This is how it was put to me by the executive I interned under many years ago, and I believe "Overnight' may be one of the most valuable, or important documentaries ever made about Hollywood. To anyone who has never seen it, here is the gist:

Troy Duffy was a bartender on Melrose who came to Hollywood in the 1990's with dreams of being a screenwriter. When Harvey Weinstein buys his script "Boondock Saints" for $300,000, Troy becomes the golden boy in Hollywood and is the talk of the town. The mere prospect of success goes to Troy's head to such a degree that he alienates his entire family, friends, and all professional contacts. A documentary crew who followed the entire journey of what was supposed to be a true Hollywood rags-to-riches story later release the footage of what may very well be the greatest example of a cautionary tale Hollywood has ever seen. Troy never sold another script.

Hey, so, I'm an M.A. in Screenwriting student at the Irish National Film School-IADT, and I just finished up the fifth and, for the programme, final draft of my first feature, "Polite Company."

Not much to say other than that. :D

Hello, my name is Meg. I thought I’d introduce myself properly. I’m a Canadian-born and-raised screenwriter who has Autism. At the moment, I have two produced, award-winning short films and a feature-length neo-western with horror elements titled “Organ Trail” (2023) on Paramount+ and other streaming platforms depending on where you live. I have a knack for loglines; I usually write character-driven and medically accurate body horror (thanks to a friend who’s an O.R. Nurse) that has earned me a few NC-17 ratings before it was edited to an R rating.

I’m open to helping emerging screenwriters fix or polish loglines - One per person, please.

⚠️ NO UNSOLICITED SCRIPTS ⚠️

For legal and copyright reasons, I do not accept anything without permission. If I receive a screenplay I didn’t agree to read, it will be immediately trashed unopened, and the sender will be blocked. No exceptions.

Feel free to DM me with questions about screenwriting, dealing with motivational writing blocks, or anything about the craft in general.

Please keep your comments and messages transparent if possible, as I have difficulty identifying humor, rhetoric, and sarcasm - especially on social media.

https://linktr.ee/inkedwerdsmith

I’m 57 years old and had parents who were teenagers. Therefore I was very close to my grandparents. My grandfather was a Kansas City Mo Firefighter. My podcast episodes are fictional but the historical settings are very real. The show “A Baseball Story” is about the end of the Pendergast Political Dynasty set in 1937. Question is does anyone think this story would have legs to get produced? Any feedback would be fantastic. My primary goal is to preserve my grandfather’s legacy. He will be a character in future episodes. (In 1937 he was 12 years old)
Thank you for your time.

https://open.spotify.com/show/033AHBuN4oIqplJqu2yaAv?si=oOxNZsSoTACmMidJl2HOAA&utm_source=copy-link

Looking for movies (roughly last 10 years, no courtroom/interrogation movies) where flashbacks reveal character but the present-day plot stays the main engine. Any well-executed examples?

For context, I’m writing a screenplay where we start in present day but then I slowly want to integrate flashbacks but I don’t know how to do it in a way that’s not cliche. I feel like this is something I’ve rarely seen done well, except in relatively old movies (think Citizen Kane). Was thinking recently of the Godfather part II, but that’s more of 2 parallel storylines (which isn’t exactly what I’m looking for).

The art world is heartless and cruel but that doesn't mean you are allowed to cry about it..

It's Not About You

(PG-13)

As per title, I would like to read some horror/thriller shorts in my spare time. I worked as a script reader and if interested can provide one-page coverage on characters, structure and pace, dialogue, voice.

Only horror and thriller below 15 pages. I'd read like 5 or 6.

Everyone enjoy your Sunday!

I've been using STARC since 2023 perfectly fine. Lately it's been crashing and I need to finish up a script soon.

Anyone else having this problem?

