Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... Is your scene description helping or hurting your screenplay? If there’s one thing I know after reading thousands of scripts, it’s this: A well-written screenplay actually reads faster. But most writers don’t realize when their scene description is slowing the story down, and losing readers in the process. Here are 3 signs your scene description is hurting the script: 1. Readers start skimming. Your job is to keep readers...
28 days ago • 2 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... Love at first scene You know that moment. You’re watching a movie or reading a script, and you meet a character who completely hooks you. You don’t know everything about them yet, but you’re in. It’s the way they walk into the room. That one unexpected choice. A single line that makes you think, “Ohhhh… I’d follow this person anywhere.” Now think about the character introductions in your screenplay. Do they deliver that...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... How to introduce an ensemble of characters in your screenplay Ensemble stories are some of the most fun to watch, and some of the trickiest to write. From Ocean’s Eleven to Stranger Things, part of the appeal is the mix of personalities. But on the page, that fun mix can become a headache: how do you introduce a whole crew of characters without confusing your reader or grinding the story to a halt? Readers can easily get...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... How to make plot and character work together One of the fastest ways to lose your audience is to let your plot and character drift on separate tracks. You see this most often in early drafts of screenplays, but sometimes it even slips into finished films. A protagonist is introduced with clear qualities and flaws, but then the events of the story don’t really challenge those traits. By the end, the character may have...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Why you still need to know your stuff, even with AI Right now, a lot of writers are asking whether and how to use AI in their writing projects. Where I land is this: AI can (when used well) be a useful creative assistant that helps with things like brainstorming ideas, offering options that get your wheels turning, or acting as a pushback machine that forces you to analyze, evaluate, and defend your story choices. But it’s just that: an assistant. You are the showrunner. The creative...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... Is your story idea actually ready to write? Story ideas are like seedlings. Some are ripe and ready to plant, others need more light, more time, or maybe they were never meant to grow into a full-blown screenplay. But many writers never stop to vet their ideas before they start writing. We get excited about an interesting or funny “what if?” We dive in — maybe even write 30 or 40 pages — only to hit a wall when we realize...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... This is the very last time I'll mention the 30-day Zero Draft Challenge starting on April 6th (that's this Sunday). 😊 We have a great group of writers, all ready to dive into writing their next (or first!) screenplay!Join us and finish your Zero Draft by May. And if you haven't heard, find out what a Zero Draft is here. 😉 Let's write a screenplay 7 types of story stakes you may be overlooking Stakes are one of the most...
7 months ago • 5 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... Get your movie idea into screenplay form with a 4-week, guided event. Doors are open for the Zero Draft Challenge, and we start on April 6th. (Join now so you have time to prep your story idea before we begin!) Sign me up Expanding 8 sequences into scenes When you’re using the eight-sequence method to plan what happens in your screenplay, you may find it’s not too difficult to figure out those initial eight broad strokes of...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hey, it's Naomi with your weekly screenwriting memo! Today's topic... Terry Rossio's pep talk for screenwriters Whether you're considering joining the Zero Draft Challenge or not, this story told by Terry Rossio (co-writer of things like Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean) may be just the pep talk you need today: “Director Robert Rodriguez said something profound to me once, talking one night about creativity. I believe he was repeating a story he had heard, though it could have been an...
7 months ago • 1 min read