Hi everyone hope you’re all doing well! I came here to say that my script for my first feature film, Mirrored Target, is now complete!! Which means I will be posting the cast call very soon for people to audition!!

About 8 to 10 years ago, I received my first email from a writer claiming they had scored an 8 on the Black List. I had no idea what it was, but after some investigating, I decided the site's marketing seemed legitimate and decided to give it a read.

I made an industry member's account and confirmed the script had scored multiple 8s.

How was it?

Well, it was not bad per se, but it was definitely not good, or what I would claim to be in the top 5% of scripts. It was a very familiar and easy-to-read screenplay, but it had no emotional weight and was very vanilla.

I contacted the writer to say thank you, but I wasn't interested. Next, I received a rude email from the writer saying I was clueless because the script had scored multiple 8s on the Black List.

This was the start of a very common occurrence.

I get a query email from writers who have scored 8s on the Black List. I read their work. It fails to inspire. Each one is more predictable and similar than the previous script. And so on and so forth. Each writer is adamant that I've made a mistake because of the 8 they scored on the Black List.

I am not alone, and this is a story well known in the industry. Do not trust writers who come from the Black List's paid service (website).

Scripts championed by the Black List website usually fit into two camps.

Camp 1: Extremely low-budget and exploitative — repackaging a generic genre film to the point of plagiarism. Camp 2: Plagiarising an Oscar-winning script and expecting the industry not to notice.

The most important thing to mention is that we get sent thousands of scripts like these, and we are not interested in putting our names on something that would ostracise us from our fellow professionals.

We would never be able to work with Martin Scorsese if we made the hundredth Taxi Driver rip-off we read that week. Or Ridley Scott if we were to produce the hundredth Gladiator but sci-fi script.

The scripts we want to read are personal to the writer.

I received and produced an incredible script via an unsolicited email. It was about a girl and her relationship with her sister. I will not say what that screenplay became, but it was a hit.

I believe the writer averaged a 5 on the Black List before emailing us.

I think it's important to add that people who read for the Black List are paid a very low wage. This means they either worked for production companies at an entry level and were fired, or worked for a production company and retired.

This is also well known within the industry.

I would recommend you all work hard at emailing and spend less of your hard-earned cash on sites that hire failed producers or out-of-touch ex-industry pros to evaluate the viability of your scripts.

We don't trust the scripts that tell us they scored an 8 on the Black List. If anything, it's almost seen as a red flag due to the volume of poor-quality scripts that score an 8.

We resonate with emails that come from a beating heart.

Stop burning money so that the owners of the Black List can afford lives of luxury off the back of your hard work. It will not get you anywhere. Emailing will.

Happy writing!

Hey guys,

Finally got the full printed draft of my feature NEUROSALINE in my hands.

Feels pretty good.

It’s a cosmic psychological horror about four teenage boys who go out drinking on a small skiff and wake up lost at sea… in what turns out to be a conscious ocean (like a giant nervous system made of salt water).

If anyone’s interested in reading it and giving feedback, I’d really appreciate it. The link is below!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oSzfQAvvin_WuLUzjTW5zyStZG-DOSka/view?usp=sharing

Thanks!

So i’m currently working on a short film and I was wondering if, based on the dialogue you see here, would you watch the first 5 minutes? And what do I need to work on in terms of tone, pacing, and overall writing. Any criticism is appreciated, thanks in advance!

hey all - I started screenwriting as a kid, then stopped after I discovered music. fast forward 40 years, I started writing again during covid and wrote four screenplays during the lockdown. one of them, band on the run, is now on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango. it stars an actor named larry bagby, who played "ice" in hocus pocus, as well as "marshal grant" in the johnny cash movie, walk the line.

I guess my point here, it's never too late to write a script - good, bad or otherwise. write your script, and then take that next step. it's hard and it's scary, but keep going!

Watch it on Amazon here.

