THE STORYTELLER POD’s Post

You don't need to be screenwriting every day. You don't. It's certainly a fine habit, but it's not a necessity. You just need to write consistently enough that it trains your mind to think like a screenwriter- to take in the world through the filter of a storyteller. Do that, and you'll never run out of ideas, you'll never run out of empathy, and you'll never run out of a desire to write. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

A year ago, I began submitting "Ma Belle" to gauge its resonance with audiences. Sure, screenplay competitions and script evaluations aren't the same as getting a film optioned, but they mean something. ✨ They mean that your story has resonated with someone, somewhere. And that's powerful. 🤨 Being on the RED LIST is not about launching a screenwriting career (not how that happens) but rather gaining insights into the work itself. ✨ 💡 Every time you put yourself out there, whether it's submitting to competitions or sharing your work with others, you're taking a step toward understanding how your story connects with people. 🤗 And ultimately, that's why we write – to share our stories and connect with others. 💡 So. A heartfelt thanks to those who’ve read the story and liked it enough to push it through to the finals. 🫶🏻 Whoever you are, I appreciate you. Keep pushing forward, keep honing your craft, and let your stories soar. 🎬✨ # #screenwriting #filmmaking #screenwriters

If you're struggling with the subplots in your screenwriting, structure them out just like the main storyline. The more important the subplot, the more of those story points you will see. - Ordinary world. - Inciting incident. - Dramatic question. - Midpoint. - Crisis. - Resolution. A minor subplot might just have a dramatic question and a resolution. If it doesn't have a dramatic question, I don't treat it as a subplot. Just flavor or maybe a runner. I feel much more confident about the structure when I see them mapped out along with everything else. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

We talk about story structure so much in screenwriting/Storytelling that sometimes it feels like a goal in itself. It isn't. Good structure is not prescriptive. It's a tool to achieve a desired intention. While we've established dozens of principles to make structuring a story easier, in the end, the only true test is, does it work? Do your structural choices help compel an audience to keep watching, and do they deepen the emotional experience? Do those things, and the Story is well-structured. #Screenwriting #FutureOfFilm #Story

You can open my profile and scroll through 100+ posts I’ve written on the craft and business of screenwriting. I assure you, by the end of it, you’ll find valuable insights to guide and sustain your journey as a screenwriter. My posts are like personal notes. I used to jot down many reflections from my screenwriting practice, but I rarely revisited them out of sheer laziness. Now, sharing these notes on LinkedIn gives me a new incentive to revisit and expand on them, thanks to the engagement from all of you. I encourage healthy discussions in the comments, steering them toward insightful takeaways. With your feedback, my notes evolve, my insights get validated or corrected, and for that, I am deeply grateful. Here’s a small way for me to give back: I’m open to reviewing your loglines and providing feedback. Comment “LOGLINE” below, and I’ll reach out to you via DM. Before you send your logline, please make sure it includes these elements: the main plot, the protagonist, their goal, the central conflict or stakes, and a unique selling point—in a sentence or two (100 words max). Note: This is not a pitch. It’s purely a feedback session to help you gain clarity on your story by refining your logline. I won’t be reviewing any synopses or scripts. See you in the DMs!

Continuing Education for the Creative Professional KILL THE DOG - THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW NOT TO WRITE SCREENPLAYS! WHEN: Saturday, June 22 • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (PST) / 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM (EST) WHERE: A Zoom Conference Workshop COST (Early Registration): Non-member: $45 • Member: $30 INSTRUCTOR: Paul Guyot (award winning writer, executive producer, producer, & showrunner). Register before June 16th to receive the Early Bird discount! REGISTER: https://lnkd.in/gH9Ykxx3 What does it take to be the best screenwriter you can be? Over the last five decades dozens of books on screenwriting have been written, and tens of millions of copies sold. Yet, you can count on one hand the number of people who've achieved successful screenwriting careers because of those books. Why is that? Since Syd Field published the first How-To book on screenwriting (1979), more than 70 subsequent books have hit the market but only two were written by working professional screenwriters! This has led millions of potential screenwriters down the wrong path. Award winning writer, Paul Guyot, brings not only a fresh and informed perspective on HOW professional screenwriters write, but more importantly, how they DON'T do it, and all with humor, vulnerability, and most of all, the truth. By the end of this workshop, you'll know: - How NOT to write screenplays; - How to trust yourself as a writer; - Who to listen to for advice; and - Who not to listen to for advice. Note: You will receive a confirmation to the email you provide us once you have registered for this workshop. Also, this workshop will be held via Zoom and will be recorded. We will send you the Zoom link to the email you provide us approximately 24 hours before the event. If you do not see either email in your inbox, please check your spam folder. Should you have any questions about this workshop, email us at info@greenhouseproductions.com. — #spotlightworkshops #scriptwriting #scriptwritingworkshop #scriptwritingtips #scriptwriter #entertainmentindustry #showbusiness

I learned this way too late in my screenwriting career. Always have a specific goal. Always have an outcome that you want. This is true for everything else in this career, too. Never write a script, never rewrite a scene, never say "yes" to anything without knowing exactly what you want out of it. Intentionality force multiplies effort. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

The three most fundamental elements of narrative drama. 1. ) Someone wants something. 2.) They're having trouble getting it. 3.) Something will happen if they fail. If you can't identify all three in your screenwriting, you did something wrong. Rework whatever you're doing until you can. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

If you keep asking for notes, you will keep getting them. At some point, you need to put the current project down and write the next. That’s where you’ll see the most improvement in your screenwriting as a whole. You're a different writer now. Take everything you've learned and put it into the foundation of a brand project. You'll be amazed at what the difference is. - Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 5k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email. https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc

Don't just ask what needs to happen in the scene. Get more specific in your screenwriting. Ask what needs to change. What is true at the end of the scene that wasn't true in the beginning? This will help you stay focused on the emotional journey, not just the plot. -------------- Interested in #screenwriting? If you want to: - Make more compelling choices. - Find a more consistent process. - Maximize the emotional response. Join 6k+ other screenwriters every Tuesday for The Story and Plot Weekly Email: https://lnkd.in/gQPvsGgc