I was a terrible screenwriter.  I once wrote a script about a man who was half-llama. I’m not kidding. The most frustrating thing about my failure was I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. It was obviously something, but after reading all the screenwriting books, hunting down all the screenwriter interviews, and writing until my fingers bled, there was still a big piece of the equation missing. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.

A friend of mine who’d been telling me to read scripts forever finally stuffed one in my face and told me he wasn’t leaving until I finished it. It was one of those “six figure sales” that gets splashed all over the trades. I opened the script begrudgingly, preparing to be bored out of my mind, and instead had as close to a religious experience as a writer can have. Something clicked while reading that script. Screenwriting made sense to me for the first time in my life.

I began scarfing down every screenplay I could find, often digesting three or four in a single sitting. At my most insane, I was reading 56 screenplays a week (eight a day!!!). This religious learning experience was so powerful, I began formulating a plan to introduce it to aspiring screenwriters. What if I reviewed professional screenplays online, helping amateur writers learn directly from those who’d already made it? It seemed obvious. Scriptshadow was born.

To my amazement, the site gained an immediate following and quickly became one of the most popular screenwriting sites on the internet. It has since been featured in numerous publications, including Wired, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. It’s exceeded my expectations on every level and its success has allowed me many opportunities I had only dreamed of a few years earlier.

The structure of the site has evolved over time.  I used to only review scripts, but now I mix it up.  Monday is typically a screenplay-centric breakdown of the latest big movie.  Tuesday I take a well-known film and extract 10 screenwriting tips from it.  Wednesday I typically review a feature script or a television pilot.  Thursday I write an article.  And Friday, I turn it over to you guys, reviewing an amateur script.  What’s been really exciting is finding some great amateur scripts in that Friday slot and those scripts go on to either sell or get the writers representation.

At the top of the site, you’ll see a toolbar for everything else. We have the best script consultants on the web in the “Script Notes” section, available at every budget to get your latest screenplay into shape. We have artists in the “Concept Artists” section to help you create concept art or one-sheets to stand out when pitching or querying. We have “Amateur Friday,” where you can submit your script for one of those coveted Friday reviews. We have one of the best screenwriting communities on the web in the comments section. No bitter angry dudes here. Just writers helping other writers out. And finally there’s the Scriptshadow book, which has 500 of the best screenwriting tips you’ll find, all broken down with examples from classic movies.

If you’re a big fan of the site (only big fans apply!), you should definitely get involved in the newsletter.  I send it out once a week.  It covers the big sales of the week and I review one of the bigger screenplays floating around Hollywood.  It’ll be one of the only newsletters you’ll actually look forward to.

Hope you enjoy the site and if you have any questions, e-mail me at carsonreeves1@gmail.com!