I say this with love in my heart…

I’ve been lurking for about three days and Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen a community so disorganized. I love visiting subreddits dedicated to screenwriting because there’s usually a lot of talent to be found. Not saying there isn’t any here, but from what I’ve seen, I don’t think this place is set up to genuinely help writers improve.

I understand the sentiment that asking for free feedback is a tall order and that people shouldn’t have to waste their time on material that they don’t care for. Fair. But, if you’re here, you should be here to share, help, and support others. This place should be a place of encouragement first and foremost.

The biggest issue that I think everyone can agree with is FORMATTING. So many writers here do not use screenwriting software and/or do not format their work correctly. This is a problem that needs to be dealt with before the post even gets published because it’s a waste of time to constantly remind people about it. If mods could stress providing links to free screenwriting software and references for formatting, and maybe review the post beforehand to make sure it’s properly formatted, then this issue could be reduced.

ALSO, stop posting photos/screenshots of your screenplay, start uploading a PDF. It’s a good practice.

Going back to being here because you want to support others, if you’re going to give feedback…
- Please try to give the screenplay and/or writer at least ONE compliment. Unless it is so bad it personally offends you or your beliefs, tell a writer what is working. Remember, be encouraging!!!!
- Prioritize addressing the fundamentals like story, character, plot, and structure.
- Do not suggest changes that YOU would make. Suggest changes that aid the writer’s intention. It’s not about what YOU think is a stronger story, it’s about helping them tell THEIR story in the most effective way possible.
- Be specific. Cite examples and elaborate. Try not to leave the writer clueless, give them a sense of direction.
- Treat it like a conversation. Ask questions. Don’t jump to conclusions and make an effort to understand where the writer is coming from.
- Be gracious. Writing is hard.

If you are receiving feedback…
- Always thank the reader. Unless they’re being a douchebag, appreciate that they took the time to engage with your work.
- Do not be defensive. Every artist has this issue, nothing to be ashamed of. But, we are not in your head and do not understand every intention that you have. Process the feedback, try not to take it personally, and work through it to get better results.

I guess it’s because I come from a conservatory but from my understanding, these are the qualities that make a space for work PRODUCTIVE and HEALTHY.

Subreddits like this should be cherished. Let’s try to make it even more worthwhile.

Have always had a desire in the back of my head to write a movie/tv show. With nothing to do after college graduation and a long summer of restaurant work. I’m trying to sit down and do it. It’s a silly script so far but I’m having fun just putting my mind to something I care about. Let me know your thoughts, criticisms, feedback. Would love to somehow make a career out of this. Ways away but you gotta start somewhere. Here’s the first 10 pages.

Yeah, I’m gonna be that guy.

I recently joined this subreddit, and Reddit altogether, and out of all the subreddits I’m in, this one is pretty disheartening.

There are a lot of aspiring writers here, some of them clearly very young, and while not all feedback needs to be cushioned, very seldom do I see any positive feedback paired with criticism. There’s often no recognition of what is good about someone’s work, and as many of these folks articulate, they’re new to the medium.

I’m not typically the woo-woo, kumbaya, touchy-feely type of person, but writing is intimate. It’s personal, and it’s difficult, especially when you don’t know what you don’t know.

To anyone out here writing a script who needs help, I commend you for being brave enough to share your work. To those of us who take the time to read, I understand you may have more experience than the person sharing, or the story simply may not work, but there’s a way to articulate that in a constructive way that isn’t demeaning or shitty.

To those who want feedback or coverage on a script, know that everyone has opinions, and it’s up to you to determine what is best for the story and the audience. That said, feedback is important, and you may discover that there’s another way to tell your story.

Just like directing, you’re not there to tell an actor exactly how to perform, but to ask questions or offer direction that gives them room to interpret and improve the performance. I think the same can be said for writing.

Anyway, thanks for reading my soapbox and giving a shit. My DMs are open if you want me to read your script and give you feedback.

I’m posting on Reddit for the first time, and after reading the discussions around coverage sites and The Black List, I thought I’d share my experience for anyone considering paying to have their work evaluated.

