The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

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 wa...

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...

Do you have a pen and paper? Might want to grab them now... Andrew Stanton wrote and directed Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Wall-E, all of which consistently rank among the best films of this century, and best animated films ever made. In live action storytelling, he's become a critically acclaimed director, working on shows like Stranger Things and Better Call Saul. Andrew is considered one of...

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/...

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-...

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. Vis...

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 nomin...

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 wr...

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 importantl...

Anne Lamott is one of culture's most celebrated voices when it comes to creativity and writing. Her book Bird By Bird is a modern classic (Ed Solomon says it's the best book on writing ever published), but Anne is uniquely positioned as someone who is beloved for BOTH her fiction and her non-fiction. On today's show, we discuss the importance of finding hope to unlock our best creative selves, how...

Ed Solomon is one of Hollywood's most recognizable writers, who represents a rare intersection of critical and commercial success. His 16 feature films have grossed over 1.6 Billion Dollars at the Box Office, and he's the creator or co-creator on three of Hollywood's biggest franchises: Bill & Ted, Men in Black, and Now You See Me. But he'll be the FIRST person to tell you that he's not a "fancy"...

Maybe your facing the blank page, maybe you're facing the second act, or maybe your facing your millionth rewrite; EVERY writer has hit that wall where there's nothing left in the tank, even though you need to get that car HOME. Where do you find inpsiration? It's in there, and Meg and Lorien are going to help you get there. Maybe you need some help with plot, or maybe you need to learn how to lov...

It's your turn! For this week, we've gathered some of our most frequently asked CRAFT related questions for a deep dive on how to fix, tweak, tinker, and elevate your writing. Tricky questions around note-taking, essential questions about beefing up conflict with things feel flat, and other crucial craft questions get their due today, thanks to our brilliant hosts. FOR MORE Info About NOTES: https...

As a writer, you're in it for the long haul. And that's NOT a bad thing! It's a beautiful journey, filled with ups, down, highs, and lows, and it's made all the sweeter when you can SET your beacon! Remember, the road may be long, but it's worth it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The details of your writing are a beautiful thing. They provide the nuance, voice, and texture that make your writing special. But the details can be crippling if they prevent you from seeing your work as it REALLY is. Today we talk about how to see your work from a broad perspective, by Zooming out and getting that all-important "30,000 Foot View" of your writing. It's a game changer! Learn more...

Why is it so easy for us to love, trust, and nurture our characters, but so hard for us to do that for ourselves? Positive self-talk is an essential part of embarking on The Screenwriting Journey, and today, we get talk ALL about it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hope you had and are having an AMAZING Holiday. We're going to be doing something a little different for this week's show. Meg and Lorien are taking some MUCH-deserved time off (we hope you can too), but we had a little chat about content we could possibly run, or re-run to keep you going through the Holiday's. In 2018, Jeff brought Meg and Lorien on his show "The Unproduced Table Read" for a spec...

There are many reasons Pixar Animation is culturally hailed as one of the most profound and emotionally resonant studios working in filmmaking today, but the deep, richly drawn writing is one of them. Today we answer YOUR questions with SOUL screenwriter Mike Jones about the overcoming the fear that accompanies any journey into writing, how to generate confidence, what the Pixar Brain Trust is rea...

Why are so many writers perfectionists? Maybe it's that need for approval, or that desire to see exactly what's in your head show up on the page, but READ THIS: perfectionism is the death of creativity. As celebrated psychologist Dr. Anne Wilson Schaef offers: “Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order." How do we move PAST perfection? Tune in to find out! Learn more about your ad choices....

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 a...

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...

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...

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 sculptu...

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 m...

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...