Tips from a working writer

You may have heard of him. John August has written a number of top Hollywood films (and is scheduled to write the reboot of my favorite vampire franchise, Dark Shadows). He's also in the midst of giving away tips on how to improve your screenplay.

Here are few clips to whet your whistle. There's more great stuff on John's website. Few screenwriters are so generous with these kinds of details. So settle in and enjoy.





Here's another...





...and one more for the road.





P.S. Avoid dependent clauses. Stay in the active tense and use descriptive verbs. For a top notch taste of evocative screenwriting, read Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

P.P.S. Click on the title (above), which will take you to a cover page. Then click on that title for a brief bit of backstory on the film by writers Terry Rossio & Ted Elliot. At the end of that you can read the script or download it in various formats.

P.P.P.S. You don't even need a secret handshake to gain access.