by Jacob Krueger If you’ve ever read one of the popular books on screenwriting, there’s a good chance you’re well on your way to planning your script. Depending on which book you’ve read, you’ve probably got a logline, an outline, pages and pages of character bios, half a trillion note cards thumb-tacked to your walls, [...]

by Jacob Krueger Cliché. If you’re a writer, you’ve probably experienced the terror this word implies about your writing:  boring, tired, overused, uninspired, uncreative, or just plain not good enough. If you’ve ever been part of a writing class, you’ve probably had the dangers of cliché burned into your brain like a mark of shame. [...]

by, Jacob Krueger As any chef will tell you, there’s a great irony in the cooking of a steak. In order to appreciate the taste of the meat, you’ve got to cook it with all kinds of stuff you’d never want to eat. Gristle.  Fat.  Bones.  They’re all pretty nasty to chew on.  But try [...]

Wow!  It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached the official end of the 2013 Screenwriting Challenge  To everyone who participated, congratulations!  You’ve made a huge commitment to your writing life that will continue to pay dividends far into the future. Whether you wrote every day, or whether you pick up your pen and paper for [...]

Can you believe it? Only one week left until the end of the 2013 Screenwriting Challenge! Haven’t picked up the pen yet?  What are you waiting for?  That’s the great thing about the challenge, you can start anytime. So grab your journal, find a pen, and start writing right now.  Start writing as fast as [...]

We’re now more than halfway through the 2013 Screenwriting Challenge. For those of you who are still writing every day, congratulations! You’re taking a giant step toward becoming the writer you want to be. But what if you’re struggling? What if your writing schedule is spotty or uneven? What if there have been some days [...]

We’re now a week into the 2013 Screenwriting Challenge, and the response has been tremendous. I’ve heard from so many of you, expressing the excitement of those who are enjoying the challenge, as well as the questions of those who are struggling with it. Here are some of the common questions that tend to come [...]

Begin Your New Year WRITE! With My 5th Annual 2013 SCREENWRITING CHALLENGE Why The Challenge? Let’s face it, the holidays are a brutal time for writers. We all do our best writing when we get into a rhythm. But during the holiday season that rhythm can be impossible to maintain. Schedules get jammed with Christmas [...]

I recently saw a trailer for the film version of Les Miserables—a series of evocative images, underscored by Fantine’s tear-inducing musical theme: I Dreamed a Dream. Yeah, I found myself emotionally moved by a promotional trailer. But more importantly, I found myself thinking about the power of a wish-song to provide an emotional structure for your character’s journey, even if you’re not writing a musical.

By, Jacob Krueger Creating a believable antagonist is about more than just coming up with nefarious plans.  It’s about stepping into the world view of your villain, and asking yourself what really makes them tick.  When written right, a great villian not only ups the stakes of your screenplay, but also pushes your main character [...]

By, Jacob Krueger In his recent TED talk, embedded below, Andrew Stanton, Academy Award winning screenwriter of WALL-E, TOY STORY and countless other Pixar movies, spoke about the powerful forces that make us care about a character. Stanton describes this as the character’s spine, a singular subconscious need—an itch they can’t scratch—which drives every action [...]

By, Jacob Krueger I recently received the following question from a student: “I’m having trouble making an idea stick. Or should I say I’m having trouble sticking to an idea… Something draws me head over heels into an idea like into a dream, and then — it’s like falling out of love — a critical [...]

John Cleese, of Monty Python fame, speaks about what it takes to get into “the open mode” required for creativity, and why that’s so vital for creating your best work…

During a recent trip to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, I saw an exhibit that demonstrated a great secret that screenwriters can learn from painters…

I’m about to say something radical: just because your character SAYS something doesn’t make it dialogue.

Real dialogue, good dialogue (and the kind of dialogue you actually want in your screenplay) is distinguished from all the other stuff your character says by one simple quality…

I’m writing this from the air on my way to Costa Rica, thinking about the importance of location, both in screenplays and in life.

We behave differently in different places, and so do our characters. Travelling abroad, we speak to people we wouldn’t necessarily speak to, face fears we wouldn’t normally face, and get in touch with aspects of ourselves we wouldn’t normally recognize. New locations break us out of our routines, and open us to new experiences.

By, Jacob Krueger If Hollywood is a giant shark tank, then what does that make your script? In this video, Award Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger talks about what it takes to get your script noticed in the feeding frenzy, and how you know when your script is ready to enter the tank.

