The StoryChatPro Blog
Craft tips, product updates, and writing insights from working screenwriters.
Mandates, Part 1: What Is a Studio Mandate? A Guide for Screenwriters
A mandate tells you something useful, but limited. It tells you what one company thinks it needs this season.
What the Score Actually Means: How StoryChatPro Evaluates Your Script
A number next to your screenplay can feel reductive, or useful, depending on what's behind it. Here's an honest look at how our evaluation works and what writers should (and shouldn't) do with the score.
How to Take Notes on Your Script Without Losing Your Voice
Every writer faces the same paradox: notes can save your script or sand it down to nothing. Here's how to filter feedback without abandoning the story only you can tell.
Dan Harmon's Story Circle: The Simplest Structure You're Not Using
Dan Harmon reduced every great story to eight words arranged in a circle. Here's why it works, how it maps onto films you already love, and the one question it forces you to answer about your protagonist.
Contest Season Starts in January. Fix These First.
Six Questions to Ask Your Script Before Contest Season
How to Take Notes on Your Script Without Losing Your Voice
Every writer faces the same paradox: notes can save your script or sand it down to nothing. Here's how to filter feedback without abandoning the story only you can tell.
Save the Cat's 'All Is Lost' Beat — And Why Writers Keep Flinching From It
The 'All Is Lost' beat is the moment your protagonist hits bottom — and it's the beat writers most often soften, skip, or stage-manage their way around. Here's why it matters, and how to write one that actually lands.