Tom Vaughan

After writing screenplays professionally for 29 years, here are ten random things I wish I knew before I started: #screenwriting

Don't let Act 2 intimidate you. Break it up into pieces. Make these choices in your screenwriting: - What's the dramatic question out of Act 1? - What's the midpoint?  - Who does the character become in Act 3?  Know where you're going and ask, "What needs to happen to get there?" #screenwriting

The sooner you stop comparing your screenwriting career to others, the happier you will be. Your writing will be better, too. You get to be you and to enjoy where that takes you. And if one day it's others comparing themselves to you, that's cool. It's just not necessary. #screenwriting

Writing anything down that you find interesting for your screenwriting isn't just about remembering it. It helps train your mind to see the world through that lens. Is this a story? A moment? A character? You'll start asking this out of habit. #screenwriting

The idea that certain events happen on certain pages in screenwriting sounds ridiculous because it is. But so are training wheels. Which is what those suggestions are. Once you get comfortable with that rhythm, you can drop it and focus on the story's actual needs instead. #screenwriting

With a two-hander, a big decision for your screenwriting is when they become a team/couple. - Rom-com template is at the end. - Buddy movies just before Act 3. - Love stories before the midpoint. Make this decision; regardless of genre, the rest of the structure simplifies. #screenwriting

We tend to add more plot to our screenwriting for the wrong reasons. We're trying to fix something, or we don't think we have "enough." But plot is added weight. We are almost always better off simplifying and digging deeper into the emotion we already have instead. #screenwriting

Whenever I've struggled with my own screenwriting, I've found one of these is to blame. 1. I've lost track of the story and/or emotion. 2. I've lost confidence. 3. I'm over-complicating what should be simple. This is why I focus on teaching processes that resist all three. #screenwriting

You can always add tension to your screenwriting when you need to. In RAIDERS, a scene about measuring a wooden staff becomes riveting because of some poison dates. The poison dates don't have to be physical. They can be emotional, too, Always look for your poison dates. #screenwriting

Confidence is essential to your screenwriting. The confidence to be decisive. Emotional. Disciplined to the story. To be simple and clear. The confidence to get out of your own way. There’s no way to develop it without writing. You have to keep writing. Then write some more. #screenwriting

One of the most important things with screenwriting is simply having an intention. It's choosing what you want in that scene and in that moment. After that, everything else is pretty much just problem-solving. It's all the non-choices that kill most screenplays. #screenwriting

The audience will almost always be less moved by a main story that helps resolve a subplot. It tends to feel like an afterthought. Look for the subplot to help resolve the main story in your screenwriting. It's far more satisfying and much more emotional bang for your buck. #screenwriting

An audience can only experience a movie one moment at a time. I try to duplicate that in my screenwriting. One moment after another, in the order the audience experiences it. It is one of many ways to get the reader to feel like they've seen the movie just from the read. #screenwriting

I have been writing screenplays professionally since 1996. I never heard the term ‘unfilmable” as a noun referencing action lines until last year on Twitter. I get what it means, but it's an academic concern, not a real one. Don't let it get in your head. #screenwriting

Screenwriting and storytelling are all about the emotion. Make the reader feel something. But remember, "That's f**king cool!" is also an emotion. While it's a challenge to sustain a whole movie with that, there are moments where it's more than enough. #screenwriting

Always remember: movies and TV are products because they evoke emotion. That's the deal with the audience. They pay money, and we make them feel something. Screenwriting is an early proof of concept. You need to evoke emotion from the reader because that's what you're selling. #screenwriting

Every scene in your screenwriting should be worth watching. When in doubt, put it through The Late Night Talk Show test. Imagine an actor from your movie is on The Tonight Show plugging the film. This is the scene they show. Does the audience want to go see this movie? #screenwriting

Honestly, you can do pretty much whatever you want in screenwriting if it's with intention. Format, structure, tone. Whatever. But the clarity of that intent is key. If you lose that, you lose the reader. #screenwriting

Don't let Act 2 intimidate you. Break it up into pieces. Make these choices in your screenwriting: - What's the dramatic question out of Act 1? - What's the midpoint?  - Who does the character become in Act 3?  Know where you're going and ask, "What needs to happen to get there?" #screenwriting

The sooner you stop comparing your screenwriting career to others, the happier you will be. Your writing will be better, too. You get to be you and to enjoy where that takes you. And if one day it's others comparing themselves to you, that's cool. It's just not necessary. #screenwriting

Writing anything down that you find interesting for your screenwriting isn't just about remembering it. It helps train your mind to see the world through that lens. Is this a story? A moment? A character? You'll start asking this out of habit. #screenwriting

