merely affected by the world around them, but affects that world too. Their actions, both …
Writing Christmas Films & Navigating the Holidays: The ULTIMATE Guide
When writing Christmas films there’s multiple sub-genres and elements to consider to make it the perfect holiday watch. It’s no secret that there are a range of elements to cover …
The 10 ESSENTIAL Elements of a Historical Fiction Script
What is Historical Fiction? At face value, the definition of historical fiction is simple: a fictional story set against a real time period in the past. It is when we …
Writing Dramatic Irony in Screenwriting: The Key Steps
What is Dramatic Irony? Simply put, dramatic irony is a form of irony. It is both a literary and theatrical device used when the audience knows more than the characters. …
How to Write a Gangster Movie: The Expectations of the Genre
What is a Gangster Movie? The gangster movie is one that focuses on narratives of organized crime and gangs. A crime sub-genre (and often part of the film noir sub-genre, …
What is a MacGuffin? The KEY Points and KEY Examples
What is a MacGuffin? A MacGuffin is a type of plot device that is essential to driving the plot but not necessarily important within the story as a whole. Story …
Sophisticated Plants and Payoffs: Vital Cogs in any Screenwriter’s Engine
An essential principle not only to screenwriting but also the wider fundamentals of storytelling, plants and payoffs are one of the most effective ways of involving the audience and embedding …
What is Five Act Structure and How Do Screenwriters Use It?
Introduction to the Five-Act Structure In this article, we’ll look into one of the most popular dramatic structures that screenwriters often utilise in order to create an exciting script: The …
The Essential Elements of Writing a Fish Out of Water Story
What is a Fish Out of Water Story? A ‘fish out of water’ story is the idiom referring to a character who is removed from their daily lives and forced …
The Monster Genre: How to Write an Original Movie Monster
The monster genre is one of cinema’s classic creations. And the monster itself is a creation that can haunt the imagination of audiences long after the credits. But what does …
How Do You Write Likeable Characters? ESSENTIAL Steps and Examples
Likeable characters are often at the heart of great TV and film. But what makes a likeable character? In this article, we’ll look at the keys to writing a likeable …
What is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle? And How to Use It (with Examples)
The art of telling a story is ultimately narrowed down to its basic structure. And Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is an example of one of many story structures. These different …
How to Write a Convincing Murder Mystery Script
There is a timeless formula to writing a murder mystery that shows no sign of waning in popularity. This isn’t to say that writing a murder mystery script, let alone …
The 13 Key Elements of a Slasher Movie with 10 Slasher Movie Examples
The slasher movie sub-genre could be considered one of the most controversial sub-genres in cinema. With its stark violence, it’s often the subject of discussions around the effect of slasher …
The 10 ESSENTIAL Steps to Writing a Police Procedural Script
What is a Police Procedural? A police procedural is a sub-genre of the police drama. It’s also often referred to as an inverted detective story or a ‘howcatchem‘. Police procedural …
What Makes A Great Action And Adventure Movie Script?
The action and adventure movie genre is one that often sits at the top of the box office. It’s a genre that can have a wide reach across many different …
How Do You Write a Cinematic Two Hander? The ESSENTIAL Steps
A movie that not only follows one protagonist but two always feels like one with an added layer of depth and substance. In the screenwriting world, this kind of movie, …
How to Write the Perfect TV Show Bible: The ULTIMATE Guide (with Examples)
What is a TV Show Bible? A TV Show Bible is a reference document created by screenwriters to help them pitch their TV series. Typically 5 – 20 pages but …
How to Write an AWESOME Movie Pitch or TV Pitch: The 10 KEY Steps
A movie pitch is one of the most important pieces of writing a screenwriter has to master in order to sell a screenplay and build a successful career. It can …
The Best Movie Twist Endings: How to Genuinely Surprise Your Audience
Why is a Twist Ending Effective? The best movie twist endings often completely change the dynamic of the film; from its characters, to its themes, to the narrative as a …
10 ESSENTIAL Elements of Writing a Great Contemporary Spy Film
What is a Spy Movie? It should not surprise people to find Greek storytelling structures and character types in spy movies. The genre of spy and espionage has a long …
How Do You Write a Query Letter? 10 Tips to Getting Your Script Read
It can be hard to figure out where to send your work or who to contact about possibly reading your writing. Your work could be something that’s already written. It …
What is a Soliloquy? And Is There Space for Soliloquies in Screenwriting?
Most will remember Hamlet’s famous speech, the one example of a soliloquy that has been painfully etched into many students’ memories – “to be or not to be”. And conveniently …
How To Write Dialogue Between Multiple Characters: The ESSENTIALS
Dialogue is difficult. And writing dialogue between multiple characters adds pressure as there is a lot to juggle. It can be a struggle for any writer whether you’re a novice …
Deus Ex Machina: How to USE and/or AVOID in Screenwriting
What is a Deus ex machina? It sounds like something technological and complex. But it’s actually quite simple. Well, have you ever just been watching a film totally invested, your …
How Do You Write A Character Bio? The Road to GREAT Characterisation
Character bios can be an essential part of writing your character. There is no story without a character, just as there is no character without a character bio. Every writer …
What is a Page One Rewrite? The ESSENTIALS of Rewriting a Script
A ‘page one rewrite’. It can be one of the most dreaded words a screenwriter can hear and something that most writers will hope to avoid. However, it’s inevitable that …
How to Create a Writing Schedule: The KEYS to Building a Writing Routine
Writing is hard, there’s no denying it. Sitting down staring at a computer, typewriter or piece of paper and putting words together to create a story is difficult. It can …
Issa Rae MasterClass Review: Is it Worth It?
Our review scores for the Issa Rae MasterClass: Lessons – 9/10 Workbook – 8/10 The Community – 5/10 Value – 8/10 Overall Verdict – Very useful! Issa Rae MasterClass Pros: …
What is a High Concept Comedy? Crafting a Unique Comedic Premise
The comedy genre has boundless opportunities. It has an evergreen appeal to audiences, especially in dark times. We all need the tonic of humor and a light-hearted premise at some …
What is a Bottle Episode? The KEY to Writing a Self-Contained Script
Most TV series, whether comedy or drama, have a bottle episode at some point. And they can often take pride of place in the series’ history. They can serve as …