One of the more common story setups is the “Group of People Gets Lost In the Woods” scenario, and it’s not surprising why. It fits into a clear genre (Horror), it’s marketable (all horror is), it’s cheap to shoot (all you need is actors and a camera), and there’s something universally scary about getting lost […]

Watch “The Ritual” today if you have Netflix. It’s the first good movie Netflix has ever made. More importantly, tomorrow’s article will be about the movie. We’re going to talk about how a single scene can make a screenplay. Genre: Thriller Premise: In an unraveling that rivals Taxi Driver, a young woman who moderates X-rated […]

Genre: TV Pilot – 1 Hour Drama Premise: After a high school senior becomes a hero for stopping a school shooting, he decides to write a book about it. About: This show is debuting on Hulu, which continues to be interested in creating solid content (Handmaiden’s Tale, Casual, the Stephen King Universe). There are rumors […]

Genre: Drama Premise: A circus family attempts to keep its lucrative business going by utilizing a dark and horrifying secret. About: Katherine Dunn, the author of the 1989 breakout novel, Geek Love, was a single mother working three jobs when her novel became an unexpected best seller. The Portland-based writer was, all of a sudden, […]

UPDATE: It’s a close race so make sure to vote! It could determine the winner! Unless you’re a 50 Shades fan (and because you’re on a blog about writing, I’m assuming you’re not) or one of the 50 people who heard about the thwarted terrorist attack Clint Eastwood made a movie about, you’re not going […]