The idea that certain events happen on certain pages in screenwriting sounds ridiculous because it is. But so are training wheels. Which is what those suggestions are. Once you get comfortable with that rhythm, you can drop it and focus on the story's actual needs instead. #screenwriting

With a two-hander, a big decision for your screenwriting is when they become a team/couple. - Rom-com template is at the end. - Buddy movies just before Act 3. - Love stories before the midpoint. Make this decision; regardless of genre, the rest of the structure simplifies. #screenwriting

We tend to add more plot to our screenwriting for the wrong reasons. We're trying to fix something, or we don't think we have "enough." But plot is added weight. We are almost always better off simplifying and digging deeper into the emotion we already have instead. #screenwriting

Whenever I've struggled with my own screenwriting, I've found one of these is to blame. 1. I've lost track of the story and/or emotion. 2. I've lost confidence. 3. I'm over-complicating what should be simple. This is why I focus on teaching processes that resist all three. #screenwriting

You can always add tension to your screenwriting when you need to. In RAIDERS, a scene about measuring a wooden staff becomes riveting because of some poison dates. The poison dates don't have to be physical. They can be emotional, too, Always look for your poison dates. #screenwriting

Confidence is essential to your screenwriting. The confidence to be decisive. Emotional. Disciplined to the story. To be simple and clear. The confidence to get out of your own way. There’s no way to develop it without writing. You have to keep writing. Then write some more. #screenwriting

One of the most important things with screenwriting is simply having an intention. It's choosing what you want in that scene and in that moment. After that, everything else is pretty much just problem-solving. It's all the non-choices that kill most screenplays. #screenwriting

The audience will almost always be less moved by a main story that helps resolve a subplot. It tends to feel like an afterthought. Look for the subplot to help resolve the main story in your screenwriting. It's far more satisfying and much more emotional bang for your buck. #screenwriting

An audience can only experience a movie one moment at a time. I try to duplicate that in my screenwriting. One moment after another, in the order the audience experiences it. It is one of many ways to get the reader to feel like they've seen the movie just from the read. #screenwriting

I have been writing screenplays professionally since 1996. I never heard the term ‘unfilmable” as a noun referencing action lines until last year on Twitter. I get what it means, but it's an academic concern, not a real one. Don't let it get in your head. #screenwriting

Screenwriting and storytelling are all about the emotion. Make the reader feel something. But remember, "That's f**king cool!" is also an emotion. While it's a challenge to sustain a whole movie with that, there are moments where it's more than enough. #screenwriting

Always remember: movies and TV are products because they evoke emotion. That's the deal with the audience. They pay money, and we make them feel something. Screenwriting is an early proof of concept. You need to evoke emotion from the reader because that's what you're selling. #screenwriting

Every scene in your screenwriting should be worth watching. When in doubt, put it through The Late Night Talk Show test. Imagine an actor from your movie is on The Tonight Show plugging the film. This is the scene they show. Does the audience want to go see this movie? #screenwriting

Honestly, you can do pretty much whatever you want in screenwriting if it's with intention. Format, structure, tone. Whatever. But the clarity of that intent is key. If you lose that, you lose the reader. #screenwriting

Don't let Act 2 intimidate you. Break it up into pieces. Make these choices in your screenwriting: - What's the dramatic question out of Act 1? - What's the midpoint?  - Who does the character become in Act 3?  Know where you're going and ask, "What needs to happen to get there?" #screenwriting

The sooner you stop comparing your screenwriting career to others, the happier you will be. Your writing will be better, too. You get to be you and to enjoy where that takes you. And if one day it's others comparing themselves to you, that's cool. It's just not necessary. #screenwriting

Writing anything down that you find interesting for your screenwriting isn't just about remembering it. It helps train your mind to see the world through that lens. Is this a story? A moment? A character? You'll start asking this out of habit. #screenwriting

The idea that certain events happen on certain pages in screenwriting sounds ridiculous because it is. But so are training wheels. Which is what those suggestions are. Once you get comfortable with that rhythm, you can drop it and focus on the story's actual needs instead. #screenwriting

With a two-hander, a big decision for your screenwriting is when they become a team/couple. - Rom-com template is at the end. - Buddy movies just before Act 3. - Love stories before the midpoint. Make this decision; regardless of genre, the rest of the structure simplifies. #screenwriting

We tend to add more plot to our screenwriting for the wrong reasons. We're trying to fix something, or we don't think we have "enough." But plot is added weight. We are almost always better off simplifying and digging deeper into the emotion we already have instead. #screenwriting

Whenever I've struggled with my own screenwriting, I've found one of these is to blame. 1. I've lost track of the story and/or emotion. 2. I've lost confidence. 3. I'm over-complicating what should be simple. This is why I focus on teaching processes that resist all three. #screenwriting