Screenwriting

In August I posted that an Australian production company asked for more details after I tried to sell my script to them. They are back, asking for still more details.

Those of you who like myself want to sell by sending a query letter, I hope you understand that you will have to answer similar quest...

Expand post

In August I posted that an Australian production company asked for more details after I tried to sell my script to them. They are back, asking for still more details.

Those of you who like myself want to sell by sending a query letter, I hope you understand that you will have to answer similar questions.

The production company want me to improve upon my logline and synopsis.

Old logline :

A female CIA operative with a doppelganger in another galaxy tries to flee there because of her abusive boss, but finds a way to confront him and can stay.

Their comments :

"A good Logline *sells the reader on your project and gives the reader a quick overview of the *Who, *What, and *Where of the story.

Aim to capture the attention and interest of the reader in 2-3 sentences.

We recommend that you to elaborate on the exact location that you’re referring to in the logline (“flee there”)."

So feel free to improve upon my suggestion to a new logline :

"Due to her abusive boss, a female CIA special agent tries to flee to a planet where she has a doppelganger. But the boss is a liar, so she realizes that she can't leave our planet. Instead she must find the strength to confront her boss."

And then the synopsis. Old synopsis :

Pauline, a CIA operative, is haunted by the loss of her baby and manipulated by her uncle and boss, Gunpowder, who demands she assassinate a powerful figure to prove her loyalty. Reluctant to comply, Pauline's grief leaves her feeling indifferent about her own well-being.

Pauline becomes an unwitting witness when scientist Albert accidentally teleports his financier Marlene to the Andromeda Galaxy. Marlene returns after encountering her doppelganger. Bertha, a professor and part-time CIA spy, seeks the teleportation device to exact revenge on Albert, who accuses her of cheating. To appease her boss, Pauline assists Bertha.

Pauline learns that in the Andromeda Galaxy, her alternate self was imprisoned for murder. Trapped by Gunpowder’s lies and emotional abuse, Pauline, desperate to avoid the kill order, teams up with Bertha. They try to coerce Albert and Marlene to help them flee to the Andromeda Galaxy, only to find Marlene prepared to fight back. In the aftermath Pauline finds the strength to confront and expose Gunpowder. With the fall of Gunpowder and Bertha, Pauline begins to heal from the loss of her baby.

Their comments :

Your synopsis should set up the *Who, *What, *Where, and *How, touching on every beat of the story (without necessarily giving everything away).

Think of the *Synopsis as an extended version of the *Logline.

Your synopsis is informative, but could require more explanation on how the occurrences coincide.

Expand upon the characters of the story. All stories are about people, and we therefore need to know *WHO this story is about.

How do the characters that you mentioned impact the narrative? What are their roles?

What is Pauline’s motive for fleeing to the Andromeda Galaxy?

And here is my suggestion for a new synopsis, which you should feel free to improve upon

The story illustrates that we have relations both with those we meet and those we can't meet.

Our main character Pauline, a CIA operative, is haunted by the loss of her baby and manipulated by her uncle and boss, Gunpowder. He demands her to assassinate a powerful figure to prove her loyalty. Reluctant to comply, Pauline's grief leaves her feeling indifferent about her own well-being.

Pauline becomes an unwitting witness when scientist Albert feeds a mathematical formula into a scientific instrument, which accidentally teleports his financier Marlene to the Andromeda Galaxy. Marlene returns after encountering her doppelganger. Bertha, a professor and part-time CIA spy, seeks the scientific instrument to exact revenge on Albert, who accuses her of cheating. To appease her boss, Pauline assists Bertha.

Gunpowder fools Pauline to believe that her dead baby has a doppelganger at an orphanage in the Andromeda Galaxy. While Bertha falls in love with a man in the Andromeda Galaxy, by using Albert's scientific instrument. Trapped by Gunpowder’s lies and emotional abuse, Pauline, desperate to avoid the kill order, teams up with Bertha. They try to coerce Albert and Marlene to teleport them to the Andromeda Galaxy, only to find Marlene prepared to fight back. In the aftermath Pauline finds the strength to confront and expose Gunpowder. With the fall of Gunpowder and Bertha, Pauline shows that she can heal from the loss of her baby.

I'm not usually a fan of looking back. I don't live there anymore. But this year, I don't mind it so much. As I take a glance back, I just have one feeling.

Gratitude.

I've won a lot this year and have a lot to be grateful for.

My renewed writing spark. Several completed drafts on 6 different projec...

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I'm not usually a fan of looking back. I don't live there anymore. But this year, I don't mind it so much. As I take a glance back, I just have one feeling.

