The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

When Charlie got to post-production of his feature writer/director debut, he was crushed to discover that the film simply didn't work. At that point, he was faced with two choices: ditch the movie and move on, or dig in, dive into his lava, and head back to set for reshoots. He chose the latter, and his new film FOOL'S PARADISE, drops in theaters next week! On today's show we also talk about the genesis of Always Sunny, Charlie's comic voice, "pushing" your tone on the page, and how to write "unlikeable" characters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did Kelly Fremon Craig manage to convince Judy Blume to let her adapt Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? Tune in to find out!We're thrilled to be joined by award-winning writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig. She's the award-winning writer and director of two feature films: The Edge Of Seventeen starring Hailey Steinfeld, and Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, which will be released in theaters tomorrow. Kelly's work is celebrated for its unflinching depictions of teenage girlhood, which The New York Times calls "smart and achingly bittersweet." Hi Kelly!JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

However you feel about Starz' award-winning show BLINDSPOTTING, one thing is for sure, you've never seen anything like it. Today's guest, showrunner Rafael Casal, likes it that way: confronting his audiences with genre-breaking, even medium-breaking decisions in the production. For Rafael, as long as the writing remains deeply committed to truth and honesty, the writer is entitled to "break the rules. "Rafael Casal is a poet, rapper, actor, filmmaker, and showrunner who is best known for Blindspotting: a feature-film-turned-TV-show that he co-created with his longtime creative partner Daveed Diggs. Casal's work explores the complicated social dynamics of urban life in the 21st century, particularly in Oakland, where he grew up. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jump behind the scenes with us to experience the highs and lows of producing one of Pixar's most celebrated and subversive films: Turning Red from the minds of Domee Shi and Julia Cho, who wrote it.Domee Shi began as a story intern at Pixar Animation Studios in June 2011, and was soon hired as a story artist on the Academy Award-winning feature film INSIDE OUT. In 2015 she began pitching ideas for short films, and soon was green lit to write and direct BAO which won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film. Shi most recently made her feature film directorial debut on TURNING RED which was also Oscar-nominated. Her TURNING RED co-writer Julia Cho began her career in the New York Theater scene, writing a number of celebrated plays which scored her the Windham-Campbell Literary Prize in 2020 celebrating her body of her work. Her work as a playwright earned her spots in a number of prestigious writers' rooms including BIG LOVE, HALT AND CATCH FIRE, and PAPER GIRLS, which she co-executive produced.JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Anderson is an award-winning writer of plays, television, and movies, with over three decades of produced material, some of which she herself directed. Jane's work is known for its rich and complicated depictions of female life, with films like THE WIFE, which was Oscar-nominated, and shows like OLIVE KITTERIDGE, which won multiple Emmys, including two for Jane. ANNE LAMOTT EPISODE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/33-anne-lamott-make-your-writing-fears-work-for-you/id1501641442?i=1000510993110JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Lee Hancock is an award-winning writer/director whose extensive career includes writing and directing The Blind Side, directing Saving Mr. Banks, and most recently writing and directing Mr. Harrigan's Phone for Netflix. Across nearly three decades of his career, John has worked as a producer, writer, and director in multiple genres including stirring sports biopics, high concept genre movies, and even teen horror. On today's show, we discuss the beginning of his career, adaptation, and directing/writing with kindness. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every writer should experience set life at least once in their life, whether they're directing their own work, supervising production on their episode, or even just helping out as a PA. Every set has it's own rules and universe, so today, we wanted to unpack those with our own stories and advice!JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CALL US WITH YOUR PITCHING HORROR STORIES: 440.305.0690 Kelly Edwards' multi-faceted career has multiple phases: she has worked in development, platforming shows like LIVING SINGLE, GIRLFRIENDS, and MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. She has also worked as a diversity executive for studios like HBO and NBC Universal, ushering in diverse creative talent for NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and Telemundo. Now Kelly has taken her decades of producing experience to do the very thing we talk about on our show: write. Kelly has sold multiple scripts and was recently staffed on a scripted show. Having worked as both an exec and a writer, Kelly has a rare understanding of our business from both sides, which is the main focus of her recent book: The Executive Chair, which you can buy here!: https://www.amazon.com/Executive-Chair-Writers-Guide-Development/dp/1615933301 You can also join our patreon, here: https://www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a TSL first as we explore a crossover episode with Matt Enlow and Oren Kaplan of the popular JUST SHOOT IT PODCAST to discuss pitching, free work, social media, and what directors are really looking for when it comes to the page.TO SUBSCRIBE TO JUST SHOOT IT: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-shoot-it-a-podcast-about-filmmaking/id995859414 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All of us have goals in our career, but how do build the steps to actually get there? Or perhaps more importantly, how do we be intentional about budling the steps to get there? Not only is scaffolding an essential part of career-building, but also in our work.JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices