3-2-1 Screenwriting Thursday: Pull One Out, Take Stock, Recommendation
July 30, 2026· Kate Gaulke
Happy Thursday!
Remember how last week I said I needed a vacation? Well now I'm on one. I seriously think I was about to burst if I didn't take a little time away to rest and recharge.
I'd love to write more about it, but I'd like to go hang in the pool even more. ✌️
3 IDEAS FROM ME
I. Pull One Out
Pick a scene you're unsure about. Try removing it entirely. If the rest of the story still stands fully intact, that scene is decoration. Either make it load-bearing, something the ending depends on, or let it go.
II. Take Stock
You've probably accomplished more than you think. What do you really have? Get it organized. In spreadsheet formatting preferably (have a basic docx version as well). Include Genre, Length (Feature, 1/2 hr, 1 hr), Title, Logline, Status (idea, written, polished, in production, released).
III. Recommendation: Entertainment Strategy Guy
One of my favorite resources is Entertainment Strategy Guy. He's a famously anonymous bigwig data specialist who breaks down and analyzes the watch data from streaming and box office releases. I currently only subscribe to his free newsletter, though am considering upgrading soon.
2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS
I.
Ira Glass:
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. The most important thing you can do is do a lot of work."
II.
Elizabeth Gilbert:
"Done is better than good."
1 QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you taking control and directing your attention toward what matters or merely letting inertia pull you along?
Until next week,
Kate Gaulke
p.s. Real Cyclops