Gratitude.

I've won a lot this year and have a lot to be grateful for.

My renewed writing spark. Several completed drafts on 6 different projects. One halfway completed draft. A lot of polishing, editing, and outlining. Chapters on the novel. Bibles created.

Not all of it was pretty. The breakthrough of my writer's block was gosh dang awful, okay? I didn't sleep for weeks. I argued with my spouse. I just wrote like some possessed thing, churning out 13 years of compressed ideas into bible after sloppy story bible. Snippets. Random bits of dialogue. Scenes. Chapters. Acts. My laptop went to bed with me. If it died, I worked on my phone. I didn't shower as much as normal. I didn't eat.

I was still working my way out of that insane energy when I came across Stage 32. Another massive win for my year. For some reason, it helped me focus that raw energy. Just reading the blog and being here, in this space. I felt... Direction.

I'm still figuring it all out. But it's been a wildly creative ride since August.

Looking forward to creating for ALL of 2026 with every single one of you here.

Looking ahead: you may have heard me talk about we aren't ending a year, we are moving into our futures. How it's a cycle of renewal.

Well, for me that looks like me spending less time drafting like a demon and more time actively learning about other aspects of filmmaking. I don't know where, exactly, that might lead but I'm excited to explore those prospects and figure out where all, exactly, my creative interests lie.

It also means spending my time here more intentionally. Learning from the incredible minds here. Growing my network, yes, but also helping where I can. I want to read more of y'all's work. Build on the wins from this year in the next one.

Renewed energy. Forward motion. The cycle continues. On we go. Yee haw. Whatever.

Bring it on, 2026!

What's your sights set on for this next year? What goals are you setting? It's time to get started.

View all All comments

Maurice Vaughan

1
1 person likes this
- Warren Edward Foster
5 hours ago

Happy New Year, Warren Edward Foster! What genre is your short script going to be?

1
1 person likes this
- Darshan Jaju
5 hours ago

Happy New Year, Darshan Jaju! It's great to rewrite old scripts with the new knowledge we have. I'm thinking about rewriting a really old script. I think it's the first or second script I ever wrote....

Expand comment

5 hours ago

Hey, Billy Kwack. Cool. Looking forward to hearing more about your short stories!

1
1 person likes this
- John Fife
5 hours ago

Happy New Year, John Fife! Hope you're doing great and you reach your goals this year!

Marie Hatten

36 minutes ago

Hey Maurice Vaughan I want to write my feature, submit it for feedback and write a written pitch. It will all be new for me. I need that fire horse energy Rose Dupuis !...

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Michael Dzurak
3 hours ago

Juliana you always write with such heart, you are endlessly supportive. Thank you. I have started a meditation challenge on Insight Timer and todays was all about this very topic. Thanks largely to th...

2
2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Meriem Bouziani
15 hours ago

Hey, Michael Dzurak. Happy New Year! Thanks. Congratulations on redoing your beat sheet and finishing the rewrite! Rooting for you to reach your goal!

Meriem Bouziani

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2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Maurice Vaughan
12 hours ago

Thank you very much Maurice Vaughan

2
2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Meriem Bouziani
12 hours ago

You're welcome, Meriem Bouziani.

Marina Albert

Thanks Maurice Vaughan - and the same to you. I hope 2026 is super successful for you.

3 hours ago

You're welcome, Marina Albert. Thank you.

Steve Dini

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2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Maurice Vaughan
14 hours ago

Maurice, correct me if I'm off base, but after reading the template you sent, here's how I would summarixe a solid logline - inciting incident, protagonist, struggle, achieve goal. Does that sound right? Goran, perhaps revisit your logline with that in mind. Happy New Year!

1
1 person likes this
- Michael Dzurak
14 hours ago

Yeah, Steve Dini. You can combine the struggle and goal though. And add the stakes.

Copy that...agreed

Göran Johansson

Sure, I will look at it again. More comments?

Hey Göran Johansson thank you, the production company is in my home town. Did you use their template to pitch them? I agree with David Taylor that they are obviously interested in your concept and wan...

2
2 people like this
- Marie Hatten
- Matthew Gross
5 hours ago

Thanks for reporting the account and warning everyone, Matthew Gross!

1
1 person likes this
- Matthew Gross
5 hours ago

Do you mean register with the U.S. Copyright Office/the Copyright Office in another country, Samuel McKenna?

John Fife

2
2 people like this
- Matthew Gross
- Maurice Vaughan
5 hours ago

Thanks for the heads up. It's crazy how far scammers take it..

