iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 11/09/2026

You can absolutely start writing without knowing the ending. Or even the beginning. Writing is a process of discovery. You learn as you go. So go. Even if you don't feel ready. You're better off writing 20 bad pages that teach you something than no pages that can't teach you anything. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 01/09/2026

Wow congrats! Something to work at whittling down, at least.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 28/08/2026

Wow, that is impressive. How long was the screenplay? More importantly, did you find writing that many pages helpful? It's definitely helping me slow down and find things that my usual rush into screenplay pages would probably miss the first time through.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 27/08/2026

What’s the longest treatment you’ve ever written? Trying my hand at long form, just hit the midpoint at 18 pages (that’s long for me, anyway). Finding it super helpful. Sometimes just changing up the process can make a big difference. Where do you land on treatments #scriptsky?

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 27/08/2026

That was a masterpiece of a video essay. Really cracks the movie and discourse around it wide open. I feel like I got the benefit of seeing the movie five times over, and then some. The comps/contrasts between Ex Machina and Companion, chefs kiss. Required viewing. Thank you for sharing!

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 27/08/2026

Modern screenwriting software is a bloated mess full of gimmicks and distractions, brought to you by investment and equity firms. Screenwriter Pro is pure screenwriting, from initial outline to final polish, made by and for real screenwriters. Get it 100% free for life. See below. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 26/08/2026

If you love indie films more than studio pictures, you might be happier and more productive with an indie developer rather than the corporate screenwriting software that’s gotten bloated and overly monetized over the years. Screenwriter Pro is by a screenwriter, for screenwriters. Get it for free.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 26/08/2026

Ok just reached the halfway mark, watching in amongst some other things but thought a good time to check back and say how glad I was to see Alex Garland called out as the edge lord hack he is. She needs to do a deep dive on all his work. Which is a big ask, because it’s all so shallow.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/08/2026

I think I binged all her trek videos back in the Picard discourse era and, while this is definitely not the point and I'll have more to say, I am so far delighted to see her loop trek in somehow at around the 16 minute mark 🖖

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/08/2026

Listening now, thanks for heads up!

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/08/2026

Screenwriters of all experience levels are taking all the wrong lessons from OBSESSION. I assume. I could be wrong about this. But I doubt it. Obsession cooks as hard as it does because the first act is crystal clear. That’s the lesson. Boring, I know. But the best lessons often are. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/08/2026

In praise of moving commas around: If the words aren't coming, story feels stuck, problems unsolvable, you can walk away and regroup. But if you've tried that and you're still stuck, heck yeah move those commas around! It might just be the grease that gets the gears moving again. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/08/2026

Tips to avoid improving as a screenwriter: ignore challenging notes take feedback personally break rules you don’t understand never do more than three drafts never do a page one rewrite never learn to give better notes always be defensive always be certain always go with your first idea #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 22/08/2026

I mean, I've never taken a seat in first class before, and it seems pretty dumb to me to pay all that money for it, but I bet it feels pretty good, in a sort of crass, self-important sort of way. So in the scene, it's probably less about radically altering them than showing this is who they are.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 22/08/2026

Some sort of rush is not quite how it works. It's honestly a lot more subtle and pernicious, like it alters people's behavior throughout the night but the moment they take a line it's not like they just jumped out of an airplane or something. More like they just took their seat in first class.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 21/08/2026

Doing it all night as in they’ve been doing coke all night. Not the other sense, which I suppose can be a side effect but wasn’t what I meant there 😅

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 21/08/2026

Coke is usually very exaggerated in movies and tv so that actually sounds like a more realistic portrayal. There are for sure signs someone is on coke, like in the doing-it-all-night sense. But a person doing a single line isn’t going to suddenly become a radically different person.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 21/08/2026

"There is a danger in screenwriting software, Final Draft or whatever, because it formats as you type, and it looks like a script, and it tricks you into thinking you’ve written something that’s a script." - Charlie Kaufman Screenwriter Pro was built on this idea. Get it now for free. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 20/08/2026

