For those of you who have been at this writing thing for a while, the name Pia Cook should mean something to you. Pia is one of the best examples of how to keep a razor-sharp focus when the chips are down. What do I mean by that? Stay in this business long enough and you will see the “real” side of screenplay writing. The hard side. The side that makes lesser writers walk away. 

Here’s a story about the famous artist Picasso – one you may have heard before: A stranger interrupted Picasso at his evening meal. Producing a napkin from his pocket, the man asked: “Could you sketch something for me? I’ll pay you for it.  Name your price.”  Picasso grabbed a charcoal pencil, and rapidly sketched a goat. It took only a few strokes, yet was unmistakably a Picasso. The man reached for the napkin, but Picasso pulled it back. “You owe me $100,000”. The man was outraged. “$100,000? Why? That took no more than 30 seconds to draw!” Picasso threw the drawing away. “You are wrong,”...

“I’m an artist. I don’t concern myself with such mundane things as financial reality or production costs…" Well, good luck with that. Meanwhile back in the real world, other struggling writers are trying to cut costs to help get empty pocket projects on screens. The Holy Grail for nascent filmmakers is, of course, a single location, one person script and no FX which can be shot with a single iPhone in ambient light. Big Studio have decided to go another way. It is an important thing to know and understand the difference.

Once you’ve been in the scriptwriting biz for a while, a number of questions just… emerge.

In my particular experience, queries such as these: How do you manage to write so damned fast? What’s your method for bringing ideas to life? Followed by: What the fuck’s wrong with you? Can you connect me with your dealer? What the hell are you going to do with your life?

Before we get into this, I want you to sit down and be prepared for a bittersweet ending. You see, this isn’t one of those blog posts where I encourage every writer to keep fighting, this is a heartfelt and open case for why I may have to quit. I feel it’s about time we had a little conversation about how utterly life destroying the screenwriting dream can be.

On the occasion of finishing the first pages of yet another unsolicited and highly speculative script, I ask myself, “Does the world really need one more sample of my writing? My voice must be known by now to everyone within a tri-county area...” 

In a brief and uncommon moment of clarity, the answer is a resounding, “NO.” As I glance at the Save The Pixels Federation pamphlet, images of baby seals being clubbed to death fill my head.

Okay Wunderkins, think quick: what’s the most annoying movie archetype?

The sort that - after hearing a character utter their first lines - you become painfully aware you’re trapped in a theater with a walking, talking cliché; one you’ve encountered countless times before.  A 2d cardboard cutout with zero surprises up their sleeve.  One glimpse, and you’ve got their every move sussed out.  So why are they (and the film’s producers) now wasting your precious time?

As some of you know, I’ve been writing now for about 10 years. I have discovered several key things in those years and something new I just learned recently.

As a writer, I have the ability to create my own world. I’ve done just that in several of my works. I’ve had interest in those works and I’ve even had some options executed. Also as a writer, I can determine at what level I want to run at.

You nasty, filthy pervert. No, not in the Hentai way.

But remember the good old days when 2D Animation was a viable, awe-inspiring art form –just starting to trickle to the bleeding edge? 

I mean, way back in the 1970-80s: prehistoric times to Millennials, of course:

This week has been a turbulent one in screenwriting. You could easily have missed it. Entwined within the drama was a historical turning point in the screenwriting world and what looks like the beginning of a new fight between creatives and capitalists. We have entered a new age of artificial intelligence that’s going to affect us in ways we never imagined how - CJ

"Finished", a term that finds a clear definition in a dictionary but feels pretty damn ambiguous in the world of screenwriting. Where is the finish line? Does such a thing exist or does the old adage "the final draft is the one that's shot" always hold true? On top of all this, just when should we leave well alone, trust our gut, and stop adding salt and sugar to different reader's tastes? In this blog, Fiona Faith Ross tackles these questions and tries desperately to help us maintain some sanity - CJ

This week, John Hunter returns with another featherweight article the packs a powerful punch. This industry is obsessed with writers following some sort of formula and that mentality goes all the way up from the amateur writer picking up their copy of Save The Cat to producers who believe hitting the right switches will make a surefire hit. You know what, maybe they're right to follow this logic, but all this can surely result in is sausage meat and nobody is every going to feel fulfilled working in a sausage factory - CJ

As you may have noticed, I've switched on the cabin lights. Myself and the flight crew hope you're all enjoying your flight today on Script Revolution. If you'd like to all take a look out to our starboard, you'll see we're passing by an excellent view of a fantastic blog by Stephen Barber. A man of many talents, Stephen has taken some time to share his reflections on how learning to fly is a lot like learning screenwriting. Why not recline your seat, switch on the air, and read through this article as we all head comfortably towards our destination - CJ

