It’s no secret that Hollywood is obsessed with established intellectual property. Making something out of a known entity, whether that’s a book, a viral true story, or even a board game, makes sense. Not only does it mitigate financial risk by banking on a built-in audience, but it allows studios to generate even more revenue with branded products. But how do studios decide which IP is worth developing? Is there a magic formula where you can input an IP and see how it will pe

I give writing feedback for a living. I know how helpful story notes can be for fixing missteps with character, plot, and pacing; but they’re not as useful for addressing the one thing that matters more than anything else when it comes to the first impression your story makes: readability. Readability is very, very important. Script readers are often overworked, tired, and, increasingly, are responsible for sorting through piles of slop. If you can provide a positive reading

I’m pretty tuned in to the world of writing as a profession. It’s a complex web of academic texts, blogs, and an army of writers, story analysts, and literary agents on LinkedIn collectively shaping the discourse. Within that web, you’ll find an almost overwhelming amount of advice. I’ve given plenty of it myself. But this week I want to zoom out and talk about, really, the only thing that truly matters. It’s the one thing that, regardless of genre or medium, all stories have

This week I had an experience that left me feeling excited, recharged, and optimistic about the future. It reminded me of something I’ve always known, but that I don’t put into practice nearly as often as I should: seeing a live performance is one of the most powerful ways to refill the creative fuel tanks. For me, there’s always been something restorative about experiencing the fruit of someone else’s creative labors. It’s like the creative aspect of my soul sees itself refl

Normally I use this blog to share my advice and perspective from my decade-plus career as a story analyst. But I’m a writer as well, which is a discipline where I definitely don’t have all the answers. This post, therefore, is more of an open-ended musing on ways in which I think writers can be more creative and strategic with their industry-facing presence. I have some experience pitching a television project and working with an agent, but I’m far from seasoned in that depar

I pull into the wild west town of LinkedIn atop my trusty steed, Resume. I’ve visited this town before, but I was just passing through. This time I come looking for gainful employment as a writer. I’ve worn my best outfit and ensured that Resume’s shoes are polished so that we can put our best foot forward. But as I look around, I see nothing but closed storefronts. No “help wanted” signs in sight. Only a couple of shady characters lurking in alleys advertising flexible work

Spotify changed digital music consumption. YouTube changed video distribution. In 2026, microdramas are poised to change serialized storytelling. Microdramas have been around since at least 2018, first gaining popularity in China. Their growth exploded in 2022, which enabled ReelShort (one of the major microdrama companies) to expand globally. Fast-forward a few years and NBC, Disney, Fox, and other major players have invested meaningfully in microdramas. It’s not hard to see

Scripts are written from a third-person present perspective. Telling a story this way can feel limiting, like you’re not writing so much as delivering a set of bland programming instructions. Kelly opens the car door. She sits in the car and turns it on. She drives down the road. Another concern with the third-person present perspective is clarity. Many writers believe that they need to spell out the minutiae of what expressions are on characters’ faces or where the camera s

If you ask a random sample of literary agents, producers, and studio executives what it takes to break in as a writer, chances are good that you’ll hear the same thing over and over: your script must be undeniable. But what the heck does that actually mean? What qualities does an undeniable script have? The most literal interpretation is that, no matter who reads your script, they won’t be able to pass on it. They will be unable to deny your big break. They will be left with

Over the past several months, my LinkedIn feed has become almost entirely related to AI. Scrolling through it now is like trying to part a sea of angry people, with one side proudly rejecting AI and the other breathlessly touting its benefits. One recurring theme, whether expressed with dread or anticipation, is that writing is dead. The argument goes that, because AI has grown sophisticated enough to write emails, copy, and term papers, we are heading towards a future where

Every time I finish a project, there’s a ridiculously naive part of me that thinks, “this is really good. Maybe it doesn’t need a rewrite.” It does. But that doesn’t stop me from pretending that my first draft was perfect. It’s a little lie I tell myself to protect my ego from the dread of facing a rewrite. Why is the rewrite so dreaded? I think because it’s fundamentally invalidating. You’re admitting to yourself that what you did wasn’t good enough and that you need to sta

If your kneejerk reaction to that title is “none,” you’re not alone. Whether out of fear of being replaced, having their work devalued, or just a general distaste for the technology, many writers are vocally against the use of AI in any creative capacity. Many, but not all. In my capacity as a reader for the Black List, I’ve read a few hundred scripts and thought I had seen just about every way in which a script could go wrong, until very recently. There have been two scripts

ADHD and Screenwriting. It’s not just my go-to answer when someone asks “tell me about yourself,” but it’s also, I suspect, a fairly common combination. Like most disorders of the mind, ADHD isn’t just one set of symptoms, but a buffet of both debilitating and beneficial tendencies that’s different for everybody. For me, my ADHD presents as a rapid slideshow of ideas — each more exciting than the last — but before my focus can fully latch onto one, my interest has already shi

I have many writer friends and colleagues who have gotten a lot of notes on their projects. Often, they’ll complain about the notes they’ve been given for one reason or another. A common complaint is that the reader just didn’t like or understand their material. This certainly can happen. Feedback is subjective. Even the most professional reader will sometimes allow personal taste and biases to leak into their evaluations. But I believe there’s a bigger, more foundational mis

I’ve been giving notes on scripts professionally since 2013. While the majority of that time has been spent writing feedback for studios or production companies, it’s the times where I’m able to give notes directly to writers that make me the happiest. Critically reading a script is a serotonin-releasing activity for me. A draft is a puzzle to be solved, and finding a solution to fix a story problem is a major rush. I imagine it’s what a doctor feels when they figure out what

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