flying wrestler
thoughts on screenwriting from writer-producer erik bork
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...
Screenwriting contests
Screenwriting contests — are they a good idea? Agents and managers I’ve talked to have emphasized that there are handful of top competitions that...
B Story
What is a B Story? It's a secondary story that has its own beginning, middle and end, and is focused on its own problem, separate from but...
It’s about EMOTION
At the core of what we're trying to do with any script is to make strangers care. Virtually every note I give on any script ultimately connects to...
Punch – Counterpunch
The show runner of a drama series I once worked on described what he wanted in the middle of an episode as being a "punch - counterpunch" dynamic...
Talking about THE IDEA
I've been making the rounds of the screenwriting podcasts, blogs and other venues lately, talking about my new book THE IDEA: The Seven Elements of...
The 7 Elements of a Viable Story
In my experience as a professional screenwriter (on projects like Band of Brothers) and in the years that I've been teaching and coaching writers,...
