Screenwriting

I’ve realized recently that my writing journey has been completely chaotic in the best possible way. Nothing about it has been strategic or linear or “here are the exact steps to break into Hollywood.” My entire method has basically been: see an opportunity, say “screw it,” shoot my shot, then Google who I just talked to, have a minor heart attack, and keep going anyway. I call it “Chaos Is My Way,” and weirdly… it’s been working.

In the last three and a half months, I’ve gotten a Double Recommend and entered the Lookbook, taken meetings with execs I didn’t realize were that high-level until later, connected with a former Navy Commander who works for a CBS showrunner, gotten a call from a former Navy pilot who did PR for Top Gun: Maverick, had an actress from The Color Purple ask to read my feature, started consultations with execs who develop actual franchises, and accidentally built a tiny corner of TikTok where people somehow are interested in what I have to say. All of this happened while I’m stationed on a NATO base in Sicily.

It didn’t happen because I’m special, or because I knew the rules, or because I had the right connections. It happened because I took action before fear had time to talk me out of it. I said this in one of my videos, and it truly sums up my entire break-in so far: “Ignorance is bliss… until Google almost kills you.” But honestly, that ignorance kept me from getting intimidated. It let me be human, it let me be myself, and it let me try.

So here’s my unsolicited Stage 32 advice as someone who’s still very much climbing: don’t wait until you “feel ready,” don’t wait until you “know enough,” and don’t wait until everything is perfect. Move toward the thing you want the second it appears in front of you. If you shoot your shot and learn who you talked to later, well… same. Welcome to the Chaos Method. It’s messy, authentic, terrifying—and sometimes incredibly effective.

If anyone else has their own version of chaos they use to navigate this industry, I’d genuinely love to hear it. We’re all figuring it out as we go.

I had a great meeting yesterday with an exec from Zero Gravity, and was so grateful for Pat's blog for the November write club challenge, because it was all about preparing for meetings,pitches, and collaborations. So I basically had a checklist to do just that from Pat's blog. So in the future I am going to just reread it to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Thanks again Pat.

(Realized I posted this in the wrong forum lol)

Hey everybody. Just wanted to announce that I have a sci-fi crime procedural that I will be taking out with the amazing Whitney Davis (who I met through stage 32).

We are currently in the process of attaching a showrunner and will be taking the project out in the beginning of 2026.

We clicked and have so much in common. Other than being a major champion, she is a genuine human being and there is so much love and warmth that radiates from her.

I again would like to thank Stage32. I know I give them a hard time sometimes lol. But most, if not all, of my major successes have been because of their resources.

I got my first tv shopping agreement with their help, a producer on my current comedy feature that has two major stars attached in the lead roles is in the process of securing distribution, and now this crime procedural. .

Thank you again Stage32.

Forever grateful.

Hey, Stage 32 Community!

Join the free webcast here:

https://www.stage32.com/education/products/from-script-to-screen-how-projects-get-made-with-producer-ethan-erwin

We’re thrilled to welcome Ethan Erwin, a writer and producer whose films have earned over $1.5 billion worldwide. With more than fifteen years in the industry, Ethan has worked across major feature films, television, and digital projects, collaborating with some of the most influential creatives in Hollywood. His credits include: SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS, BOOK OF ELI, THE NICE GUYS, and so many more!

He has developed and produced projects with Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Bullock, Denzel Washington, Anthony Hopkins, Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Sean Penn, Hilary Swank, Guy Ritchie, George Clooney, Shane Black, and many others.

Today, Ethan serves as principal of his own company, Beryllium Entertainment, where he continues to develop film, TV, and digital content.

Leave your questions for Ethan below!

What do you want to know about:

• How projects move from idea to production

• How writers can position their scripts for success

• Collaborating with producers, directors, or A-list talent

• Navigating development in today’s industry

• Building a sustainable creative career

• Anything else about the path from script to screen

We’ll collect your questions and bring as many as possible to Ethan during the live Q&A.