I’m an Emmy Award-winning writer, and I currently have three feature-length projects in production.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth

Far too many aspiring writers put enormous faith in coverage scores, competition results, and anonymous readers whose opinions may have absolutely no connection to what the actual industry wants.

That might sound harsh, but in my experience, the system has a serious problem.

When I was younger, I received contradictory notes, factually incorrect feedback, and wildly different scores for similar material. Worse, when I followed readers’ advice, my scores **often got even lower**.

Eventually, I realised I wasn't necessarily improving my scripts.

I was trying to guess what an anonymous reader wanted to read. And that is a completely different thing.

My experiment

In 2020, I decided to test the system.

I deliberately wrote the worst screenplay I could.

I made it clichéd, obvious, predictable, and painfully on the nose. It was a parody of what I imagined a terrible filmmaker might consider good writing.

It was never intended to be produced.

It received multiple 8+ scores.

Those scores got me the attention I needed and helped me secure my first agent.

Once I had access to actual industry professionals, the work I had written years earlier—the work I genuinely cared about, and which coverage readers had criticised or failed to understand—started getting serious attention.

My projects moved forward.

The screenplay that received all those 8s?

I threw it in the trash.

The cycle nobody wants to talk about

Here is what I believe is happening.

Thousands of people enter this industry wanting to become writers, directors, and filmmakers.

Most of them fail.

That is not an insult. It is simply the reality of an industry where the overwhelming majority of people do not achieve the careers they originally set out to have.

The problem is what happens next.

Those same unsuccessful writers and filmmakers still need to make money.

So some of them become script readers.

They start providing coverage.

They become competition judges.

They become the people deciding which scripts deserve an 8, which writers deserve recognition, and which projects should be dismissed.

And suddenly, people who were unable to convince the industry to invest in their own work are positioned as authorities on what the next generation of writers should be doing.

That is the part I find completely backwards.

The feedback loop

A failed writer reads a script.

They reward the kind of writing *they personally like*.

Often, that means writing that is obvious, familiar, safe, and easy to evaluate.

Those scripts receive high scores.

The writers receiving those scores assume this is what the industry wants.

So they write more of it.

Other aspiring writers see what is being rewarded and start copying it.

Competitions and coverage sites then reinforce the same tastes.

The scripts that succeed inside that ecosystem are rewarded because they appeal to the people inside that ecosystem—not necessarily because they have any real chance of being made.

Then those writers take their highly rated scripts into the actual industry.

Nothing happens.

The scripts don't get financed.

They don't get produced.

They don't launch careers.

And eventually, some of those writers fail too.

So what do they do?

Some become readers.

And the cycle starts again.

Failed writers reward writing that appeals to other failed writers, who then fail to break into the industry and eventually become the next group of people judging new writers.

That is the cycle.

And aspiring writers are paying for it.

The gatekeepers aren't necessarily qualified

This is the biggest problem for me.

A coverage score creates the illusion of authority.

You receive a 3, and you think you've written something terrible.

You receive an 8, and you think you're close to breaking through.

But who is giving you that number?

What have they made?

What have they sold?

What have they produced?

What projects have they helped bring into the world?

And, more importantly, what qualifies them to tell you whether your work has commercial or artistic value?

In many cases, nothing beyond the fact that they were hired to read scripts.

Yet aspiring writers are expected to accept their judgment as though it came from a successful producer, working filmmaker, or executive with a proven track record.

It didn't.

My advice?

Stop treating coverage sites as legitimate gatekeepers.

They are not the industry.

They are businesses built around aspiring writers who desperately want access to the industry.

You pay for a score. You get a number. And that number can influence how you see your own work.

But it shouldn't.

My deliberately terrible screenplay received multiple 8+ scores.

The screenplay I actually believed in was the one that ultimately led to real opportunities.

That experience taught me everything I needed to know.

If you want to use coverage, fine. But don't confuse the opinion of a paid reader with the opinion of someone who actually has the experience, influence, and track record to make something happen.

