flying wrestler
thoughts on screenwriting from writer-producer erik bork
Writing for Television
Writing for television has become increasingly popular in recent years for writers looking to start careers. This makes a lot of sense given that there’s been an explosion of quantity and quality in TV, as well as outlets for original series. Meanwhile many see the feature film business as contracting and becoming less of a viable option.
The 3-Page Prologue
The opening pages of a script are very important. We all know this. Busy industry readers will tend to put a script down if they’re not grabbed...
Vomit draft: a good idea?
What does it mean to write a vomit draft? And is there value in doing one? A vomit draft is when you “vomit out” a first complete pass at a script...
Character Bios
Is it a good idea to create character bios? Should they be shared with others? What should they consist of? I have a love-hate relationship with...
All is Lost moment
The All is Lost moment in any story tends to come around 3/4 of the way through. It paves the way for one final attempt to solve the main overall...
Writing about yourself
They say "write what you know," right? So writing about yourself should be the ultimate version of that. But is it a really good idea to create a...
Fresh and Real
Scripts that get noticed and help writers find representation often explore some aspect of human experience in a strikingly fresh and real way,...
Looking At vs. Looking Through
Commercial films and TV series usually work very hard to get the audience emotionally invested in at least one specific character whose problems and...
The Ideal Writing Session
I’ve been writing five days a week for about thirty years. Whether it’s an 8-hour session or a quick thirty minutes just to keep things moving forward, I’ve seen the value of a daily block of time devoted to the writing “practice.” And really, it’s all practice. That’s a good attitude to have. In fact, the single most important thing I’ve discovered…
Story in Documentary
Cheer on Netflix is a great study of the elements that make for a compelling narrative. And it demonstrates how story in documentary is really no...
Writing a Dual Narrative
I found Marriage Story to be a devastatingly emotional portrait of a couple going through a divorce, where we like both of them, and can see both of...
Make Them Miserable
HBO's Succession won the Emmy for outstanding drama series in 2020. I am struck by how well it underscores the need to do one simple thing with a...
