Continuing my exploration of all things logline-related, I thought I’d collate and share 25 loglines and blurbs of produced Black List screenplays. Super important note: In most cases, we don’t know for sure if what’s below are the actual loglines submitted by the writers or if they are blurbs generated by…
Formatting Fridays
What are the 10 Commandments (of Screenplay Formatting)?
In the beginning, there was The Screenwriter’s Bible by Dave Trottier. And it was good. And he wrote the 10 Commandments on page 250 of the Seventh Edition. And it was good. And I’m writing them out here to help you. Because I’m good. (And here they are). The 10…
Self-Development Sundays
The “Big Magic” About Day Jobs
Recently, I’ve started taking long, 8,000-step walks around our new neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina. (And, honestly, I love it here). I’ve never spent a lot of time living in smaller cities (and I never thought I’d end up living in Raleigh), but I love walking down the meandering, oak-lined…
Formatting Fridays
Q. When to Use CAPS?
Using capital letters shouldn’t be a big deal. As mentioned, you want to use them when you introduce a character for the first time. But when else should you use them? What does Dave Trottier’s The Screenwriter’s Bible say? The below citation is from page 290. “You must use all…
Loglines
Loglines & Blurbs of the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century So Far (Post 4 of 4)
We are now at the final week of checking out the loglines and blurbs of the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays So Far. Overall, this has been an interesting ride. I like studying loglines and blurbs because they can provide inspiration and even templates for how to condense 110-page screenplays into…
Formatting Fridays
The Ultimate List of Screenwriting Dialogue Clichés
We know them. We laugh at them. And we hope that we don’t accidentally weave them into our work. I created this because I wanted my own running list of ‘wait-haven’t-I-heard-that-somewhere-before’-isms. Some of these cliches come from memory; many are sourced from the internet (h/t to /screenwriting on Reddit, Scott…
Loglines
Loglines & Blurbs of the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century So Far (Post 3 of 4)
For the third week in a row, I’ve collated loglines and blurbs of the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (*So Far). Why on Earth am I doing this? Well, I’m curious about how people (either writers or the marketing/advertising people) describe these stories succinctly. What do they…
Formatting Fridays
What are the Do’s and Don’ts of Parentheticals?
As you may know, a parenthetical (also known as a “wryly”) is the text that exists right below a character’s name (in, yes, a parenthetical). Since it’s also called an “actor’s direction” or a “parenthetical direction,” it exists to give direction. These parentheticals often convey useful information about subtext or…
Self-Development Sundays
What is ‘The Artist’s Journey,’ Anyway?
This week, I’m rounding out my exploration of Steven Pressfield by exploring The Artist’s Journey: The Wake of the Hero’s Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning. The Artist’s Journey, not to be confused with The Artist’s Way, is all about what happens after the artist endures the Hero’s Journey;…
Loglines
Loglines & Blurbs of the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century So Far (Post 2 of 4)
Yes, it’s the second week of WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (*So Far). Having scoured The Annual Black Lists, IMDB, and Amazon, I’m presenting 101 loglines and blurbs, and I’m dividing the task up over four weeks. You know one thing that I’ve noticed about this list of…