And if your work is genuinely original, be especially careful.

The more unusual your script is, the more likely it is that someone with limited experience simply won't understand what you're trying to do.

Then you'll pay them for the privilege of telling you to make it more generic.

The biggest takeaway. An 8 is not a career. A competition win is not a career. Positive coverage is not a career. And a low score is not proof that you're a bad writer. The question isn't:

“What score did I get?” The question is:

“Who gave me that score, and why should I care?”

Because if the people acting as gatekeepers were unable to get through the gate themselves, perhaps aspiring writers should stop spending their hard-earned money treating them as the final authority on who deserves to enter.

Write what you believe in.

Write something you can make yourself if possible.

Get your work in front of people who actually make films, finance films, produce films, and have a proven history of getting projects made.

And stop handing money to unqualified people in exchange for permission to believe in your own work.

All the best, and happy writing.

My new detective pilot is almost complete (Acts 1 & 2 are done, Act 3 in progress). I'm wondering if my cold opening is hitting the right notes. I'm going for that specific hazy, cynical/satire tone- think The Nice Guys, Inherent Vice and The Long Goodbye

Does the opening successfully grab your attention and set the right tone?

Get rid of the “ing words”!

Then they stop writing natural, simultaneous actions. Instead of a perfectly normal line like "He storms out, slamming the door," they get paranoid and write: "He storms out. He slams the door." It makes the script read like a children's book.

If the only feedback you can offer a new writer is hitting 'Ctrl+F' to look for "ing" words, you aren't actually helping them improve their craft. It’s like people discover this one entry-level rule on a blog somewhere, wrap it around a bat, and just beat beginners over the head with it. It’s the ultimate lazy critique tool. Instead of looking at the story, the character, or the actual flow of the scene, they just go on a mindless power trip over a suffix.

Ugh. Imagine reading a script without any “ing” words. Absolutely terrible.

Fix up. And let’s start giving advice that actually matters.

I just finished reading Save the Cat as my very first screenwriting book. To be honest, I feel like I didn't get anything out of it. I'm not saying it's a bad book, but as a complete beginner who is starting from absolute scratch, it didn't really show me how to actually write. Did anyone else feel the same way after reading it, or am I missing something here? Also I'm completely open to any other book recommendations you might have

FINISH THAT FUCKING SCRIPT

A lot of writers, regardless of experience (but even moreso in beginners) have a hard time finishing their script. Whether its your first, second, or 300th screenplay, you need to keep at it regardless of how bad it looks.

Always plan, set deadlines, hell even timers. Stop getting distracted by constant doomscrolling. Stop letting your own insecurities of your work affect how much work you put into it. A bad screenplay will be infinitely more successful than no screenplay at all. Don't forget why you chose this. Why you wanted to become a writer.

Peace out!!!

If your script has good grammar, that automatically puts you in the top 10% of scripts. I'm not kidding. You have no idea how many submissions we get that clearly have not been proofread once. Don't set yourself up for failure.

Also, I don't know why I need to say this, but don't be creepy towards women in your script. If a character is introduced as "Jane Doe, 16, face of angel but body of a porn star", consider that an automatic pass.

If the character has the exact same name as the writer, we can tell it's self-insert fan fiction. And most of the time, it's really uncomfortable. No one wants to read your wish-fulfillment script about you winning the olympics then having sex with an entire cheerleading team.

Sincerely,
A judge

I have been a working screenwriter for 16 years. I mostly work in the horror space. I've had two studio movies come out, and I've worked on 4 season over two TV shows. That's produced stuff. I've have done countless write-for-hire scripts, sold pilots, been in development rooms, and sold spec scripts, none of which got made for one reason or another. I am in the WGA, and have watched less talented people than me skyrocket to high positions, and I have seen people with far more talent and experience than me throw in the towel and leave the industry.

At times I have made really REALLY good money, other times I have made next to nothing. I have recently pivoted to writing for video games in favor of a consistent salary and benefits and a little more stability.

