I sold two screenplays with my agent at UTA. And STILL couldn't build a sustainable screenwriting career. Here's how that happened... I started as an NYU film school kid who made 50 shorts with friends and dreamed of going pro. I moved up to making indie features which kinda sucked because nobody saw them. I turned to screenwriting and won a $10K screenwriting contest and... my career still didn’t move. I eventually got signed by a partner at UTA, sold two scripts with him, but he had too many other clients to keep selling my work. I checked IMDb to see how many.. It was 92 other clients, yo. That’s not sustainable. Even after I got into the WGA... I STILL wasn’t getting the consistent work I wanted. WTF? But then a scene from my old feature got 1.1 million views on YouTube. Around the same time, a friend got Channing Tatum attached to his movie JUST by creating a concept trailer. Before the script was even written! That's when I realized I'd been playing the wrong game. I was trying to get chosen. By agents. Producers. Studios. But what if I could go directly to the people who might actually want to WATCH my movies? And what if I find out if there was real demand BEFORE spending hundreds of hours writing the script? That's a very different game. So I reverse-engineered a system to get real market signal, real fast. I call it IN-DEMAND SCREENWRITING. Now I'm developing concept trailers for my two most recent projects, testing them with actual audiences, and coaching fellow experienced screenwriters to do the same. Instead of waiting around to get chosen, we're creating demand for our screenplays. Want to see how this could work for YOUR movie? I'll send you the details, just comment YES.

Story structure can feel like a straitjacket. Let's show you how to be Houdini. When designing the story of a feature, after we’ve nailed the logline, I find it super-helpful to describe the entire plot in 5 sentences. But first... do you HAVE to use story structure? (No) Don't some Hollywood movies suck because they're too predictable? (Yes) Aren't rules meant to be broken? (Hell yeah) Truth is - the only "rule" in the game is to entertain your audience. But as Aristotle wrote thousands of years ago, without a beginning, middle, and end, people get bored AF. Well, maybe he didn't say it quite like that. But the point is: beginning, middle, end - are your FRIENDS. They bring attention to a deep existential pattern of how we experience temporal reality. So don’t fight gravity, sir. Note: while it's called 3 Act structure, the middle is so damn long, you'll find it more instructive to think of it as 4 segments (Act 1, Act 2a, Act 2b, Act 3). And smack dab in the middle is the Midpoint turn. Defining these parts in 5 sentences lays out your entire story map. Easy. Now... this allows you to reflect on the entire scope of your screenplay in 60 seconds: Do you like that flow? Would a different midpoint turn feel better? What if I can raise the stakes? You can make MAJOR story revisions by only changing one sentence. 👊🏼That increases the hell out of your speed and quality of story development. Here's exactly how I invite you to flesh out these five sentences: *Act 1 - What's broken in the hero's world that needs fixing? *Act 2a - What goes down in this new world? *Midpoint Turn - What's a massive shift that points us in a different direction? *Act 2b - How do things get WAY harder now? *Act 3 - How does the hero rise to DEFINITIVELY face the ultimate challenge? Note: Each act sentence summarizes 25-35 pages. Think of it as a box label - now you know what belongs in that box. Okay... that’s plenty for a social post. The point here is that solving story design questions is WAY easier and simpler in 5 sentences than in 25 screenplay pages. Let your process be simple. So... if you are like I was, and story structure feels overwhelming or confining or just annoying - I hear you. Just DM me and I'll help you feel liberated about this.

* Writers ask me what makes a great concept. And I tell them it's one that feels "the same, but different." But why? Because if it's too original, the audience doesn't trust it enough yet. And if it's too familiar, they get bored. Find your personal, authentic balance.

