flying wrestler
thoughts on screenwriting from writer-producer erik bork
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...
Writing Superhero Movies
Whether you're a diehard fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or agree with Coppola and Scorsese that comic book superhero movies are the scourge of...
Feel What They Feel
What most draws audiences in is usually characters' emotions. What they want, why they want it, what they're trying to do get it, and most of all,...
THE IDEA is now an audiobook!
So much has happened in the year since my book The Idea was released. Screencraft listed it as #3 in their “Top 15 Screenwriting Books.” It’s been...
Why Series Stop Working
I'm only 3 episodes into GLOW's third season on Netflix, but I'm not motivated to watch more. And this was possibly my favorite new show when it...
My Short Film Premiere
Yesterday marked the online premiere of my short film I Got This, a 22-minute comedy I wrote, directed, and took around to film festivals for much...
Shaping Your Main Character
I was happy to see Fleabag do so well at the Emmies after its second season. It's a British comedy, and it had that classic English run of twelve...
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
No one warned me that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was going to be 2 hours and 40 minutes long. Or that it would be paced the way it was. Certainly...
Writer’s Block
When I tell someone I’m a writer, one of the most frequent questions I get is, “How do you deal with writer's block?" I have a standard answer that...
Find Your Writing Voice
One of my favorite new series in recent years was PEN15 on Hulu. It's co-creators and stars play versions of themselves at age 13. They're best...
Writing a Scriptment
As the word implies, a "Scriptment" is somewhere between a script and a treatment. It's a complete scene-by-scene description without the dialogue....
Subtext
Subtext is often talked about as the key to good dialogue. But what is it, exactly, and how do we use it? Subtext is what characters are really...