Matthew Gross

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3 people like this
4 hours ago

John Fife The scammer made the mistake of pretending to be an actor from an IFC sci-fi film I just happen to love. When I checked the actors IMDB page, it showed he has produced and directed short fil...

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Matthew Gross
4 hours ago

At least you took care of it and contacted the actor's manager. More than most would do.

Richard Hohenrath

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
22 hours ago

Happy New Year!

16 hours ago

Happy New Year, Tania Ocasio! Hope you have an incredible year full of opportunities and success!

Suzanne Bronson

6 hours ago

Hey Tania, this is Suzanne from the Stage 32 team. I just wanted to let you know I moved your post from Acting to Screenwriting, as it fits much better there. Let me know if you have any questions, and all the best to you!

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
10 hours ago

Good idea.

Michael David

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2 people like this
- Meriem Bouziani
- Maurice Vaughan
10 hours ago

Just wanted to say, this is the greatest photo ever!

1
1 person likes this
- Meriem Bouziani
10 hours ago

Thanks, Meriem Bouziani.

I got the photo from Canva.com, Michael David.

Vladimir Romantsev

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
7 hours ago

An evil witch from another world placed an enchanted stone containing dark entities inside a snowman. The snowman became cursed. Whenever a child touched the snowman, the stone would steal the child's...

1
1 person likes this
- Billy Kwack
14 hours ago

You're welcome, Billy Kwack. Thanks.

Abram Christian

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1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
13 hours ago

To be better in the craft.

1
1 person likes this
- Abram Christian
11 hours ago

Great goal, Abram Christian! Have you watched the webinars on here? They helped me get better at writing and pitching.

Maurice Vaughan I’ve attempted to, but for some reason, I am unable to get in such as the recent one I believe ran on Monday.

9 hours ago

I'm having the same problem when I try to rewatch the Community Open House, Abram Christian. I'll message Support about it.

I suggest checking out the screenwriting webinars and pitching webinars.

www.s...

Elise Salomon

3
3 people like this
3 weeks ago

Congratulations to all the Quarterfinalists! What a great way to start the holiday, thank you so much Stage32!

Liz Buda

4
4 people like this
3 weeks ago

Congrats fellow Quarterfinalists! Happy that Traumaticus made it to this round.

Tom Connolly

5
5 people like this
3 weeks ago

Congratulations fellow Quarterfinalists! My script Don't Let Him In is an erotic horror/thriller set over the course of one night. The location is locked and we are currently seeking financing!

Loglin...

Congratulations to all the quarter finalists! Good luck to everyone.

Craig Delahoy

Today's the day the semi-finalists are announced! (Well, maybe tomorrow; the announcement about the quarter-finalists was about a day late.) Fingers crossed everyone!!

Stefano Pavone

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5 people like this
1 day ago

That I wasted too much time on trying to write an epic story, my own trilogy, my own saga, that I lost sight of why I was so attracted to writing in the first place. The best advice I can give for peo...

Michael Dzurak

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6 people like this
1 day ago

"What did 2025 teach you as a writer?"

Beat Sheet formatting should be as meticulous as Script formatting.

Sandra Isabel Correia

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3 people like this
10 hours ago

That’s the way Marie Hatten. Being more active, sharing your voice, being yourself :)) Happy 2026. Thank you.

Stefano Pavone, thank you for sharing this so openly. It takes real clarity to recognize when the pressure to create something “epic” pulls us away from the joy that brought us to writing in the first...

Michael Dzurak, that’s such a great takeaway. The beat sheet really is the spine of the story, and giving it the same care and precision as the script itself makes everything downstream so much strong...

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2 people like this
- Elle Bolan
- Meriem Bouziani
1 day ago

You're welcome, Elle Bolan. Thanks. I'll hopefully be done with the short script this week. It might turn into a feature script though.

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3 people like this
20 hours ago

Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished so far.

I believe 2026 will bring you even greater rewards.

Me too. This is the first year I’ve ever looked back on and felt tears come to my eyes—I wan...

Elle Bolan

3
3 people like this
15 hours ago

@Marie I dunno what the heck it was, but I know I never want it to happen again. Not like that. I'll take my next order of creative surge without the added crazy haha. It was nuts!

Good luck on comple...

Meriem Bouziani that's okay! We get to ask more of 2026. I'm not greedy, I just want it all ha! I'm so excited to see what this next year brings you. May it bless you beyond measure my friend!...

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
12 hours ago

Yes, we want it all at once, haha.

2026 is on fire with us Elle Bolan

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