Four hundred-plus dispatches on screenwriting, narrative design, transmedia, the craft of running rooms, the new AI toolkit, and what's actually changing for the working storyteller. Search it. Filter it. Open it. Read it. Or start with The Next Move, seven fill-in tools for figuring out what to build next.
AI can nail the structure and still miss the soul. Your voice, your taste, and your lived experience are the parts it cannot fake.
Lean too hard on the machine and the craft muscles go soft. The two-thirds rule keeps your reps where you need them.
AI multiplies the expertise you already have. Without your own frameworks, it just hands you faster access to mediocrity.
Roughly a thousand weeks of creative life remain. Put the number on the table and watch it start making your decisions for you.
Some work should stay useless. The corner with no deliverable and no audience is what keeps the rest of the practice honest.
If it takes a paragraph to say what you do, you have not found it yet. Your one sentence is also a decision tool.
You do not need to make one more thing. You need to design the door into everything you have already made.
The near-future collapse is the emptiest, richest corner of the genre. The closer the end is to now, the more it can break your heart.
A dossier can carry a story harder than any scene. The trick is writing it to file a fact, not to move the reader.
A setting that can hold a thriller, a heist, and a horror story takes real structural discipline. Variety is engineered, not stumbled into.
A wiki for a show that never aired taught me the sequence. Make the proof first, and let it write the story back to you.
Fans consume what you make. Citizens belong to what you built. Only one of them outlasts your next launch.
Old drafts and dead projects are not clutter. Reopen one and let it tell you what you have been circling for years.
Break the work into Reels you can leave and return to. Prove the engine in 25 pages instead of 120, without losing the thread.
The post-career life is not year zero. Thirty years of craft, contacts, and instinct is infrastructure you already paid for.
Curiosity run as a production method: go outside, find what will not resolve, photograph it, and build the fiction from there.
Stop measuring the project. Measure the object you made today. One blunt question keeps an ADHD brain honest.
Leaving the deadline machine means unlearning the habit of waiting for permission. Here is how the wiring breaks, and why the silence is the whole gift.
Before you plan the next thing, look hard at what you have already built. Odds are the practice is standing right there under a different name.
I turned two piles of blog posts into two free, self-paced courses, one of them with fill-in worksheets. Here's what's in them and how you could do the same with what you already know.
What happens when you let your audience watch you work?
Build your own team of specialized bots to tackle dialogue, structure, and action like a punch-up session with experts.
I used Opus 4.6 to transform a disregarded game dev doc into a spoken-word yarn about alien predators fighting human prey.
How I used Claude and ElevenLabs to repurpose a shelved scriptment about a mythic hero running the first marathon.
Flow states, creativity, and the human experience in today’s AI-assisted world.
Why you should train for future shock now, not when it gets loud.
Hereditary. The Witch. Everything Everywhere All at Once. Midsommar. They rely on craft over jump scares or twists.
Why did sequential artists survive on Pixiv while illustrators didn't?
The ground under your feet hasn't stopped moving since you enrolled at the art school of your dreams.
What do successful video games and linear narratives have in common?
Claude Code is an AI tool that writes software. You describe what you want in plain English, it generates the code, you test it, you tell it what's wrong, it fixes it. Repeat until it works.
Character + Situation = Condition that generates story. To solve for that X, your characters need to be more than protagonist templates and personality profiles.
A practical series of questions for scribblers who want robust story spaces capable of narrative heavy lifting.
The real AI crisis isn't replacing scribblers - it's erasing how we learn.
It started with a simple question: What if there was a book I desperately wanted to read, but couldn't justify spending months or years actually scribbling?
Manufacturing emergencies is a career strategy, and it works more often than you'd think.
AI doesn’t make you more creative. It exposes how you already think. If you use AI to avoid thinking, to skip synthesis and judgment, you’re training yourself to be a Matrix battery.
Whatever you film as cool, somebody will watch like a lesson.
Audrey Hobert is doing what I've been blogging for scribblers to strive for: become a hyphenate. She did it sideways, via poptimistic music.
We’re in a moment where serialized shows immaculately craft their beats. The push, the turn, the button, the “keep watching” mechanism. But how many of the episodes feel evergreen?
You picked the right art form at the wrong moment. Or maybe… the best moment ever!
Uggh. The hard lesson from the closure of Ubisoft Halifax, leverage first, union second. These are my subjective observations earned via recent WGA strike actions. Oof.
After messing around with AI-assisted coding, I wanted to make a video game.
I built a tool that analyzes screenplay scenes using my own methodology. Pulled from the stuff I've been posting on my blog. It took an afternoon. And I don't know how to code.
This episode of Star Trek: Discovery was the first Star Trek episode nominated for a Hugo Award since 2010.
This script was for the season two finale of American Gods. I was showrunner that year and oy vey was it complicated. This version of the finale never got shot, but I think it’s pretty cool. When scribbling that season I tried to pull as much as I could from Neil Gaiman’s amazing book.
The AI future has come to Hollywood. Stop sweating about protecting your job. Start inventing a new version that is uniquely human.
An article for scribblers like me, deciding what the hell is worth Q1 QWERTY time. I'm considering the audiences of "cinematic event seekers" and "small screen habit formers," wondering if either could provide WGA grade revenue in 2026.
An entire generation is being trained to think real money will come from controlling eyeballs, not creating stories.
Dragon eggs are the backbone of pre-arcane experimentation across Khorvaire. Supply is constrained by ethics oversight, breeding limits, and druid interference. Demand keeps climbing as wizard towers expand spell, toxin, and disease testing. Tonight, a high-value shipment is en route to Arcanist Vel
Miyamoto Musashi wrote his Dokkōdō as a personal operating system. Strip away the swords and the duels, and his rules apply to screen scribblers seeking a productive creative life in 2026.
Half the internet is bots. Good. Less competition for IRL scribblers.
Psychologists call it narrative identity. When you frame yourself as the protagonist, motivation, resilience, and mental health rise in concert.
An optimistic version of the contentious media mega-deal: theaters, guardrails, and a potential new on-ramp for next-gen indies.
What can we screen-scribblers learn from characters that refuse to die? After twenty-plus years in TV rooms and transmedia trenches, here’s what I’ve figured out. Pour something stronger than eggnog and let’s go.
When people share a live story, their brainwaves literally sync. EEG and fMRI scans show audiences start to mirror each other - and the storyteller. The tighter the narrative grip, the tighter the neural alignment.
How creators can protect their work from the new generation of AI powered counterfeiters.
I've been falling down a rabbit hole of Michael Button's archaeology videos on YouTube, and they're rewiring how I think about our civilization and… our storytelling.
Your creative routine might look insane to everyone else, and that's totally cool. I spent much of the 2000s scribbling TV shows while selling spec scripts. My wife and kids wondered if I'd ever sleep normal hours. But every scribbler knows, a creative routine worth anything rarely resembles balance
Rising numbers of ADHD accommodations at art schools will fail unless we acknowledge the greatest challenge for a young creative.
Founders think in decades, not days. A mindset two generations of screen-scribblers need as we lurch toward 2026.
Podcasting is Going Visual and Eating TV's Lunch
How do you keep characters consistent when the world is too big for any one brain to track? Ask them.
Maybe the real intangible of the Warner Bros sale might not be antitrust, but the innovator’s dilemma facing the buyer.
When I worked with Alex Kurtzman and the late, great Roberto Orci, I watched them do something unusual with their early drafts. Before the action lines, before the scene descriptions, before the translation into screenplay form, they often created a version that was dialogue only.
A deep work flow for beating the Algorithmic Antagonist.
The Hollywood Guilds still think the threat is AI. Tinsel town’s real enemy could be a kid in Korea with an iPhone and NanoBanana.