So that's me-- and here are my hot takes that may ruffle feathers:

1. Until you've written 4-5 scripts you don't really understand the form. You could be a great wordsmith, you could have killer ideas, but most of screenwriting is being efficient, effective, and entertaining within the constraints of the form. That takes practice.

2. The Blacklist is worthless. A lot of people don't see the delineation between the actual Blacklist, which generally only industry writers make it onto after their reps campaign for it, and the coverage/hosting service. The coverage and hosting service was established to make money. It is not consistent, and I'm sorry., but the scores mean nothing to people in the industry. Would a list of high scores make a rep likely to read you? Maybe? But it's not a foot in a door, and the only thing that is really going to get you repped is a good script. If you don't have readers of your own and you need and want that coverage to help you get better-- great. Money well spent. But it is not a short cut to getting into the industry. The BL success stories versus the number of scripts being hosted has reached lottery ratios.

3. Everyone is obsessed with "breaking in" and no one talks about "staying in." Speaking of lottery ratios... yes, the odds are stacked against you to get repped and sell a script or book an OWA. But OMG you've done it! ...but that doesn't mean the next job/sale is suddenly much easier. Sure, now you have a rep and a little clout-- but you're competing in bake-offs against other writers or going up against 100+ other writers trying to get one of 6 seats in a writer's room. This is not a career where the work is consistent. In the past, it was survivable because of royalties and union support that could carry you in the down time... but the boom and collapse of streaming has decimated that. The WGA can no longer afford to carry out of work writers benefits and at the end of this year a lot of people are losing their coverage. Staying employed in a field of THOUSANDS of writers all competing for the same jobs is stupid hard. The only writers I know who have made the career sustainable are career TV staffers who go from show to show and/or camp on a procedural, OR, writers who have consistent studio feature work after getting a couple hits. And those people live in a very small percentage. All those writers out there selling masterclasses, offering reading services, or dispensing advice on social media? That's because they need a side income.

4. It's going to get worse. Studios are now all owned and run by conservative billionaire CEOs. Movies have always been big money, but the studio heads of old still actually LOVED movies and would take risks. The corporate mindset is risk-adverse. They just want a returtn on their investment, which means less chances taken on original movies. The IP camping is not going away, and it's the only thing studios feel safe about throwing money at as a result. If studios could replace everyone with AI content tomorrow, they would. I hope this causes a massive upswing in indie filmmaking like we had in the 90s-- creatively speaking, that would be amazing. If you look at indie horror, it's been going on for decades. But speaking practically, that's not making anyone a living wage, so if you think screenwriting is going to make you rich... well... it CAN.. but the odds are stacked against you.

My name is Steven Gant. I studied creative writing at the University of Minnesota and have spent the last seven years developing original cinematic stories. To date, I have written sixteen screenplays, with BLACK ICE: THE ARCTIC marking my third feature-length screenplay.

BLACK ICE: THE ARCTIC is a grounded fantasy adventure that follows Kalon, a Minneapolis firefighter whose life changes when fire turns to frost in his hands. As uncontrollable ice powers awaken within him, he discovers he is the lost heir to a hidden Arctic kingdom and the son of a ruthless warlord searching for him. With an ancient force tied to his bloodline threatening both worlds, Kalon must embrace his destiny before the modern world is consumed by ice.

The story combines mythology, emotional character drama, and large-scale cinematic spectacle while exploring themes of identity, legacy, and destiny.

If the premise interests you, I would be honored to send the screenplay and any additional materials you may wish to review.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate the opportunity to introduce you to BLACK ICE: THE ARCTIC and look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Steven Gant

Movie Vision Productions

Instagram: @mvpvsnproductions5

Hi everyone,

I recently finished writing my script, and while I'm proud of it, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed and terrified. I have no idea how to actually approach directors or share my work with them without messing it up or getting ignored.