By, Jacob Krueger Everybody wants to sell their script, but how are you supposed to know what makes a movie commercial? And how can you sell your screenplay without selling your soul? In this video, I discuss the question of why producers choose some scripts and not others, and an organic approach to writing a [...]

If you’re a screenwriter, you’ve probably experienced the feeling of desperation that comes with trying to sell your script. In this new video, I discuss how you can find the confidence to pitch to the right people, in the right ways, and give both your script, and potential producers, the respect they deserve.

The following text was taken verbatim from the website of a prominent coverage company, one of thousands of such services offering coverage as a form of “development notes” for young writers. What’s interesting (and horrifying) about this text is that this doesn’t come from the sales side of the website-it comes from a FAQ on the recruitment side, hiring readers to provide these coverage services to writers…

As I discussed in part 1 of this article, for a producer, reading a truly great script is like finding a hidden spring in the middle of a vast desert. But industry executives are so used to seeing mirages, that unless you show them in the right way, they may not even recognize real water when they see it.

That’s bad news for a lot of writers. But it’s good news for you. Because if you understand the ways that producers form their first impressions of a script, you can use them to your advantage, to start winning over your readers from the very first page.

By, Jacob Krueger Want to revolutionize your writing in three letters or less?  Do a hunt through your writing for these three letters: I-N-G. No, I’m not talking about the internet bank. I’m talking about the three letters that turn verbs into nouns (gerunds for you English teachers) grinding your story to a halt and [...]

By, Jacob Krueger After hearing my nieces sing the four questions at tonight’s seder, I felt compelled to repost this oldie but goodie: The Passover Question (For Screenwriters)

By, Jacob Krueger What’s The Number One Reason A Screenplay Gets Rejected? Imagine you’re about to interview for the job of a lifetime. If you get the job, you’ll potentially make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, doing what you most love in the world. How would you dress for that interview? Would [...]

By, Jacob Krueger After several months of reading hundreds of scripts, Jacob Krueger Studio is pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 Jacob Krueger Screenwriting Fellowship. Congratulations to our Fellowship Winner: DAN GUNDERMAN   Screenplay: “Jayhawkers” Dan has won a Full Scholarship to our Screenwriting Retreat in Costa Rica!     We still have a [...]

By, Jacob Krueger How To Face The Blank Page Whether you’re brand new to writing or have been writing for years, there is a common fear you share with all writers: the fear of the blank page. When we dream about writing, we can imagine the blank page as a place of possibility, excitement and [...]

Every screenwriter is obsessed with structure.  And if you’re a writer, then you’ve probably had the frustrating experience of trying to make sense of at least a dozen conflicting terms and approaches, from Aristotle to Syd Field: Three Act Structure, Hero’s Journey, Plot, Multiplot, Sequences, Formulas, Archetypes, Turns, Twists, Pinches, Plot Points, Act Breaks, Inciting [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Remember the first scene of The Social Network? Aaron Sorkin’s spitfire banter ricocheting at high velocity between Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica. The scene is so brilliantly written, you probably barely noticed that you didn’t understand half of what these characters were saying to each other! With characters talking faster than [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Does a chain email hold the secret to your script? A friend of mine recently sent me a chain email.  Normally, I just delete these without reading.  But because of the person who had sent it, I decided to take a look. The email went something like this: “Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch [...]

100 Rules and How To Break Them Rule #6: You Need To Make Writing a Full Time Job Check out 100 Rules And How To Break Them for more tips. If you’re a writer, at some point you’ve probably heard yourself say some version of the following sentence: “If I could just get (one day/one week/one month/one [...]

By, Jacob Krueger What do most of Robert Altman’s films, and screenplays like Crash and The Tree of Life have in common? They’re all ensemble pieces. So why do so many screenwriting teachers warn against writing for ensembles? And should you dare to write an ensemble piece yourself? Check out this new video for Scriptmag, [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Is your fear of cliche killing your writing? In this video I recently recorded for Scriptmag, I discuss the screenplay for Crazy Stupid Love and how you can engage with your cliches in a healthy way, in order to set your creativity free and and create the kinds of fresh and exciting [...]

Just in case you needed another reason to finish your screenplay, here’s a chance to win a full scholarship to my 2012 Screenwriting Retreat! The Jacob Krueger Studio Screenwriting Fellowship No Entry Fee when you submit your screenplay by Jan 1, 2012 Winner attends the 2012 Screenwriting Retreat FREE (expected destination: Costa Rica). Even your airfare is included! For [...]