Can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!

Hello creatives, hope you’re all doing well.

I have a question — when you develop your world this far, how do you decide whether it should be a movie or a limited TV series?

I’d really love to hear from you, as I’m still torn between formats for my own creation.

Hi all!,

Due to my strict financial situation I need to sell my feature film plot urgently. First of all, I want to learn that is it possible to sell a feature film plot without actual screenplay text. If that is possible, how can I sell my plot, in which channel or through which ways? My terrible financial situation pushed me on this way. I am always having notes and sketches of the feature film ideas in my mind. Whenever I find a chance to write them down actually, I am doing that. But while you are struggling with many ways of financial and social problems, it is a bit hard to continue on that way to be honest.

Well, I am a writer as well aside of my actual profession which is architecture and I have a published short story book in Turkey, which contains 12 short stories in mystery and horror genres. Each story passing in Istanbul, so they have local, cultural and social references, but they can convertible and adaptable to international feature projects. All of the stories translated to English as well.

I know that, this post may be a bit misdirected from the actual topics of the forum but I desperately need help to get out from this tight situation and there is nothing I have to sell but my ideas and imaginative products.

I hope this post find you well and you will interest to help me.

Thanks in advance and best regards to all.

Preparation and perseverance are two sides of the same coin. Toss that coin into the air, watch it flip, and the blur between those faces starts to look like one word: “undeniable.”

Being “undeniable on the page” isn’t just about structure and market fit—they matter—but being undeniable starts with rigorous, often brutal, emotional honesty at every level.

For example, I write fiction, sure—but the emotions cannot be fake. If a scene asks for heartbreak, I have to let it break me first. If a character forgives the unforgivable, I have to go find the place in myself where that actually hurts, not where it would make for a clever monologue.

Honesty demands sacrifice:

- It means opening yourself up farther than is comfortable.

- It means admitting where you’ve been lazy, small, petty, afraid, or cruel.

- It means refusing to sand off the jagged edges of the story just to make it an easier pitch.

Should you care if your work will be commercially viable? You better care—you better also believe it yourself. Part of that care and belief is expressed through the relentless pursuit of producing a work that is undeniable, knowing that “undeniable” can lead to “inevitable”—and if you really nail it—“necessary.”

On the perseverance side, I don’t just “hang in there.” I dig in. I don’t “move on” until the universe forces me to. While I wait for meetings or replies, I’m deepening the gravity of the world I built:

- Refining the script again.

- Expanding the lore.

- Building out concept art and visual language.

- Sketching transmedia possibilities so the story can live in more than one dimension.

I’m not trying to be a multi-hyphenate. I’m a World Builder—and not just a “cool concept” builder. I want the worlds I craft to be structurally, philosophically, and creatively mesmerizing. I want an exec to feel like they are stepping into a living mythology—because they are.

Make a covenant with your work and yourself:

- Prepare — Do the spiritual surgery required to make the work undeniable.

- Persevere — Refuse to treat “waiting” as dead time, and use it to build the kingdom until the gates finally open.

How about you all? How do you keep telling the truth on the page—and keep building when the industry moves slower than your heart does?

Hey all,

I'm going over some of the scripts I've written over the years and just realized that I couldn't have done any of it without a good screenwriting software program.

This year, I also used it to write manuscripts for my novels.

Early on, I developed habits that centered around using software so I didn't get caught adjusting the margins. The investment paid off.

Question: Who out there uses screenwriting software and which one do you use?

I really don't have to persevere per say, my whole life has been overcoming some kind of trauma, tragedy, or abuse, so I already have pretty tough skin. I learned a long time ago to never take anything personal and that there is no such thing as negative feedback even if it's meant to be lol, that doesn't mean I can't find something positive in it no matter what intent the person who gave it. And that is basically how I approach everything! The only real control we have over anything is how we react and respond, I choose to turn it into something positive always. Now granted there are times when it's real work to find the positive or that silver lining, but it's there you just have to look for it and want to find it!