The Screenwriting Blog

I’ve never felt more creative than when I was a teenager, and lately, I’ve been wondering why that was. It's not a single reason, of course, but I can pinpoint a few key factors. Firstly, I was in school. Every day, I attended a place where I could meet people, learn new things, and participate in group dynamics. Most importantly, I felt a sense of belonging among like-minded peers. High school and college created an environment where I felt safe and confident to imagine and create. I could write for long hours, often late at night or between classes and activities. It wasn’t something I forced; it just happened naturally. Being around real people and situations sparked inspiration for my stories. I wrote plays, novels, poems, screenplays—anything and everything. I didn’t always review or share my work, but I put it on paper and constantly sought stories everywhere. I don’t think I had more spare time than I do now as an adult, but somehow, I found the time to write. Which brings m...

Introduction: What Makes Habits So Powerful? Habits give order to our lives, they help us reach our objectives without feeling overwhelmed, and allow us to prioritize the many things we have going on. With all the options we have on a daily basis, having habits and routines in place can save us valuable time since they help us make immediate decisions, based on choices we've made in the past.  When you determine that you want to go to the gym every day, the choice of waking up early is easier to make, since you have already made the bigger decision of working out. How the Power of Habit Changes Our Creative Lives Creative minds tend to wander around and sometimes it's hard to stick to routines or create new habits. However, habits have a powerful effect on our creativity and can really make a difference when it comes to reaching our artistic goals.  Procrastination, creative blocks, and other affections for creativity can easily be shifted by implementing simple, but efficient...

The Importance of a Writing Schedule in Achieving Your Writing Goals Planning ahead and staying organized is key to achieving any goal, and your writing goals are no exception. Even full-time writers use writing schedules to help them stay on track and be productive and successful, but if you have a job or simply don’t write full-time, a writing schedule is almost mandatory. How to Keep a Consistent Daily Routine and Plan your Days in Advance Do you remember the first time you brushed your teeth before bed? No? That is because you started a long time ago and never looked bad. Today you brush your teeth every night and don’t even think about it. That’s routine. And yes, it’s hard to follow a new routine, but here are a few ways to get started. Keep your goals and motivations clear. Write them down and keep them where you can see them. Whenever you feel like letting go, go back to them and remember why you’re doing this. Take small steps. You don’t need to nail your writing schedule from...

Writing a screenplay is a difficult process, but it’s made easier with an outline. An outline is a roadmap for your script. It gives you the full story from beginning to end and helps you understand how each scene fits into the story. This way, you can see your story and make sure it works without distractions such as dialogue or descriptions. It's also a great way to get your thoughts in order and figure out what direction to take next if you get stuck. Why You Need a Screenplay Outline A screenplay outline can be challenging, but it's also extremely helpful. You might think you don't need an outline because your story seems clear. However, you might end up with scenes that don't work for the story's flow, or get confused in your subplots. Because there are so many moving parts, without an outline, it's hard to keep track of everything when writing a script. An outline doesn't have to be fancy; it just has to tell you what happens in each scene and how they...

I've mentioned before that I organize different writing groups, where screenwriters can get feedback for their projects and exchange ideas. I love these meetings because other than that, they also make me reflect on topics that screenwriters constantly struggle with. Last week, in one of those meetings, someone asked me if writers should enter screenplay competitions, so I thought about writing about it and maybe shed some light on this constant dilemma.  What are screenplay competitions? Essentially, any event or space where writers can submit a screenplay for judges to review and receive prizes. These prizes vary a lot from competition to competition, they can be cash, products, or other industry-related things such as getting the script produced or receiving professional feedback, they can also be trophies or decorations such as the Oscars. Competitions come in many shapes, there are film festivals that have a separate section for their competitions, but there are also individua...

You've heard this many times and no, I'm not about to tell you that this isn't true. Rewriting is an inherent part of writing, and it can be a very long process, endless even. Just like writing, rewriting should be planned carefully to ensure that the hours invested fructify. Work smart, instead of hard, with these rewriting tips.  1. Rewriting vs. editing. These are two related, but separate processes, and knowing the difference is key to making rewriting more efficient.  Rewriting entitles changing the core of the story, working on character and story development, structure, and dialogues, while editing is more of a correction process. Editing consists of fixing formatting errors, grammar and spelling mistakes, and amending scene headers, location, and character names.  Separating these processes and working on them one at a time will allow you to avoid distractions and get more of your rewrite done. As you rewrite, you can still correct minor errors and typos, as long ...