* Is your screenwriting process easy? It can be And you'll get better results Get the details in this interview I did for @filmcourage   Search: If Screenwriting Isn't Easy You're Doing It Wrong - Brooks Elms, on YouTube

Whoops! I scheduled this post before I knew I was going to the Clippers Home Opener tonight. Will DM everyone in the morning…

Had a blast doing this interview on the Creative Principles podcast with the AMAZING @BrockSwinson 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 Search: Creative Principles Ep444 on SoundCloud

Hey STOP writing your screenplay. (NOTE: this isn't for beginners) Most writers spend 8 months writing their screenplay, then enter contests and... hope. The problem? You pour an enormous amount of time, energy, blood, sweat, tears, coffee (lots and lots of coffee)... into a script with no idea if the market wants it. Even if you beat the long odds and WIN a contest, it usually doesn't impact your career much. Of the contest winners I've talked to, maybe 1 in 3 got a real bump. And this is because - let's face it - a contest is NOT a true market signal. It's the opinion of a few readers. Nice when they like your script. But they're not the people who buy scripts. After teaching 1,000+ students at UCLA Extension and coaching 35+ screenwriters 1:1, here's what I use instead: An approach called... IN-DEMAND SCREENWRITING. Go from treatment to trailer to market BEFORE you write the full screenplay. --> "Wait... what?" I'll slow this down, because this is a VERY different approach. *Develop your concept into a TREATMENT (about 10 pages). *Make a CONCEPT TRAILER (not a pitch deck, not a viral video, a TRAILER). *Then GO TO MARKET and see if anybody's into it. The truth is, most industry people judge the work on TONE and CONCEPT. Those two things set their heart on fire. Or not. A concept trailer shows them both. Fast. It can also be released to the public and blow up. "But Brooks, I can't direct a trailer. I could barely direct traffic." I hear you. The good news is, you don't need a big budget or a crew or a fancy film school degree. You just need to follow my simple steps to study a comparable trailer and do the same, but different, for your trailer. You can create it rip-o-matic style and pull images from other films. Or use AI by leaning into my cinematic-quality AI system. Or if you've got the resources, shoot it IRL. Your audience just wants to be entertained; they don't care how you make it. And with a trailer, you get a response from industry quickly. We aim for a reply in 24 hours because if they won't even watch your trailer in 24 hours, they're just not into you. And that's no problem. You just move on. Fast. So instead of spending 8 months writing a script before you can take your story to market, my clients and I do it in 4 months. (1 month for concept, 1 for treatment, 1 for the trailer, 1 to go to market.) I'm not great at math, but I'm pretty sure 4 months is 2x faster than traditional screenwriting's 8 months :-) And that's 8 months just to finish the script. You STILL don't know if anybody wants it. Is it crazy to think you can test if the market wants your story BEFORE you write the script? Share your thoughts in the comments and let's explore it!

If you're a screenwriter over 40, in the last 5 years, have you been watching ...

* hey Screenwriter want to become a professional writer ASAP? this free video archive will help you... find it at my website: BrooksElms-Coaching

* hey Screenwriter wanna see my entire, epic, 2 hour and 30 minute interview on @filmcourage ? if so (I think you're nuts, but...) Search: Learn How To Become A Professional Screenwriter - Brooks Elms [FULL INTERVIEW] on Youtube.

* Hey writer, What's the difference between a screenwriting consultant and a Life Coach for Screenwriters? Get the answer from this in-depth panel I did with 3 excellent screenplay consultants for The Inside Pitch with Chris Lockhart... Search: THE INSIDE PITCH with SCRIPT CONSULTANTS on youtube.

* If you could go back in time to high school, what would you tell yourself?

* Q: Should I make a pitch deck for my screenplay? A: Probably not. Most writers that don't move people emotionally with words, will also not move them with images Instead - focus on getting better at evoking EMOTION

* Most screenwriters tell themselves, "When I get to my next career milestone, then I'll be happy." What they don't quite realize is they can create a happy process along the way AND be happy when they get there. I invite you to have it all.

* Screenwriter told me "I'll write ANYTHING!" I appreciate her dedication, but this is her problem. Hollywood doesn't want writers who write ANYTHING. They want thought leaders with compelling POVs. #UnleashYourSuperpower

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams and Gus Van Sant all knew in GOOD WILL HUNTING that we cover our deepest fear with shame and denial, just to get through the day. And when we're stuck with the biggest challenges of our life, we deny the shame, and the helplessness beneath that. Are you writing and/or directing drama? Is your work going THAT deep? It needs to, if you want to go pro. Reach out if you want help with this. Love, B