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WATCH, READ, WRITE.
Aspiring screenwriters keep telling me they watched nothing this week. After nearly forty years in the industry, let me be blunt about what that answer costs you — and the simple habit that fixes it.
The Journal
Vol. 20 · 1,240 entries
25 October 2026
What this is
How screen stories are built, from idea to “action”.
Karel Segers has read six thousand screenplays since 2009. Every entry here is a note from that desk.
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Vol. 20
Pitching & Selling · 14 min
Story Analyst Michael Sweeney on Script Reading, Taylor Sheridan, and the Future of Screenwriting
For 10 years, Michael Sweeney has been a script reader for Netflix and other producers. In this interview, he talks about working for Taylor Sheridan's 101…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Thematic Structure: Umbilical Between Character And Meaning
Screenwriting books evangelize the importance of theme, without properly investigating thematic structure. They rightly identify that it’s the source of meaning in a story. It’s what…
Story & Structure · 7 min
How’s Your Pacing: Rushing Or Dragging?
Pacing is critical. Rush through the story, and viewers struggle to understand what is going on. Slow down too much, and they get bored. How do…
Pitching & Selling · 7 min
Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan: Power, Politics & Progress
In Variety's Top 100 telecasts for 2021, Yellowstone features as the only cable show on the list. And while all other major scripted shows - NCIS and…
Pitching & Selling · 4 min
Why Taylor Sheridan Is The Most Relevant American Screenwriter
After seeing Sicario and sourcing the script in 2015, I instantly fell for the voice of this new writer. But Taylor Sheridan was not new. His…
Story & Structure · 5 min
Ready To Break Rules? One Word Will Tell.
Nothing appears more appealing to the beginning writer than to break rules. And nothing is more annoying than hearing "Do this; don't do that!" Some will…
Script Check · 4 min
FORMATTING TIP: Accent, dialect and foreign language in dialogue
A powerful tool in creating distinctive characters is their language, using accent, dialogue and even foreign language. In the real world, everyone speaks in a way…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Reading Screenplays — Without Wasting Your Time
One of the most effective ways to learn about screenwriting is - wait for it - reading screenplays. Duh! Yet, I've read so many rants about…
Story & Structure · 9 min
Taming The Industry Standard 1-Page Synopsis
Isn’t it remarkable how a simple synopsis, a seemingly innocuous 1-page text, can give a writer a world of pain. If it’s such a drag, then…
Story & Structure · 6 min
Wow Them In The End – Give Your Screen Story An Amazing Ending
A great ending can save an otherwise problematic or difficult script - like The Muppet Man. Or have you seen Tarantino's Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood? Industry pros know…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Masks, Archetypes and Metaphors [and why the Donald doesn’t don]
In this post, I want you to bear with me, as I meander through Covid-19, The Don and masked superheroes, to finally demonstrate how masks and…
Story & Structure · 8 min
The Dreaded Passive Protagonist Will Never Kill Your Script Again
It keeps surprising me how many writers turn in scripts with a passive protagonist, or featuring characters that are barely active. I'm talking about writers who…
The Screenwriter's Life · 8 min
Courses, Books & Consults Won’t Cut It.
In addition to working with writers, producers and agencies everywhere, I teach screenwriting courses at film schools in Australia, Europe and online. The school gigs largely…
Uncategorized · 6 min
10 Audience Principles In Screenwriting
As a writer, you are playing a game with the audience. Therefore, in order to find success in screenwriting, it is necessary to understand how audiences…
