The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Octavio Solis is among the most celebrated playwrights discussing the Latin American experience, but he wasn't always a writer. Octavio began his artistic journey as an actor-turned-writing-teacher. But when his students started succeeding, he felt an emerging feeling; a need to take his own advice and get to the page. Since then, Solis has written dozens of celebrated plays, in addition to culturally consulting on Pixar's COCO, which we discuss today. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Even though Debby Wolfe began her career writing "edgy, brooding feminist shorts" (her words), but really found her lane as a writer when she wrote a Modern Family spec that launched her career. Since then, she's written on a number of multi-cams, eventually arriving on Lopez vs. Lopez, which she's currently showrunning. Today, Debby discusses how she manages to produce at the pace Network TV requires, how she staffs, and the importance of character-driven comedy. Watch Season 2 of Lopez vs Lopez starting on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 with back-to-back episodes at 8/7c and 8:30/7:30c on NBC. New episodes air next day on Peacock. It will continue in those time slots going forward ? which means, yes, you'll be getting two new episodes of the show per week!  JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Jeff Melvoin is - for lack of a better word - a legend in TV. He's an award-winning television writer, producer, showrunner, and educator who has written dozens and produced hundreds of one-hour episodes on over a dozen television series. He's also the founder and chair of the Writers Guild of America's Showrunner Training Program, now entering its 19th year. Jeff's incredible book RUNNING THE SHOW, the focus of our convo today, is part memoir, part playbook, and part cheat sheet all about TV writing, from staff writer all the way to showrunner. It's a must read. BUY JEFF'S BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Running-Show-Television-Jeff-Melvoin/dp/1493075292 JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Cole Haddon is many things: a feature writer, a showrunner, a novelist, but he's grown an incredibly loyal community for his STORY brain, which mostly congregates on his very popular substack. Today we discuss tone, genre, and plot through a case study in which we compare two very popular TV shows: The Bear and Ted Lasso. In this discussion, we'll trace how, despite them sharing a lot narratively (plot), they exist in totally unique WORLDS when it comes to tone and genre (and why this matters.) For a deep dive into Cole's brilliant story brain, check out his substack: https://substack.com/@colehaddon

Today is a chance to hear from YOU! We were thrilled to invite longtime listener Jennifer Deaton onto our show to hear about her impressive career in the biz including her life as a reader for Focus Features and screenwriting debut, the award-winning indie feature Jack of the Red Hearts. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

This year, one of the most talked about Animated Shorts at this year's Oscars is WAR IS OVER. The project, inspired by the Music of John and Yoko, is an 11-minute animated short featuring the 50-year-old classic song Happy Xmas (War Is Over), set against the backdrop of war. Today, we welcome three of the shorts' brilliant creators: Pixar alum and Oscar®-nominee Dave Mullins, Golden Globe®-Nominee Brad Booker, and co-writer Sean Ono Lennon who executives produces alongside Yoko Ono. This is part ONE of our two part conversation with the brilliant trio, so make sure you tune into part two tomorrow! WATCH JEFF'S MOVIE FOR FREE: https://tubitv.com/movies/100007554/always-lola?start=true&tracking=google-feed&utm_source=google-feed JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

This year, one of the most talked about Animated Shorts at this year's Oscars is WAR IS OVER. The project, inspired by the Music of John and Yoko, is an 11-minute animated short featuring the 50-year-old classic song Happy Xmas (War Is Over), set against the backdrop of WWI. Today, we welcome three of the shorts' brilliant creators: Pixar alum and Oscar®-nominee Dave Mullins, Golden Globe®-Nominee Brad Booker, and co-writer Sean Ono Lennon who executives produces alongside his mom, Yoko Ono. This is part ONE of our two part conversation with the brilliant trio, so make sure you tune into part two tomorrow! JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Nimona isn't just one of 2023's best animated movies, it's one of 2023's best movies, full stop (and yes, it is Oscar-nominated). Today, we welcome one it's co-writers, Lloyd Taylor, to talk about adapting ND Stevenson beloved graphic novel, working through a roller coaster development window, and not being afraid to blow up his own work in service of finding the best version of a movie possible. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Elizabeth Hargrave's debut board game Wingspan has become a one this century's most definitional games, but her inspiration to create was pretty simple. She says, "I felt like there were too many games about castles and space, and not enough games about things I?m interested in. So I decided to make a game about something I cared about." This is just one of the MANY points that will apply to your life as a writer. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

STORY ENGINE. Two words we so often dread, but let's be honest: the engine of your story is what POWERS your movie. It's make, or break. And today, we break down eight elements to test whether or not you are on your way to a feature film story engine that will take you from fade in, to fade out! JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife.