One week only, I’m giving away free lifetime access to Screenwriter Pro as thanks to everyone in this amazing #scriptsky community. No credit card needed. Just use code BSKY100 at checkout: buy.stripe.com/5kQbJ19qngOY... “Fastest tool I’ve ever used to write a first draft” Matt Wygodny (Beacon 23)

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 20/08/2026

Might as well take some time to flesh it out, see where it leads. You never know. Even if it’s just a chance to write about something you passionately believe in, that’s a worthwhile writing experience on its own. Don’t let this awesome idea go to waste.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 18/08/2026

When giving notes to a fellow screenwriter, playing the role of Disgruntled Reader isn’t helpful. They can pay for that service if they want it. Our role is to understand what the writer is trying to accomplish, then help them accomplish it. Do that, and they’ll be forever grateful. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 16/08/2026

The big moments in your screenplay need time/pages to develop. There’s a reason songs don’t all start with the chorus, then go straight into the chorus again, followed by another chorus. It’s called build-up for a reason. Skip over the build and your big moments end up small and flat. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 06/07/2026

Page count anxiety is a waste of time and effort. If a reader worth half their salt isn’t drawn in by your first five pages, there’s no magical page count number that can change that. You either have the goods or you don’t. Make that the focus and let the page count fall where it will. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 05/07/2026

I give notes to a wide range of experience levels, from total amateur to working professional. The big difference between them is the amount of change per draft. Ams are precious. They nudge and tweak. Pros are detached and will steamroll over everything. Do with that what you will. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 26/06/2026

There’s an anti-first-act epidemic in Hollywood that is killing movies and Supergirl is the latest victim. They hid their first act in the middle, which contrary to popular belief does not clear the way for “the fun stuff”. It just makes the story and character harder to connect with. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 07/06/2026

Characters don’t exist to be likeable or unlikable. Characters serve a function. Likeability is emergent. It adds colour to a story, not shape. Characters are structural. If they don’t serve a function they’re in the way. Serving the wrong function can cause the structure to collapse. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 17/05/2026

Luke Skywalker faced his most challenging moment in all of Star Wars... in backstory. What should have been an entire movie's worth of story showing us how he arrived at nearly killing his nephew in his sleep, was described in exposition. Fans revolted. Take from that what you will. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 07/05/2026

You’ve made the right call. We rarely learn to be more patient, but we can get better at putting that impatience to productive use.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 07/05/2026

Synopsis is a bit of a loosely defined term in screenwriting so it really depends on who is asking for it, but my gut says that is long. A movie synopsis on rotten tomatoes is a few sentences, on wikipedia a few paragraphs. Can you ask the requester for a range?

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 07/05/2026

I’ve been there and I’ve seen others be there and I have to say it’s extremely rare that’s it’s ever the wrong move. Trust your gut and go get it. You’ll be so glad you did.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 06/05/2026

I hear you 100% (dawg). It’s frustrating. FWIW sometimes there just isn’t enough time or space to dig into the minutia level details. And even if there were, it would overwhelm the writer. So often notes have to be given at a higher level. Notes aren’t really meant to fix. They’re meant to guide.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 05/05/2026

This is good feedback, believe it or not. You now have clarity on what didn’t work at both ends of the spectrum. Calibration takes time, and often many tries to get right, but at least now you have a space in between two opposing sides that you can work toward.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 05/05/2026

Yup. The pros I know are constantly writing on spec. It’s not just good business practice, but literally good practice.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 05/05/2026

I believe the intended order is: 5 minutes of new footage sprinkled into Avengers Endgame. Doomsday and Secret Wars back to back. THEN The Bear prequel episode.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 05/05/2026

