Screenwriting

Hi, Lokakshith Roy. I usually turn an idea into a feature script, but if there's enough story for a TV series or limited series, I might turn it into one of those. And sometimes I'll write the feature script and put a note/page in my pitch material saying there's potential for the movie to be a TV series, limited series, video game, etc.

I include world-building that could then be expanded, aka the John Wick route. Thank you, Derek Kolstad.

You're right, Maria Caeiro. It's an important way to grow as a screenwiter and find out new and different points of view. It's like when getting feedback on an idea, script, etc.

"Believable" is really dependent on context. Take this speech by Stellan Skarsgard in Andor. On paper, I wouldn't call this natural dialogue because no one talks like this. He's asked, "And what do you sacrifice?"

"Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I’ve given up all chance at inner peace. I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion, I’m damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So, what do I sacrifice? Everything!"

On paper it's a mouthful. But on screen...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RCme2zZRY

Ask two actors to read your dialogue while you film them. Or if you don't want to direct, use AI to create the dialogue. Then ask others to listen. Study the faces of the listeners.

Here are some tips for dialogue: https://scriptrevolution.com/guide/better-dialogue

Vocal table reads aid dialogue. If live actors unavailable, zoom or even the read aloud button on writing software. Sometimes, after reads I substitute some dialogue for subtext. A scowl, or action etc says a million words. Dialogue is obviously not meant to be an “Info Dump” & may seem okay, with an eye scan. However the audible version, may not be as perfect, as was first perceived. Also, I always try to inject unique personality into words. If the names were hidden, we still know who’s speaking. Silence too is a powerful tool.

Writing good dialogue begins with listening.

Smash that EXPAND POST button!

Thank you very much for your time and for supporting everyone in their creative journey.

Hi, Pat Alexander. Thanks for being here to guide and help this community with your knowledge and time.

Hey, Pat Alexander! Hope you're doing well too and you had a great week! Thanks for the tips. I'm excited about the webcast on the 19th! I'll try and think of some questions before it starts.

Yan Ju Zeng Hi, I must admit to never suffering from writer’s block, but I just realise that there are times in my life when I don’t write. It just means that I’m not ready, or maybe that the idea I have isn’t yet ready to be born on the page.

Yan Ju Zeng, I like to take the writer`s block and put it on the floor. Then I walk around it a few times. I can then say I walked around the block. It is great exercise.

Hi, Yan Ju Zeng I usually stop and watch a film,. I believe that nothing happens without a purpose, so I'm sure that this way something interesting will come up to my mind.

I don't - if it doesn't come to me naturally, I don't force it. If I try too hard, I ultimately don't like it. I usually place myself within the scene and think about what's around me, what's just happened, which characters I'm with. I sort of 'embody' the character!

Hi, Yan Ju Zeng. I reread my outline, take a break from the project, push through and finish, or write random scenes.

Hi, Maurice Vaughan, Thank you, my friend. I go now to begin writing; let's see if my creativity is on fire. CONGRATULATIONS for achieving your Week 2 goal, and you are a "machine," hehehe. I am inspired by you. Are you ready for week 3?

You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia. Thanks. Yeah, I'm ready for Week 3. My goal is outline and write a short script. You got this!

good morning Sandra Isabel Correia I’m happy to be here on week two November challenge, I submitted a 10 page review more like 60 pages for a pilot series waiting on feedback also started working on a new project using my locations in Connecticut as a setting. Connecticut is beautiful at the moment am a solitary writer not because I want to but only because my inner circle are not into screenwriting, or giving feedback on my projects.I would love to collaborate be challenged and help bringing my story to life . In the meantime I submit wait for feedback from stage 32. That’s my November challenge from week 2 thank you stage 32.

Such great progress Sandra! You're blasting through that goal.

I, on the other hand, have found myself not so skeleton drafting. I'm going to attempt to correct that today by completing act 2 fully so I can whip out act 3 and squeak in by deadline tomorrow.

Marrow Creek is also proving more difficult than I anticipated. I'm wrestling with the mechanics of it, not even the story. But I'll get it.

Hi, Sandra Isabel Correia I sure you write those nine pages while you drink a cup of tea and eat a cookie:))) so, keep going and by the end of the month you'll have everything finished.

Hi, Jamil Akim O'Quinn. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! I’m new to screenwriting, coming from an accounting background. After several years, I finally realized that field was never the right path for me. So, I’ve committed to pursuing writing as a full-time career. It’s been extremely challenging without a close circle of support who understands first-hand what it’s like to start a career in this industry. I’m also neurodivergent, and that adds another layer. If you’re open to sharing, what advice would you offer to someone who’s new to the industry and navigating it with neurodivergence?

Jamil Akim O'Quinn Makes a lot of sense. I will take that to heart for sure. I do have a Double Recommend Pilot that also has 2 sets of Consider Coverage feedback. For that project specifically would you identify a preferrable approach?

Hi Jamil Akim O'Quinn ! Thank you for making time to share so much practical and inspiring insight. I love your Howard Thurman quote on your homepage. It speaks to a very defined energy and intent. Would you share who else or what else has been your inspiration or has likewise influenced your POV? cheers

Hey Sebastian,

Shonda Rhimes is a huge inspiration. MY great-grandmother Melissa Jetter is the biggest influence in making me own my story. She’s the one that taught me the importance of falling in love with the sound of my voice.

Hi Tiffany! My biggest advice is focus on building your craft. Writing and rewriting until your scripts are undeniable. Once you learn the process of what works for you, then Use that process to create undeniable work that you can submit to festivals like Austin Film Festival, things like this help gain traction. And find community with screenwriters even if it starts off virtual through IG, etc.

Congratulations, Finalists!

I’m incredibly honored that "The Viking Way" has been selected as a Finalist in Stage 32’s New Voices in Animation Screenwriting Contest. This story has been years in the making, born from my love of mythic storytelling, my Swedish ancestry, and my belief that animated adventures can carry enormous emotional truth. Below is a look at the project I’m so proud to share with this community!

"The Viking Way" is an animated family action-adventure with mythic roots and a modern heartbeat. It follows Jimmy Svensson, a 14-year-old hockey kid from Minnesota still reeling from the sudden loss of his father-- a local legend and the inventor of the “Svensson Slap-Shot.” A year after the tragedy, Jimmy is struggling at home, struggling on the ice, and struggling to understand who he’s supposed to become without the father he idolized.

Everything changes the day Jimmy’s younger brother Billy discovers a carved runestone their dad left behind-- a mysterious heirloom with three interlocking triangles known as “The Power of Three.” When an argument erupts between the brothers, Odin himself appears, declaring that the wearer of the runestone is destined for greatness. Billy accepts the call without hesitation… and is immediately pulled through a portal into the Viking Age. Terrified but determined, Jimmy dives in after him-- and lands alone in a brutal, beautiful mythic world torn apart by Gods, Druids, Vikings, and Giants.

Jimmy soon meets Norgaard, a rough-edged Viking blacksmith; Sven, his hot-headed teen son; and Nadian, a sharp-witted young Druid who quickly becomes Jimmy’s ally and guide. Together, this unlikely team must set aside generations of mistrust to rescue Billy, who has been captured by Galen, a monstrous Giant wielding the stolen Eye of Odin-- a weapon powerful enough to destroy both the Gods and the mortal world. Loki, the God of Trickery, plays both sides of the conflict as a half-bred God-Giant who only cares about ending up on the winning side. His slithering snake sidekick ShimSham provides gluttony as well as comedy as these epic forces veer catastrophically toward war that can destroy the past-- as well as the future.

As Jimmy journeys across frozen tundra, through lush underground Druid worlds, and over the treacherous mountains of Jotunheim, he learns that true strength isn’t found in muscle or magic-- it’s found in courage, strategy, focus, and heart. Along the way, Jimmy begins to understand that “The Viking Way” isn’t about fighting harder… it’s about fighting smarter, using our individual strengths and our indomitable character. It's about giving everything you have, for the people who matter.

The story builds to a sweeping, emotional climax where Jimmy discovers that Sven and Nadian are not just allies-- they are his and Billy’s distant ancestors, tied together through destiny. With this revelation, Jimmy understands the true weight of legacy: you don’t inherit it-- you forge it. And if Jimmy and Billy can't help save Sven and Nadian, the brothers too will perish.

At its core, The Viking Way is a story about brotherhood, grief, identity, and hope. It’s for families, for kids who feel lost, and for anyone who’s ever wondered if they were enough. While filled with spectacle-- Frost Soldiers, Fire Warriors, flying War Cats, Gods with thunderous tempers, and Giants with world-breaking power-- the emotional spine is deeply human.

Thank you, Stage 32, for celebrating new voices and championing original animated stories. I’m grateful to be a Finalist among such talented creators, and I hope The Viking Way will one day make its way to the screen where families everywhere can experience its heart, humor, and heroism. Again, I am honored.

Hey, Stefano Pavone. I say human. Maybe an AI assistant like Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S.

Coty Hampton thank you! I appreciate that. What are you working on at the moment?

Sandra Isabel Correia you're so right - and they do all that at a great, great cost to themselves. In fact, that's really what drew me to want to write this project - what drives them is fascinating and often humbling to reflect on. Look forward to reading your CIA story!!!! :) :)

One day, Sebastian Tudores :))

Sebastian Tudores Wish you luck in polishing your script!

Thank you much Antony Voronov ! Wishing you likewise a superbly productive November!