Despite this being his first produced feature, David Hemingson's script for THE HOLDOVERS is one of the most celebrated of the year, nominated for over 40 industry prizes (including the Oscar), having won many of them. He's a self-proclaimed "journeyman" writer having bounced between children's animated, network comedy, and hourlong procedurals for over two decades. Even given his decades of experience, his approach to working with Alexander Payne was still one of humility, openness, and discovery. Today, David, Lorien, and Jeff, discuss how Hemingson's "unsellable" pilot about an all boys prep school became a new American classic. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Hearing Celine Song discuss her authority as an artist is powerful stuff. Despite no feature film directorial experience, she knew she had the secret key to lead the production of Past Lives, which is now a 2024 Oscar nom: a fierce commitment to her script, the story, and characters. For Celine, all of the power and authority that we bring to our work comes from the simple fact that we are the authors and engineer of that sacred document that drives the whole thing: the script. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

We talk about lava, character wounds, and emotional storytelling ALL THE TIME on the show, but it's important to remember: there's more to good storytelling than an emotionally juicy character. Today, Oscar-winner (and friend-of-the-show) Michael Arndt discusses this, along with trends he is noticing in the evolving world of 21st century cinema. GREAT RESOURCES FROM MICHAEL: http://www.pandemoniuminc.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@michaelarndt8848 JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Cord Jefferson knows what if feels like to watch a project die. Recently, he had a greenlit show that was so close to shooting that the production office for the show had an physical address. And then, it died. In a creative funk, Cord discovered Percival Everett's novel Erasure which immediately reignited a passion in Cord, and eventually became his debut feature film AMERICAN FICITION. Today, Cord discusses the process of adapting the novel. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON JUL 26, 2023 Despite being a multiple Academy Award winner, celebrated producer, and feature/TV director, Jodie Foster is still aiming for a singular goal: to tell truthful stories. On today's show, we discuss how Jodie processes her work, how she collaborates with others, and what Robert De Niro taught her on the set of Taxi Driver. Join Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Do you ever feel stuck in your work? Like there's an invisible wall blocking you from generating your best material? You're not alone, and today, we're thrilled to be joined by 5-time NYT bestselling author Adam Grant to talk about just this. Adam's new book HIDDEN POTENTIAL illuminates how we can elevate ourselves and others to unexpected heights, which couldn't be more relevant to you as a writer. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Don't worry, we hate talking about it too. And yet, Paco de Leon has a way of discussing money that feels safe, generous, and even hopeful. She specializes in helping creatives and freelancers manage their money by talking about what they believe about their income and even...gulp...themselves. You'll feel better about both your finances, and yourself after we finish this conversation! FOR MORE ON PACO: www.thehellyeahgroup.com TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

As we navigate the holidays, it's easy to look back (and forward) on our career and feel a complicated mix of emotions. But at the end of the day, we HAVE to give ourselves permission to dream if we want to maintain stability in this business. Today, we discuss just that! JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

It's that time of year when hundreds of Holiday Movies air on screens all over the world. Whether its Hallmark, Lifetime, Disney+, Netflix, or Apple, or even Theaters, it's one of the hottest markets around for emerging and professional writers, and for Holiday screenwriting Queen Eirene Tran Donohue, one of the best ways to break in. Listen to her break down why!

Having begun his career as an actor, and then transitioned to an Oscar-winning writer/director, Tom has worn MANY hats in this business. Because of that, he has a particularly unique point of view when it comes to writing. Today, Tom discusses how he embraces his multiple creative identities when approaching the blank page, especially he considers drafts that are going to producers, the studio, or actors. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Today we're honored to welcome NINE members from the WGA's inclusion and equity committees in a thoughtful conversation about the state of the industry and representation on and off the page. Today's guests are: Asian American Writers Committee: Kristina Woo Career Longevity Committee: Catherine Clinch Committee of Black Writers: Hilliard Guess Committee of Women Writers: Franki Butler Disabled Writers Committee: Shea Mirzai Latinx Writers Committee: Christina Piña LGBTQ+ Writers Committee: Spiro Skentzos Middle Eastern Writers Committee: Cameron Ali Fay Native American & Indigenous Writers Committee: Anthony Florez RESOURCES: TTIE Fact Sheets: https://www.writeinclusion.org/factsheets Storyline Partners Fact Sheets: https://www.storylinepartners.com/resources/ Women Of Color Unite: https://wocunite.org/

This week, producer Jeff walks you through how he got his film Always, Lola from idea to distribution with a VERY low five figure microbudget...and you can too! TO WATCH THE FILM: https://www.alwayslolafilm.com/watchathome TO TAKE THE CLASS: www.jeffgrahamdigital.com/class Territory Info: United States/Canada - Amazon, Apple, Google Play, YouTube Australia/New Zealand - Apple, Google Play, YouTube UK/Ireland - Apple, Google Play, YouTube South Africa - Apple For non-English territories, google the movie, you might find it! If the film is not available in your territory and you want access, email [email protected]. To sign up for our patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Happy Thanksgiving TSLers! Enjoy this throwback to our very first episode.

