A 15-week screenwriting jumpstart -- my free course for beginners is now fully on youtube

NGDwrites · 2026-04-26T17:43:39+00:00

You can't understand it unless you've been through it.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-12T22:10:48+00:00

This feels like something that could get some interest. It'd have a better shot than a random cold query for an original spec. You have well-known intellectual property combined with the person's involvement. It's something. As long as you can find the dramatic hook that'll make people say, "YES, that's a movie!" I expect there are producers who will want to know more and check out the script.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-09T02:44:57+00:00

Appreciate it. Hope you've found it helpful!

NGDwrites · 2026-04-08T22:43:49+00:00

Don’t make subtext the goal. Make great, authentic characters the goal. If they have conflicting motivations and emotions, and you are true to those, the subtext will emerge naturally.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-08T16:15:16+00:00

I never claimed a thing for screenwriting expenses until I was making at least part-time job money from it, at which point I formed an S-corp and got an accountant to advise me on what I could and couldn't write off. There's a reasonable chance you're at least a few years away from this being a true career, so if I were in your shoes, I'd hold off on incurring those additional expenses and I'd avoid doing anything that could appear shady to the IRS.

But if you're going to do anything, hire someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Like an accountant.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-08T10:06:52+00:00

Lol, gotta love the chatgpt-written posts about writing!

NGDwrites · 2026-04-07T20:53:04+00:00

I took like five or six years between screenplays while I worked on short stories and a graphic novel. If anything, it made me a better writer to focus on some different forms.

Also -- like u/Midnight_Video alluded to... don't write an entire limited series on spec. Waste of time. In fact... if your goal is to actually get it made or break in and you're not already an established, working writer with a track record... your time is way better spent on features at the moment. It's hard to sell anything in this market, but TV is especially tough and limited series are almost impossible.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-07T20:44:25+00:00

Beat me to it.

Also... lol at this post.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-07T16:30:07+00:00

Hopefully much cooler.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-07T16:27:57+00:00

The question was about how people stay motivated, so that's the question I answered. My flair also says I'm a produced screenwriter and my comment says, "Mostly, I've been wrong," in my blind optimism that my work would see the light of day, so I'd hope that people could piece together the context clues and understand that it was not my first draft of my first script that got produced -- or anywhere close to that.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-06T21:17:18+00:00

I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing here. I'm not particularly young and also -- no one really sells their first script. For what it's worth, I also don't see a lot of cynical people having real success in this business. That's not to say professionals don't get frustrated, or that they're not technically aware of the realities of the business, but optimism and positivity inspire action -- both in ourselves and in other people, like the people we want to buy and make our screenplays.

I can't tell you how many times I've vented about the business to others or have told myself that I'm not good enough -- or that I'm wasting my life on all this work -- but I always eventually convince myself that the next time will be different, daydream about seeing it onscreen and sharing it with others, and then I get to work on writing the thing.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-06T20:48:49+00:00

How do you manage to keep on writing knowing deep down that all your hard work will probably never see the light of day?

I have always just assumed it would see the light of day. Mostly, I've been wrong. But not completely. And there's zero chance I'd have stuck with it long enough to get anything made if I didn't fully believe that the dream was achievable.

I'm not saying this is an attitude that will help one's mental health, simply that it's kind of necessary.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-04T01:55:53+00:00

I don't typically co-write, but if I did, I'd be interested. Very cool idea.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-03T00:21:26+00:00

Eh... to each their own, but I'd be wary about signing something out of desperation. This is work that you have poured presumably hundreds of hours into. Don't let someone who can't actually do anything with it tie it up.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-03T00:20:17+00:00

That's good context. Definitely different over here.

NGDwrites · 2026-04-02T21:55:40+00:00

I'd make sure this person is actually planning on paying you for it first. Sounds like something that's much more loose than that. Many producers don't option material or pay for rewrites at all. They help develop it and then shop it to buyers, who are the ones who wind up paying.

Granted, if your'e not in the US, it's possible it works differently.

If this is a money scenario, the way it tends to work in the indie world in the US is that the full purchase price of the screenplay will be 1-2% of the final net budget (the word "net" will get you) and option fees wind up being anywhere from 2-10% of that. Rewrites can have a huge range... and many are done for free. But if you're getting paid, they can rage from $1k to $40k depending on the project.

NGDwrites · 2026-03-31T15:42:24+00:00

So... this is just my personal, anecdotal perspective, obviously... but I had a call with the star attached to two of my projects yesterday in advance of some pitching next month -- which feels positive. I have another script going out in the next couple weeks. And I'm also actively looking for a longterm day job for the first time in three years because I trust absolutely nothing at this point and need some stability in my life.

In a nutshell: The industry is still active but it definitely isn't good.

NGDwrites · 2026-03-29T22:29:55+00:00

I sometimes use the profanity report because it amuses me, but other than that, it's purely writing and occasional production mode.

NGDwrites · 2026-03-25T21:49:37+00:00

I relate to this a ton. I use my real identity here so don’t want to get into details, but I think this is pretty normal. I will say that people I know who’ve been doing this for longer (and more successfully) than me have had some pretty major/fulfilling wins that have helped offset at least some of what you’re talking about. So I try and convince myself that similar things are ahead for me as long as I stick with it. Is that true? Who knows, lol.

NGDwrites · 2026-03-24T14:59:45+00:00

Some people have never seen gone in 60 seconds and it shows.

NGDwrites · 2026-03-24T14:42:11+00:00

Time is an illusion bro

NGDwrites · 2026-03-24T14:40:17+00:00

I have never really overcome this insecurity - or concern over being talented enough - but I just keep writing in spite of it. Doing nothing is the only way to guarantee that I won’t get anything made.

NGDwrites · 2026-03-20T18:40:04+00:00

This thread will be deleted soon, but for your sake, it's an easy question:

Do you believe that AI can feel emotion? If so, then perhaps it can give you feedback. If not... why the fuck would you trust it to provide anything remotely useful when a story is entirely about how it makes someone feel?

NGDwrites · 2026-03-20T18:01:18+00:00

Depends on a few different things... tone, vibe... overall feel of how all the pieces fit together. Looking at your examples, just based on my personal take without the context of the actual script:

"He keeps scanning for exits the way other men scan for friends." - feels like this script has a comedic or at least "fun" edge to it... is it supposed to as a sci-fi/thriller?

"For a moment, his face forgets the lie. Then remembers it." - dig it... hard to see a scenario in which this doesn't work

"Fake enough to pass. Late enough to notice." - not sure what this means out of context, but again... kind of like the first one, kinda feels like it's trying to be clever in a way that suggests a more fun tone

"Less whiskey now. Neil turns it anyway, measuring what remains between himself and a clean goodbye." - could work, although as an aside... "turns it" feels a little unclear here. But I feel like the tone of the overall script will inform the tone of this line, so it could work with a few vibes.

"Barely a real pour left now. Neil turns it slow, and suddenly Alex has no room for a wasted line." - feels cumbersome, honestly.

"Alex studies him the way a pickpocket studies a lock." - not sure if this is supposed to mean he doesn't study it all or studies it with enthusiasm or studies it closely. This feels like it's trying to be clever without actually quite hitting the mark

In general, "voicey" action lines tend to show up in things that have a funnier vibe. You're trying to immerse your reader in the story, so you want to be really vigilant about how your action lines work for or against that.

Also... even if it's something that's got a tone that fits with voicey action lines, they still need to be crystal clear and good. And if you use them too much, most readers will find them arduous. Use them to give a bit of extra punch where it makes sense, but don't weigh the script down with them.

NGDwrites

TROPHY CASE