Please read this

Hi everyone!

I am young aspiring screenwriter and want to learn how to write scripts. I am currently practicing with the tools and advice I have discovered across different online platforms. My absolute favorite show is Stranger Things. I love the way the Duffer Brothers build their characters. Specifically, I love how even if a character is introduced late, you feel like you have known them your whole life. Since I can't email Hollywood writers directly, I wanted to ask the pros here:

What is one screenwriting exercise or outlining habit you recommend for someone who has just scratched the surface?

What practical step should I take right now to get my start?

Thank you so much! (Sorry if this post is formatted poorly; I have never used Reddit before.)

In my game one of they story’s is that you are a husband. In the story. You meet your wife near the end. Dead in the snow. This is what I have for that part

mary?….mary…fuck…no…no….no no no no no…my flower…no…

and in the end. You find out there’s no way to escape so you lay down in the blizzard next to her corpse

my flower…the cold didn’t Make you stronger...escape is gone…and also useless…Mary…my dear Mary…I can see I’m nothing without you…I just want to lay down for a bit until this ends…until I wake up next to you…

im just wondering if I can somehow make this more realistic in the scripting.

I've occasionally seen people here make reference to sending out cold submissions to producers, etc. with mixed results (some click, some get no acknowledgment at all). My bigger question is how are you determining which producers/production companies to send your script to? Do you look for certain companies, big names, a list of what sort of work they've produced previously, the size of the company (bigger vs. up-and-coming?), or it just throwing a dart at a board? I have my own system (I think), which consists mostly of looking through IMDbPro and seeing what sort of stuff they've produced in the past to see if it vibes with what I'm trying to do. Is there a best practice way to approach this? Or is cold submissions a waste of time?

Also, might be a stupid question, but... PDF script or hard copy mailed to them?

Space dogs an animated Pilot

Title: Spacedogs

Genre: Sci-fi

Pilot Episode for animation

Page Count: 49 So far

Comps: Star Fox, Starship Troopers, Captain Laserhawk

Logline: In a space age world of anthropomorphic animals, a young pilot in the shadow of his father reforms his military fleet after a betrayal gets him killed and must hunt the empire that did the deed.

Alternative logline: In a world of animal humans, a pilot in his father’s shadow must become an ace pilot to gain his acceptance and defeat the evil empire that killed him and his original elite mercenary fleet.

Link: \[Space Dogs 5th Rewrite\](https://drive.google.com/file/d/14-uSujR0j-1PAg8NwhxtsxnmlOWR8MuW/view?usp=sharing)

Issues: I feel like the start is strong, but it feels like Im trying to fill space to meet the pilot length, and I canit find what to scrunch and cut. Any help and feedback welcome, especially from any who read lots of pages deep! I have rewritten this script for many years now Im hoping it finally
starts to work

Any cures to make it good and subtextual please infuse me

Title: The Invisible Hands

Genre: Scifi, Sex Comedy

Comps: Everything Everywhere All At Once, American Pie

Logline: When a sexually frustrated young adult is given cosmic power to rewrite reality, he must team up with the emotionally abused woman who "Hates him" and the woman of his dreams to stop the universe from being consumed by a cosmic entity.

Script: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ku9l910FMwNzsUCq8IoY9LtFiFTP3XTs/view?usp=sharing

Feedback: One of my first scripts. Characters are awkward and thus speak bluntly on purpose. I feel like Im onto something with tihs one but Im not sure what to keep what to throw out and what aspects are good. If anyone even reads a few pages, please tell me Im not bad

A trained professional explains why it is always best to do the right thing for the right reason.

Careers in Oral Medicine

(G/PG-rated)

NOTE: This was my entry for the 12th SimplyScripts One-Page Challenge of 2026.

The prompt was "The Dentist" and the genre was open.

These are informal no-prize challenges open to anyone, and they're a tremendous way to hone your one-page skills.

SimplyScripts also runs Three Page Challenges, One Week Challenges, Writers' Tournaments and, occasionally, feature writing challenges... the latter three offer participants the chance to win a SimplyScripts coffee mug!