If you're going to pour your time, money, and creative energy into a short film for a class, why not make it capable of doing more than collecting dust on Vimeo?
Why a hundred years of Hollywood history matters more as data than entertainment.
Industries need a villain, and they’re reaching for the robots.
These maxims were aimed at game designers, but they map cleanly to anyone building interactive stories, cross-platform narratives, or character driven worlds.
A physical home for your post-cinema content factory.
EDGLRD is building a lifestyle brand with its own production tools inside the walls. Creator studios will merge entertainment, fashion, and social identity into a single offering.
Why screen-scribblers need to pick a lane if they want to survive the next five years.
9:16 storytelling is rewriting my widescreen brain.
How micro-dramas revived the B-movie hustle for the swipe generation.
Once upon a time, every filmmaker had to make a pilgrimage to LA. Now, the next wave of auteurs can set up shop in Albuquerque, Austin, anywhere rent's cheap, and the tax laws are film-friendly.
Modern viewers approach new shows the same way they approach new apps. If it’s confusing in the first two minutes, they bail faster than you can say “previously on.”
On a recent episode of The Treatment, Elvis Mitchell asked Edgar Wright how he uses costume to announce characters. Wright talked about color coding, silhouettes, and the idea that a character should be memorable enough to draw from memory.
I just read a great piece by Lauren Greenwood on Substack: What I Learned Watching 16 Movie Pitches Back to Back. If you're interested in the topic, it's absolutely worth a look. Lauren's post inspired me to reflect on my own experiences hustling stories in Hollywood.
The Limit is based on Michael Cannell's book about motorsport. The 1961 Formula One season. It's a true story with real people - Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips, Denise McCluggage, Enzo Ferrari, Stirling Moss. The personal connection runs deep. My father photographed these drivers. I knew them as a ki
I’m calling my show “Crackerjack,” - that’s the name of my fictional warrior games. It’s eight to ten episodes of high-stakes action, serialized mystery, competitive survival, and found family character drama. It’s set in a unique location, a tropical paradise from hell run by a brutal dictator. We’
Pitching isn't about explaining your plot. It's about performing your story and proving you're the only person to tell it. Here's what you need to know.
Riffed out this action flick concept with ChatGPT while on a long walk. Inspired by an article about Iranian flagged cargo freighters carrying hidden cruise missiles. Yikes!
The case for creative evolution over creative exhaustion.
Bad leadership isn't always loud or cruel. Sometimes it's dysfunction dressed up as decisiveness. These are some red flags that can sink a student short or a studio tentpole.
When millions of people watch the same stuff, play the same games, binge the same shows, we're literally rewiring how entire cultures think about what's normal, what's heroic, what's even possible.
The analog habit that saved my grades, shaped my career, and keeps my mind from overheating.
A disgraced CIA Field Agent escapes from a Black Site and returns to the United States, seeking revenge against the woman who put her away, a CIA Internal Affairs Officer, her estranged sister. When the true enemy is identified, the women must manage their opposing personalities and apply their comp
Set in a victorian-like age of empires, a brilliant but naive young woman leaves home to investigate murder and conspiracy in a remote city-state ruled by a vampire queen. The woman’s unlikely ally is the queen’s daughter, a precocious vampire princess obsessed with the modern world. Mystery, mayhem
A neo-noir crime thriller about estranged sisters investigating their father’s murder in a small Nevada city: they uncover a web of blackmail schemes, political intrigue, and a family secret.
When blockbuster franchises face uncivil lore wars, maybe it’s time to call in the machines to broker a cease-fire.
When a remote CIA black site is compromised, the Agency dispatches ambitious young operative Courtney Taschler to investigate. What she discovers is a chilling conspiracy that threatens to shatter her understanding of the world.
The year is 2066. A Caltech intern inadvertently notices an anomaly from a space telescope - something is approaching Saturn, and decelerating. Space objects don’t decelerate. Spaceships do.
Every AI query is a flick of the light switch. The real question is what kind of power grid we want feeding the incoming AI renaissance/apocalypse.
A live-action, feature-length retelling of one of the greatest stories from ancient history. The tale of a human hero who ran more than three hundred miles in four days to save his family and Western Civilization.
An idealistic young CIA agent risks her life and morals when she works with ruthless operatives to track down escaped criminals.
An alien attack destroys cities across the world and leaves bizarre, black spires standing in their place. In the aftermath, a group of neighbors band together to find a means of survival in this post-apocalyptic setting.
There’s something weird happening in luxury fashion. And if you squint a little, it looks quite similar to what’s been happening in Hollywood.
How Gen Z Hacked the Story Machine and Why It's the Best Thing That's Ever Happened to Your Creativity
WANT. Four letters that’ll fix your flat scenes and give actors something they can actually play.
You pour yourself into a pitch or audition and then... nothing. No “pass.” No “thanks but no thanks.” Just the sound of your inbox doing its best ghost impression. That silence isn’t rejection, it’s the cue for your training montage.
Short screenplays are a sprint, not a marathon. In 12–15 pages, you must hook the audience, build a world, make us care, and land an emotional punch before the credits roll. This guide offers one approach via a streamlined version of the eight-sequence story structure.
In this crash course, we'll be breaking down the key elements that'll turn your game cinematics from "Meh, hit hold B and skip it" to "Holy crap, play that again!
This worksheet is designed to ground a project before the creative chaos begins. It helps me define what we’re making, who it’s for, and how it fits into the larger creative and production ecosystem.
Half the directors I've worked with never touched a camera in college.
The secret to creative success is broken pots.
Audience engagement and rooting interest come from watching someone overcome serious obstacles.
Filmmakers are worshiping past forms while meme lords are rewriting the present with stolen Adobe licenses and no chill. Maybe we're teaching storytellers to think small.
The World Needs Your Masterpiece, Not Another Masterclass
Economist Joseph Schumpeter called capitalism “a perennial gale of creative destruction.” The next decade will belong to those of us who can treat this disruption not just like a catastrophic gale to avoid, but an opportunity to fly our kites.
Map a Pivot Chapter Resurgence
Why Human Mess Beats Machine Perfect
What happens when superfans stop consuming their favorite stories and start living in them? Spoiler: Their bedrooms become more rad than a Pinewood movie set.
Once you grok what a 360 camera is capable of, you realize it flips the filmmaking process on its head: capture everything first, then choose your shots when you get to post.
Networks still develop shows, but the springtime pitch gauntlet has faded. While studios fight over subscription scraps, more than half of content-driven ad revenue is now flowing to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
David Ellison just scored Paramount, and word is he's eyeing Warner Bros. Combine that media empire with his father Larry's AI infrastructure, and we're looking at creative destruction on a scale the industry hasn't seen since the transition from silent films to talkies. Could James Cameron's AI exp
How Ray Bradbury and Zach Cregger spun entertaining yarns from random nouns and creative improvisation.
A scribbler's guide to creative serendipity in the age of AI algorithms.
Remember when "independent film" meant maxing out credit cards and begging friends to work for free? Now, solo creators do stuff that would've required entire departments. The digital video revolution of the '90s was just the warm-up act.
Why negativity bias rules storytelling, and how to weaponize it without losing your soul.
For those of us building alternate reality or transmedia experiences, what can we learn from what works in professional wrestling? Let’s start with Kayfabe, the pact between performers and their fans to treat a staged spectacle like a real drama.
