Screenwriting

I will probably sound chicken on this but I hate to post it - it's not my vision - it's what Claude pulled out of what I have written - but he doesn't follow my own internal dialogue as I see the characters. He's leaviung out details I see as important. His dialogue does not confront with the same voice I hear in my head from the characters - so I am really reticent to post it. As to being a document formatter - Claude does a nice job, but I'd rather not post it publicly. If this platform was a safe place to do so I would.

!00% Couldn't agree more. AI cannot express human childhood trauma quite like a screenwriter can...

TOM SCHAEFER Interestingly enough, I had almost the opposite experience.

When I gave AI very strict, specific instructions about sentence structure, formatting, and narrative flow, the results actually broke down. One attempt returned a blank PDF with only the series title on the cover. Another condensed a 2,500+ word saga (nine chapters at the time) into roughly 500 words, stripping out the nuance and intent entirely.

For me, that reinforced that AI can be useful for structure, brainstorming, or certain technical applications — but when it comes to long-form storytelling, voice and pacing still require a human hand.

The same applied visually. I found it easier to rough-sketch my ideas myself — despite having no formal art background — than to wrestle AI image generation into something that actually matched what I was seeing in my head.

That said, I completely agree on the coding side. AI-assisted development is genuinely impressive when used correctly, especially with clear constraints and focused prompts. Like any tool, its effectiveness depends on where and how it’s applied.

Yeah it's a mixed bag. Miracles and grief all at the same time.

i see this sooo often here when users post fragments of their scripts which make me want to tear my eyes out. No way any buyer with even more finely-tuned AI BS radar than me would ever read past the first page. as an experiment i ran a short story of mine through AI with clear instructions just to turn it into a screenplay without changing anything. GPT couldn’t help itself. huge chick’ chunks gouged out, leaving only its nauseating staccato lines trying but failing to channel Hemingway—awful, just dreck… and the screenplay formatting wasn’t even correct or consistent (you had one fvckin job, Chat)

Jim Boston Thank you, Jim! Amazing success and triumph for you as well.

Salisu Abdullahi You're very welcome! Thank you for sharing, and furthering the inspiration : ) Absolutely, every failure, is actually, a speck of gold waiting for you to turn it into your next best moment. And such a cool story and concept, Sci-Fi Action/Thriller, and for sure, it can be so easy to just stay in the "by rote" pitch in something so technical and with so many moving parts.

You're so very welcome, Juliana!

Hi Juliana,

Thank you so much for sharing your story! It really resonated with me. Sometimes, we push ourselves to do something we feel ready for and confident about, but things don’t go as planned. We feel disappointed, even fragile. But later, when we continue with patience and belief in our work, that’s when something wonderful happens. Your story is such a great reminder of this—every setback can become a stepping stone toward success.

Wishing you even more inspiration and achievements ahead!

Best,

Sara

Sara Ghadersahi Wow, thank you : ) Very true, every, absolutely every "set back", is literally our consciousness stepping back, before a leap. Same to you, inspiration and success ahead!

Hey I remember floppies Banafsheh Esmailzadeh LOL! #ShallWePlayAgame?

I remember a creative writing professor said that truly soulish works travels through your hands and onto paper. I think she was on to something.

I've gotten book reviews like that Maria Restivo Glassner so I know what you mean. I'm not above listening to criticism. But when you know they haven't bought your book, left no reviews on anything else and are truly ugly, it's not worth any focus. Coverage is a whole different animal that I actually love - especially when it elevates the script. There are one or two execs that I love going to for that because the script turns out so much better. But you're right, it's important to partner with people that will really "see" you and champion that.

You're very kind Salisu Abdullahi. What has always helped me in the mid-story sag is the logline and outline. If it doesn't adhere to a properly constructed logline, I throw it out. All the best to you with your feature!

The amazing responses on this threat gave me the courage to submit my first 10 pages. While I still feel like throwing up, I'm glad I took the leap.

I’m glad you submitted David Linski and really happy for you. It’s going to be fine my friend. Just take what fits and let go of the rest. Notes are not a measure of you as a whole.

Hey Dolf, I was a federal investigator for over a decade in Chicago. There are a number of high-end municipalities nearby Chicago like Naperville and Arlington Heights. Here are a few culture areas: Little Villege (Mexican), Humboldt Park ( Puerto Rican), Little Italy, Ukrainian Village, Chinatown, West Ridge (Indian), etc…. A highly enriched multi-cultural urban city.

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Hey Dolf, I'm a screenwriter who lives in Chicago. Hit me up with specifics if you like, or I can read your polished draft if you want.

Dolf Van Stijgeren, its an interesting story you have! One of the things you' will have to consider is the use of props.

Eon C. Rambally

Did you say 'story'? Maybe I should have given a little hint sooner. ;-)

LOGLINE


A cleaner wearing a headscarf is underestimated by her corrupt London boss, allowing her to uncover the location of a hidden £12 million watch haul. Driven by curiosity and financial strain, she secures the loot and must stay ahead of both hardened criminals and the police.

THE GENESIS OF THIS PROJECT


When I drastically changed my lifestyle, something happened that unleashed the power of my imagination: I’ve been swept up by my own creativity and started writing.

Time Penalty originated from my fascination with underestimated individuals who possess hidden talents — and those who pretend to be more than they are. My story investigates the dynamic between them and how they inadvertently create their own downfalls. Tension escalates as power dynamics shift. Greed and the resulting gradual loss of innocence form the core of my narrative.