To prepare for his upcoming appearance on our show, TSL is proud to rebroadcast a classic, Michael Ardnt's Act 1 Masterclass. Little Miss Sunshine's script, written by our guest Michael Arndt, won almost every major industry award, and for good reason. Its warmth, humor, and surefooted commitment to its themes makes it one of the finest scripts written this century. And SO many of those themes show up in Act 1. Michael has become a bit "obsessed" with act 1's lately, because it's our chance to maximize the "rooting interest" around our hero so that our audience has no choice but to keep watching. FOR MICHAEL'S (AMAZING) WEBSITE: https://www.pandemoniuminc.com/

The Morning Show is one of TV's most discussed shows, and season 3 showrunner Charlotte Stoudt recognizes it's cultural foothold. For her, the idea of incorporating real world events is all about character, and a chance for both the characters and their discussion of the world around them to illuminate each other. Charlotte also discusses how she runs the morning show room, works with her powerhouse cast, and looks back on her impressive career. PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

In our time time-honored tradition of asking the same three questions at the end of every show, we wanted to put together a supercut of some great guest responses to be enjoyed in one fell swoop. New episodes Featured in today's supercut: - Nora Twomey - Eirene Tran Donohue - Constanza and Domenica Castro - Allison Tolman - Dustin Lance Black - Dana Stevens - Jeremy Doner - Joe Robert Cole - Kelly Edwards - John Lee Hancock - Jane Anderson - Julia Cho and Domee Shi - Rafael Casal - Kelly Fremon Craig - Charlie Day JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

In our time time-honored tradition of asking the same three questions at the end of every show, we wanted to put together a supercut of some great guest responses to be enjoyed in one fell swoop. Part two coming Monday! Featured in today's supercut: - Matt Lieberman - Monique N. Matthews - Sean Presant - Stacy Rukeyser - Sam Bain - Nicole Perlman - Stephen Karam - Anna Drezen - Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman - David F.M. Vaughn - Dan O'Shannon - Jen Grisanti - Patrick Osborne  JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

We're back for another story workshop, plus some amazing suggestions for writing exercises to help crack act 2. Join our patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Believe it or not, documentary filmmaking has lots in common with traditional narrative feature filmmaking...tune in today to learn why, with two award-winning documentarians! TO SEE MONIQUE'S DOC (screening this week!): https://www.birthingjustice.com/screenings/ FOR MORE ON LINDA: https://ladylikefilms.com/ TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglifea

Throughout the 21st century, video games have become one of pop cultures most valuable mediums, and their narrative ambition grows with each passing year. Today we feature two of the industries top writers, Shanon M. Ingles (Batman: A Telltale Series) and Stephan Bugaj (Tales From the Borderlands) to discuss how the industry has evolved from a writing standpoint, and how you can break in.

Today, we do one of our favorite things: answer YOUR questions. As is always the case, a theme emerged across your questions and our conversation, which boils down to one of the hardest and most important questions we face as artists. How are we supposed to feel validated in our work, especially when it's hard? Don't forget to join us for our FINAL DRAFT in Austin this year on Saturday evening at Stephen F's Bar & Terrace after our workshop. We are so exciting to be partnering with Final Draft! JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

TSL was on set this week! (Exciting - more soon)...but because our bandwidth was stretched a bit thin, we're going to be rebroadcasting a fan favorite: the lava episode! There may be no topic we discuss more on this show than lava, so we decided to put an episode together unpacking the entire volcano.

The Austin Film Festival is many things, but one if its most infamous opportunities is the annual 90-second pitch competition, where writers join to do just that: pitch their story in JUST 90 seconds. In the industry, we call this "the elevator pitch" and its more important now than ever. To help us unpack the nature of elevator pitching, we're featuring an amazing roster of guests: TSL veteran and super producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Austin Film Festival Screenplay Department Director Alyssa Alvarado, and the five brave souls who are joining to pitch them! TO BUY YOUR AFF PASS: https://austinfilmfestival.com/product/film-pass-2/ TO PURHASE FINAL DRAFT: https://www.finaldraft.com/ TO JOIN OUR PATREON: https://patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

There is nothing worse than writer's block when facing a rewrite, but there's hope! Today we discuss 6 Essential Strategies To Tackle a Rewrite. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

We're back for part two w/ super producer Ted Hope! This week, we talk about some of Ted's top pieces of advices for living a successful creative life, and spend a long time talking about the importance of balancing multiple projects as a creative.

