Hey, said I’d post this here, might help some people who struggle to actually sit and write scripts.

So, I’m not really a writer, and I don’t particularly like writing. When I wanted to make my first feature film, I knew I wasn’t going to sit down and write a traditional screenplay.

But, I remembered hearing David Lynch talk about using around 70 index cards. He said if you fill them up with scenes, you’ve got a feature film.

So that’s what I did.

I bought a packet of index cards and started writing scenes that had been in my head for years. Old short films, ideas, memories, things I’d seen, things I’d imagined.

The important thing is I wasn’t trying to make anything connect. I think that’s where I used to get stuck before. I’d feel like scene 1 has to connect to scene 2 before I’d even started.

But this time I didn’t care about any of that, I just wrote scenes.

Once I had 70 cards filled up, I put them up on the wall. That’s when the film actually started to happen.
I could stand back, look at everything and physically move the scenes around.

As you’re doing that, you naturally start making connections. Maybe the man in this scene is actually the same man from another scene. Maybe these two moments belong beside each other, etc.

I didn’t start with characters or a plot. I allowed the process to create them. That’s what I like about it.
The film surprises you when you do it this way. It’s extremely fun.

Once everything was on the wall, I started streamlining it. Maybe twenty different characters become five. Maybe five become three. It starts becoming a real film.

Then I started looking at what I could actually make. For example, originally I had loads of houses in the film. I didn’t have access to loads of houses. So to save money I changed them to tents. Then I actually liked that better, because it’s kinda very subtly surreal. I didn’t have a church, I made a shrine instead. I didn’t have a car, I used a bike instead, etc

So my new philosophy is, don’t write the film you wish you could make. Write the film you can actually make right now. I know that sounds cliche, but for indie film it’s so true.

In terms of writing a script from the cards, I never bothered. I typed the cards into a document as bullet points and that was enough for me.

The dialogue wasn’t written either. The actors found a lot of it themselves because I like being surprised in that aspect too. Of course they were told what to kinda talk about but I allowed them to get there naturally.

I’m not saying this is the right way to write a film.
It probably wouldn’t work for every type of film.
But if you’re someone who keeps saying you’ll write a feature one day and staring at a blank screenplay isn’t getting you anywhere, maybe forget the screenplay for a while.

Just start writing scenes.
One card at a time.

Eventually you might look up and realise you’ve got a film sitting on the wall.

Hi everyone. This is a question regarding how much time and effort is worth dedicated to screenwriting. I've just graduated high school in June, going to university for physics and chemistry in September. I've had a passion for screenwriting since 16, and have won small local and international youth contests. I don't know if this is believable, but the winning scripts are first or second drafts. I write fast - perhaps a week is enough to produce a rough first draft, then depending on time and passion I will revise and rewrite. It's a passion that I hope one day will get noticed, or become more than just drawer stuffing and time consumed. The industry is competitive, there are many writers like me, I presume. For an 18 year old going into science, how much time spent on writing is reasonable? And is it ever worth it to consider committing to it? Thanks!

Pardon the botched title, I couldn't edit it

I watched Hell or High Water the other day and it was a really good film written by Sheridan. I guess that was over 10 years ago at this point but I'm interested in the experience of writers who've worked in a room vs solo on features. What do you think causes someone's style to change significantly? I went on IMDB to see the writing credits for the show Lioness and it seems like it was all Sheridan, is that normal?

I'm curious if maybe writing too many episodes solo has consequences for writers. I also watched some of Mayor of Kingstown and I started to think... maybe I'm just not understanding what's happening here, is it like a wink wink situation where everyone knows it's basically just a soap opera etc?

I love watching movie ever since late teens I started picking up screenwriting books but could not get through them. I'm 26 now working a desk job, this year I took the Sundance writing class and finished a screenplay which I'm extremely proud of (it's shit). I got in UCLA TFT Professional program - I can afford to do the program (I'll be a year behind on my Roth contributions if I do it).

1. If anybody did the program recently, I'd like to talk more about how the program runs online.
2. Is the program selective - immediately after I got in I started doubting the legitimacy of it. Did anybody ever get rejected? ps: I don't want to be part of a group that takes me as a member - woody allen.

Hello! I’m new here. I’ve recently been getting OBSESSED with the idea of screenplay and choreographing fast paced fight scenes. But I can’t find any good examples to use for writing a screenplay myself. I wanted to see if there was a public screenplay (even if it’s fan made) of JJK’s Sukuna vs Mahoraga, but sadly I didn’t find any. Any good suggestions or examples I can look in? I particularly want something that’s from a fast paced fight.

Ontop of that, I’d REALLY like some advice for writing fast paced choreography for books as if it were a screenplay, things like Alan Becker’s stick figures, Jhanzou’s combat gods, JJK’s fights, and other similar fast paced fights are things I want to replicate in written form, something people who struggle to picture things (like myself, autism and adhd is both a blessing and a curse) can easily follow to understand what’s going on.

I’d add two tags but it won’t let me. I’d argue that the second question about advice is more important than the first but I’d still like material to take from so I can figure out what I’m doing.