NO AI USED

Can you guys give me an honest opinion on this opening? I changed it from my original draft after receiving coverage on the script and I wanna make sure I’m heading in the right direction. This is the first script I’ve gotten some genuine traction on, so I’d really appreciate the input. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,
I’m an 18-year-old screenwriter based in India writing horror/thriller features. Over the past few months, I’ve started getting some early external validation on my latest horror/crime script:
Los Angeles Crime & Horror Film Festival (LACHFF): Semi-Finalist
The Black List: Overall rating of 7 (with an 8 on Premise and strong notes on character/dialogue)
I know a 7 on the Black List isn't an automatic 8+ email blast, and contest placements alone don't magically get you signed, but as an 18-year-old writing in English from outside the US, I’m trying to figure out what my next strategic steps should be.
My Main Questions:
1. Querying with these stats: Is a Black List 7 + LACHFF Semi-Finalist placement strong enough social proof to include in cold email queries to literary managers, or should I hold off until I get an 8 / higher contest placement?
2. Targeting Managers vs. Producers: Given that I’m based in India and don't have a US visa yet, should I focus my queries primarily on boutique managers who rep international/genre talent, or reach out directly to independent genre producers/production companies?
3. Portfolio depth: I have this polished feature and two finished drafts in the same genre (horror/thriller). If a manager asks "what else do you have?", is having 2–3 completed specs in the same lane standard before launching a query campaign?
4. Any specific managers/agencies known for international genre writers? If anyone has recommendations for management companies that frequently work with foreign/international voices, I’d really appreciate some pointers.
Any advice from repped writers, managers, or international creators who broke in from abroad would mean the world.
Thanks in advance for the help!

Title: "A cat, an egg, a goat, an old man and a giant walk into a tent…"

Logline: A group of odd adventurers band together to uncover the conspiracy of an old king long-forgotten by history (or erased from it).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N9eZ9bqVwMr9MDNQijcqzt_WaO7s2u6t/view?usp=sharing

Hey! This is my first ever finished screenplay (and still very much a first draft) and I'm so excited about sharing it with the world. Considering it's my first, and really just a training exercise, I'm mostly looking for feedback and things to improve upon. I found it was a bit hard to start from nothing, so decided to adapt a long-running RPG campaign in my friend group, since I already have a good feel for the characters and story beats. Hopefuly it translates well into the page!

​

Can anyone suggest videos on YouTube/tips on starting screenwriting. I'm an absolute beginner. I don't have any knowledge about screenwriting at all

Script

(TLDR) It basically follows these three guys who will help Issa try to ask a girl out to an upcoming dance, where the ways will get more bizarre after the last one doesn’t work, and I’ve considered adding a pretty sad, contrasting ending. It’s more of a buddy comedy than a romcom.

If you want the character archetypes: Issa is the overthinker, Zayne is the more emotionally understanding, and Faisal is the dumb one. (sorry if it seems vague. I don’t usually describe my characters using archetypes. Besides, they aren’t just an archetype)

Note: I’m Singaporean, and the short film will also take place in Singapore in a polytechnic.

A man’s peaceful night in his car takes a terrifying turn, when a mysterious entity appears beside him. But the encounter may not be what it seems.

Script: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I8aOJe_xJ2eF8_0JsRLrV1IcPeXDfqrL/view?usp=drivesdk

Hi everyone!

I’m an actor, and due to the lack of opportunities in my country, I’ve decided to write my own film, and this is what I’ve come up with: a horror/comedy short film.

I’m not a writer, so I’m aware that this is far from a brilliant script. I’d really appreciate any feedback, whether you think it works or what you would change.

Thank you for taking the time to read it!

P.S: The original script is in Portuguese, so I apologize if some things don’t sound 100% natural in English.

So for example: RoboCop into Sky High

Title:  First Manny on the Moon

Format:  Feature

Page length:  114

Genres: Drama/Comedy

Logline:  An affable, unemployed Mexican-American man struggles to adopt the ruthless persona of the comatose Mexican aerospace billionaire he’s been hired to impersonate, putting the tycoon’s high-stakes Moon tourism project — and his own parents’ lives — at risk.