When you watch Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, Top Gun: Maverick, Spiderhead, or his latest F1, you’re not just seeing a story unfold; you’re stepping into a world where every frame was designed by someone who understands how spaces work. Before he started directing, Joe studied mechanical engineering at St
I was chatting with my son the other day about one of his D&D campaigns (he's a professional DM, which still blows my mind), and he dropped something that got my brain spinning. “It feels completely different when the big bad is already dead," he said. "Like the game's about figuring stuff out i
The AI revolution is splitting creators into three camps. Only two will survive.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit some of the amazing physical spaces where our favorite creators actually do their magic. Not the Instagram-friendly "writing corner" BS, but the weird, wonderful, sometimes obsessive environments where these scribblers retreat to conjure worlds without distraction.
The pool of employed WGA screenwriters is smaller than the NFL roster pool and dwarfed by the total number of professional athletes in the United States.
You've got A24 making wrestling movies, mainstream critics writing think-pieces about WWE storylines, Netflix throwing money to stream live events, and a President deploying kayfabe tactics from the White House. The art form once relegated to late-night cable is now analyzed like prestige television
In a LinkedIn post regarding his transmedia efforts on behalf of the Ultraman franchise, Jeff Gomez said, “Tokusatsu Heroes Are Like Santa Claus.” I had no idea this was the case. So I tapped my LLM pals to school me on the relationship between monster suit performers and the audiences who kayfabe t
Lessons from game designer Justin Gary every scribbler can learn from to sharpen drafts, pitches, and story worlds.
Audiences are tired of living in algorithmic taste jail. They’re hungry for stories that feel human-recommended, not machine-optimized. That’s Algorithm Fatigue. And it’s your creative opportunity.
I've been chatting with my sons about the benefits of friction. How doing hard things makes us stronger and teaches us what we’re capable of.
They look like toys. They're not. They're bug-eyed prophets of a new entertainment age where characters are a lifestyle OS, emotional anchors, and maybe the next great leap in IP design.
When life feels uncertain, people cut back on significant expenses but happily splurge on small, emotionally satisfying treats. Maybe it’s a $6 latte with latte art, a $200 Gracie Abrams concert ticket they’ll talk about for months, or that limited-edition Sunny Angel collectible they don’t need but
How to write fiction that sounds as good as it reads.
Six research-backed traits that separate the scribblers who command the room from those who fade into the furniture.
How to Steal Like an Artist (and Actually Make Something Cool)
Growing up obsessed with science fiction and fantasy, I learned: stories don't just entertain us - they literally rewire how we see the world. Narrative entertainment can build walls between people or build bridges to connect them.
One of my sons attends Renaissance Faires dressed in metal armor and fights others with blunted swords and shields. Another son is obsessed with turning his college dorm room into a Tiki Bar. What’s up with the recent hunger for immersive IRL experiences?
We've trained audiences to expect simple villains and violent solutions because that's what gets hearts racing and tickets sold. But if we're entering an era where people desperately need positive outlets, maybe it's time to rethink how we create compelling conflict.
Tom Sachs doesn't believe in scribbler’s block. His advice? "If at first you don't succeed, give up immediately.
We scribblers know our words have power. But we don’t always stop to ask who’s reading or watching our stuff, and what crazy shizz our stories might inspire audiences to attempt.
AI is the ultimate research assistant who never sleeps and has read everything. Like having a super-powered intern who can crunch patterns faster than my ADHD brain on its most caffeinated day. But it can't feel the weight of a character's choices or know when to break the rules for emotional impact
Can you direct movies by describing feelings to very smart robots?
You're a screen scribbler staring down something new. Something tempting. The blank page of short fiction.
While everyone's freaking out about AI taking over creative jobs, Gen Z is doing the exact opposite of what you'd expect — they're flooding into art schools like their lives depend on it. Maybe they aren’t running away from the age of SkyNet, but chasing what machines can't touch — that messy, unpre
If you haven't yet considered Gen X as a key audience for your genre story, it's time to open that toolbox.
It's not about streaming. Cost is the single biggest reason theatrical attendance keeps sliding into the trim bin.
Screen scribbling isn't solely about clever dialogue or dramatic monologues. It's about the space between words. The silences, cuts, and gaps where the audience leans in, adding imagination.
How Anthony Potero Uses 50-Year-Old Psychology to Build Obsessed Audiences (And What Every Scribbler Can Steal)
Reframing creativity in the age of artificial intelligence.
Warren Spector, creator of the original Deus Ex has talked about how his team decide what elements to protect during development. They use a tiered priority system - a quality bar - that helps them make tough calls when time and money get tight.
“I used Google LM to generate an audio podcast to help me grok some insights from an LLM-generated deep dive into the current state of transmedia storytelling.” JA
A Scribbler’s Survival Guide to Avoiding LLM-Induced Cognitive Decline and Pre-Dystopia Depression
I'm deep into Joe Abercrombie's new book, The Devils, and it's reminding me why I fell in love with his writing in the first place. His characters are always razor-sharp, damaged, stubborn, and impossible to forget.
How a satirical co-op shooter taps into a deeper human need: purpose, belonging, and being part of something bigger.
Technology has disrupted many legacy systems, leading to new professions. Many of those professions are now under threat from the AI tidal wave.
The traditional studio system may be faltering, but creator-led studios are rising. You don’t need permission to create anymore. And you don’t need to wait for a greenlight. Robert Rodriguez, legendary director of Sin City and Spy Kids, just launched Brass Knuckle Films in Austin. It’s not just a st
Every revolution, every empire, every social movement has had storytellers at the center, shaping how people see themselves and their world. I asked my LLM pals: What jobs emerge when storytelling becomes the main vector of influence, identity, and power?
We require a specialized team for immediate maritime asset recovery. Target vessel: MV Morning Midas (600-foot cargo ship, currently adrift, crew evacuated). Prize: Cryptocurrency wallet containing 1 billion USD in Bitcoin. Window of opportunity is closing rapidly due to Coast Guard intervention and
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, systematized humor with the rigor of an engineer, right before he torched his legacy in a blaze of social media "honesty."
I read Scott Mendelson’s article about the tech patents Amazon has been locking down for AI tools to make movies and shows. It made me wonder: are we looking at the end of human creativity, or the birth of a tireless, idea-generating, doesn’t-eat-all-the-M&Ms scribble partner?
Story scribblers love our character arcs and emotional beats, but in multiplayer video games? Too much scripting can kill the magic. Players don't want to be told their story. They want to live it.
I pitched my agent an idea for a Western. He paused, then said, "It’s a cool idea, but it doesn’t really align with your brand, and a period piece like that could confuse buyers." It got me thinking: What is my brand?
I’ve spent my life writing stories. TV, games, movies. Now the same tech that lets me prototype a story faster could one day replace the job entirely. Not just for me, but for millions of people who thought they had “creative” or “safe” careers.
Let’s go inside the early 2000s digital spy thriller that unfolded alongside TV's hit show Alias, not in prime time on ABC, but on hidden websites, in chat rooms, MP3s, and JPEGs.
This week’s Google I/O was a whirlwind of AI innovation. They unveiled over 100 AI advancements. Tools designed to empower creators, offering unprecedented capabilities to create cool stuff. Watching these announcements, I was struck by the contrast to the early 2000s when we were DIY crafting the A
A look at two storytelling styles. Mystery Box keeps you hooked by hiding answers, while Magic Show shows its hand but surprises you with how it all pays off. One teases the trick, the other delivers it. Both can work, but some folks in the audience are getting tired of endless mysteries with no rea
In your favorite flicks, there’s a hidden framework holding all that emotion, action, and drama together. And no, it’s not just good luck or a room full of caffeinated writers. It comes down to three core building blocks: Scenes, Sequels, and Sequences.
Sometimes a non-reaction can say more than a paragraph of inner monologue ever could. These moments create space for the audience to connect with characters on a deeper level.
