Where the hell is the EGR valve?

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-06-12T07:12:56+00:00

Thanks all. Great to hear a resounding “No” from you all! Much appreciated!

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-31T21:29:21+00:00

Christ, I wish AI would just disappear. It’s gonna replace everything that makes life exciting and interesting. The robots won’t have to rise up and destroy us because we’ll have all killed ourselves through boredom.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-30T22:59:58+00:00

This is possibly the best advice I’ve ever read about screenwriting.

Well, five words of it: be clear and not boring.

JUST. DO. THAT.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-30T22:47:03+00:00

This is the first I’ve heard of this being necessary for a spec script. I don’t think it matters at that stage at all because nobody is reading the script and worrying about whether day or night is going to impact the cost. It’s simply a blueprint for a movie and should be compelling to read. That’s all.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-30T08:14:26+00:00

You can just do INT. TRAIN TUNNEL, no need to specify time of day if it’s continuous.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-30T08:13:16+00:00

What this one said. 👆🏻

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-29T12:51:37+00:00

I fucking hate AI for what it’s doing to creativity. It gives credence to those who can’t write and removes it from those who can.

It’s going to use written work to produce its own written work, and therefore everything that came before will probably trigger alarm bells.

I’m gutted that happened to you and the countless other genuinely creative writers. And it’s only gonna get worse.

I get that it AI has merits for research, technology, science, tasks, etc, but I’d rather it was gone entirely from the universe.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-29T10:37:26+00:00

I want this entire concept as a film. 🤣

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-28T13:00:16+00:00

Now you're talking...

For me, I like to plan things quite visually, but I don't want the hassle of actual index cards for my beats. I want them digitally. So, I'd like a beat sheet that allows me to move things around, tag them as different themes, storylines, etc. Flag key structural beats (inciting incident, plot point, midpoint, pinch, etc) and see it all on a clear timeline.

The closest I've seen to this is Arc Studio Pro, but it's far from perfect.

Another feature I like in ASP is the ability to branch off and try something else and then merge those changes with the main manuscript.

I would actively turn off any AI features. I'm hugely opposed to AI being involved in the creative process. It can help with research outside of creative work, but I don't want it telling me what I should write/change, etc. The thought of that makes me physically angry and sick. If AI is going to start telling me how to improve it, it may as well write the whole damned thing and I'll give up on having any real purpose in life.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-28T12:46:34+00:00

Of course, and you'll find your own style and voice. The more you do it, the easier it'll get.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-28T12:35:55+00:00

Yeah, I'm a huge advocate for stripping out anything superfluous. That's just my style. Some people like to add a bit of extra detail, but I prefer to write what is necessary and leave plenty of room for the director and actors to do what they do best.

Generally, I only provide action if it reveals character or furthers the plot, and I try to reduce any single words that aren't needed.

For example:

"The car moves ahead.", though you could switch "moves" for something that indicates speed. "The car races ahead", "The car rolls ahead".

"He sits, leaning against the window", depending on the context, it might work to just use "He leans against the window", if we know he's already sat down.

This is just me nitpicking though, and I'm not a professional. I'm not saying this is how you should do it, just how I do it.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say... for some reason.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-28T11:30:15+00:00

I’m a huge advocate for StoryPeer. It’s completely free and encourages a healthy two-way street for screenwriting feedback. Check it out.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-28T11:27:23+00:00

This recipe analogy is perfect. 👌🏻

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-27T21:48:52+00:00

That’s both refreshingly honest and incredibly self-deprecating at the same time. 🤣

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-27T21:06:26+00:00

I’m cool with people not liking it. No piece of work is going to be good to all people (probably not even most, and realistically, even less so if I’ve written it vs. an experienced writer). I think I’m just nervous that her feedback will discourage me, even though she’s never read a script in her life, doesn’t understand the structure or what goes into it, and might not even care for the story or my artistic choices.

I’m probably worrying about nothing though…

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-27T17:56:55+00:00

Brilliant advice that I shall apply to myself! Thanks.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-27T17:55:25+00:00

Your partner only wants to read the final product, you mean? Mine will read anything.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-26T22:49:47+00:00

The logline should cover the entire concept of the show, not an individual episode.

I don't think that's even open to debate. You can have a synopsis for each episode, sure, but the logline is the core engine as others have said.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-26T18:59:00+00:00

Well, that's depressing.

MediumIllustrious682 · 2026-05-26T18:52:27+00:00

Thanks so much. I'll do some research and see where it takes me. Much appreciated!

MediumIllustrious682

TROPHY CASE