Screenwriter Blog Posts

The Business of Screenplay Marketing

Some of the persistent complaints I hear from screenwriters are that they don’t like to market their scripts, they don’t know what to do next, ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Script Sculpting Hacks: How To Shorten Your Script While Improving the Quality

The first thing a Hollywood exec/reader does when they get your screenplay is to look to the last page and see how many pages they ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Screenwriting 101 — The Basics

by Brigette Schoenung At Smart Girls, screenwriters at every level of their craft contact us, from beginners to professional writers who have had their scripts ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Screenwriting 101: A Practical Guide for First-Time Screenwriters

Just finished your first screenplay draft? This practical guide for first-time screenwriters offers a step-by-step checklist to strengthen your concept, structure, formatting, and rewrites.

Written by

Melody Jackson

Proven Strategies for Selling a Screenplay Through Effective Email Queries

Crafting an effective email query to pitch your screenplay to try to sell it is a vital step in capturing the attention of production companies ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

The Screenwriter’s Best Resource For Authentic Creativity

The most effective, powerful, and interesting characters you can create for a screenplay are often based on real people. If you look back over your ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

How To Create A Tipping Point In Your Screenwriting Career

One of the most critical elements of success in any field, and especially, in Hollywood as a screenwriter, is to take consistent, directed action in ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

How To Build Equity As A Screenwriter

In Hollywood, as in a number of businesses, contact equity is critical. The more of the right people you know, the more valuable your Rolodex ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

The Power of Persistence: Should You Give Yourself a Do It By or Quit Date?

One of the interesting comments I hear from time to time is that a writer is giving their screenwriting career another year or two to ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

The Fastest Way To Get A Literary Agent For Your Screenplay

If your intention is to be a professional, working screenwriter – whether in Los Angeles, Alabama, Michigan or Australia, being represented by an agent or ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Where Are You Going With Your Plot?

Every scene in your screenplay must be doing one or more of three things: revealing character, advancing the plot, or expanding the theme. All three ...

Written by

Melody Jackson