What if I told you there's a secret cinematographic expansion pack waiting in the comic book world? I'm talking about Wally Wood's legendary 22 Panels That Always Work - that gritty, ink-splattered cheat sheet comic artists have used for decades.
Hola, my fellow prose peeps, here's the deal about screen scribbling – you don't need to be Fong, Libatique, or Deakins behind a camera. But even in those deep workflow moments of keyclacking, you must never forget - it’s a visual medium!
Roger Ebert once called movies “empathy machines” because they let us walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. So before we throw in the towel and accept a future of apathetic scrolling, let’s dig into why empathy is on life support and how we scribblers can bring it back from the brink.
Like many artists and storytellers, I’ve often felt a deep connection to artifacts. It’s like they held some creative energy I could tap into when needed. But lately, I’ve been questioning whether they’re serving me or silently weighing me down.
As a scribbler often working in science fiction and genre entertainment, sometimes I hear writers shrug off the value of their work as just stories. A bit of escapism. Nothing serious. Kind of like the protagonist in Preston Sturgis’ classic “Sullivan’s Travels.” But history tells a different story.
False flag operations - those carefully crafted deceptions that blur the lines between reality and fiction. As a scribbler immersed in espionage thrillers, I can't help but see the familiar beats of storytelling woven through these real-life covert acts.
Luck gets a ton of credit in the scribbling racket, but it's way less random than people think. Most folks who "get lucky" are already out there grinding. They're in the trenches, honing their craft, building their network, watching how the game is played.
You know what's weird? No matter how many TV shows, movies, and video games I've scribbled, I keep getting pulled back to the same damn story.
For years, I’ve been following the video game development game for tips and tricks I can apply to my screen scribbling. Recently, I saw a pipeline for game design and thought I’d take a crack at re-skinning it for the screen trade.
Screenwriting is often a collaborative commercial art. What if you could build your own virtual room of “specialist scribblers”? They could punch up your dialogue, tighten your structure, or finesse your action scenes without ego or creative fatigue.
I've spent countless hours in scribbling rooms, from network shows to streaming series, and even video games. There's something magical about how different creative minds come together to build stories. Now, imagine having that creative support system available 24/7, powered by AI.
Filmmaking can feel like juggling ten jobs simultaneously, especially if you’re working solo. You’re the director, the scribbler, editor, sound designer, and sometimes even the one crafting storyboards at midnight. But what if you didn’t have to wear all those hats alone?
You know what's wild about being here in 2024? I'm deep into playing with AI, really getting how it works, while most folks are still trying to figure out if it's Skynet or snake oil. Reminds me of when I first got into games and tech back in the day - that same gap between the folks making stuff ha
Let me geek out about what I call "Rolling Reveals" - it's that engaging story engine where each moment feeds into the next, building momentum like a snowball tumbling downhill.
After spending decades writing everything from video game scripts to TV shows, I've learned that sound might be the most overlooked weapon in a writer's arsenal.
I had a ChatGPT convo regarding public speaking best practices, sales psychology, the science of cognitive load, and job interview strategery. The LLM used our observations to design a structured methodology for pitching that is compelling, persuasive, and memorable.
My ADHD brain sees writing like Cooper in Interstellar's tesseract - infinite threads of narrative possibility surrounding me, every moment and choice visible at once. But after decades of adapting my style for different showrunners and mediums, I lost sight of my own timeline, my own voice.
Engaging in hobbies isn’t just a fun distraction; research shows it actively improves mental health.
When I worked on serialized TV shows like Alias, Lost, Heroes, and Hannibal, we often started with significant storytelling tentpoles. Still, much of the richness emerged organically through collaboration and discovery. Storytelling, especially in television, isn't solitary. It evolves from the coll
Something shifts when you turn your passion into a paycheck.
Let me walk you through what a modern story universe could look like when you combine AI tools with a passionate fan creator.
What if we could create story universes where fans and indie creators don't just consume content - they help build it? Not in some Wild West free-for-all, but in a structured space where AI tools help maintain quality and consistency.
Many of history's greatest discoveries and successes—across science, technology, and entertainment—were accidental. More importantly, those accidents weren’t always championed by corporate leadership. In my world, I saw this firsthand.
Every day I take three walks around my neighborhood. It’s a great way to keep sciatica and carpal tunnel at bay while loading up on Vitamin D and inspiration. In my area I see lots of folks living out of their cars and vans. It’s a layer of culture, community, and economic challenge - a setting for
In a TLDR world, selling for scribblers is harder than ever. Pre-Covid it was all about navigating the LA freeways on a tight schedule to go from studio to network and so on. Now it’s all about pitching your show or flick online to a landscape of global buyers.
Ever click on a YouTube documentary that seems real, with grainy archival footage, expert interviews, and eerie music underscoring every revelation. But as the video unfolds, a creeping suspicion grows: is any of this actually true?
Screen life films are some of the most profitable movies in modern cinema. Why? Because they take the golden rule of indie filmmaking—keep it cheap, make it engaging—and crank it up to eleven.
I was reading about US financial institutions buying into the current bullish market on gold. As they buy, these US companies are moving said rare mineral out of Europe and across the pond. So, I wondered, could Chat GPT tell me a story on the topic?
SolForge Fusion's player-driven storytelling, personalized narratives, and cross-platform design highlight some critical elements for anyone curious about the future of transmedia narratives.
I scribbled this anachronistic take on best practices for AI collaboration as envisioned by a fictional sci-fi author from the pulp era— "A mind forever led by artificial suggestion will, in time, forget the sound of its own voice.” J.B.B. Prescott
Screen life storytelling mirrors how we live our digital lives. Once seen as a budget-friendly gimmick, the format has become a genre of its own, using technology to amplify tension, intimacy, and reality in ways traditional filmmaking can’t.
I noticed “Romantasy” is a popular genre. Curious about the tropes, I asked Chat GPT for an example. After the first pass, I suggested a tweak for Lysara to add personal stakes and a twist.
The best scribblers aren't just great at putting words on the page - they're great at helping others improve, elevate, and survive the forever war of crafting commercial art.
When I'm staring at a new character design, I'm basically doing forensic work. Every visual choice the art team made – conscious or not – is a breadcrumb leading to backstory.
When I guested on Justin Gary’s Think Like a Game Designer podcast, we chatted about Transmedia Storytelling. A cross-platform approach to narrative I hadn't thought about in a while. I’ve seen how it can transform a TV show from a passive viewing experience into an immersive, participatory story-ve
Having a codified list of everything I’ve learned from 30 years of pro scribbling has been useful for keeping my ADHD brain on track.
Every writers room I've sat in was shaped by the showrunner - their battle scars, their gut feelings, bad marriages, previous projects, blind spots, and what they think making "good TV" looks like. You can't fix a show's culture with a pep talk or a whiteboard session. It's dictated by the alpha in
I read an article in the LA Times about train robbers in Mojave stealing Nikes. I had Perplexity search for the topic, took the results to Chat GPT, and asked for a short story.
Playing D&D taught me a lot about power dynamics. When a new Dungeon Master takes over a campaign, they usually nuke whatever the old DM built - even if the players were having a blast. It's not about the game being bad; it's about the new dog marking their territory.
Here's a weird comparison that hit me this AM: Bitcoin vs. content creation. Both are based on imagination and the power of story-telling to generate IRL revenue for those who partake. But they are absolutely not aligned when it comes to scarcity. Uh-oh.
I was flipping through the latest issue of Monocle when a story about the Moomin brand caught my eye. They described their vibe as providing a "roadmap to happiness" for customers.
From the writer's room of iconic TV shows to the uncharted frontier of next-gen gaming, change is the only constant in the entertainment racket.
