The Blog
Notes on craft, from the read chair.
Screenwriting craft, the development side of the industry, and the weekly 3-2-1 Screenwriting Thursday newsletter.
2026
3-2-1 Screenwriting Thursday: Cyclical Creativity, Indirect Conflict, The Right Length for a Short Film
July 16, 2026
How creative pros actually work in cycles. Why constant promoting burns you out, and what the greats do instead to sustain their careers.
3-2-1 Screenwriting Thursday: Bizarre Memory, Attention to Detail, About Art
July 9, 2026
Make scripts stick: open with bizarre specificity, sweat every detail, and remember your story must be about something beyond pure technique.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Phones, Your Audience, Presence
July 2, 2026
Why loose, weak tie connections tend to open more career doors than close ones, and how building out that network deliberately pays off for screenwriters.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Sociopolitical Guidance in Genre, Layers of Conflict, Using People
June 25, 2026
On how stories fill the gaps left by day to day sociopolitical experience, plus a craft note on stacking layers of conflict so a scene never feels thin.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Relational Climbing, Believing in Yourself, Loudmouths
June 18, 2026
On the unspoken etiquette experienced industry people share without realizing it, and how to tell the difference between real networking and using someone.
3 - 2 - 1 | Screenwriting Thursday: You are Unique, Why We Make Art, Pursuit
June 11, 2026
A few philosophical thoughts on why we make art in the first place, plus an honest update from the hard middle of revising a feature vomit draft.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday: The Video Game Industries Very Dark Night
June 4, 2026
A deep dive on the video game industry's current downturn and why the same forces reshaping that market are worth watching closely in film and television.
3 - 2 - 1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Moving Forward
May 28, 2026
The three planes where a story can create forward motion, the character's interior, the reader's experience, and the world itself, and why you need one.
3 - 2 - 1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Humility, ROI, Dialogue
May 21, 2026
On the surprising return low budget indie features are posting right now, plus a dose of humility and a few notes on writing sharper dialogue.
3 - 2 - 1 | Screenwriting Thursday: Loglines
May 15, 2026
A few practical tips on writing a logline that actually lands, from someone who reads a lot of them and knows exactly why most take days to get right.
The Business Side of Screenwriting
May 1, 2026
A look at the business side of screenwriting that craft advice tends to skip, plus an update on a new free consult page for writers who want guidance.
3-2-1: Exposition, The Gap, and Layers of Arc
April 23, 2026
Craft notes on exposition, the gap between who a character is and who they want to be, and how layered arcs make that gap feel earned by the ending.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Envisioning the Future
April 16, 2026
Why your opening pages are a contract with the reader, and how honoring the promise of your premise keeps a comedy funny and a thriller genuinely tense.
I built something for us
April 9, 2026
The story behind building a daily writing room after two years of saying next month, and what running it for other writers taught about finishing work.
Every 2026 Oscar-Nominated Screenplay You Can Download Right Now (for Free)
March 17, 2026
Where to legally download almost every 2026 Oscar nominated screenplay for free, straight from the actual studio issued production drafts, no digging required.
Completing a New Screenplay by March
January 22, 2026
A quick update from the road on the project to finish a full feature screenplay by the end of March, one short daily writing session at a time.
Happy New Screenplay!
January 9, 2026
A new project to draft a full feature screenplay in just one hour a day, four days a week, proving how much progress small consistent sessions can build.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Happy New Year! Unbelievable Offer
January 1, 2026
A personal new year update after a quiet few weeks, plus a confession from ten years of giving screenplay feedback that changes how the work goes.
2025
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Overwhelm
December 4, 2025
A reader question about staying informed on the news while still protecting focus on your own writing goals, and why overwhelm deserves real attention.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Expand & Deepen Your Story Without Padding
November 20, 2025
How to grow a short concept up to a full feature length page count without it feeling stretched thin, especially if the idea started life as a short.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Unlikeable Characters
November 13, 2025
Tips on building unlikeable characters an audience still somehow roots for, since the moment readers stop caring is the moment they stop reading.
3-2-1 | Screenwriting Thursday - Character Motivation
November 6, 2025
A simple exercise for digging past a surface level want into the primal need underneath it, so your character's motivation actually holds up on the page.
Finding Your Story's Through Line
October 30, 2025
Tips on locking your story spine into a single present tense sentence after your first draft, plus why through lines matter more than they get credit for.
Character Desire and Vulnerability, Early
October 23, 2025
Why giving your main character a clear, emotionally rooted desire and a moment of early vulnerability does more to hook an audience than big stakes.