There's a term I heard a movie exec come out with a while back called "knowledge porn" and she used it in reference to The Martian, which is effectively a typical survalist tale set in space. I'm a firm believer that good science fiction really teaches us something; either on the subject of science itself or humanity. Star Trek is a great example of SciFi doing the latter. In this blog, J.E. Clarke makes a very strong case for science fiction that isn't short on some science facts - CJ

It's March and, while spring may have just sprung for many of us, you may already be feeling a little exhausted approaching mere twenty five percent into the year. Perhaps there's a little voice in your head encouraging you to give up now. That's not unusual and you may feel the need to give that thought serious consideration. If you do though, you must read through this blog by Fiona Faith Ross first and take in what she has to say because it might just give you the direction and motivation you need to continue on your journey - CJ

As some of you know, I'm having a bad week this week and could do with a little cheering up. What could be better to nurish the soul than a factor-5 truth tornado from J.E. Clarke. What will it be like? To reference a twister of a movie starring the late great Bill Paxton, "...the finger of god!". Before we get into this I feel I should give you all a fair warning, the word "rules" does occur in the following blog, reader discretion is advised. So buckle up buckaroos, the truth train's a-commin' - CJ

It's time for a little inspiration. Shawn Davis is one amazing dude. He's one of those writers that makes you realise we're capable of anything if we put our mind to it. Shawn has also been down the track of optioning a script and has some great advice to share. For many of us, script options and representation feel like the finish line, but they really just the next stage in a decathlon. In this blog, Shawn talks about how he handled having his manager become a producer on the project he was working on, how he fought his corner, and remained good friends - CJ

In this blog, I want to talk a little about our mindset and how a bad train of thinking can have a detrimental effect on well-being. I see a lot of writers desperately seeking permission while not putting enough weight on acknowledging validation. This is dangerous because it can curb our creativity while gradually de-motivating us. As artists, we should be prepared to be rebels and I'm confident we can be happy little rebels while we're at it - CJ

On this site, I've tried hard to give writers the tools they need to not only get exposure but also analyise that exposure so writers are able to maximise opportunities where they see them. In this short but powerful blog post by John Hunter, he quickly summerises how that data can be used to establish if our titles, loglines, and synopses are leading to actual script reads. The fact is, none of us want to be falling at the first hurdle given that attention toward our work can be infrequent and fleeting - CJ

Désirée is a member I've come to admire. She's been joining in via the blog comments since I launched the site. When I learned one of her scripts was in production, I was delighted. When she approached me about writing a blog about it, I was even happier. Watching a script go into production is an emotional experience for us. We have to get through post-production and that can have its curve balls. In this blog, Désirée talks about some of those curve balls she faced and how she had to overcome them - CJ

Look, this is going to be brutal, but it needs to be said. If you're looking for harsh truths about screenwriting then look no further. You better have thick skin before walking into this one and I'm talking alligator skin thick here. I'm about to hit you with ten doses of sorely needed self reflection and some in your face reality here. You ready? You sure? Why am I so much better than you? Yes you. I've not just got the balls to ask you that question but I've got a long list of reasons to throw at you too? Think you can get all the way to the bottom? Time to suck it up, buttercup - CJ

It's been a while since Deen Gill providing us with the first of his fantastic insight into adapting novels into screenplays back in Oct, so I'm delighted to announce that the second part is now here. This time round, Deen gives us a lowdown on the good, the bad, and the very ugly. He points out that a good film does not always equal a faithful adaption, and makes a strong argument that fans of Jane Austen and fans of Zombieland do not make the greatest of Venn diagrams - CJ 

What's that rumble in the distance getting louder and louder? It's another truth tsunami rising up from the depths of J.E. Clarke's deep dark soul. Let these words wash over you and cleanse your mind. It's time to put our hands down a second, stop asking for permission, stop questioning how to do things, stop begging for acceptance, and start looking deep inside ourselves to find the answer to a fundamental question. A question which should guide us on our screenwriting journey each and everyday with an answer that'll rescue us whenever we become lost - CJ

Roving reporter and sceptical screenwriter, Tony Cella returns this month with a shocking report into a recent study that's revealed the overuse of a certain phrase. What's worse is the term has a proven relationship between its frequency of use and certain set of unlikable demographics by those who use it. It's a pretty damning report that goes all the way from the bottom to the top. Nobody is safe. If you ever feel yourself about to write this sentence it might be worth stopping, thinking, and asking what it actually says about you. - CJ

A while ago I got into an online slap-fight with the CEO of The Black List, a service that hosts screenplays for a fee, provides a reader critique service, and is a proven resource for Film Industry Professionals to source content. In short I laid into him for taking money and providing critiques that didn’t have a check-list of basic stuff to help writers grow — his claim, over and over, was all art is Subjective and to use any kind of structure to evaluate an art piece didn’t have any justification. I can appreciate Subjectivity in art, especially as a guitarist, because it’s the nuances,...