At first glance, coding and screenwriting seem about as similar as a microchip and a movie script. But if we zoom in, we start to see patterns, structures, a common language of creativity.
I read Simon Pulman’s analysis of the TV biz on LinkedIn this AM. It inspired me to send the various AI LLMs down a rabbit hole of research and reporting. This is what ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and DeepSeek came up with. How many hallucinations can you identify? How many brutal truths?
After years of working in writers' rooms on TV shows, I've had an epiphany about effectively collaborating with Large Language Models (LLMs): the dynamic mirrors that of a showrunner working with a room of specialized scribblers.
Too many scripts sag under the weight of pointless scenes, overexplaining dialogue, and characters that don't pull their weight. If Marie Kondo can transform our closets, why can’t we apply that magic to our screenplays?
There's a secret weapon in the war for eyeballs and attention - the core fantasy. That ineffable desire that pulls people in and keeps them coming back for more.
Negotiation is a skill you can master even quicker than saving the cat. We’re going to class with three heavyweights of the winning trade - Donald Trump (The Art of the Deal), Chris Voss (Never Split the Difference), and Robert Greene (The 48 Laws of Power).
When you spend years creating villainous organizations—shadowy spy networks, rogue agencies, secret societies—you start to notice something. The most outlandish ideas, the ones that feel like pure sci-fi or paranoid conspiracy, often have real-world precedents.
Great stories don’t just appear out of thin air. They’re designed and built. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed when crafting your screenplay, you’re not alone. Thankfully, some of the greatest minds in storytelling have mapped out frameworks to guide us.
The squeeze is coming for mid-level scribblers - the workhorse scribes of TV shows who churn out solid, reliable scripts on time and within the budget. In 2025 AI is getting scarily good at matching tone, working within the canon constraints of show bibles, and incorporating creative notes from abov
The myth of the lone creative genius has always been how we market films, books, and video games: one name, one vision. But are AI tools pushing this marketing myth into an authentic attribution?
When Michael B. Jordan stepped into the director’s chair for Creed 3, he brought more than just his talent as an actor and filmmaker, he brought his lifelong love of anime.
Imagine a quiet evening, the glow of your screen pulling you into another world. You laugh, cry, and cheer for characters who aren’t just on a journey, they take you along for the ride. But have you ever wondered why anime characters feel so relatable, even when they’re battling titanic foes or navi
If you grew up glued to the screen, wide-eyed at the emotional depth, breathtaking visuals, and powerhouse storytelling of anime, guess what? You’ve already been building a creative superpower that can set you apart in the world of filmmaking.
The Q&A interrogation framework is a powerful tool for scribblers. It can reveal character backstories, deliver twists, and frame high-stakes action, all while keeping the audience guessing. When done well, it can elevate a story, but when misused, it risks undercutting the tension.
You're all sitting there, slack-faced and drooling, while your phones ping like slot machines in a Vegas whorehouse. You think you can write? YOU CAN'T EVEN READ ANYMORE!
The rise of artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of creativity. For filmmakers, the impact feels both exhilarating and daunting. With AI-generated scripts, deepfake technology, and automated editing tools, it’s easy to wonder: what role do storytellers have in this brave new world?
Robert Eggers uses research, personal voice, and bold choices to make his work unique and unforgettable. Let’s unpack his scribbler’s toolbox to see what we can gank that will power up our own creative process.
I’m a big fan of the indie game developer Thomas Brush. I enjoyed Pinstripe, a thoughtful and evocative narrative title he created. Though I don’t make games, I find his YouTube channel is filled with wisdom nuggets applicable to the scribbling craft.
The first five pages of a screenplay are your make-or-break moment. This is where you hook your readers, establish your story’s identity, and deliver enough intrigue to make them want more.
The approaching onslaught of AI-generated slop might initially devalue the market for makers, but a scarcity of quality, intentionality, and cultural relevance will generate value for standout scribblers who find ways to stay in the game.
Scribbling is a balancing act between what you show and what you leave out. In prose and screenwriting, the power lies in trusting your audience to connect the dots. This balance takes many forms.
I’ve got a pitch coming up, and it got me thinking about people I’ve worked with who can effortlessly pitch a TV show, making others believe in it so completely it gets bought in the room.
Brilliant scribbling advice from writer/director James Mangold ganked from an awesome YouTube interview.
As a scribbler with ADHD and a lot of projects on my plate, staying focused has been a challenge. I’ve developed a schedule that helps me stay disciplined while allowing room for creativity, flexibility, and fitness.
I’ve been researching UFO’s lately. I mean - UAPs. This led me down a rabbit hole of patents people have applied for. Active Camouflage. Anti-Gravity Drives. Etc. It prompted me to generate a patent proposal of my own. I did this for fun. Just to get myself in the headspace of a character I’m workin
For months now, mysterious drone swarms have lit up the skies above New Jersey, sparking speculation, fear, and government silence.
Let's peruse the wisdom of Jeff Gomez and consider how we might find ways to incorporate his transmedia insights into our own work.
I’ve spent countless hours in front of whiteboards, plotting entire seasons of TV. Those boards can look like chaos, with disconnected beats and arcs. But to my ADHD-addled brain, it’s like stepping into a tesseract. I don’t see pieces; I see the whole. Is my ADHD perception of connections and narra
Reports of unexplained drone swarms have been popping up in New Jersey, the United States, and even in parts of Europe. These sightings, often described as eerie, coordinated, and untraceable, have sparked global speculation. The drone unknowns reminded me of how communities develop around mysteries
They used to tell me I had the perfect face for the job, average, forgettable. The kind of guy who blends in anywhere. That was thirty years ago, and they weren’t wrong. I’ve spent my life walking in and out of rooms where I wasn’t supposed to be, taking things I wasn’t supposed to touch. But at wha
Game designer Justin Gary’s latest Substack wisdom bomb offers his take on crafting tension in game design to engage players. When scribbling for TV and film, I endeavor to employ similar principles.
Decades of stories crafted by some of the best comic book writers in the business inspire the filmmakers adapting the works for the screen. But when it comes to adapting Video Games, where are the stories?
On YouTube, Joel Haver cranks out feature-length films made with just a few friends and a modest budget. He’s on track to make and release 12 feature-length films in 12 months.
I downloaded my movie-watching history from Lettrboxd. A list that included hundreds of flicks from the 1930s to 2024. Then, I had ChatGPT identify patterns in my viewing taste and artistic sensibilities.
For shizz and giggles, I downloaded my Lettrboxd data and uploaded my watchlist to ChatGPT. I asked the LLM, “Using this list, what is a concept for an original screenplay based on the genres I gravitate toward?” It claims the result combines my love for sci-fi, action, noir, and comp
Starting a new project can feel like standing at the base of a mountain. Whether you're developing a game, crafting a TV series, or planning a film, those first steps often determine your entire journey.
When diving into development of a new concept for a TV series, I like reflecting on what’s worked for me in the past. I've compiled some elements I often consider and figured I’d share.
When a recent pitch didn't sell, I found myself at a familiar crossroads. Creative careers can be loaded with dips, reversals, and moments of reckoning. So, while walking through the neighborhood, I dictated some context and asked Sam Altman’s baby how I might reframe and recommit.
Character desires, and the juicy roadblocks that stand in their way are the heart of storytelling.
Every line, every carefully chosen word uttered by your characters, is an opportunity to push your narrative forward, reveal character details, and sneak in some thematic goodness.
I saw the amazing new Wild Robot flick. It’s filled with amazing art, heart, and excellent filmmaking. It reminded me of another cinematic combo of machine and fowl -- Bastion and Ganymede from Overwatch.
The sublime art of making your audience feel through the power of a well-timed eyebrow raise or a subtle lip quiver.
