LatestCraft
Give Your Protagonist Something to Want
Why active protagonists drive great screenplays, how to define a clear external goal, and how to fix a passive hero who waits for the story to happen to them.
Read the piece · 3 minThe Quillit Blog
Notes on the craft.
Screenplay format, story structure, dialogue and the working writer's life. A new piece every few days.
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Exposition Without Pain: Getting Information Across in a Screenplay
How to deliver backstory and plot information in a screenplay without stopping the story: conflict, curiosity, timing, and the techniques professionals use to hide exposition in plain sight.
· 3 min
Format
How to Introduce Characters in a Screenplay
Character introductions done right: the formatting convention, what to include in a description, how to reveal personality through action, and what to leave out.
· 4 min
Career
Spec Episode or Original Pilot? Choosing Your TV Writing Sample
What a TV spec script is, why original pilots now dominate as writing samples, when a spec episode still makes sense, and how to choose which to write next.
· 3 min
Craft
Why Every Screenplay Deserves a Table Read
How to organize a table read of your screenplay, who to invite, how to listen, and what hearing your script out loud reveals that reading it silently never will.
· 3 min
Craft
Writing Dread on the Page: Horror Description That Scares a Reader
Horror scripts have to frighten someone reading alone at a desk. How to use pacing, white space, sound, and withholding to build fear in screenplay description.
· 4 min
Structure
Subplots and the B Story: How Secondary Plots Strengthen a Screenplay
What subplots are for, how a B story carries theme and character change, how many a feature can hold, and how to weave them so they strengthen the main plot instead of diluting it.
· 4 min
Career
How to Pitch Your Screenplay in a Meeting
A practical guide to pitching a screenplay or story idea in a general meeting: how to structure it, how long to talk, what to bring, and how to handle questions.
· 3 min
Craft
How to Write a Comedy Scene That Actually Gets Laughs
The mechanics of a funny screenplay scene: a comic premise, escalation, specificity, rhythm on the page, and why the funniest characters never know they're funny.
· 4 min
Format
How to Format Phone Calls and Intercuts in a Screenplay
The three standard ways to write a phone call in a screenplay, how INTERCUT works, and how to choose the right approach for the scene.
· 3 min
Getting started
Writer's Block Is Usually a Story Problem
Why screenwriters get stuck, what writer's block is usually telling you about the script, and practical ways to get moving again without waiting for inspiration.
· 4 min
Structure
How to Write a Treatment for Your Screenplay
What a film treatment is, how long it should be, what goes in it, and how to use one both as a development tool and as a document other people read.
· 4 min
Format
How to Write Flashbacks in a Screenplay (and When Not To)
How to format flashbacks, flash forwards, and dream sequences in a screenplay, plus the questions to ask before you use one at all.
· 3 min
Craft
Setups and Payoffs: Planting Things Your Audience Will Thank You For
How to plant and pay off objects, lines, and skills in a screenplay so your climax feels inevitable instead of convenient. With techniques for hiding setups in plain sight.
· 4 min
Career
How to Write a Query Letter for Your Screenplay
A practical guide to screenplay query letters: what to include, how long to make it, who to send it to, and the mistakes that get queries deleted unread.
· 4 min
Craft
Writing Antagonists Who Earn Their Scenes
How to write a screenplay antagonist with a real goal, a coherent logic, and enough power to test your hero. Why the villain is often the most important character you'll design.
· 4 min
Structure
The Midpoint: How to Stop Your Second Act From Sagging
What a screenplay midpoint is, the forms it usually takes, and how a strong one splits a long second act into two halves with different energy.
· 4 min
Format
How to Write Action Lines That Read Like a Movie
Screenplay action lines that move: present tense, short paragraphs, specific verbs, and white space. How to describe what we see without slowing the read.
· 4 min
Structure
The Inciting Incident: Where Your Story Really Starts
What an inciting incident is, where it belongs in a screenplay, how it differs from the first act break, and how to tell whether yours is strong enough to carry a movie.
· 4 min
Craft
How to Write a Scene That Turns
The anatomy of a working screenplay scene: a want, an obstacle, a turn, and a way out. How to diagnose flat scenes and fix them before they cost you a reader.
