Screenwriter Blog Posts

Establish Credibility Before They Read Your Script

Once you have polished your script, gotten a thumbs up from a professional script analyst, and you also feel it's ready to go, then you ...

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

Planning for Success in Screenwriting: Goals (Part 1 of 2)

Lots of Screenwriters say they’ve done everything they know to do and are still not achieving the goals they want, still not getting 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

Is Your Screenwriting Too “On-The-Nose”

However, if any of those are the themes, it is too “on-the-nose,” as we call it, meaning there’s no subtlety. When something is a bit ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

7 Tips For Effective Producer Follow-Up Calls

Congratulations, your pitch of your screenplay was compelling and now a literary agent or producer has requested your screenplay. Be proud of yourself as this ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Is It Better To Market Your Script to Producers, Literary Agents, or Literary Managers First?

Screenwriters often hear “You need to get an agent to sell your screenplay. That’s the only way it will happen.” And because they hear that, ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

How To Write a Treatment For Your Screenplay: 7 Critical Tips

Previously I wrote about the great benefits of writing treatments for your screenplays instead of jumping directly into writing the scenes themselves. In case you ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

5 Tips on Choosing a Script Analyst — Warning You Could Choose One Who Knows Less Than You!

Most writers realize that when they finish their screenplay, at some point, they will need to get a script analysis / consultation. There are probably ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

And Your Point Is?

It surprises me to find that so many screenwriters don't realize that they need to have a point to their story. By the time all ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Stop Telling Your Idea: 3 Levels of Character DNA to Revolutionize How You Show Not Tell

Beyond the Surface: Is Your Character’s Truth in Their DNA? In screenwriting, the mantra “Show, Don’t Tell” is often treated as a simple instruction to ...

Written by

Melody Jackson