New tools can feel like a threat not just to our livelihoods but to our identity and childhood aspirations. Many of us have built careers, reputations, and connections around how things used to be, and the thought of that being disrupted -- sucks.
Characters who consistently act rationally aren’t just rare. They’re hard to believe. They don’t resonate because, in reality, decisions are influenced by emotions, past experiences, and instinct.
When a priceless diamond confiscated by Nazi's during the Holocaust is stolen from a high-security museum, Detective Victoria Meredith uncovers a bizarre conspiracy where the prime suspect is a janitor who shouldn't be alive. As the truth unfolds, Vic must decide whether to chase ghosts or walk away
The legendary playwright Anton Chekhov said, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired.
There’s an art to crafting character intros that'll make your audience sit up and say, "Whoa, who's that?" You've got precious few seconds to make your characters unforgettable.
If my wife ever finds out how much money I’ve spent on Call of Duty skins, she’s gonna be as annoyed as I was when I found out how much my son had spent on Fortnite skins. Oof. That said, there is more happening here than wallet-draining and family tsuris enhancement. The global generation that will
A school of thought believes adapting a beloved IP without prior knowledge or connection to the material or even the genre is a positive. Maybe that works. Sometimes. Once. Has it ever?
Make your audience forget they're staring at a screen and believe they're in your character's head, heart, and even their nightmares.
In the post-attention span era, scribbling pages that lower the barrier of entry and get folks turning pages is more important than ever.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been experimenting with ChatGPT, Claude, MidJourney, Gemini, Eleven Labs, and others. They’ve become an essential part of my strategy.
In the winding streets and secluded alleys of Santa Monica, a mysterious figure known as "Imperator Malice Rex" has emerged as a source of strength and unity for the city's homeless population.
As I prep my son for his first year at film school, I’m reflecting on my own screenwriting career path. It’s a story of surprise connections, enduring friendships, and relentless scribbling.
Use the eight-sequence structure to craft a compelling trailer for your movie that sets audience expectations.
The secret to scribbling genre tales that resonate is finding love, empathy, and relatable human connection.
Michael Moorcock was a true haecceity wizard. This guy scribbled novels faster than most of us can type a grocery list, and he did it all without sacrificing an ounce of depth or detail.
Let’s jibber jabber about the unsung icons of visual storytelling: establishing shots. The powerhouse moments and opening chords of your cinematic symphony – they set the stage, grab audience attention, and deliver a taste of the incredible journey to come.
Over the next few weeks The Scribblers Toolbox is returning to our roots with a series of posts re the tools and techniques of cinematic storytelling.
Haecceity is a medieval word for scribbling those juicy, specific details that make your characters, settings, and scenes come alive on the page.
Let Curiosity, Obsession, Resilience, and Empathy be the C.O.R.E. that supports your scribbler’s lifestyle.
My dance card requires Deep Work scribbling at the moment. I shall return.
Scene and sequel structure is the blueprint, the GPS of your story. It keeps your narrative engine revving, pacing on point, and audience on seat edge.
Whatever project you tackle, breaking it into bits and pieces is a tried-and-true way to get ‘er done.
Not only is AI helping many creative disciplines work more efficiently, it’s creating more time for iteration and adding the elements of our work that are uniquely human.
When it comes to screenwriting, the opening pages of your script are way more than just a warm-up. They're like the front door to your story, the audition tape, the chance to hook your readers and reel them in.
I've taken the first year of posts from Scribbler's Toolbox and turned them into a book that's now up on Amazon. I used this amazing tool called Kindle Create.
"Quality scripts on time." was the guiding light of our writing room. It summed up exactly what our job was about—cranking out top-notch scribbles while constantly racing against network deadlines.
My scribbler’s journey wasn't just about making Super-8 movies or hitting up schools like TISCH and AFI. It was heavily shaped by flicks about the craft itself and candid insights from director commentaries on DVDs.
As you're grinding on those latest drafts and story sessions, bring more voices into the mix. Get hyped about getting outside takes.
Sometimes scribbling is not just about quality, but scribbling a whole freakin' lot.
Fanfiction is about taking the characters, settings, and plots that we know and love from our favorite TV shows, movies, or video games, and putting our own spin on them.
I’ve noticed many similarities between launching a new TV show and starting a tech company. Both require money, teams that work well together, and a leader to define the goals and culture of the endeavor.
Epic tales and ancestral feats are cool, but let’s talk about the frameworks that let other creative minds run wild.
My son is heading off to a rad film school called SCAD. This got me thinking about my journey from traditional film school to the wild world of professional filmmaking.
I've whipped up a bunch of questions that get down to the metal of what makes a scene or character work. They’re based on all the stuff I’ve scribbled in the blog.
Let’s explore some treasure troves of free-to-use images to fuel your creative endeavors.
It’s time for some more of my current obsession — Bollywood vs. Hollywood!
Unlike the predictable path of their Western counterparts, Indian action flicks weave genres, traditions, and narratives that dance on the wizened face of ye olde three-act structure.
Let’s check into business class and take flight into the world of scribbling with an eye on that vast, interconnected global audience.
When looking for inspiration, consider the treasure trove of public-domain material. It's like having a Fast Pass to some of the greatest and most beloved tales ever told.
A tabletop miniature wargame set in a 2060 Earth transformed by climate upheaval. Deploy to a dynamic world of elite special forces operatives on a future Earth reshaped by mega-storms, rising seas, dissolved nation-states, and new realms of power.
I've been a professional writer for over three decades now, and if there's one thing I've learned, the journey never ends. You never "make it," you never have it all figured out. The moment you think you do, you're done. The best you can hope for is to keep growing, keep pushing yourself, keep chasi
The gaming world has been abuzz with the recent release of this live service game that, while echoing the likes of Fortnite in structure, brings a nostalgic twist reminiscent of my old-school raison d’etre Dungeons & Dragons.
Tom Cruise's high-flying spy jinks aren’t just an adrenaline masterclass; they're a brilliant blend of thrills and humor, borrowing a page or two from the playbooks of comedy and cartoons.
In the vibrant corridors of Indian cinema from Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, and Sandalwood, the blend of high-octane action and elaborate musical numbers is not just acceptable; it's celebrated. And expected by moviegoers.
In a dramatic operation, a retired veteran becomes a hero, preventing a major crisis and inspiring a new generation.
The narratives of Rod Serling explored mental health, aging, racism, the proliferation of WMDs, and other societal issues. The way he told tales transcended controversy and political divides, making them relatable and relevant to everyone.
Set against the backdrop of 1930s America, gamers step into the worn shoes of a vagabond, navigating the sprawling railways to discover the hidden stories of an era marked by hardship and resilience.
Sometimes, a little nugget of wisdom is all I need to navigate the wilderness of scribe life. I have some go-to’s on my nightstand.
Some of my favorite Indian action flicks, like "War" or "Pathaan," luxuriously spend the first hour without introducing immediate danger.
Let's talk about something heavy but highly relevant: addiction in Hollywood and scribblers in particular. It's not a glitz-and-glam topic, but it's real and worthy of discussion.
The Bitcoin mine was a facade for a darker operation: a satanic cult, its members cloaked in shadows, surrounding an altar of servers and arcane symbols. At its heart pulsed not a computer program but a digital demon, RED MIDAS.
The adventure took a grim turn the night the news broke: a child had vanished, swallowed by the city's insatiable maw. The twist? My name emerged from the whispers of suspicion, a dark cloud that loomed over me, threatening to engulf everything I cherished.
It's amazing how many scribbling superstars didn't start in Tinseltown but in totally different worlds – from law and philosophy to scuba diving.
