Screenwriter Blog Posts

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

The Truth About Getting Your Screenwriting Credit

Along with selling a screenplay, early on, one of your first goals should be to get a “Screenplay By” credit on a produced movie—even if ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

5 Ways to Establish Your Screenwriter Identity

Screenwriters often wonder whether they should write screenplays in the same genre or if they should write in different genres to show their range. Find ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Using Archetypes in Screenwriting

VIDEO! The librarian, the warrior, the free spirit… archetypes are a great jumping off point to help clarify where we want to go with a ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

How To Write a Good Screenplay: 3 Key Objectives For Every Scene

https://youtu.be/5rR_kFsjeR4 When writing a screenplay, many screenwriters want to hurry and get their first draft on the page without doing a lot of planning because just ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

WGA Agents List — Writers Guild Of America List of Agents Review

Screenwriters sometimes ask me what I think about approaching the WGA West Literary Agents as a possible way to obtain representation. Theoretically, it's a good ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

What Every Screenwriter Should Know About Branding

Thousands of screenplays and ideas get submitted to Hollywood every month so it becomes a big challenge to get your screenplay read and to have ...

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

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

Marketing Your Screenplay Masterpiece: A Screenwriter’s 12-Point Checklist to Know If It’s Ready to Go

Every screenwriter dreams of the moment when their script catches the attention of producers and studios, but how do you know when it’s good enough ...

Written by

Melody Jackson