Screenwriter Blog Posts

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

Do You Have a Hook In Your Screenplay Logline?

When you pitch your screenplay to a Hollywood executive, whether in a one-on-one pitch in person or in a query letter, your story needs to ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Don’t Even Think About Selling Your Screenplay Until You Do These 7 Things

So, you’ve finally finished your screenplay! Congratulations! This is an exciting time in your career, and you’re probably anxious to get it on the market ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

How Screenplay Query Letter Mailings Work When Not In U.S.

Screenwriters all over the world have the big dream of having their screenplays made into a Hollywood movie. Just because you are a screenwriter in ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Market To Producers, Agents, or Managers First?

https://smartg.com/wp-content/uploads/wr-images/PD-AG-MG-First-FINAL.mp3 If you’re ready to market your screenplay, it’s likely you’ll plan to follow the advice of what most other industry professionals will tell ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Avoid Common Formatting Pitfalls: How to Ensure Your Script is Format-Ready Before You Submit

Screenplay formatting adheres to specific industry standards that are essential for professional recognition. The accepted format includes using Courier font in 12-point size, which ensures ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Submitting Your Screenplay: What To Do When A Producer Wants You To Submit Through An Agent You Don’t Have

When you feel like your script is ready for producers to read, you have to make every effort you can to get the attention of ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

What Is a Film Treatment and 7 Awesome Reasons To Write One

So many ideas…. so little time to write whole screenplays. It’s far easier to write a film treatment than an entire screenplay since it’s only ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Literary Agent Or Literary Manager For Screenwriters?

Once you finish your screenplay, you have to get it out to the market to find an agent or manager, but most screenwriters don't know ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

7 Common Script Formatting Mistakes to Avoid

Formatting your screenplay the right way is a barrier-to-entry. It’s one of those things you want to get right simply so that the script reader ...

Written by

Melody Jackson

Writing Screenplay Dialogue: 3 Crazy Ways To Improve It

Screenplay Dialogue: Lots of Crazy Ways to Improve The title of this article promises 3 crazy ways to improve your dialogue—but guess what? You’re getting ...

Written by

Melody Jackson