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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 10h

One of the most important things with screenwriting is simply having an intention.

It's choosing what you want in that scene and in that moment. After that, everything else is pretty much just problem-solving.

It's all the non-choices that kill most screenplays.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 1d

The audience will almost always be less moved by a main story that helps resolve a subplot.

It tends to feel like an afterthought.

Look for the subplot to help resolve the main story in your screenwriting. It's far more satisfying and much more emotional bang for your buck.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 2d

An audience can only experience a movie one moment at a time.

I try to duplicate that in my screenwriting. One moment after another, in the order the audience experiences it.

It is one of many ways to get the reader to feel like they've seen the movie just from the read.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 3d

I have been writing screenplays professionally since 1996.

I never heard the term ‘unfilmable” as a noun referencing action lines until last year on Twitter.

I get what it means, but it's an academic concern, not a real one. Don't let it get in your head.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 3d

The Story and Plot Weekly Email. It's a free screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning.

Don't miss another one.

storyandplot.link/3ofnyi

#screenwriting

The quick pitch (to yourself)

Best performed in the outline phase, the quick pitch is a “verify” button for your structure,

storyandplot.link

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 3d

The Quick Pitch is a "verify" button for your screenplay's basic structure.

Yesterday, I shared with over 9,800 subscribers how to use it before you outline to ensure you have a clear line of action in your narrative.

Did you miss it? One more chance at the link below. 👇

#scriptsky

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 4d

Screenwriting and storytelling are all about the emotion. Make the reader feel something.

But remember, "That's f**king cool!" is also an emotion.

While it's a challenge to sustain a whole movie with that, there are moments where it's more than enough.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 5d

The Story and Plot Weekly Email. The best five minutes you'll invest in your screenwriting all week.

storyandplot.link/bluecta

The Story and Plot Weekly Email

It's a free screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning. Subscribe for tips and practical advice on screenwriting and the business of writing feature films and television.

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 5d

"Develop a clean line of action for your leading character." - Billy Wilder.

Tomorrow, I'll share with 9,800 subscribers how I use the "quick pitch" in the outline phase to ensure a clear through-line in my story structure.

Interested? The link to subscribe is in the replies.👇

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 5d

Always remember: movies and TV are products because they evoke emotion.

That's the deal with the audience.

They pay money, and we make them feel something.

Screenwriting is an early proof of concept. You need to evoke emotion from the reader because that's what you're selling.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 6d

Every scene in your screenwriting should be worth watching. When in doubt, put it through The Late Night Talk Show test.

Imagine an actor from your movie is on The Tonight Show plugging the film.

This is the scene they show.

Does the audience want to go see this movie?

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 7d

Honestly, you can do pretty much whatever you want in screenwriting if it's with intention.

Format, structure, tone. Whatever.

But the clarity of that intent is key. If you lose that, you lose the reader.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 8d

Don't let Act 2 intimidate you. Break it up into pieces. Make these choices in your screenwriting:

- What's the dramatic question out of Act 1?
- What's the midpoint?
- Who does the character become in Act 3?

Know where you're going and ask, "What needs to happen to get there?"

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 9d

The sooner you stop comparing your screenwriting career to others, the happier you will be.

Your writing will be better, too.

You get to be you and to enjoy where that takes you.

And if one day it's others comparing themselves to you, that's cool. It's just not necessary.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 10d

Writing anything down that you find interesting for your screenwriting isn't just about remembering it.

It helps train your mind to see the world through that lens.

Is this a story? A moment? A character?

You'll start asking this out of habit.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 10d

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 10d

The Story and Plot Weekly Email. It's a free screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning.

storyandplot.link/3roq42

Scene work: One moment generates the next.

The best screenwriting class I ever took was Jose Quintero’s acting class at the University of Houston.

storyandplot.link

Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 10d

The best screenwriting course I ever took was Jose Quintero's acting class at the University of Houston.

Yesterday, I shared with 9,600+ subscribers how his lessons about the living moment improved every scene I ever wrote.

Did you miss it? The link is below in the replies. 👇

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 11d

The idea that certain events happen on certain pages in screenwriting sounds ridiculous because it is.

But so are training wheels. Which is what those suggestions are.

Once you get comfortable with that rhythm, you can drop it and focus on the story's actual needs instead.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 12d

With a two-hander, a big decision for your screenwriting is when they become a team/couple.

- Rom-com template is at the end.
- Buddy movies just before Act 3.
- Love stories before the midpoint.

Make this decision; regardless of genre, the rest of the structure simplifies.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 13d

We tend to add more plot to our screenwriting for the wrong reasons. We're trying to fix something, or we don't think we have "enough."

But plot is added weight.

We are almost always better off simplifying and digging deeper into the emotion we already have instead.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 14d

Whenever I've struggled with my own screenwriting, I've found one of these is to blame.

1. I've lost track of the story and/or emotion.
2. I've lost confidence.
3. I'm over-complicating what should be simple.

This is why I focus on teaching processes that resist all three.

#screenwriting

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 15d

You can always add tension to your screenwriting when you need to.

In RAIDERS, a scene about measuring a wooden staff becomes riveting because of some poison dates.

The poison dates don't have to be physical. They can be emotional, too,

Always look for your poison dates.

#screenwriting

Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 16d

The Story and Plot Weekly Email. It's a free #screenwriting lesson every Tuesday morning.

storyandplot.link/chxmtu

Does your screenplay need a promise?

The Promise takes advantage of a simple truth: if we get a taste of something we want, we will likely want it more.

storyandplot.link

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Tom Vaughan @storyandplot.bsky.social · 16d

Sometimes in your screenwriting, the audience needs to know what they're rooting for.

This week, I shared with 9600+ subscribers how to give the reader a glimpse of what might be... or the tragedy of what could have been.

Interested? One last chance at the link below. 👇

#scriptsky

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