Dolf Van Stijgeren, excellent poster and extraordinary storyline! We need more writers to support and intensify those narratives. They are not just stories, but also have an air of mystery attached.!

My two short films with relevant themes (one recently finished the trailer) got some excellent feedbacks from festivals. You can pick up an extension from those narratives, with world building and evolved storyline, into mysterious occurrences (See bio)

Send a DM at your convenience. There’s lots of themes to connect for the future !

Thanks, Erik Diaz. Great. Let's stay in touch on here. I bookmarked your profile. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make next!

Hey Eric, cool, how long did it take to make your short film?

The short film took about a week to complete.

Jackpot Love — around three weeks, roughly one week per episode.

And the Alpha series (8 episodes) was done in just 30 hours non-stop!

I had only 45 minutes to finish the last episode, so you can definitely notice the backgrounds, sounds and dialogues aren’t as polished.

Asked for an add.

https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/When-Surrealism-Beats-Craft...

Awesome! Congratulations!

It's just so wonderful to see my name on this list'

Love this. Hard work pays off. Can't wait to hear about the follow up meetings and the success stories that are going to come out of this!

Congratulations!

Congratulations~

I'm 56 and 9 days old :)

55

56

two more old friends request sent and two old friends already met

by the way has any of you submitted any script for the annual greylist competitions?

if yes what do you know of it and its record of successes for the Stage 32 community?

by the way any S32 moderators over 50–hahaha time to say it out loud!

Just a viewer thought (not a pro note): I kept picturing a hint of vibrant purple somewhere in the design. It might add contrast and help her stand out even more. Lovely piece.

Amanda Toney Thank you, Amanda!

The protagonist is a young creative woman navigating the Paris fashion world while struggling to define her identity and voice in an industry that demands conformity. The stakes are deeply personal — choosing between success at any cost or staying true to her vision and values.

I’m currently developing this further and would love to share more as it evolves.

Matthew Wach Thank you! I appreciate your kind words and your creative suggestion — purple could indeed bring a beautiful contrast.

Maurice Vaughan Thank you so much for the warm welcome and for sharing these helpful resources. I truly appreciate your kind words about my film concept — it means a lot to hear that it feels original. I’m excited to be part of the Stage 32 community and to continue developing my project and connecting with creatives from around the world.

You're welcome, Rania Araibi. Keep us posted on your script in the Your Stage Lounge (www.stage32.com/lounge/promotion).

Stage 32 has script feedback services (www.stage32.com/scriptservices).

And you could post your script on your profile when it's ready. Producers search profiles for projects. That and networking are how I sold four short scripts to a producer. Click the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner and select “Edit profile” in the drop-down menu. Scroll down to “Loglines” and click “Add/edit loglines” to the right of “Loglines.” You can also post your script on your profile this way: www.stage32.com/loglines (near the top where it says “Add a Logline”)

I like those lines, Roberto Micheletti! This is a great idea! Coming up with dialogue and asking why it resonates deeper.

Here's a line from one of my scripts that hits a universal wound: "But you can change, right? People change."

Wound: My protagonist never asks for help/accepts help.

Why it hits: Some people think they can't change, but they can.

Appreciate that Maurice Vaughan i think universal wounds are what connects us as storytellers. if a line touches the spirit, it stays long after the credits and yes that's true change becomes possible the moment someone believes a different story about themselves. the inner narrative shift first - the behaviour follows second.

I agree, Roberto Micheletti. Thanks for the idea. I'll keep it in mind when I outline and write scripts.

I don’t see anyone competing with YouTube right now, Geoffroy Faugerolas. Maybe in the future.

Wow Geoffroy Faugerolas. I wonder what that means for creators. In light of this, I'm a little surprised they haven't put in a bid for WBD.

This is such a powerful question, thank you for asking it. My why is simple in source but deep in practice: I love stories as the ultimate act of human connection. I write to create that moment of shared understanding!

I started writing while I was at a new job and in the first 2 weeks, they had nothing for me or the interns to do. One intern assigned to me begged me to give her something to do, like edit a document. I told her I could write a story and she edit it. Well, when the 2 weeks was up and they finally started to give me work to do, we both got depressed, but I continued the story. This was a novel by the way.

Eventually I would share the chapters and then a filmmaker friend of mine who read some of it asked if I have ever considered script writing. Didn't know much about script writing at the time but I told him if he showed me how, I would give it ago. Well from there I was hooked. Something about the format and the fact that you can see your story come to life on screen was just pure joy for me.

It was a very therapeutic way of getting the images and characters in your head, out and give them life.

I'd like to put and turn real life moments that I 've experienced or someone else did into a story and make them live again through a script,so they can be visible for the people. That's why I chose to write.

I've never really thought of myself as a Screenwriter. I'm just someone who enjoys writing generally can write for days without tiring.

But one night changed everything. I had this incredibly vivid dream, like a full movie playing in my head, with me directing every scene. I woke up at 3 AM, grabbed my phone in the bathroom, and frantically typed out everything I saw: characters, plot twists, dialogue, the works. By morning, I had the bones of a feature script. I knew right then that this is what I'm meant to do, at least in some capacity.

That dream became my first completed screenplay (with a sequel already written). Since then, I've finished two TV scripts and have another in development. The ideas just keep coming. It's like a tap I can't turn off.

I'm still learning every day (huge thanks to Stage 32 and this amazing community for the guidance and support). What about you. What moment made you realize you were meant to write scripts?

I enjoy writing.