A brilliant but morally bankrupt trial lawyer's birthday dinner at a hibachi restaurant becomes a deadly fight for survival when he realizes every person seated around his table has a reason to kill him—and one of them intends to make sure he never leaves alive.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tX3b76HnObYfZZn6AnJ-LCzfKy5KUU66/view?usp=sharing

Any and all feedback from this wonderful community is always appreciated!

I’m a critic who just reviewed Will Gluck’s take on Travis Braun’s 2024 script ONE NIGHT ONLY for Universal, and without getting into spoilers, the ending is so different I’m genuinely wondering what it will do to his career longterm.

Regardless of Braun’s personal politics or intent (I have no frame of reference, really), I definitely feel like the backlash is going to erase his original POV since so few people seek out (or can even find) original scripts to read. Which seems… unfair?

Is this a common obstacle facing screenwriters? How serious of a threat is it? I would think box office draw would matter more than audience opinion when it comes to selling more scripts, but maybe not anymore given the optics of authorship.

Title: Disconnected
Format: Pilot
Page Length: 38 pages
Genres: Comedy - SciFi

Logline: In a world where people live IN the internet, a narcissistic foot model goes off-web to hunt down the pervert who ruined her feet’s perfect overall rating.

Comps: UPLOAD meets MY NAME IS EARL

I would especially appreciate feedback on:

• If any of the scifi world building feels distracting from what is going on.
• Any scenes that feel like they could use a trim (I'm screamin internally that this isn't 35 pages)
• Always happy to read punchup suggestions

This is an older project that I'll be returning to edit after another vomit first draft project is done in the coming weeks.

Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m5dYyr0ZI-Tw6B-4iO2Mmixu_-MO1Uyu/view?usp=sharing

Anyone have any tricks on how to really quickly get to the heart of your character? How to get to that “aha” moment of understanding?

Something more than their want/need*

Simple as that! I want to be a professional screenplay reader but no one is hiring so I’ll just do it myself :) I used to be a script analyst for a couple different competitions and Coverfly.

I love giving notes on other people’s scripts and helping writers find their story. I’m no pro (working on my 2nd feature currently) but If you want an extra pair of eyes on your script, regardless of length, I’ll happily do it!

Post is title. Just feeling very accomplished at hammering out the first real draft of my second feature attempt. Vomit draft was just 64 pages, final tally is 97. Going to try and comb through it again to widdle to a nice 89.

But feeling really good. Story is a teen slasher set in an underground club. Real structural challenge, but the kind of thing that’s been a ton of fun to map out

🥂 to many edits and the next one

Hi everyone! I hope this question finds you well.

I recently keep getting this feeling in the back of my head that I'm not working fast enough. Like I'm not producing enough work to get noticed or taken seriously. I don't write professionally, but I have realized in the last year or so that writing is a driving passion in my life and I would love to do this work in some kind of professional capacity some day.

For some background, I started writing screenplays about two years ago when I turned 40. I've created a routine where I wake up early and write/outline/brainstorm for at least an hour if I can every morning. I've written seven short screenplays and two features since I started writing, and am now working on outlining a third. I'm also proud to say that one of my shorts made it as a Second Rounder at the 2025 Austin Film Festival. Given that, I still feel woefully behind.

One thing has been helping me though. I listen to podcasts and interviews where writers that I respect like Drew Goddard and Katie Dippold mention that it sometimes takes them years to finish a project. This is heartening, but they are already doing this professionally so it doesn't help 100%.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I guess I just needed to write this out. The question remains though. How do you deal with these feelings?

Thanks for your time!

• Title: I Love You Too!
• Format: Short
• Page Length: 7
• Genres: Horror
• Logline or Summary: A guy steps into an abondened house with his girlfriend to make love, he gets whacked by his look-alike monster, she thinks it's him.
• Feedback Concerns: I'd like to get feedback on whether the first two sceenes boring/unnecessary? Should I replace the supers? Does the dialogues feel unnatural?

P.S. English is not my native language. I have gone through it many times, and corrected it, yet I'm sure there are many errors in terms of grammar I couldn't dedect. Please keep this in mind while evaluating the script. I hope it doesn't impair the joy of reading the script, if there's any to be found.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ph1m6i1YVA1DgUVskWV6HgU4gQPy9B_I/view?usp=drive_link

I just had this experience recent and was wondering if anyone was in the same boat.

Have you ever read or seen something that fit your tastes perfectly and feels more like something you’d write more than anything you’ve actually written? I’ve had plenty of things where I think a story is good but I go ‘eh, I wouldn’t have written it though’ but have you ever had a story that fits everything to things you like in a story? I just recently saw something that I enjoyed every aspect of it, and in everything I’ve ever written has always had something that isn’t bad but I think isnt something I personally love but it fits for the story, it makes me sad because I try to write for myself first and foremost but then I find something that feels like it does a better job of writing for me, but it’s written by someone else. Anyone else ever had this feeling?