The house lights are dimming to spotlight some legendary playwrights who seamlessly transitioned into screenwriting and directing, using their stagecraft skills to elevate their silver-screen stories.
My favorite part of the wild world of filmmaking is the creative community. The like-minded folks that’ll help you turn those words on a page into pixels on a screen.
The air crackles with tension, a harbinger of the storm to come. In this moment of stillness, as the sasquatch emerge from the shadows, the line between myth and reality blurs. The battle for the swamp's soul, and the freedom of its people, begins in earnest.
After suffering an injury during the military withdrawal from Afghanistan, a wounded soldier is assigned to fly a remote surveillance drone over the country he feels he abandoned. What he sees below will open his heart and bring his life a new mission.
Today we're blasting into a trend you've probably noticed in big-budget action franchises: crafting jaw-dropping action sequences before even penning the screenplay.
Lonely, Jason yearns for a deeper connection he struggles to find. His life changes when he impulsively brings home a small, four-wheeled delivery robot, treating it as a companion and sharing his daily life with it. This leads to an unexpected connection.
Let's turn the key and get our creative engines running smoothly with scribbler-appropriate fitness and nutrition.
One of the most effective ways to humanize a protagonist, especially one highly skilled or nearly superhuman, is to show them struggling and in pain.
You're scribbling in the zone where your skills and the challenge of writing are in harmony. You’re so wrapped up in your writing that everything else fades away. Welcome to the flow state.
The time has come for Western action movies to evolve! It’s time for us to HALO jump into a new dawn that will marry spectacle with humanity and unify artistry with authenticity!
Let’s wander the winding path from Super 8 to smartphone, acknowledging how generations of filmmakers launched their careers with the tools of their moment.
Hollywood's tumultuous world of creative differences is a topic as old as the La Brea tar pits.
As if writing wasn’t an insanely competitive profession without steady paychecks or career longevity, AI's joined the game. So, when the music stops, it just might be a GPT who steals your chair.
Is it just as hard to do something bold as it is to do something safe?
Have you ever felt that rush of excitement when you find yourself in an unfamiliar place? That vibe is called the "Beginner's Brain" – a state where everything feels new and your creative instincts get a boost.
Clothing is more than fabric—it's a catalyst for creativity and a statement of personal and artistic identity.
Complexity theory, which studies how components within systems interact to create the whole, can offer relevant insights for scribblers in need of managing unwieldy narratives.
When planning a creative project, such as writing a screenplay, book, developing a game, or starting a business, first principles thinking can help ensure the viability of your endeavor.
By reflecting the ordinary world through relatable characters and relationships, sci-fi, and fantasy scribblers can create narratives that resonate deeply.
Fandom is not inevitably toxic. But handling feedback, both positive and negative, from a large and vocal online fanbase is a nuanced challenge.
Whether you’re crafting a new show, game, or movie, the more thought you can apply to the consistency of your make-believe world, the better.
Love versus hate, fear versus courage, and truth versus deceit are some of the emotional dichotomies scribblers use to craft compelling stories.
The Snowflake Method, developed by novelist and screenwriter Randy Ingermanson, offers a structured yet creative approach to streamline your process, from crafting a compelling one-sentence summary to expanding your story into a multi-page synopsis.
There’s a special kind of magic that occurs when a television series manages to transport you to an entirely different world, one replete with mysteries, intrigue, and a host of quirky characters. Allow me to reintroduce you to “Happy Town.”
Change is inevitable. Consider your writing goals, deadlines, and lifestyle constraints when designing your ideal writing routine. Flexibility and adaptability are keys to successful writing at all stages of life.
Back in the day, any aspiring screenwriter looking to craft work that would captivate audiences and sell for millions of dollars on the spec market needed to hear what Robert Mckee had to say about storytelling.
The debate of longhand versus the keyboard is more than a choice between ink and digital; each method shapes our scribbling.
There's a set of personality traits that come with ADHD that I didn’t understand at the time, but in hindsight, supercharged my scribbling career.
ADHD brains are wired to think outside the box, make unconventional connections, and thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments—valuable qualities in the world of storytelling and creativity.
Drama and conflict are the bread and butter of our trade, but today, on the toolbox, we’re looking at ways to limit both.
To grok is to understand something so profoundly that it becomes a part of you. It's not just about grasping facts or details; it's about experiencing the subject matter on a visceral level.
Running a TV series doesn’t come naturally to most introverted scribblers. An excellent resource for me has been the work of Ryan Holiday. In his explorations of leadership, Ryan lays down principles applicable to the world of TV as much as any other field.
Since the days of Orson Welles promoting “Citizen Kane,” media training has been essential for anyone who finds themselves in the spotlight.
The principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are designed to help people manage addiction, but its core tenets can be adapted to address other life-destroying challenges like — WRITERS BLOCK.
Writing across different mediums like movie screenplays, theatrical plays, and graphic novels requires understanding the unique characteristics and constraints of each form.
Crafting engaging characters for existing IPs and weaving stories for them is a delicate art that requires more than instinct and creativity; it requires research.
More Action Movie tropes!
While they might seem worlds apart, TV shows and Video Games share a surprising number of similarities in how they're crafted, developed, and consumed.
The process of immersion is the key to staying engaged and focused while crafting authentic work that resonates.
Bruce Lee never said, "Words are spells. That's why they call it spelling.” But it’s a rad quote and got me thinking about the mystique that aligns scribblers with the wizarding world.
Scribblers seeking career longevity should consider expanding their skill sets to become "hyphenates." By taking on multiple roles, such as writer-director, writer-producer, or writer-director-producer, you will gain and maintain power in the creative process while tapping additional streams of reve
Crafting an action movie that captivates audiences involves harnessing the power of dynamic tropes.
What if achieving your professional dreams comes at too high a personal cost? That’s what screenwriter Patty Lin started to ask herself after years in the cutthroat TV industry.
The hero’s journey to scribbling success is fraught with rejection, criticism, and unpredictability. When you venture into the writing wasteland, it’s critical to tap that uniquely human trait: antifragility.
A tribe of fellow scribblers provides support, inspiration, and a sense of shared commitment.
You may have written the best script in Hollywood history, but without proper pro formatting, chances are it’s gonna buy you a one-way ticket on TL;DR airlines!
Successful scribblers have unique styles that may not strictly adhere to traditional rules and guidelines. However, some commonalities can be observed.
Regarding the structure of sentences, the various types, and how they can be used effectively.
Let's sharpen our scribbling skills and explore the four aspects that separate awesome dialogue from the not-so-awesome.
AI can be an incredibly powerful tool, but it's still a tool. The real power lies in the human capacity for deep work, creative thinking, and strategic decision-making, all complemented by AI.
Fictional histories and speculative fiction remind us that history, often viewed as concrete and unchanging, can be a rich tapestry of narratives waiting to be reimagined.
In his book “Deep Work,” author Cal Newport proposes theories and strategies critical for being productive scribblers.
A thrilling exploration of the extraordinary worlds of pulp fiction!
Are you ready to dive into the captivating world of heists, schemes, and thrilling adventures? A world that serves as the perfect playground for a team of enigmatic and highly skilled individuals, the Caper Crew.
Transitions are an essential element of every scribbler's toolbox, serving as a critical bridge between the scenes of your screenplay.
Two distinct formats that have emerged in the television landscape are procedural and serialized dramatic series. Understanding the differences between these approaches is crucial for writers seeking to create compelling narratives that engage viewers.
By crafting scene descriptions that are rich in detail, sensory imagery, and evocative language, scribblers can transport readers to a world of nightmares.
In a world dominated by technology and automation, perfection may seem inevitable. Yet there is a profound value in the imperfect, the fleeting, and the human. This is the essence of Wabi Sabi.
