What is an inciting incident in a screenplay? Does an inciting incident have to involve the protagonist? Does it have to occur during a specific minute in Act 1? What story function should it serve? A quick internet search will reveal a whole host of different answers. One well-known screenwriting blog says the inciting incident […]
How to write dialogue between two characters by comparing it to tennis. [The following post on how to write dialogue between two characters is an excerpt from our screenwriting book: Master Screenplay Dialogue: The Ultimate Practical Guide on How to Write Dialogue Like the Pros.] Learning how to write dialogue between two characters is one […]
20 inspiring TED talks on storytelling, writing, filmmaking and creativity. Welcome to our curated list of the top TED talks on storytelling. Originally founded in 1984, the TED media organization has grown exponentially in recent years. Their free online database of talks has become something of a wormhole of inspiring talks on a wide variety […]
35 quick edits to improve your script's writing style in 24 hours or less. A reader knows from the very first page whether the writer knows how to write. It’s clear from the dialogue, formatting and writing style. It's clear from the way the writer chooses how to put the images they want the reader to […]
How to write a phone conversation in a screenplay: the definitive guide. Confused by how to write a phone conversation in a script? In this post, we’re going to take a look at the three main methods you can use to format a screenplay conversation. We'll also touch on other do’s and don’ts surrounding phone […]
The rules have changed. If you're a screenwriter trying to break into the industry in 2026, you need to understand something critical: the pathway to representation looks completely different from it did just a few years ago. The post-strike landscape has fundamentally shifted what managers and agents are looking for, how they discover new talent, […]
How to Stress-Test Your Main Character by Adding a Fatal Flaw (The following is a guest post by screenwriter and professor, Aaron Mendelsohn.) Being a stickler about a protagonist's fatal flaw is one of the key ways you'll be able to create and sustain a successful screenwriting career. If you're pretty informal about how you […]
Film dialogue: how to harness the power of your characters' opinions. Film dialogue is like paint on a car. It's the last thing that's put on but it's the first thing everyone notices. And most of the time, people know good film dialogue from bad film dialogue... but if you ask them why one line […]
How to copyright a script the smart way and avoid these 5 legal pitfalls. This is a guest post by entertainment lawyer, Danny Jiminian, Esq. He lets us in on how to copyright a script and other insider legal knowledge no aspiring screenwriter should be without. As if learning how to write a screenplay isn't hard […]
5 proven paths to a screenwriter career that will motivate you today. Is starting a screenwriter career in Hollywood, or anywhere else for that matter, a realistic career goal? Yes. And no... The answer is no if you fall into the cliched trap of the aspiring screenwriter, i.e. talking about writing more than actually writing, not […]