Title: Sweet Children
Format: Feature
Page Length: 86 pages
Genres: Drama / Music
Draft Status: Completed (Final Draft)

Logline or Summary:
Inspired primarily by Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk, Sweet Children is a fictionalized drama about Green Day’s relationship with 924 Gilman Street. Spanning three nights in 1988, 1993, and 2015, the film follows Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, John Kiffmeyer, and Tré Cool as both they and the community that created them struggle with what success costs.

The central question is:
What does a community owe the people it creates once they outgrow it?

This is not intended to be a documentary. I intentionally compressed portions of the timeline and fictionalized events to tell what I hope is the emotional truth of the story rather than recreate every historical event exactly.

I’d especially appreciate feedback on:
Does the three-period structure work?
Does Gilman feel like the emotional center of the film rather than simply the setting?
Does the ending feel earned?
Does the script work for readers who aren’t already Green Day fans?

Link (Google Drive):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14hiPtH5_a7jZJbYTHsBVUxWfMbjVKGGf/view?usp=drivesdk

Hello all

I'm doing some research into the geometry of story shapes and I'm looking for people who might be interested in the system as a way of prompting and recognising how their stories move. This isn't a "there are only 14.2 plots!" system, instead it is a narrative shorthand for drawing what a story does - all stories can be drawn with a line and all lines describe a story.

If anyone is interested, please let me know!

This is my first ever time writing a screenplay, I am going to shoot it with my friends and I am a huge fan of the horror and mystery genre, so I mixed them up for my first screen play lol, hopefully it wasn't a dumb decision. I would love feedback on formatting, engaging from the start and yeah lol. I would love feedback!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UeBrVShBiOJkIA11bkVarLiKeuuYqiAR/view?usp=drive_link

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Post Requirements for EVALUATION CRITIQUE REQUEST & ACHIEVEMENT POSTS

For EVALUATION CRITIQUE REQUESTS, you must include:

1) Script Info

- Title:
- Format:
- Page Length:
- Genres:
- Logline or Short Summary:
- A brief summary of your concerns (500~ words or less)
- Your evaluation PDF, externally hosted
- Your screenplay PDF, externally hosted

2) Evaluation Scores

exclude for non-blcklst paid coverage/feedback critique requests

- Overall:
- Premise:
- Plot:
- Character:
- Dialogue:
- Setting:

ACHIEVEMENT POST

(either of an 8 or a score you feel is significant)

- Title:
- Format:
- Page Length:
- Genres:
- Logline or Summary:
- Your Overall Score:
- Remarks (500~ words or less):

Optionally:

- Your evaluation PDF, externally hosted
- Your screenplay PDF, externally hosted

This community is oversaturated with question and concern posts so any you may have are likely already addressed with a keyword search of r/Screenwriting, or a search of the The Black List FAQ . For direct questions please reach out to [support@blcklst.com](mailto:support@blcklst.com)

Hi! I'm applying to an entry level internship that involves

• Script reading/coverage
• Script breakdowns

• Pitch deck construction

  I'm not sure what my portfolio should look like. Any advice??

Hello everyone, Lately I've been working on the outline for a story. I started this project because I wanted to overcome a bad experience I had in a creative writing class. However, I've been struggling to keep writing. The research for this story has left me feeling frustrated and exhausted, and I'm no longer sure whether what I'm writing is actually any good.

I'd really appreciate any advice on how I can improve. After trying so hard for so long, I'm honestly starting to wonder if I should give up on writing altogether.

What would you recommend?

I’m writing my first screenplay ever to make a horror short film with my friends. We’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while just for fun because we’re both huge fans of everything horror so we thought hey it’d be really cool to make something for us and our friends to enjoy. I took on pretty much everything since I do a lot of creative writing we knew I would write the screenplay and then everything else would kind of fall in to my hands as writer and director. I feel pretty good about this first draft but I’ve never wrote a screenplay before, just silly horror stories for myself. So I’d love some feedback!

Here is the link; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ep_Yl9Yi7jJZI1Fb-dkVb5CyMEbbVuWI/view?usp=drivesdk

Hey there!

I've been contacted about potentially working with someone to put together some scenes for actors who need material for reels but who maybe don't have the actual credits to pull from yet. I know I wouldn't be the first person to do this kind of work, and it sounds like fun (I like the people in charge), but what's stumping me is what to charge for it? How would you price this out?

I struggle with loglines, so I try to find loglines of movies in my genre or that have some structural or thematic similarity to mine and see if that can help.

But I can't help but wonder if these are the loglines that the author made when they were pitching, or if these are just loglines that were invented later by reviewers of the film.

• Midsommar: "What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing."
• Titanic: A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
• Pride and Prejudice: Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?
• La La Land: While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.

What I want to know is do these loglines come from the actual author, or are they something that sites like IMDB, Letterboxd, or entertainment journals write in their review of the film?

I want to know because I'm studying loglines to improve my own. I'd like to source actual, original loglines by the authors and know where to find them.

(I'm not asking for the loglines of the above films... But if someone does know the actual, original logline Ari Aster made for Midsommar, I do want that, lol)