Kill Your Darlings

Kill Your Darlings

Cave Life As writers we spend our lives in a cave, hammering out stories. But it’s a misconception to think that we’re alone in there. Oh no, we’ve got our little darlings to keep us company. You know, our darlings… our cherished characters or...
5 Pitfalls of Rushing Your First Draft

5 Pitfalls of Rushing Your First Draft

The Mantra Many screenwriting books and gurus have this mantra: “If you start rewriting before you reach the end of your script, you will never finish it.” They’ll say, “Try to reach the end of your first draft quickly, so you can get to the...
Paralysis By Analysis

Paralysis By Analysis

My lousy way of getting it done is better than your great way of not doing it. – Terry Rossio My Formula I was recently mired in the dreaded outlining process for my latest script. I tend to be quite zealous when it comes to figuring out the structure of my...

Writing Teams

Some of my friends have had great success as a writing team. Perhaps they answered all of Steve Kaire’s key questions at the outset of their partnership: There’s a list of questions that has to be answered before both parties make the final commitment to work...