Anticipation is the thread that weaves tension and emotion into the story, while surprise is the electric jolt, roller-coaster drop, and unexpected detour that catapults the story into uncharted territory.
As technology advances, it is essential not to forget the storytelling power of Ma, a Japanese concept that emphasizes the importance of pause, interval, and emptiness in time and space.
The technology of filmmaking can aid us in achieving visual spectacles and streamlining certain processes, but it is our storytelling prowess that truly captivates and moves audiences.
When writing for animation versus live-action, there are key differences and factors to keep top of mind.
When screenwriters feel safe to express their ideas and perspectives, they are more likely to take risks, challenge conventions, and bring fresh perspectives to the storytelling process. This leads to the creation of diverse, authentic, and resonant narratives that captivate audiences.
Coined by acclaimed television writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Operational Theme serves as a guiding principle that fuels the narrative and creates long-lasting, engaging TV stories.
Whether it's the camaraderie of a D&D party or the collaboration of a team of television writers, the synergy of creative minds coming together can result in storytelling magic.
“Television is about creating characters driven by internal forces that, melded to the right situation, can fuel every action, every line, every scene, and every plot for hundreds of successful episodes.” Javier Grillo Marxuach
Whether it's a bomb ticking down, a looming deadline, or the time-sensitive quest of Commando Arnie to save his daughter from kidnappers, putting a clock on critical story elements can raise the stakes and drive your narrative.
When it comes to crafting a compelling television season, taking inspiration from the structure of a movie can be a game-changer.
The act of walking has been recognized as a catalyst for fresh ideas and renewed imagination.
By embracing innovation and daring to be different, you can create something that captures the imagination and leaves a lasting impact on your audience.
I used ElevenLabs to generate audiobook content for my novella Secret Demons. Posted the first three chapters to YouTube.
“Please adapt the following screenplay portion into the present tense narrative style of a novella. And please put the dialogue into the correct format of a novel.”
Lester Dent’s Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot is a formula for crafting a 6000-word pulp story that has worked for adventure, detective, western, and war-air genres.
The blank page can be intimidating, and it's easy to get stuck trying to come up with the perfect beginning, middle, and end. But there are certain scenes that are expected in almost every genre. By incorporating these scenes, you can create a solid foundation and get the ball rolling.
Let’s talk about the importance of identifying the emotions you want your audience to feel while watching your movie or show.
Is your main character active in the story? Do they have a specific skill set they are great at, and are they constantly screwed over by obstacles?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is a personality assessment tool that can help you develop complex, nuanced characters that jump off the page.
By imagining a playground that showcases your character's skills and talents, you can gain a deeper insight into their motivations and use that knowledge to create a more compelling story.
Forget “Amerstdam”’s approach, why hasn’t this amazing true story been turned into Oscar bait for Pitt, Clooney, Damon, or Affleck? It’s a timely true tale with a message that should appeal to both red and blue, “War is a Racket!”
The "5 Whys" technique is a problem-solving method that was developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota. This technique can help you dig deeper into your characters' motivations and the underlying themes of your story.
Dictation can be a valuable tool for screenwriters looking to add variety to their writing process. Here are some ways dictation can enhance the craft
Some reasons why giving your characters a boss can be a valuable addition to your writing toolbox.
In this TL;DR world, the quicker your script reads, the more likely that people will read it. These tips should help you clean up that messy first draft.
Are your characters visually memorable enough to stand out in a sea of cosplayers at San Diego Comic Convention? It’s a question worth considering for any writer looking to create characters that will capture the imaginations of audiences both on and off the page.
Michael Moorcock, a famous fantasy writer, once wrote an article detailing how he was able to write books quickly.
Compelling introductions for your characters is your chance to make a lasting impression on your audience and set the tone for the character's journey.
From providing emotional support to offering comic relief, sidekick characters can add depth, complexity, and a layer of human connection to your screenplay.
Whether you're writing a thriller, romance, or comedy, consider how these 17 beats could help you craft a story that keeps your audience on the edge of their seat.
You've written a killer pilot for your TV show, but what's next? Creating repeatable habits, procedures, and behaviors for your characters, of course!
Pitching a movie or a TV show can be a daunting task, but with preparation and understanding of the process, it can also be a rewarding experience.
For screenwriters looking to delve into the mystery genre, it's essential to understand the differences between two popular subgenres: cozy and hardboiled mysteries.
Every story needs a great antagonist, a character who challenges the protagonist and drives the conflict of the narrative. But not all villains are created equal.
Mystery Box storytelling is a term coined by JJ Abrams, the creator of hit TV shows like Lost and Alias. The technique is all about keeping the audience guessing and engaged.
Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted and earned yet surprising reversal, reveal, or twist to become a memorable moment that can go viral and infect the fan pop zeitgeist.
Crafting a logline or story paragraph is an essential step in developing a compelling screenplay. It can help focus your ideas, clarify your story's central conflict, and pitch to potential buyers or collaborators.
John Wick is a film that will be remembered for years to come as a shining example of how to craft not just an effective action flick but to launch a character-centric franchise.
Multiplatform Storytelling isn’t required when introducing a new IP to the world, but it can provide value. Not just for the audience, but the creative team exploring and expanding the fictional world they’re creating.
Crafting a compelling scene or sequence is not only about entertaining the audience but also about moving the story forward and revealing character traits.
The classic hero is a character who sacrifices personal happiness to pursue an unattainable goal that serves the greater good, while the anti-hero performs morally correct actions while acting primarily out of self-interest.
In early Hollywood, movies were typically composed of eight separate reels. Screenwriters soon discovered that these reels could be used to divide the narrative into eight distinct segments or sequences, each with its own purpose and arc.
Conflict is the lifeblood of storytelling; it's the engine that drives your story forward and keeps your audience engaged.
Understanding the importance and proper execution of scenes and sequels is crucial for crafting a compelling, well-paced narrative.
To create a compelling character backstory, you need to consider elements such as name, special skill, appearance, personality, background, Achilles heel, dramatic question, unique voice, and synecdoche.
The villain's goal can shape the hero's journey, pushing them onto a path they might never have taken otherwise. And, perhaps most importantly, there should be an emotional connection between the villain's goal and the hero—a connection that makes their struggle feel personal and visceral.
Understanding the point of view character in your story—and in each scene—is an essential part of crafting a compelling screenplay. By ensuring that your main character is active, talented, and constantly facing obstacles, you'll create a dynamic and engaging story that resonates with audiences.
You've got a compelling character and an intriguing situation—now it's time to create a unique condition that can generate a story. The condition is the result of your character and situation colliding, setting the stage for a dynamic and engaging narrative.
Michael Moorcock, the renowned fantasy writer, has some great advice on how to create mysteries for your story.
A collection of questions I use to brainstorm, build characters, shape story structure, or… just get unstuck and make the blank page un-blank.
My pals needed to shoot a scene for their reels. Wrote this.
'Gunfighters vs. Gangsters' is the true story of how early 20th-century Denver's gritty streets became a battleground for justice.
Questions I ask myself when I finish a project or to get unstuck.
The story has Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos on a secret mission behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. It’s in the early days of world war two, when Germany had just invaded the country.
Worksheet to facilitate the crafting of Scenes, Sequels, and Sequences, helping shape each unit with a strong point of view, escalating conflict, emotional clarity, and visual intention.
A relic of my Alias days, this worksheet reminds me of elements to consider when blueprinting an action or heist set piece for film, TV, or games.
Predator VR drops you into the explosive action of the 1980’s blockbuster movie in the ultimate VR showdown between an overpowering Alien hunter and an elite soldier. Multiplayer, Soldier Campaign and Predator Rampage modes.