You finally get the meeting, make the connection, and a bigshot producer is excited to read your script. But you panic. Is it good enough? Is it READY? Today, award-winning independent film producer Ted Hope walks us through those always complicated questions, and answers TONS more along the way. FOR MORE: https://tedhope.substack.com

Every writer can point to a movie that made them say: "THIS. This is what I want to do." And today, Meg, Lorien, and Jeff share the movies that turned THEM into writers. Yep, we're movie nerds too. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLIfe

Though it can sometimes feel like a prison, screenplay structure is actually a very freeing element of the story process. Jill Chamberlain, a veteran script consultant, is obsessive about structure, to the point where she has created a popular technique to re-consider how we approach our work. On her technique, producer Callum Greene (Star Wars Episode 9) offers ?the Nutshell Technique is like the Rosetta Stone: it cracks the code behind why we love the movies that we love. It goes way beyond tired old beat sheet ?formulas? and instead guides you to organically write the story you want to tell.? FOR MORE ON JILL (& FREE NUTSHELL WORKSHEETS): https://www.jillchamberlain.com TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

As collaborators and showrunners, Kat Likkel and John Hoberg know that shutting down ideas is never helpful. This was only emphasized when they joined Pixar's Elemental team as writers. Today we discuss how to collaborate well with others (and ourselves), how to bring our personal experience into our work, and duckboat. Yes, you read that right: duckboat. Join Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLife

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EPISODE WAS PRE-RECORDED & PRECEDED THE 2023 WGA STRIKE.** In today's TSL epsiode, Meg gets personal about her lava, and how a recent production of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George is helping her to rethink the beauty of moving on from a creative project. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Despite being a multiple Academy Award winner, celebrated producer, and feature/TV director, Jodie Foster is still aiming for a singular goal: to tell truthful stories. On today's show, we discuss how Jodie processes her work, how she collaborates with others, and what Robert De Niro taught her on the set of Taxi Driver. Join Our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Though she got her start in multi-cam sitcoms, it was a bold sci-fi dramedy rom-com that made Pixar interested in hiring Brenda Hsueh to co-write Elemental. On today's show, Brenda discusses how her voice has evolved as a writer over the course of her career, how she brought her own experience into her work as a writer for Elemental, and how she has learned to elegantly argue for what she believes in when collaborating. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/SCREENWRITERS and get on your way to being your best self.

With hits like BRING IT ON and STICK IT, writer/director Jessica Bendinger is known for her subversive and surprising takes on female girlhood, using archetypes in a way that audiences have celebrated. Today what discuss what archetypes are, how we can use them, and what the future of our industry looks like. FOR JESS' BOOK/PODCAST: http://www.jessicabendinger.com/ TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Hi all! Today, Savana and Jeff revisit their conversation from part one of their conversation about SET! Today we discuss some of the most essential vocabulary and set dynamics that you need to understand before you take the plunge! For internship inquiries, email [email protected] with the subject line INTERN, and include a cover letter and resume. Please note that we are only considering credit-eligible students! To join our Patreon: www.pateron.com/thescreenwritinglife

We bring our "beginning" miniseries to a close with this instant TSL classic, wherein Meg gives many pep talks. JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLife

In our continued conversation about where and how to begin as a screenwriter, we take your (excellent) questions! We talk about outlining, cards, character development, and how to quiet our inner critic. TO JOIN OUR PATREON: www.patreon.com/TheScreenwritingLife

So you want to be a screenwriter. Now what? Today we discuss some of these important questions to ask before you jump into a draft - questions that are JUST as valuable for emerging writers as they are for professionals.

Emmy-winning TV super-producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach is back. This time, he chats about his wonderful essay "WHAT I DO ON THE PAGE." clarifying that ultimately, the basic mechanics or writing are also the advanced mechanics of writing. HERE is the essay we're discussing: http://okbjgm.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/5/0/31506003/script_essay.pdf HERE is Javi's first appearance on our show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/46-writing-great-tv-characters-w-javier-grillo-marxuach/id1501641442?i=1000522797405 HERE is our patreon: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Podcasts are one of the fastest growing mediums today (see THIS SHOW), and they can take on many forms. Today, writer/director Susan Busa Leshner discusses her podcast series THE AMERICAN IMMORTAL, and how she turned it from an idea into a quickly growing audio drama with multiple episodes, a completed first season, and a second season on the way! TO LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN IMMORTAL FOR FREE: https://theamericanimmortal.com/ TO BECOME A PATRON: www.patreon.com/thescreenwritinglife

Karyn Kusama is known for film classics like Girlfight, Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, and a NEW TV classic, Yellowjackets, which she executive produces. Karyn's work is celebrated for its thoughtfully subversive approach with feminist themes across multiple genres, and today she discusses HOW she uses her body as a barometer to seek truth in her work.