top of page
"WRITE THE KIND OF FILM
YOU'D STAND IN LINE IN THE RAIN TO SEE."
- Robert McKee
"THE SECRET TO SCREENWRITING IS SHORT SENTENCES, SMALL WORDS, AND BIG PICTURES."
- William Kelley
“A BAD SCRIPT WRITTEN IS STILL BETTER THAN AN AMAZING ONE THAT ISN'T.”
- Jon Boyer
“WHENEVER WRITING SEEMS HARD, REMIND YOURSELF THAT IT'S WHEN IT SEEMS EASY THAT YOU HAVE A REAL PROBLEM.”
- Garry Whitta
"BAD EXPOSITION IS LIKE BAD LIGHTING.
IT EXPOSES MORE THAN IT ILLUMINATES.”
- Josh Friedman
"THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF A SCREENPLAY CAN TELL IF YOU CAN WRITE.
THE FIRST 5 PAGES CAN TELL IF YOU HAVE A VOICE."
- Scott Frank
“ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS ABOUT WRITING YOUR FIRST SCREENPLAY IS THAT YOU ACTUALLY FINISHED A SCREENPLAY.
IT’S A VERY IMPORTANT MILESTONE JUST TO HAVE DONE THAT — EVEN IF IT SUCKS.”
- Charlie Kaufman
"EVERY TIME I START TO WRITE A NEW SCRIPT, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO WRITE. IT NEVER GETS EASIER.
- Rochee Jeffrey
"THINK OF IT THIS WAY:
YOU’RE NOT WRITING A SCRIPT.
YOU’RE WRITING A MOVIE."
- Scott Myers
“SOMEBODY GETS INTO TROUBLE, THEN GETS OUT OF IT AGAIN. PEOPLE LOVE THAT STORY. THEY NEVER GET TIRED OF IT.”
- Kurt Vonnegut
"IT NEVER NEEDS TO BE PERFECT,
IT JUST NEEDS TO BE THERE.
STORIES EVOLVE.
- Stellar Scripts
"STAY AFRAID, BUT DO IT ANYWAY.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THE ACTION.
JUST DO IT AND THE CONFIDENCE WILL FOLLOW."
- Carrie Fisher
"WRITING A SCRIPT IS DAUNTING.
WRITING A PAGE IS DOABLE.
ONE DAY AT A TIME, FOLKS.
Anna Klassen
"LOW-BUDGET WRITING TIPS:
AVOID PERIOD PIECES, EXPENSIVE COSTUMES, TONS OF LOCATIONS, LOTS OF EXTRAS, EXPLOSIONS, KID ACTORS."
- Jeanne Veillette Bowerman
"PLOT ANSWERS THE QUESTION:
WHAT IS THE STORY ABOUT?
THEME ANSWERS THE QUESTION:
WHAT DOES THE STORY MEAN?
- Scott Myers
“CHARACTERS ARE STORY.
AND HOW 2 PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT EACH OTHER IS PLOT, EVEN IF THEY DON’T HAVE A SWORD FIGHT.”
- Sam Sykes
“MANY WRITERS CONFUSE COMPLEX PLOTTING WITH GOOD STORYTELLING.
DRAMA LIES IN WHAT WE *FEEL*, NOT IN INCIDENTS AND MECHANICS.”
- Mike Sweeney
"WRITING IS HARD, COAL MINING IS HARDER. DO YOU THINK MINERS STAND AROUND TALKING ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS?
THEY SIMPLY DIG."
- Cheryl Strayed
"PUT YOUR PROTAGONIST THROUGH HELL. MAKE IT HURT, THEN TWIST YOUR PEN IN DEEPER.
NO PAIN, NO (SATISFYING ARC FOR YOUR AUDIENCE) GAIN.
- Anna Klassen
"AUDIENCES GO TO MOVIES TO FEEL.
WHEN THE MOVIE BECOMES TOO MECHANICAL INSTEAD OF ORGANIC, AUDIENCES DETACH FROM THE FILM."
- Simon Kinberg
"WRITE EVERY DAY.
REGAINING MOMENTUM TAKES THREE TIMES AS MUCH ENERGY AS SUSTAINING MOMENTUM."
- DANIEL H. PINK
"MAKE YOUR SCRIPT FUN TO READ. MAKE IT A PAGE TURNER."
- Bill Holderman
"WRITING IS NOT FOR SPRINTERS, BUT LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS. A QUALITY STORY TAKES 6 MONTHS, A YEAR OR MORE."
- Robert McKee
“YOU CAN’T THINK YOURSELF OUT OF A WRITER’S BLOCK; YOU HAVE TO WRITE YOURSELF OUT OF A THINKING BLOCK.”
- John Rogers
"DON'T RUIN YOUR SUBTEXT BY EXPOSING ITS MEANING. LET THE AUDIENCE GET IT FROM THE CONTEXT.