How Managers Help You Choose Your Next Project
October 16, 2025
Why a manager steering you toward one project over another is not a dismissal of your other ideas, but a read on which one is ready to sing.
It's Never Too Late to Start Writing
October 8, 2025
A reminder that there is no single right way to build a writing practice, and how a few skipped weeks can quietly spiral into months of no progress.
AI Actors, Tilly Norwood, and Hollywood
October 2, 2025
A screenwriter's take on the AI generated actor Tilly Norwood and why the technology is nowhere near as close to ready as the headlines suggest.
Why the Days You Don't Feel Like Writing Matter Most
September 25, 2025
On why the days you show up to write while feeling terrible and getting little done still count as your most important days, maybe your most important.
A Look Inside a Screenwriting Pitch Fest
September 17, 2025
A behind the scenes look at requesting scripts from an AFI screenwriting spotlight pitch fest, and what that process reveals about how specs get read.
Building a Daily Writing Habit With a Group
September 11, 2025
Why a daily accountability group can succeed where solo writing routines stall, told through the early days of a new writing gym style program.
3-2-1 Screenwriting Thursday | Opportunity, Little Steps, Insanity
September 4, 2025
Why a crisis in your writing life is often the opening for real progress, plus an early look at a new free group writing program launching in beta.
3-2-1 Screenwriting: Teammates, The Closest We’ll Get to Happiness & The Spec Market
August 28, 2025
A mindset shift for networking that feels less like using people and more like building a team, plus a quick read on where the spec market stands.
3-2-1 Screenwriting |
August 21, 2025
Why deliberately writing something actively bad can loosen up a stuck early draft, plus a reminder that plenty of bad movies still make real money.
3 - 2 - 1 Screenwriting: War of Attrition, Comic Books, and Changing The Game
August 14, 2025
On the industry truth that success is often less about raw talent and more a war of attrition, plus a few thoughts on proof of concept shorts.
3 - 2 - 1 | Updates + A New Newsletter | On difficult people, the best literary clients, and heading back to YouTube series starts
August 7, 2025
Why this screenwriting newsletter is relaunching in a shorter, easier to read format, built for writers who barely have time to finish an article.
2024
Limited Time: $100 off Script Coverage!!!
December 5, 2024
A year end discount on detailed script coverage, built for writers who want their screenplay submission ready for managers and agents before it expires.
Where Do You Find Screenplays?
November 21, 2024
The most reliable places to actually find produced screenplays worth studying, including a few Google search tricks most writers never think to try.
How to Answer, “What are You Working On?”
November 14, 2024
How to prepare an answer to the dreaded what are you working on question before an exec, rep, or holiday party guest catches you off guard again.
What a Trump Presidency Means for Hollywood
November 7, 2024
A screenwriter focused look at how a second Trump presidency could shift where and how films get made, from international production to industry volatility.
Emails Going Unanswered? Here’s What You’re Doing Wrong
October 30, 2024
The real reason long, heartfelt outreach emails get ignored in film and television, and the shorter approach that actually improves your reply odds.
Exposition: Good & Bad
October 24, 2024
A rundown of the exposition mistakes that make scripts feel like a lecture, paired with clearer examples of exposition that actually earns its place.
45 Examples of Internal Conflict
October 17, 2024
Forty five concrete examples of internal conflict to borrow for your own characters, because without it even an eventful plot can feel strangely flat.
“The More Who Die, The Less We Care;” The Trouble with Large Stakes
October 7, 2024
Why massive, world ending stakes can leave an audience cold, and how the psychology of psychic numbing explains what actually keeps viewers emotionally in.
Wake Up, Screenwriters: The Film Industry's About to Flip
October 3, 2024
Predictions for where the film industry is heading over the next few years, and why the writers who adapt now will outlast the ones who wait.
Setting The Stakes
May 30, 2024
A grounded look at how to set stakes effectively, for writers who put off learning this longer than they should have, gambling terminology included.
Opening Hooks: You Need One
May 16, 2024
Why a reader decides whether your screenplay is worth their time within the first ten pages, and what an opening hook needs to do to earn the rest.
Scene by Scene: Value Shift
May 10, 2024
Why strong scene by scene value shifts create the rollercoaster feeling audiences crave, and how skipping them traps a script in flat, logical plotting.
The Productivity Box
May 2, 2024
A simple physical tool that bundles several focus techniques into one box, built to automate the boring parts of getting a writing session started.