· 4 min
Craft
Genre Expectations: The Beats Readers Look For in Horror, Comedy, and Thrillers
Genre screenwriting is a promise to the reader. The beats horror, comedy, and thriller scripts are expected to hit, and how to subvert them without breaking.
· 6 min
Structure
The First Ten Pages: Why Your Opening Decides Everything
Readers judge the first ten pages of a screenplay before anything else. What they decide by page 10, what Jaws and Inglourious Basterds teach, what to avoid.
· 5 min
Craft
Adapting a Book Into a Screenplay: What to Keep, What to Cut
Adapting a book into a screenplay means compression, translation, and structure surgery. What to keep, what to cut, and why the best adaptations change so much.
· 5 min
Structure
Writing a Short Film: Small Format, Real Craft
How to write a short film that actually works: one idea executed fully, realistic page counts, festival practicalities, and why shorts make great calling cards.
· 5 min
Career
How to Sell a Screenplay: Queries, Reps, and Realistic Paths
How to sell a screenplay without connections: specs as samples, managers vs. agents, query letter etiquette, general meetings, and the long game that works.
· 5 min
Career
Are Screenwriting Contests Worth It? How to Choose Wisely
Are screenwriting contests worth it? What screenplay competitions can and can't do for your career, the red flags to avoid, and a sane submission strategy.
· 5 min
Format
How Many Scenes Are in a Screenplay? Ranges, Rhythms, and Why It Varies
How many scenes a screenplay really needs, why scene count varies by genre, and how to tell when your scene count is signaling a deeper problem.
· 5 min
Craft
Subtext: Writing the Scene Under the Scene
What subtext in screenwriting actually is, how objects and behavior carry it, famous scenes that never say the thing, and exercises to build the muscle.
· 5 min
Craft
The Rewrite: How to Revise a Screenplay Without Losing Your Mind
A working system for screenplay rewrites: focused passes for structure, character, and dialogue, reading your script cold, and cutting your darlings.
· 5 min
Structure
Writing a TV Pilot vs. a Feature: What Actually Changes
Pilot vs. feature explained: act structure, page counts, cold opens, the series engine vs. a closed story, and how staffing differs from selling.
· 5 min
Format
The Screenplay Title Page: What Goes On It (and What Doesn't)
The exact screenplay title page format: layout, contact info, draft dates, WGA registration, with an example, plus the mistakes that scream amateur.
· 5 min
Tools
Beyond Final Draft: Modern Alternatives for Screenwriters
Why Final Draft became the industry standard, what's changed, and a fair comparison of modern alternatives: WriterDuet, Highland, Fade In, Celtx, and Quillit.
· 5 min
Tools
Free Screenwriting Software: What to Look For (and What to Avoid)
An honest buyer's guide to free screenwriting software: what free tiers gate, why export freedom matters, and which free screenplay apps are worth your time.
· 5 min
Format
V.O., O.S., and Parentheticals: A Field Guide to Dialogue Technicals
The difference between V.O. and O.S., how CONT'D works, and when parentheticals help or hurt your script, with correctly formatted examples.
· 5 min
Format
CUT TO: When (and When Not) to Use Screenplay Transitions
What screenplay transitions like CUT TO: and DISSOLVE TO: actually mean, why modern specs use fewer of them, and when a transition truly earns its place.
· 5 min
Craft
Show, Don't Tell: What It Actually Means in a Screenplay
What show, don't tell really means in screenwriting: action lines, props, and behavior that carry story, plus the times when telling is the right call.
· 5 min
Craft
Character Arcs: How to Make Audiences Care in 110 Pages
How character arcs work in screenwriting: want vs. need, flat arcs, and expressing change through action instead of speeches, with famous examples.
· 5 min
Structure
What Is a Logline? How to Write One That Sells Your Script
What a logline is, the formula and its limits, famous logline examples analyzed, and how to test whether yours can actually sell your screenplay.
· 5 min
Craft
How to Write Dialogue That Actors Want to Say
Practical screenplay dialogue techniques: compression, distinct voices, conflict in every exchange, subtext, and why reading aloud changes everything.
· 5 min
Format
How to Format a Screenplay: The Complete Guide
Master screenplay format: margins, Courier 12pt, all seven element types, and the formatting mistakes that make script readers stop reading.
· 5 min
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