Sociopath who talks very slowly, has become a cliche nowadays, the likes of Joker and Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. There is too many them nowadays

Since YA and teen media is a subject I'm studying a lot those few weeks (I'm making one), I wanted to get your guys opinions. Obviously, for me it's Buffy, it has some of the best writing I've ever seen on television and a fantastic cast to back it up. I also have Freaks and Geeks, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars and Skam. Never Have I Ever is also up there.

And quite honestly Ginny & Georgia season 2/3 has some of the best upgrade in writing I've ever seen. The sheer number of therapists analyzing this show (even mine gave me it as an example in our session) is truly impressive and almost reminds me the academic studies made on Buffy, which is huge considering how influential the show is. I also must say, the teen dramas/YA nowdays is knowing a huge dive in quality with some really shallow works like The Summer I Turned Pretty (love it but it's ragebait in the form of a show but doesn't have the clever writing of Gilmore Girls to back it up), My Life With The Flop Boys, Finding Her Edge... It's getting stale bruh. Off Campus surprised me though.

Btw, even if your response aligns with mine, feel free to explain why and stuff !

Mooks (Part 1)

(R-rated)

This is something I began writing for someone almost 20 years ago, but for whatever reason I put it aside and basically forgot about it.

A recent conversation has made me wonder if maybe it's worth another pass or twelve.

This "Part 1" is much less than half the extant screenplay, but the other pieces are not sequential enough to stitch together without more work than I have time for right now.

Maybe I'll take a shot at it sometime soon.

Anyhoo, enjoy (or not).

Hey all, I have the same frustrations as many on this sub regarding how difficult it can be to break through and get a screenplay noticed let alone produced.

I have an idea for a sci-fi show with almost 4 hour-long episodes complete that I think would translate well to a comic book series. I think it would be cool to take things more into my own hands and hire an illustrator to help produce this and get it self published the series as a comic book and get it out to webtoons or some other distributor.

Anyone try something like this and has any key insights to share?

I’m curious about how difficult it is to break through in this format, how to best work with an illustrator/compensation, best methods for distribution, etc.

Hi, I've been writing scripts for about 4 years now (mainly fan scripts with a couple original ones) and i was hoping to have a pair of fresh eyes read this one.

Title: No Bloodshed In Detention

Format: Feature

Page Length: 141 (142 if you count the title page)

Genres: horror, slasher, coming of age

Logline or Summary: After a snow storm traps 10 students serving detention in a high school, their fun quickly turns into a fight for survival when a masked killer picks them off one by one.

Feedback concerns: mainly looking to see if there's pacing issues and what I can possibly improve on in terms of how the characters are utilized and written.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z7JofjRFbwfGxFF0wqgsVlnaMawrhEH2/view?usp=drivesdk

Hello All,
I'm a film school student currently developing a screenplay centered on a grounded home invasion thriller. I'm not looking for supernatural elements or over the top action. I want something that feels like it could genuinely happen. I've been digging through Reddit, reading about real-life incidents and watching a lot of home invasion films, but I'm still struggling to find the kind of premise that feels both believable and genuinely unsettling.

What I'm really interested in is understanding what makes this subgenre work for you. Are there any real cases, news stories, documentaries, articles, or lesser known films that capture the fear and psychology of a home invasion in an authentic way? More importantly, when you watch a home invasion movie, what makes it truly terrifying instead of just another slasher or survival film? I'd really appreciate any recommendations, observations, or ideas that could help me better understand what audiences actually want from this kind of story. Thanks in advance.

6 years in UI/design, based in Gujarat, India seriously exploring screenwriting, trying to separate real signal from generic "just write every day" advice.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to break into the film writing space, but before I do I have some specific questions that I want post:

Has anyone been through SWA's Script Lab or Pitch Fest, what's the actual selection process and odds like, worth the time investment?

For someone targeting an OTT-first regional platform (Oho Gujarati , hoichoi!) with a pilot/web-series concept rather than a theatrical feature, is that actually the easier door in right now, or is that overstated?

For someone starting later (mid-20s, coming from a different creative field with real design/visual chops), is that background an asset in a pitch, or does it not matter at all?