How do you actually pitch a script to a director? What are the proper steps, and what should I avoid doing? Any advice, personal experiences, or tips for beginners would mean the world to me. Thanks!

Putting this here because I wish someone had told me this story two years ago.

Started sending the script out after a rewrite I felt genuinely confident about. First few rejections were fine, expected, part of the process. By rejection seven I had started quietly rewriting the script based on what I imagined the rejections meant, had everything in Skrib Writing which meant I could at least see every version side by side and going back to compare them later showed me clearly that the rewrites had been moving away from what made the script work rather than toward anything better.

even though most of them were form emails with no actual feedback. By rejection eleven the script was worse than the version I had started with and I knew it and kept sending it anyway because stopping felt like admitting something I was not ready to admit.

Rejection thirteen came with one line of actual feedback. It was not kind but it was specific and it named something I had been avoiding fixing for two years because fixing it meant changing a scene I loved.

Cut the scene. Rewrote the ending it had been holding hostage. Sent it out two more times mostly out of stubbornness.

Fifteenth submission came back as an option offer.

I do not know if the rewrite made the difference or if it was just timing or the right person reading it on the right day. Probably some of both. What I do know is that rejection thirteen was more valuable than rejections one through twelve combined because it was the only one that told me something true.

If you are in the middle of a rejection run the one that stings because it is accurate is the one worth listening to.

Took a professional coverage note to name something I had been doing consistently across three full length scripts without once catching it myself. The note was short. Almost every scene in your script exists to tell the audience something. Find out what your characters want instead.

Read that and immediately understood it intellectually and went back into the draft to fix it and realized I had no idea what my characters actually wanted in most of the scenes I had written. They had things to say. They had information to deliver. They moved the plot forward efficiently. Wanting something specific badly enough that the scene was shaped around the pursuit of it and the obstacle in the way was almost entirely absent.

Went back through all three scripts with that single lens and the problem was everywhere, went through each scene in Skrib Writing and wrote down only what each character wanted and what was stopping them before looking at the dialogue and scenes that could not answer that question in one sentence were always the ones the coverage had flagged. Characters meeting to explain backstory. Characters discussing what had just happened. Characters arriving at conclusions the audience needed to reach. All of it dressed in naturalistic dialogue that made it feel like drama while actually being exposition wearing a costume.

The fix was not about dialogue at all. It was about rebuilding scenes from a want and obstacle foundation before writing a single line. Character enters the scene needing something specific. Something or someone is in the way. The scene is the collision between those two things. Everything else including the information the audience needs finds its way in through that collision rather than being the reason the scene exists.

Three scripts worth of habits do not disappear quickly but the notes have changed significantly since.

It starts as a relationship drama and ends sort of as a horror (the beginning being what happens after the end) I’m only 18 and have no official screenwriting experience or anything so lmk what I can do better and what I did right🙏

The number one criticism I see on other people scripts (rightly so) is them being over written.

Its easy to overwrite but its also a fine line. Take for example the script for The Matrix. Personally Its my favorite script of all time.

I think it straddles the line between being written for the pleasure of reading, while also perfectly setting the scene.

Just wondering peoples thoughts and preferences regarding the topic.

Happy writing to you all.

I'm writing my first script, I'm 16 yo, I don't attend any scriptwriting school. I'd like to add a scene where it is shown two people and what they do (as in the image). What should I write?? Because, I don't think that writing "simultaneous" si enough, can somebody help me?

Two days ago, I posted my script "GREGORY ANDREA." Yesterday, an agent from UTA stumbled upon it, fell in love, and signed me instantly.

He's currently trying to attach a star to it to get it produced. So far, we're in talks with Margot Robbie, Sydney Sweeney, and Margaret Qualley.

Dreams really do come true!

So, for at least five years, I have been plotting this. I have attempted comics and writing, but all have been scrapped. this is the first time finishing a bit of it. What do you think? does it hook? Are there any big things I slip up on? I haven't taken any classes in scriptwriting. Any general thoughts on it?