On this Thanksgiving Holiday, I’d like to invite you to take a moment to ask yourself the following question: What are you thankful for in your writing? So often, we spend our time criticizing ourselves, searching for what is wrong, and what can be improved in the words we write.  And certainly there is value [...]

By, Jacob Krueger 100 Rules and How To Break Them Check out 100 Rules And How To Break Them for more tips. Rule #5:  Show Don’t Tell That you should “show” instead of “telling” is perhaps the most sound advice any screenwriter can follow. After all, movies are visual, and it’s almost always more interesting [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Se7en: How To Avoid A Dud Ending Check out this new video I recently recorded for Scriptmag.com and learn how to discover a great ending for your screenplay.   Costa Rica Screenwriting Retreat

100 Rules and How To Break Them Rule #4 THE INCITING INCIDENT Check out 100 Rules And How To Break Them for more tips. This installment of the 100 Rules series grows directly out of a question from a former student: I have a question and thought I needed a fresh perspective from someone outside [...]

By, Jacob Krueger 100 RULES AND HOW TO BREAK THEM: Rule #3: Be Careful Who You Pitch To Check out 100 Rules And How To Break Them for more tips. It’s a constant fear among young writers: finally coming up with that million dollar idea, only to have it stolen by some mustache twirling producer, some [...]

By, Jacob Krueger If you’ve read part Part 1 and Part 2 of this article, by now you’re well acquainted with the dangers of flashbacks. But this series is called 100 Rules and How To Break Them for a reason. So get ready to learn how to make flashbacks work for you by looking at [...]

By, Jacob Krueger 100 Rules & How To Break Them Flashbacks, Part 2:  Dancing With The Devil As I discussed in Part 1 of the flashbacks series, flashbacks can be extraordinarily powerful storytelling devices.  But they’re also dangerous territory for young writers.  For this reason, many screenwriting gurus insist on rigid rules that scare young [...]

By, Jacob Krueger FLASHBACKS:  100 Rules & How To Break Them As part of this new series, I’ll be exploring one of the so-called “rules of screenwriting” and showing both why they exist, and how to break them in exciting ways that expand and deepen your writing. Rule #2:  ”Don’t Use Flashbacks” As any screenwriting [...]

By, Jacob Krueger It’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through our screenwriting retreat here in Bali, Indonesia. The first five days have been full of excitement. We’ve had two writing marathons, watched and dissected the Seven Act Structure of Lars and the Real Girl,  There Will Be Blood, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday, and Blue Valentine, [...]

By, Jacob Krueger 100 Rules and How To Break Them Introducing my new series “100 Rules and How To Break Them!”  Each post, I’ll be analyzing one of the so called “rules” of screenwriting, and exploring both why they exist, and how to break them in interesting ways that make your writing better and your stories [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Ever get the feeling that your writing is coming out cliche? Ever pour your heart into a scene and still feel like there was something understated or lackluster? Learn to turn every screenwriter’s worst enemy into an ally by asking one simple question: Want to know what that question is? Learn all [...]

By, Jacob Krueger A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, a man named Syd Field wrote a book called Screenplay.   Syd took the world’s greatest screenplays, and broke them down into his now famous three-act structure, identifying the elements that made them work, and showing aspiring screenwriters a simple way to [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Help Your Inner Artist to Cooperate With Your Grown Up Goals Click here to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the series If screenwriting was just about playing happily and freely, if you could simply free your creative child to play, your job would be done, and you and [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Shift The Focus of Your Feedback Click here to read Part 1 & Part 2 of the series. Here’s a great exercise that can get you started changing the way you relate to your inner artist. Next time you find yourself feeling blocked, listen for the words you’re saying to your inner [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Recognizing The Cycle of Abuse Click here to read Part 1 of the series Have you ever felt cut off from your inner artist? Do you feel like there was once a childlike spirit of creativity inside you, that now no longer wants to come out and play? Do you find yourself [...]

Imagine 10 days where the only thing you had to focus on was your screenwriting. Imagine 10 days of world class professional mentorship to help you develop your craft and take your writing to the next level. Imagine a community of writers that shares your goals, and can help you to achieve them. Imagine it [...]

By, Jacob Krueger Your creative brain is like a child.  And like any child, it has extraordinary creative capabilities.  If you want to remember what it was like to create freely, go to a playground and watch a child play. A child doesn’t wonder if she’s playing with her My Little Pony correctly, if her [...]