- Stellar Scripts
“WRITE YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE THAT YOU HAVEN’T SEEN. DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHETHER IT’S GOING TO GET MADE.
WRITE SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF.”
- Jordan Peele
"YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE COINCIDENCE PER SCRIPT.
OTHERWISE YOUR STORY FEELS LIKE TOO MUCH WRITER’S CONVENIENCE".
- Anonymous
"ZERO IN ON THE KEY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EACH CHARACTER AND YOUR PROTAGONIST. THOSE ARE LIKELY YOUR STORY’S MAJOR SUBPLOTS."
- Scott Myers
"CHARACTERS SHOULD NEVER ENTER.
THEY SHOULD STORM IN, THEY SHOULD SKULK IN, THEY SHOULD TREMBLE IN. CREATE VISUAL PICTURES."
- Larry Ferguson
"WHAT IS EASY TO READ HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO WRITE."
- G.M. Trevelyan
"REWRITING AND REVISING A SCRIPT
ARE NOT THE SAME THING.
REWRITING IS SURGERY.
REVISING IS CLEANUP."
- Monica Beletsky
"SCREENWRITING IS LIKE IRONING.
YOU MOVE FORWARD A LITTLE BIT AND GO BACK AND SMOOTH THINGS OUT."
- Paul Thomas Anderson
"ALL WRITING IS DISCIPLINE, BUT SCREENWRITING IS A DRILL SERGEANT!"
- Robert McKee
“GREAT WRITERS PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS. 'IF YOU’RE HILARIOUS, LET YOURSELF BE FUNNY. IF YOU HAVE A SIXTH SENSE FOR PLOTTING AND SUSPENSE, WRITE A MYSTERY.”
- Arlaina Tibensky
"WANT DRAMA?
ASK A CHARACTER: WHAT DO YOU FEAR THE MOST? THEN PUT THEM IN A STORY WHERE THEY HAVE TO CONFRONT THAT FEAR."
- Scott Myers
"THE MIDPOINT IS VERY CRUCIAL.
THERE NEEDS TO BE THAT TRANSITION ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL FOR THE CHARACTER--FROM BEING REACTIVE TO BECOMING ACTIVE."
- James DiLapo
"DON'T BRING IN A FLASHBACK UNTIL YOU HAVE CREATED THE NEED AND DESIRE TO KNOW."
- Robert McKee
“JUST MAKE SURE IN ANY ARGUMENT, EVERYONE IS RIGHT.
I WANT EVERY SINGLE PERSON ARGUING A RIGHTEOUS SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT.
THAT MAKES INTERESTING DRAMA.”
- David Fincher
"WRITING IS LIKE DRIVING IN FOG.
YOU CAN ONLY SEE AS FAR AS YOUR HEADLIGHTS, BUT YOU CAN MAKE THE WHOLE TRIP THAT WAY".
- E.L. Doctorow
"SCREENPLAYS ARE MEANT TO BE PERFORMED, NOT READ."
- Aaron Sorkin
"THE WORST CRIME YOU CAN COMMIT
IS TO TELL THE AUDIENCE SOMETHING THEY ALREADY KNOW"
- Aaron Sorkin
“GOOD SCREENWRITING IS LIKE CARPENTRY- JUGGLING BEGINNINGS, MIDDLES AND ENDINGS SO THEY ALL MOVE CORRECTLY TOGETHER."
- Ernest Lehman
"A WRITER NEVER HAS A VACATION.
FOR A WRITER LIFE CONSISTS OF EITHER WRITING OR THINKING ABOUT WRITING."
- Eugene Ionesco
"VOICES IN YOUR MIND MAY SAY,
'YOUR STORY IS NO GOOD. WRITING IS TOO HARD. YOU SUCK.' HERE’S HOW YOU FIGHT THEM: WRITE THE NEXT SENTENCE."
- Scott Myers
“WRITE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
QUANTITY LEADS TO QUALITY.
SHOW YOUR WORK EARLY AND OFTEN,
AND EMBRACE FEEDBACK.”
- David Rabinowitz
"THE TIMING WILL NEVER BE RIGHT.
YOU MIGHT NEVER BE GIVEN A SIGN, AND YOU’LL DIE WAITING FOR PERMISSION.
JUST GO FUCKING WRITE IT."
- Anna Klassen
“TWO THINGS THAT MARKS A GREAT WRITER: HOW WELL YOU HANDLE EXPOSITION AND HOW WELL YOU DO YOUR TRANSITION.”
- Aline Brosh McKenna
"YOU FAIL ONLY IF YOU STOP WRITING."
- Ray Bradbury
"SERIOUS WRITERS WRITE, INSPIRED OR NOT. OVER TIME THEY DISCOVER THAT ROUTINE IS A BETTER FRIEND THAN INSPIRATION."
- Ralph Keyes
“FINISH YOUR FIRST DRAFT.
ONLY THEN DO YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU HAVE TO FIX.”
- Dominick Dunne
bottom of page