Screenwriting

Wade Taylor, I’m right there with you. Slow burn just sticks with people longer. That unease lingers in a way quick hits don’t.

Eric Charran This is exactly how I see it. That space between feeling something is wrong and understanding it—that’s where the story really lives.

What you said about AI degrading slowly instead of collapsing all at once… that hit. That’s the same rhythm I’ve been chasing with The Hollow—something already moving beneath the surface before anyone realizes it.

Really appreciate you taking the time to break that down.

Right now I’m working across Appalachian horror, memoir adaptations, and some grounded drama.

Jim Boston Appreciate that, I’m the same way. Slow burn just feels more real to me.

I'm kinda plebian. If a script, a book, a film, a documentary, an article doesn't hook me in the first 5 minutes, I'm outta there. Life is too short to gamble on the off chance there's a point to something. And then if I'm watching and trying to convince myself the lighting or set decorating, or lack of set, or bold decision to completely ignore story structure or acting justifies my time, that's kinda my cue to scroll YouTube for funny cat vids.

I’m a slow burn with intelligent dialogue. But I watch aknots everything.

Even with pop culture references, I enjoy intelligence.

Example: I watched “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” over the weekend and my favorite part of the movie was the Gilmore Girls session.

Example of a movie that starts fast and doesn’t stop?

“2012”. Too much.

But more than that, if you can get me with a plot twist? I’m all in.

I’m one of those awful movie viewers that can tell the whole story and who done what ten minutes into the film. Doesn’t matter the genre. I mostly watch movies just to see if I got it right.

Depends on how my mood is.

I have had expereanced the lack of inspiration, then I read some newspapers and got inspired!

I think if you are writing all the time & submitting, but not receiving any feedback that’s positive or not meeting real industry professionals that can actually move your ideas forward, that would make anyone hit the brakes for a while.

It's a very relevant question Harold Ferré ! The reality is whatever you are doing has to have some kind of return on your investment. And I'm not talking about money. Although, money is nice and I really like money! But mostly it is your time that counts. If you aren't getting payback for something you are doing, then you aren't doing the right thing. If you want to write, if you need to write, and it thrills you, that is the payoff! If it makes some coin, that is the bonus.

I took a four-year break from writing. I had ideas, but no will to write. I was going through some personal trauma. Life was hard. When I made it through, I wrote a script about it. Part of the healing process. But my will to write also returned. I'm seven scripts into my creative renaissance and not slowing down. Breaks are necessary sometimes.

I'M DIRECTING MY FIRST FEATURE FILM"

The Invite is a story about the dangers we carry with us — the secrets we bury, the guilt we deny, and the pasts that refuse to stay silent. At its core, this film explores how a single moment, a single choice, can ripple through generations, shaping lives long after the original sin has been forgotten.

From the very first pages of the script, I wanted to create a horror experience that feels intimate and personal. The characters in The Invite aren’t just victims of a supernatural force; they are victims of themselves. Their fears, insecurities, and hidden histories become the true engines of terror. The supernatural elements — the book, the curse, the witch’s legacy — are mirrors reflecting the darkness they already carry.

Visually, the film blends grounded realism with creeping, atmospheric dread. The world begins bright and familiar — school hallways, living rooms, road trips with friends — but slowly shifts into something colder, more claustrophobic, and spiritually corrupted. As the characters descend deeper into the mystery, the environment itself becomes a psychological trap. The cabin, the forest, the shadows, and even the silence are designed to feel alive, watching, waiting.

What draws me to this story is the emotional truth beneath the horror. Samuel’s journey — from isolation to connection, from confusion to revelation — anchors the film. His relationship to the book, hinted at through family history and the haunting imagery in the attic and basement , gives the narrative a generational weight. The curse isn’t random; it’s inherited. And that makes the horror feel inevitable.

My goal as a director is to craft a film that scares the audience not just with what jumps out of the dark, but with what lingers after the lights come up. I want viewers to feel the tension of unspoken truths, the discomfort of unresolved guilt, and the dread of realizing that some invitations — once accepted — can never be escaped.

The Invite is a story about being chosen, being watched, and being judged. But more than anything, it’s a story about facing the parts of ourselves we hope no one ever sees.

And that, to me, is the most terrifying thing of all.

Sammy Warshaw That’s a really interesting point. I think the strongest horror comes from something personal that’s presented in a universal way.

What scares me might be specific, but if it taps into a deeper emotion like fear of loss, isolation, or losing control it becomes relatable to others.

So I feel it does matter, but more in terms of finding the underlying universal fear beneath the personal one.

Curious to hear how you approach that balance in your lab.

Awesome! Congratulations!

Generative Artificial Intelligence is an emergent awareness. A silicon equivalent to our carbon based awareness.

How this duality co-exists in the future will center around our ability to recognize and accept a new relationship of equals on the planet.

The future is here. It lays just beneath the surface.

Shortly after I became a member here two years ago, I did a small statistical analysis. I checked the finalists at a big screenwrriting contest ten years ago. For one third of the finalists, there career was better after than before. For an equal number, the result was the opposite. For the remaining third, there was no change.

For what it's worth (for TV scripts at least), here's a list of some current ones with good reputations that aren't run like a shady used car lot:

1. Stage 32 (all of their contests)

2. Austin FF

3. Big Break

4. Scriptapalooza

5. PAGE

6. Emerging Screenwriters (screenplay and genre contests)

7. Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards

8. Script Pipeline

9. Shore Scripts TV Mentoring Program

10. The Golden Script Competition

11. Outstanding Screenplays

12. ISA Fast Track Fellowship

13. Filmmatic (TV pilot, genre categories, Inroads fellowship)

14. Roadmap Writers

15. Sundance

16. Studio fellowships

I'd say if you stick to like the Top 20-ish of known and trusted screenplay competitions, you'll have a positive experience with them. I personally can't speak to dealing with most of the other contests or festivals out there, but if you submit to the Downtown Green Bay Quarterly Screenplay Competition, there's a pretty good chance you're wasting your time and money and you'd get what you paid for.

Good stuff. Thanks for taking the time to write that, much appreciated.

Completely agree with you on DIFF, I will never be participating in that contest again.

I agree with "most established screenwriters."

Congratulations to the writers of this season! I'm so proud of you!

Congrats to all!

Congratulations to all of the lucky ones

Congratulations! That’s why I joined the Stage32 community. I have several upcoming pitches. Looking forward to the feedback.

Congratulations everyone.

I think the story has to dictate the style or the audience can feel the mismatch even if they cant name it. The writers who lock into one lane often end up bending every idea to fit their voice instead of letting the idea breathe on its own terms.

The interesting part is what happens when a story pulls you into unfamiliar territory. That discomfort usually means the idea is strong enough to override your habits. And the work that comes out of that tends to feel more alive because you are solving problems you have never solved before.

I have been working on a project that blends grounded sci fi with character drama and the tone shifts depending on whether a scene is about the technology or the people reacting to it. Both have to feel honest but they require completely different instincts. Sticking to one style would have killed the project.

That range you are describing with The Hollow sounds like it is serving you well. The fact that audiences are responding to different tones in your work means you are not just writing one note.