Screenplay: How Much Money Can You Make Selling One?
In this edition of screenplay: how much money can you make? -- so I can know how much to spend on limited-edition Japanese battle mech action figures; or maybe it's just me -- we're gonna break down the REAL nuts-and-bolts of getting paid for a...
How to Practice Screenwriting Without…You Know…Writing a Script
At a seminar recently one attendee asked me if I could recommend how to practice screenwriting...you know...without actually writing a screenplay. Every Blake Snyder-infused, William Goldman-inspired cell in my eviscerate this screenwriting acolyte...
5 Things Every Screenwriter Can Learn From the Director of the Star Trek Pilot
A pilot sets the tone of a television show. And no director was better at setting the tone, and establishing a clear foundation for future episodes, than Robert Butler, the director of The Cage, the pilot episode of Star Trek. Far from a one-trick...
Are Screenwriting Contests Worth Entering for Newbies?
Are screenwriting contests worth entering for newbies? It's a question I get quite often. Probably because new(ish) screenwriters don't (usually) have vast reserves of money -- unless their name ends in Reitman -- and they're not sure that $25 here...
5 Best Screenwriting Classes in NYC Worth Taking
As they say, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere...with a five-script deal and an office on the studio lot." And while taking one of the many screenwriting classes in NYC isn't a guarantee that you'll jump-start your professional...
5 Best Screenwriting Books You’ve Never Read (But Probably Should)
We all know the usual suspects when it comes to screenwriting books. Every would-be professional screenwriter has a crowded bookshelf littered with the likes of Robert McKee's Story, Blake Snyder's Save the Cat, Linda Seger's Making a Good Script...