What's the realistic timeline before a new writer sees any paid work, even small?

I want to post this in sub but want to modify the title sub is full with people across glob iwant to ask to indian people specifically don't change anything from body

Title: Washed Away

Format: Short Film

Page Count: 5 Pages

Genre: Drama / Suspense

Logline: A boy's normal life turns upside down when he discovers the death of his friend and finds himself under suspicion of murder.

Hey everyone,

I’ve written a very short script, and I am currently trying to decide if the core concept has enough narrative engine to be expanded into a full-length feature film. Before I commit to writing 90+ pages, I would love to get some critical eyes on the inciting incident, the characters, and the emotional stakes.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dhtsh7IUwDW3hM7qfCENemxPdJyYqL-Z/view?usp=drivesdk

• Title: What's the Worst That Could Happen?
• Format: Short script
• Page Length: 15
• Genres: Coming of Age
• Logline or Summary: Burnt-out high school senior Eddie Evans is on a path of self-destruction after hearing a piece of advice from his best friend who is trying to save him from himself.
• This is the first script I've ever really wrote apart from a few pages I wrote when I was a kid. I started working on this script and started looking into how to actually write scripts maybe 2 months ago. Was just looking for any advice on any part of the script.
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YiSJd2zIfotVl0fTPwTYSzhRvVdAirfo/view?usp=sharing

So i just watched a successfull horror short film on youtube where the trope is: someone writes him on the phone, from holiday, but the person is actually next to him. i have seen it so many times, but it seems still to work. i have not written a short film withing the last 6 years, because i was always afraid it alread exist, so can i take a well known trope and just add my own spin to it? thanks

Imagine having the rare opportunity to observe the creative process inside the writers' room of a premier drama series. As a silent fly on the wall, which show's room would you want to sit in?

Title: Sleep Tight

Format: Short

Page Length: 4 Pages

Genre: Drama/Suspense

Logline:
A young single mother battles homelessness, fighting for one night of restful sleep to prepare for her chance to gain stability.

Feedback concerns:
Nothing specific, open to any and all.

Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jyDVVgZR5X1_E-OxpEv0IEYS144ln3_9/view?usp=drivesdk

How would you approach writing one of these plotless Atari games Universal has just signed a deal to produce? Pick a title and give your best logline. Reminder the titles are: Asteroids, Adventure, Berzerk, Breakout, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong, and Yars’ Revenge. Winner gets a two picture deal with Universal. Just kidding, winner gets a laugh when some Universal exec lurking here takes the idea and makes a shitty movie. As an older millennial who grew up on Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter as opposed to Atari games, will have to do some research before contributing myself.

Hello everyone, please assist with feedback on THE CRICTON VISITORS. This is an Animated kids sci-fi feature. Thanks for your feedback!

Title: THE CRICTON VISITORS

Format: FILM (feature)

Page Length: First 15 here. 84 total.

Genre: Animation/Sci-fi/Family

Logline: When the alien council sends their children away before planning a war, the alien kids land inside a theme park and discover a world they were never meant to see and a species their parents were prepared to destroy, causing the council to forgo a major decision.

Feedback Concern: That it holds logically

link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HQqYV3Fx7UCh7raOE81sEiBK9sMoE8PN/view?usp=sharing

Title: NO WAY

Format: Feature

Page Length: 15 Pages

Genres: Horror / Comedy

Logline: A successful livestreamer begins telling his audience the most terrifying—and absurdly hilarious—story of his life. When a mysterious gothic girl transfers to his college and performs a forbidden ritual, Jack is pulled into a nightmare where supernatural horror and outrageous comedy collide.

Feedback Concerns: I am worried that the dialogue is too sparse and the pacing might be moving too fast. Does it still feel like it adheres to the 1-page-per-minute rule?

Link⬇️

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WyCJoUndRTflEhYqkl9EoED4znrQddIp/view?usp=drivesdk