The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

After decades working with writers in this business, Sheila Hanahan Taylor - A-List producer behind many beloved edge-of-your seat genre films like the Final Destination films - has brilliantly assembled a list of common mistakes she sees "rookies" make.And speaking of genre, Sheila brilliantly counters some of those condescending perspectives with her own experiences as to why genre may be the secret to getting your emerging work of the ground. She will FOREVER re-think the way you think about genre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling blocked, stuck, uninspired, or just BLAH? We're here to save the day!We were initially going to run an episode on boundaries (don't worry, we still will!) but a NUMBER of hurdles interfered with our ability to make that happen, so our intern Jess pitched a great idea to cut together a greatest hits "emergency" toolkit compilation to get you though this week! If you LOVE a highlight and want to listen to the full episode, here are the past episodes we compiled from: Episode 9 - How to overcome writer’s block Episode 14 - Outlining/Chunking In Your Writing Episode 20 - Importance of play Episode 21 - Overcome Excuses Episode 24 - Perfectionism kills your writing Episode 29 - The Long Road For Writers Thank you to Jess Fisher for assembling this episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marti Noxon is a force in our business. Known for her sharp voice, social commentary, and darkly funny writing, all of which is tied together by a knack for complicated and richly drawn female characters, she's on TV's most important voices.She's worked on everything from beloved genre projects like BUFFY to prestige crime dramas like SHARP OBJECTS, and she's here today to help us get a full and detailed look at the current landscape for writing in television.Learn what we REALLY mean when we say story engine, what makes Marti quit reading a sample while staffing, and whether we should pitch with a bible, treatment, or one page when we take a show out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the hosts and guest Andrew Stanton, a renowned storyteller, as they discuss storytelling intricacies in screenwriting. Topics include crafting compelling narratives, embracing creativity, navigating feedback, and exploring character motivations. Learn the importance of persistence, collaboration, and emotional engagement in creating authentic and memorable stories.

We had SUCH a great tangent on last week's episode, that we wanted to feature this conversation as it's own short MINISODE. Do you have a great character want that doesn't feel URGENT enough in your Act I? We're almost SURE it's because you haven't created a clear enough problem for your character yet. Listen to find out EXACTLY what we need... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do Voldemort, Regina George, and Hans Gruber have in common? They're great antagonists, of course! Whether it's an action movie, a comedy, or even a contemplative drama, story needs conflict, and antagonists CREATE conflict, so we're going to discuss what makes a great antagonist today on the show.For NPR's FULL Coverage Of Die Hard: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978734467/die-hard-welcome-to-the-podcast-pal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotionally rich writing has always been a Hallmark for both Meg and Lorien in their writing, and on today's show, we dig into the meat of what makes it work and why. TSL family member Savannah Morgan hooked us up with the London Screenwriter's Festival, and moderated an AMAZING interview w/ Meg and Lorien where they got into all of it. It's an amazing listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kemp Powers is a playwright, screenwriter, and co-director, and this year, he's one of the most talked about writers in our business. Kemp has not one, but TWO highly talked-about films in the 2021’s awards circuit, Pixar’s Soul (which he co-wrote with Pete Docter and past guest Mike Jones, as well as co-directed) and One Night In Miami, which he adapted from his own play, AND which was just nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. As someone who has adapted a feature from previously existing work, AND written for one of our industry’s most coveted IPs (Star Trek), Kemp is the perfect guest to discuss the art of ADAPTATION in screenwriting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John August? Yes. THAT John August.We're thrilled to feature Screenwriting PODfather John August, famous for many things. Among them, award-nominated studio juggernauts like BIG FISH and CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, to his critically acclaimed Screenwriting podcast Scriptnotes, which I'm sure most of you already listen to. Today John is answering YOUR questions about Worldbuilding in your writing. How do we balance concision, economy, and "necessary details." Why are so we naturally inclined to write in a master shot rather than up close?We answer that question, and more, today on the show!CHECK OUT SCRIPTNOTES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Dickenson's poetry, The Girl w/ The Dragon Tattoo, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, these are all works we ALMOST didn't see because the authors ALMOST hid their work from the masses, and imagine the beautiful art we would've missed out on!Writing is all about being vulnerable and putting yourself out there...so why are we so afraid to do it? What's at stake if we do, and more importantly, what's at stake if we DON'T? We ask all of these questions and more on today's episode, plus, a great question about dialogue.Will you put yourself out there? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices