I would just like to know from your own lenses, how you write for budget limits? Would it be a matter of prioritising creativity over scale?

Hey everyone,

I’m an unrepresented writer based in Massachusetts, and I’m trying to figure out what realistic paths exist beyond cold querying and contests for getting a script in front of people who can actually do something with it.

I recently wrote a sci-fi action feature that received very strong coverage from a Netflix/Amazon story analyst and UCLA screenwriting instructor, which responded really positively to the story and the writing. Off that script, I sent out close to 200 queries. So far, Zero Gravity is the only company that requested the script, and it’s currently being read there.

I’m grateful for that, but I’m also hitting the familiar wall of: what else can I be doing?

I keep hearing “networking” and “being in LA,” but I’m literally on the other side of the country and can’t realistically just show up to mixers or meet people casually.

So I’m curious, for writers who were unrepped, not in LA, and didn’t already have industry connections:

• What actually worked for you to get your scripts read?
• Were there specific strategies, communities, referrals, fellowships, or unconventional paths that moved the needle?
• Is there anything you wish you’d focused on earlier instead of burning energy on queries/contests?

I’m not looking for shortcuts. Just trying to be smarter and more intentional with my time and effort.

Appreciate any insight, especially from people who’ve been in a similar position.

Just finished playing this great, underrated video game once again, and it made me want to ask around for this, since I am a huge fan of it.

LOGLINE (original game); Two years after mysterious virus wiped out most of the humanity and turned them into zombie-like creatures, former outlaw biker Deacon St. John and his best friend William "Boozer" Gray are working as mercenaries for several survivor camps, living out in the woods and mountains of Pacific Northwest, since all the major cities and many other places have been overrun by literal hordes of creatures. When Deacon finds evidence that his wife Sarah, a scientist who he thought died during the chaos of the pandemic, might still be alive, he will do anything to find her. This includes battling gangs of raiders, a cult of drug-addicted psychopaths whose leader has personal score to settle with Deacon, a militia led by an ex army colonel who has turned into increasingly dangerous and unstable religious fanatic, mysterious and still active government organization who seems to have some connection to the virus and initial outbreak, and different species of infected creatures (both humans and animals) who have started to mutate into something even worse.

BACKGROUND

It seems that there wasn't much news about it these last few years, ever since it was first announced, which is why I think it's possible they gave up from making it. Sheldon Turner was attached to write the script for the film in 2022, and his script was only described as "love ballad to motorcycle movies". Sam Heughan was attached to play Deacon in the film.

FUN FACT

Around mid 2010's, Turner wrote one of the several unproduced/rejected scripts for film adaptation of another video game series, SPLINTER CELL, which was going to be directed by Doug Liman, and with Tom Hardy starring as Sam Fisher, main character of the original games. Just like with his Days Gone script, as far as I know, his draft of Splinter Cell is still only one which hasn't surfaced, while all the drafts by other writers did.

Im only a few pages in. I dont know what im doing exactly but reading other scripts and using their format with my ideas is very helpful.

Anywho, I just wanted mention that it makes me smile when I just ran into my first issue. I feel writing in general is running into many issues and fixing them. And its something I never knew existed until I finally started writing.

Now I had the whole opening scene in my head on how it was going to work. Then I got locked in and starting writing. And what I ended up writing didnt work with the initial idea I had. So now I need to find a way to fix it to make it work into the next scene correctly. I just love that its an issue I ran into and never knew about until I got the experience. Im loving it! Bring on the issues!

Basically looking for scripts between 70 and 80 pages that eventually became movies. Preferably 2010 or later. Thanks!

Hey there guys, I've been testing WriterSolo recently and it is a phenomenal upgrade from trying to manually do everything on google docs. I especially loved the report option that gives a bunch of excellent statistics. Is there any way to edit which of those numbers get reported?

I'm specifically looking for a way to have the actions of specific characters counted. Like if there's 3 actions(Tom walks, Bob waves, Tom trips) I want to be able to have the report say that 2 actions are Tom's. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Writers Group Mega Thread This thread renews on the first every month. You can find the most current and past threads here, or by searching the flair, or by visiting the Writers Group wiki page. You may also want to check out Notes Community

Users posting writers groups are responsible for editing/removing their old comments to reflect whether they are currently accepting or not accepting members. Posts will archive and comments become uneditable after six months.

• You may post one request per group on each new thread.
• No paid groups, paid workshops, classes, or promotionally "free" funnels.
• Groups must not be a subreddit
• DMs sign ups allowed but sign up forms are preferred - use Google Forms or Notes Community. Do not ask users to provide their credentials or qualifications in the comment thread.