"Know the rules before you break them" isn't some rule about rules, tricking you into following at least one. If you want to challenge story conventions, it helps to know why they are the way they are. That way you aren't just breaking story craft, you're expanding on what it can be. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 04/05/2026

Yeah, in these little envelopes inside containers packed ice packs. Just keeps them dormant. Apparently the service is very popular for special events and ceremonies. I never would have imagined until I looked into it.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 04/05/2026

Wrote a short involving a sparrow in a cage but turns out there are laws against that and the wrangler + legal lookalike is expensive… so I changed it to a butterfly. ~$200 vs ~$2000. They come frozen in the mail. The thaw timing is very precise. But you can just release them when done.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 02/05/2026

Aside from my few years writing for tv, I’ve spent decades as a video editor. Cutting entire scenes in post that could have been cut from the script is a powerful lesson in the demands of storytelling. What’s an eye opening experience that taught you a valuable lesson in screenwriting, #scriptsky?

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 01/05/2026

Audiences are Newtonian minded. They experience story by way of cause and effect. If the cause for your character’s action happens offscreen, or is referenced in backstory, they aren’t going to feel its effects as strongly. Show the cause to expose the effect. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 28/04/2026

If you’re more comfortable screenwriting then a first draft as a screenplay to find the story would probably help before embarking on the book. The story will probably change as you draft the book. So when you go to adapt that to a screenplay you may have to toss the original draft is all.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 27/04/2026

Sorry to keep banging this drum but this is survivor bias. For anyone trying to break in, Readers doing coverage will pass on your script if you waste their underpaid time with words *they feel* don’t absolutely have to be there. I don’t like it but it’s what many Readers have told me. #scriptsky

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/04/2026

Yes! Overdone. The inverse of this is characters chugging alcohol in response to a major setback. Who ever does this??

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/04/2026

Totally! A cheap dramatic tension cheat that wore out its effect long ago.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/04/2026

Perfect! If you’re not sure, the reader definitely isn’t. That’s catnip. There’s no rush here. You can take all the time you need to work it out, while for them it’ll feel like you orchestrated the impossible in an instant.

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/04/2026

What’s a trope/convention that bumps you #scriptsky? A few for me: Character looks themselves in mirror *dramatically* Two characters in a car? *Q&A!* Character lets carefully guarded secret slip *advances plot* Bonus: “Gotta run!” *leaves 5 star breakfast untouched* Got your own? Let ‘em out!

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/04/2026

Happy Saturday #scriptsky! I don’t know about you, but as a dog, I feel very strongly about this.

Single panel cartoon illustration of two dogs in a writing editor’s office with the editor dog holding the writer dogs pages as the caption below reads “If you introduce a stick in act one, somebody needs to throw it.”

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 25/04/2026

Congrats on getting your first paid gig! Buffy definitely inspired me back in the day. Maybe Angel even more so (it gets so dark!).

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darcy @forscreenwriters.com · 24/04/2026

This is so frustrating. There’s a kernel of truth, but misses the point. New screenwriters fear the rules because Readers are so strict on them. Mainly because it makes their underpaid job easier. Break one too many and they can just stop reading. Scriptnotes, check your survivor bias. #scriptsky

Excerpt from the Scriptnotes book on screenwriting that reads:
IF YOU FOLLOW these rules to the letter, congratulations! You’ll have
written a perfect screenplay. Please proceed to the gates of Hollywood to
receive your paycheck and commendation.
Obviously, these “rules” are bullshit. We’ve broken every one of them
over the course of our long careers. Pick up any award- winning screenplay
and you’ll !nd it violates at least half the items on this list.
Still, there’s a reason aspiring screenwriters love rules like these. We
crave order. Faced with a blank page, we’re desperate for any constraints
and guidelines. Just tell me what I can and can’t do. Newer writers in particular are afraid of making mistakes that might reveal their inexperience,
so they choose the absolute safest path. It’s the literary equivalent of driving five miles an hour under the speed limit.

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