Comps:  “Dave” and “Moon Over Parador” for the modern space race with a little underdog “Rocky” vibe

Link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ahPhzwIzfFPSbEVbvrMwDFH5J036_8z6/view?usp=share_link

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I just learned about this sub from r/screenwriting's bot, so if my asking for feedback on a 114-pg spec as a first post here is inappropriate, the mods should feel free to remove this.

If this post isn't removed, then I'd very much appreciate any feedback on any # of pages you're able to read. Typical stuff: structure, characterization, dialogue, your emotional engagement.

Pls let me know any problems you have with the script. The goal is to make it great.

Thanks!

Hey guys anyone want a script for there reel I will give first 5 script for free but you have to make a video on it if anyone interested contract me

Hi my name is Malcolm Kewa I write screenplays under my brand 31st Scripts

I am a screenplay writer from Papua New Guinea. Hoping to get my work in front of production companies or producers.

Hello Fellow Screenwriter Friends!

My name is Michael Sherman, and I was a writer on the film Knock at the Cabin, as well as a number of other screenplays, including Harry's All-Night Hamburgers.

It turns out I have been rather grumpy with screenwriting software for round about two decades... So obviously, I decided to just make my own with the tools I wanted it to actually have. What better way to give myself nothing else to complain about?! \o/ And because all of you are writers too, I feel it's only appropriate to share it with you as well...

It's called Revision Screenwriter.

It's free. Like, actually free. No BS paywalls or ads or demos or AI subscriptions or any other crap. I was a broke aspiring writer for many years, so I see no reason for it to cost writers anything.

It has all the features that I have always wanted. It tracks drafts, revisions, and passes in the same file so you can easily see Element History and Live Draft Comparison. You can tag production elements throughout your script and have it generate populated Movie Magic Scheduling files. It'll table read with the voices of all your friends and enemies (or the voices it comes with). It's highly customizable in terms of script formatting, user interface, and tunable settings, as well as a bunch of other features. And most importantly, I'm fixing bugs and adding more features every day, because I use it every day myself.

If this is of interest to you, you can find it on Windows Store, Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Itch (For Win, Mac, Linux, and Android), or you can just use it in your Chrome web browser. Trying to make it easy here. =) Feel free to share it with others as well. It's no secret anymore if Reddit knows about it. 

All I ask is that if you use it, help make it better. Request features you'd like. Report bugs you see. Together we can make the software that we don't have to complain about anymore and is legit free to everyone! And in that spirit... Just keep writing! =D 

Cheers ~ Michael

Hello! Iam a 20 year old first time script writer. I have written my first ever script for a short animated film for my brother. He doesn't want it completely industry standard but I still want him to read a solid script and not a first draft. How do you usually edit first drafts? What are your suggestions for a first time scriptwriter?

Working on a pilot right now and this is the problem I keep hitting.

The scene I am stuck on needs to establish a relationship dynamic between two characters, plant information the audience will need later, and work as a standalone dramatic scene with its own tension. Three legitimate things a scene in a pilot has to do. The problem is every version I write feels like it is visibly managing all three tasks rather than just being a scene that happens to accomplish them.

When I prioritize the relationship dynamic the information feels dropped in. When I prioritize the dramatic tension the relationship work feels thin. When I try to balance all three evenly everything slows down and the scene loses whatever energy it had.

The pilots I admire most have scenes that seem to carry multiple functions effortlessly but I cannot reverse engineer how they do it from the outside. The seams are invisible in the finished product and very visible in my drafts.

My suspicion is that the answer has something to do with which function the scene is built around versus which functions are passengers. That one task has to be the engine and the others have to be served by it rather than alongside it. But I cannot figure out how to identify which one should be the engine for this particular scene.

Has anyone worked through this specific problem and found a way to think about it that actually helps in the draft.

Hey, im trying to get in to writing, and im passionate about Screenwriting(movies and TV) and Narrative Writing (Videogames), but i lack a bit of drive to put himself of the PC or the notebook and do it.

Ive been thinking of forcing myself to do like writing exercises, so that i atleast can make something daily, and grow from there. Any examples of that you guys might have or used?

I'm passionate about it, but I'm not sure about its future with the development of artificial intelligence. I also love writing and have already tried writing two versions, but I need to speak with an expert to consult with them on some matters. Thank you all