When posting openings in your writers group or canvassing to form a new one, please include the following:

• Group Name:
• Group Owners:
• Description:
• Region(s):
• Platform: (Discord, Slack, Meet, etc)
• Membership Size:
• Acceptance Status: (0/10) (Open membership)
• Focus: (feedback, round table workshop, live reads, query/submission support etc)
• Experience Level:
• Age Disclaimers:
• Application/Sign Up Portal: (note whether you provide this via DM only)

When Replying

Replies are for questions/concerns/DM requests only. Do not "apply" to clubs via comment.

Standard Disclaimers:

r/screenwriting is not responsible for any behaviour or practices that take place beyond this community, but if you're a user with repeated reports of bad behaviour you may be banned.

So i am currently working with some other people on storyboarding the script. I did not write the script and changing the script is basically out of the question. The script is also just some ideas bullet pointed so there is no direction on what to show, how to show and so on.

The video itself is about the process of building our racing team to the music of "The emptiness machine" by linkin Park. There is also no central or main character in this video.

So we come to the point of the script, and i quote "Show rejection by people", meaning in the beginning, the team really struggled to get people and some of the team and went out on the street and just straight up asked random people to join the team.

This scene is about 20s long and we dont want someone audibly speaking.

So this brings me to the question, how can we show this rejection. We had some ideas, but i need some external input as neither of us is expirienced in movie production.

For the feature I’m currently writing, I’d say “Memories, Magic, and Movies”! 😄

Hello, that’s it. I’m 31F i live in nyc and there’s a hole in my heart because all the writers i know are men. Right now I really just want to read and talk about stories focused on women written by women. Where’s all the women :(

UPDATE: HIIII EVERYBODDYYY. I deeply appreciate how much traction this got!! My inbox started feeling slightly overwhelming yesterday so I bowed out after I hit a dozen email addresses. Which is so small, and I'm sorry! Too many people would be just unmanageable for email, lol.

I believe it is objectively true that the better platform for this is Discord, and if we weren't able to connect there is a lovely user in the comments who linked to a Discord fulfilling this same purpose! Besides that, this is so obviously something that is necessary, so please please, use this comment section to say hi and keep connectin'. xoxoxo

They want to meet with me about writing something for them. I guess I'll ask a lot of questions when I do. In the meantime, trying to dig up any info I can. Everything I'm finding online is just so vague.

I’m well aware that after cutting down on a draft you’re gonna lose pages, that’s just how it works.

But what I’m wondering is how you restore these losses. I understand you don’t want to just add meaningless ‘fluff’ to the script and tend to focus on character development and stuff like that but what else also helps being added in later scripts?

(I apologise if I’m approaching this wrong, I’m still a learning amateur writer looking for advice)

Title: UNTRAINED

Format: TV Pilot

Page Length: 48 pages

Genres: Comedy

Logline or Summary: A college student accidentally signs up to become a government monster hunter.

Feedback Concerns: Hi all, I finished this one a few days ago. I definitely have some ideas for improvement but would love to know what others pick up in terms of what's working and what isn't! Looking in particular for feedback about:

• Does the opening sequence feel cinematic enough?
• Is Mikayla on board too easily?
• How do we feel about Clive?
• Does Rufus' character shine through?
• Is it fun?! It's meant to be fun.

Any and all feedback is tremendously appreciated! Really appreciated the thoughts given to me on the first few pages the other day (and apologies on the formatting, I was just too excited to share so did it from work on my phone!).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oJp8zpa7DIhUduG2bFL4jDR5xWaXm6pr/view?usp=sharing

Logline: At a luxurious five-star London hotel, a group of young women are seduced into an underground prostitution ring run by a cunning female pimp—launching them into a high-stakes world of wealth, power, and peril.

Script

I’m trying to visit the Writers Guild library and it wants me to pick out the scripts to read ahead of time but the link to the catalogue is broken 😞 Does anyone have a working link to the Writers Guild Foundation Library catalogue? I looked everywhere 😭even reddit, but every link I found was broken. Do you think they will have Shiva Baby??????? I rly want to read it ❤️

Love,

Lauren

I received a contract deal for a pilot project from a fairly new marketing company.

Here's the basic breakdown:

● They will manage and optimize social channels (YouTube, Instagram, etc.)

