The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

We answer your BURNING questions from two of Hollywood's top producers in the game, whose production company Mockingbird Pictures has been nominated for Oscars, among many other accolades.More about our guests: Julie Lynn formed Mockingbird Pictures in 1999, with Bonnie Curtis joining in 2012 after more than 15 years working with Steven Spielberg. Together they are producing film and television across a wide variety of genres, with movie budgets that range from under $1 million to over $100 million. They have produced for brand-new filmmakers, as well as experienced, award-winning directors. They are still thinking about what non-profit work they are going to cook up together after they retire from filmmaking … but they are hopeful that day is still many years away. They are most proud of all the “repeat customers” amongst their collaborators, as well as the fact that they were able to successfully take their families on a joint vacation, because they clearly don’t see enough of each other at work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may feel like it's just you and the page, but as we always say during this show: "you are NOT alone on this journey!"You need to find your people, but how do you do it? Who are your people? And more importantly, who AREN'T your people?PLUS, we finally clear up the murky waters around all of the "story" people on film sets (supervisors, managers, producers, etc.) What does it all mean? Tune in to find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time, we talked about how to keep your writing fun, but we also KNOW it's not always going to be fun. It's easy to make excuses as to why we're not writing, but don't forget, those excuses might be pointing to something deeper like fear, or shame, or those "other voices" that get in our way. The good news? That's your LAVA! Today, we talk about how to overcome those excuses and get INTO your writing!FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/689651718467504/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember when you wanted to be a writer because it was FUN?It seems like an obvious point, but so many of us have lost our ability to enjoy the FUN of writing, which is why we got into it in the first place! Enter: PLAY. Maybe it's exercises with your characters, maybe it's a no-holds barred workshop with your writer's group, or maybe it's FINALLY signing up for that improv class (or that sculpture class - cough, cough, MEG) that you've been eying for weeks.Let go, and have some FUN today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last we talked about finding YOUR voice, so naturally, we have to ask, what about all of those OTHER voices?Unproductive voices may be in our own head, or they may be friends, or even family (read: FAMILY). But, the sociocultural voices that permeate our lives can also sabotage our work. How do we know which outside voices are helpful, and how do we know which ones will inevitably sabotage what makes us our writing special?Other voices are the main cause of IMPOSTER SYNDROME, which is something we all deal with, which is the focus of our question of the week!Remember to join our Facebook group, and thanks in advance for those beautiful Apple Podcast reviews!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of Hollywood's greatest writers are known for their "voice" - Nora Ephron's witty female leads. Aaron Sorkin's talky, moving monologues. Charlie Kaufman's mind-bending, sardonic humor.But what IS voice? Is voice something that we need to be taught, or is it something that we already have? How do we HONE our voice? Meg and Lorien answer all of these questions and more!PLUS: Producer Jeff is taking a terrifying leap into his own lava and inviting you all to join. On Sun, Oct 25 @ 3p PT, he will be conducting a live, virtual table read of his own script he plans to direct with producers, his DP, a group of great LA-Based actors, and many many people watching. If you'd like to join, please RSVP: JeffGrahamDigital@gmail.com. By RSVP-ing, you'll be getting a ZOOM link to join the many viewers, and a copy of the pre-pro script in it's current form. As we discussed on the show, notes aren't nessecary, but they are very welcome! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Questions about the professional life of a screenwriter? WGA questions?We've got you covered; we're THRILLED to be joined by writer Jonathan Fernandez, who, in addition to writing Rob The Mob starring Ray Romano, is a board member for the WGA.But first, of course, we give you our adventures in screenwriting, and very important burrito talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You just had a GREAT notes call, and now you're ready and excited to jump back into your script - but, wait a minute - why is this not as easy or exciting as I thought it was going to be? Diving BACK into your material (or even diving into your new idea) can be daunting, but Meg and Lorien are BACK to help you through it. PLUS, we answer our listener question from JOHN WIKSTROM about structure and screenwriting "rules": are they a roadmap, a formula, a way to diagnose problems, or something else entirely? Meg and Lorien may surprise you with their answer!Make sure to SUBSCRIBE and enjoy new episodes of The Screenwriting Life every Sunday @ 6p EST. RESOURCES:Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/thescreenwritinglife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This can be a heartbreaking industry, but as writers, we have to hold out hope.@StoryMeg @LorienMcKenna #JeffreyCGraham- http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetworkHELPFUL LINKS: Website - http://popcorntalk.com Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thepopcorntalk Merch - http://shop.spreadshirt.com/PopcornTalk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the secrets to great storytelling is great outlining, and today we discuss just that!Elizabeth Gilbert’s Ted Talk On “Genius”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA&t=756sMichael Arendt’s Views on Structure: http://www.pandemoniuminc.com/ts3-mistakes-made-lessons-learned?fbclid=IwAR3rGuN5m7bVO6QH2ONca7bfaKr9WecD_iSH3yDH33Bhn-LzARNxAF0aJmc#PopcornTalk #ScreenwritingLife #Outlining We've talked a lot about chunking and outlining on this show, and now, we finally get into the dirty details! Get those index cards ready!@StoryMeg @LorienMcKenna #JeffreyCGraham- http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetworkHELPFUL LINKS: Website - http://popcorntalk.com Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thepopcorntalk Merch - http://shop.spreadshirt.com/PopcornTalk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices