The Screenwrightist

Some writers feel a novel should borrow characteristics from movies. These writers feel novels should concentrate on active, dramatic storytelling that evokes vivid images. In other words compete with the cinema in visual...

It can feel like the big guys in television writing have all the advantages. They get paid the big bucks, they can dedicate their life to their writing, and they're probably just plain better than us. Don't let this idea get you down because it's only part of the...

In writing stories we strive for it to have life-like qualities. It needs to feel real even though it's not. Stories cut out boring parts and focus our attention on what the writer feels is important. It doesn't communicate the full extent of everything at all...

You've heard the adage "write what you know". I do concede it's hard to write this way since the value in things that have become mundane is hard to see. Every writer is with him or herself all day long and may not be thrilled about the prospect of writing...

It helps to know why characters do things. What characters do is one thing, but an understanding of their reasons can help make sense of things. Unfortunately, writers of drama (cinema, tv, stage) can't deal with characters motivations as clearly...