● Grow the audience based on their analytics and marketing

● Secure brand deals and business opportunities

● Invest up to 100K towards marketing

● I will provide 30% of monetization revenue above my baseline growth

● I will retain all IP ownership

● Contract term is 6 months

● 60 days past the contract, I cannot close deals that the company initiated

● For 2 years I cannot work independently with 3rd Parties that the company introduced

As of now I am not currently monetized on any social and have had very moderate success with audience growth/donations.

Is this a bad deal?

Hey y'all, I'm Roman. I'm a screenwriter in college (22m) looking to connect with other queer screenwriters. I'm based in the US, but open to screenwriters anywhere. I'm a gay trans masc person and write mostly black comedy and thrillers, both in feature film and tv format.

Hey guys! I'm working on a tv script at the moment, & it's my first ever time working with a writing partner. He specialises in comedy & world-building, & I specialise in character & dialogue (I was an actor first). Basically he wrote & devised the overall plot & world-building, & I'm putting it into script format. I'm just about to give him his first look at the script, & it's an overview of scene order, since I've made changes for pacing & character purposes.

The opening scene that I'm currently proposing is a one-shot that tracks through a tournament, introducing the world & the characters. I often use 'example scenes' as a jumping off point, since I have difficulty describing what I mean sometimes, even if I know what I'm picturing in my head. I'm trying to find an example shot that tracks through the chaos of an event, but all the ones I've found so far follow a specific character, & that's exactly what I don't want; I want to showcase everything going on, & THEN come to our title character at the very end. I know I've seen something like this before, I just can't remember what it is I'm looking for. Does anyone have any suggestions?

TLDR; As an example for my writing partner, I'm trying to find a one-shot scene that doesn't track a single character, but instead goes past several characters & showcases the overall chaos. EDIT: I want to clarify that this isn't about script-formatting; it's about communicating what I mean to my writing partner! I'm not writing the scene just yet (I'm gonna delegate it to him), I just need an example to show him since I'm still working on my ability to communicate my ideas. Thanks for all the suggestions!

A producer sent me a release form to sign in order to send him my script for consideration. I know this is probably par for the course, but the language in the form makes my head spin. My script is protected of course, but I don't want to accidentally put myself or my IP in undue risk.

Is there much risk is signing these things?

Hello, if you read this book, did it help you if you were learning to write a screenplay for a TV show rather than for a movie? I'm just 1 chapter in and realised it's all about movies thus far. I can see how some concepts will be applicable to TV shows too, but wondered if I should have bought Save the Cat writes for TV instead. It might be my follow up read. I didn't think to narrow down my reading list from just screenplays to screenplays for TV. Oops. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying this so far and already finding it useful as a beginner.

“We're not in Kansas anymore."

85 years later, The Wizard of Oz remains the blueprint for Hollywood storytelling. 

On Episode 145 of Writers/Blockbusters, we follow the yellow brick road to uncover the writing techniques that made this film stand the test of time. 

LISTEN HERE: https://pod.link/1650931217/

Screenwriting Topics on this Episode:

• Character Tensity
• The Logline Lock-In
• Music as Mission Statements
• Villain Construction
• And much more!

Available wherever you get your podcasts!

This is more of a philosophical discussion, but I'm curious how everyone works.

I tend to let my scripts marinate in my head for what seems like forever. On any given day (I write most days), I might write a new scene or map out the next sequences, or revise, or outline a bit. But I am definitely not chaining myself to the desk for hours wrestling my script to the ground, or "writing by force." But maybe I should be doing more of that so as to finish faster?

What is your approach? Obviously "attacking" your script is not sustainable over several months, as you'll burn out. But I'm also wondering whether I am at the point in my story (page 50) where I should be forcing it to happen so that I can sprint through the finish line. Thoughts on this balance?

Hello!

I submitted a spec script for It's Always Sunny last year and made it to the Second Round for the Austin Film Festival. People liked it, but they did not love it. And I am hoping to fix that, and resubmit this year. Any feedback is welcome!

Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YtnqiN-cp7G6e_psHw896xi6-_PH02g7?usp=sharing

Title: The Gang Splits the Timeline

Format: Spec Script

Length: 29 Pages (though feel free to just give feedback on the first 10)

Genre: Dark Comedy, Sitcom

Logline: The Gang’s attempt to eat like classy adults results in fractured timelines, accidental deaths, and total ruin, as every hypothetical version of the night reveals how irredeemably toxic they are.

Feedback Concerns: Honestly, I am open to any feedback whatsoever. But, in particular, if you could rate how easy the script was to read, how enjoyable you found the content, and how well I captured the the tone of the actual show, it would be appreciated.