HIDE YOUR PHONE
April 25, 2024
An aggressive but loving intervention on phone habits, with the actual math on how many workdays a year get lost to scrolling instead of writing.
The Pomodoro Technique
April 18, 2024
How the decades old Pomodoro Technique still holds up against writer's block and procrastination, and why a tomato shaped timer works better than willpower.
The Ticking Clock
April 11, 2024
A look at the ticking clock device, also known as Hitchcock's Bomb Theory, and how a limited timeframe keeps an audience leaning forward in their seat.
Exposition 101:
April 4, 2024
A foundational breakdown of what exposition actually is before diving into the finer points, for any writer who nods along without fully knowing.
Bio Blahs? Craft a Bio That Opens Doors
March 28, 2024
A guide to writing a screenwriter bio that opens doors instead of stalling in a drawer, treating the exercise as career clarity work, not busywork.
Overlooked Essentials: Questions & Suggestions to Improve your Act Breaks
March 21, 2024
Questions and suggestions for building act breaks that actually hold an audience through the commercial pause, as traditional structure makes a comeback.
Rest & Creative Recovery
March 14, 2024
A short case for treating rest as part of the writing process itself, backed by what neuroscience says actually happens in a brain that steps away.
Want to Copyright or Register Your Screenplay with the WGA? | Read this first:
March 7, 2024
Clearing up the confusion between copyrighting and WGA registering a screenplay, and the honest truth about how much either one matters at higher levels.
How to Submit your Screenplay like a Pro
February 29, 2024
A practical guide to submitting your screenplay the way industry professionals expect, so your query does not read like a stranger's odd first message.
What Keeps Me Going
February 22, 2024
A short, honest reflection on staying motivated in an industry that often feels uncertain, plus a reminder for anyone doubting screenwriting lately.
Suggestions & Requests
February 15, 2024
An open invitation for screenwriters to suggest article topics or ask specific craft questions, with every idea added directly to the writing queue.
11 Tips on Networking In The Entertainment Industry
February 8, 2024
Eleven blunt networking tips for surviving the entertainment industry, including why nothing runs on time and why you should still show up on time.
Working With a Literary Manager: 9 Things I’ve Learned
February 2, 2024
Nine real things learned from assisting a literary manager in Los Angeles, offering a clearer picture of a job most screenwriters only guess at.
One Weird Rule I Use to Maintain Consistent Writing Progress
January 25, 2024
A single, unglamorous rule that keeps writing progress consistent even through flu season, new jobs, and every other excuse life throws at a script.
A Reflection On The Past & Goals for The Future
January 11, 2024
A personal look back at the past year and forward into the next, for writers who want their new year planning to feel sacred instead of stressful.
2023
The Seinfeld Method: A Strategy for Consistent Creative Output
December 31, 2023
How the famous Seinfeld Method for building consistency translates directly to a screenwriting practice, and why the simplicity is the whole point.
25+ Holiday Presents for Screenwriters | 2023
December 19, 2023
A curated holiday gift guide for screenwriters, from craft books to small treats, built from real reader suggestions and a few personal favorites.
How Changing Your Story Can Change Your Life
December 13, 2023
A look at how the story you tell yourself about your own life quietly shows up in your screenplay, and why revising one often means revising the other.
The Biggest Mistake Writers Make & How To Fix It:
December 7, 2023
The biggest reason writers avoid the page isn't a lack of discipline, it's a missing sense of joy in the process. Here is how to bring it back.
Exposition in Screenwriting: Balancing the Act
November 30, 2023
A plain English explanation of exposition and why balancing it well matters more than avoiding it entirely, so your script never feels like homework.
Exclusive: $50 Off Script Coverage for the Holidays!
November 27, 2023
A limited holiday discount on professional script coverage, for writers who want their screenplay submission ready before the new year deadlines hit.
Happy Thanksgiving
November 23, 2023
A quick, personal thank you to the writers building consistent habits, entering competitions, and showing up for their scripts one day at a time.
Implementing: The Morning Pages
November 16, 2023
A step by step look at starting morning pages, for writers who like the idea in theory but keep skipping the exercise once the newsletter closes the tab.
The Power of The Morning Pages
November 9, 2023
What morning pages actually do for a working screenwriter's brain, and why this deceptively simple habit tends to outperform more complicated routines.
Creating A Writing Routine
November 3, 2023
A practical look at building a writing routine that actually sticks, with the real reasons most screenwriters abandon theirs before it starts working.