Story Foundations

What screenwriting is really asking you to do—and how to turn thoughts and feelings into things we can see, hear and feel.

A friendly route from the idea in your head to a complete first draft, including what to plan and when to stop planning.

Why a busy plot can still feel empty, and how choices, change and meaning turn events into a story people care about.

How to tell whether an idea has enough life for a whole film—and what to do when it is still only a promising fragment.

A clear way to describe your film in one sentence without squeezing all the life out of it.

How to give a screenplay something to say without making your characters sound as though they know they are in an essay.

How to create the particular feeling of your film, keep it consistent and still leave room for surprise.