Screenwriting

I might be interested in providing ideas in terms of storyline

…and a LOT of design and post production work, most likely. I heard an interview with the folks behind Searching, and practically everything you see on his desktop was made and animated from scratch.

it looks good from the title so if you are interested I would like to assist you in the project and make sure turn the pilot into Pages of script with the same format you want

feel free to reach out to me for any collaboration of your project to bring this pilot outline into full script

Thanks Alex! Appreciate you reading the treatment so quick. Reviewing collab options — will hit you back if we vibe on pages. DM your portfolio?”

Hi Alex - you seem to offer writers help. where is your bio? your credits? your last name? why should anyone seek your help? please be specific on what projects and writers you've worked with. thanks!

Thanks Alex.

Danny's right — show us your track record. What writers have you helped get agents? What projects landed deals? Specifics please.

Thank you for your feedback.

However, I'd really like to know... Have you ever had a turning point that changed your writing style?

No but I do see where that is possible. New experiences, gives new talent and ideas

That's clear. I think it's entirely plausible, Headen. And we've all already experienced these new approaches that have changed thousands of screenwriters in a particular genre.

Harold Ferré Hi Harold, the short answer is YES. I was listening to a podcast by John August and Craig Mazin and they were extolling the virtue of white space on the screenplay page; of not overwriting the script. We are not novel writers, but screenwriters and there’s a discipline involved, so that we don’t fall into prose, but have tight action lines.

That's an undeniable truth, Hall.

Great news! Goes to show that if you don't ask, you don't get. Managed to get some of the best jobs in my career that way!

Jim Boston, you are an inspiration sir. I would love to hear you tickle the ivories with some old-time tunes, Jim. Thank you for being a part of my journey.

Comgrats!

Congratulations, Adam Spencer! That’s a great win and definitely worth celebrating.

Adam, you're so very welcome! (By the way...I've got a YouTube channel, and it's got some music videos of mine. Dive right in any time you like!)

Robert Hamilton Before any story, there is an idea, a concept. Then you realise that the idea can be turned into a story.Than you analyse whether it’s worth to work on the story or not? You analyse whether the idea is unique or not? whether it stands out differently in this digita era?Than you decide to turn it into a screenplay.

Gurpreet Singh That’s a great way to look at it — and I think that’s where most stories start.

For me, the shift happens after that… when the idea stops being flexible.

At first you’re shaping it. But once the rules take hold, it starts shaping you back — and that’s when it either holds together or falls apart.

That’s where it becomes something more than just a story.

not being flippant - I try to have that sorted out before I type “FADE IN:” I’ll live in that world in my head for however long it takes.

Drives my wife crazy. It started early in life, when I was primarily writing music. The Beatles had a deceptively simple approach: “Say what you mean and make it rhyme.” Kind of works for screenplays.

Robert Hamilton that last line hits. A place. That is exactly what happened. Once the rules were set the world started generating consequences I never planned for. Characters had to respond to the system not just to each other. And that is when the writing stopped feeling like invention and started feeling like discovery. The world was already there. I was just finding it.

That’s exactly it.

At some point it stops feeling like you’re making choices and starts feeling like you’re uncovering them. Like the rules are already there and you’re just catching up to them.

That’s when it starts to feel real.

I’m happy I finished my fourth round of edits on Lunar Window and am hoping the fifth round will be the last I ever have to do lol. After that… not sure what I’ll do, probably will try to focus on comics.

I'm most proud of:

Finalist - Stage 32 TV Comedy Contest

Finalist - Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards

Semifinalist - ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition

Semifinalist - Emerging Screenwriters Comedy Contest

Second Rounder - Launch Pad

Quarterfinalist - Big Break (twice)

I know these aren't literal "wins" and haven't led to any traction (yet...I remain hopeful) for me, but they are good enough to remind myself to keep going on some of the dark days.

By the way, another mental health hurdle we often need to overcome oddly enough is WHEN you actually do place some people try to tear it down or belittle it: "no offense, but quarterfinals don't mean anything, ONLY these THREE specific contests even matter, and only if you win them" and blah blah blah. Every aspiring screenwriter is apparently an industry expert (in their own mind). It's important to block out that external troll noise too. A placement in a reputable contest means you're on to something. Go with it. Ride the high. We can then either choose to build off of it, or see it as "quarterfinalist is the best I can do. I stink." It's literally our choice.

Good luck with your scripts, Raven Riley !

Hi Chass, I saw your post about 'You Were Never Here' the 'Backrooms' inspiration is a really compelling angle for a novel. I'm an eCommerce developer who helps authors set up independent Shopify stores. Have you considered selling signed copies or digital bundles directly to your readers? It’s a great way to keep more of your royalties compared to the big retailers. Happy to share some ideas on how to set that up if you're interested

Michael Dzurak Appreciate it! The Backrooms has inspired some incredibly creative storytelling—it’s a great example of how a simple concept can evolve into something much deeper.

I completely agree, Chass! That evolution from a simple concept to something much deeper is exactly why 'You Were Never Here' has such high potential for a dedicated brand.

Because your work has that atmospheric, immersive 'Backrooms' vibe, you have a unique opportunity to offer exclusive digital bundles or limited-edition physical copies that generic retailers just can't showcase properly. I'd love to show you how a custom Shopify store could serve as a professional 'home' for your world while ensuring you keep more of your royalties. Happy to chat more if you're interested.

Hi Chen,

I really enjoyed reading about the origin of You Were Never Here that feeling of being lost in a space that should be familiar but isn’t… that’s a very specific kind of psychological unease, and you’ve built a strong concept around it. The mall-to-Backrooms transition, especially, is the kind of hook that should pull readers in fast.

I got curious and looked it up on Amazon to see how it’s being received and I noticed something interesting. There are little to no reviews at the moment.

From experience, that usually isn’t about the writing. it’s a visibility issue. The kind where a book has the right ingredients (and yours genuinely does), but it hasn’t yet triggered the signals Amazon relies on to start showing it to the right readers. So it ends up sitting in a kind of quiet limbo… which is ironic, given your theme.

What stood out to me is that your concept already aligns with audiences who actively look for this kind of psychological/spatial horror but without early traction (reviews, engagement, positioning), those readers simply never see it.

I’ve worked around this exact problem before helping authors shift from “invisible” to dis-coverable with a few targeted adjustments (nothing gimmicky, just aligning the book with how readers actually find and trust new work).

If you’re open to it, I’d be happy to share a couple of specific ideas tailored to your book no obligation, just a second set of eyes from someone who understands both the creative and the marketplace side.

Either way, I think you’re sitting on something that deserves more visibility than it currently has.

Best Regards,

Elara Wright

elarawrites133@gmail.com

I would take the word Backrooms out of the title/subtitle and marketing. The Backrooms video series is the creation of another person not associated with your work. A better term for the genre would be “liminal space.”

That’s a powerful concept it immediately pulls you into both the emotional and philosophical side of storytelling.

The idea of a machine discovering (or simulating) a “heart” opens the door to some really deep questions about identity, consciousness, and what it truly means to feel.

The real hook, in my opinion, is how you reveal that transformation what moments make the audience question whether it’s programming or something more human.

I’d love to explore this further with you and help shape it into a story that truly resonates on both an emotional and cinematic level.

Only if the machines are made by someone with a heart themselves.

Nicely put.

So true. Structure is king, but sometimes overlooked even if the character, hook, concept etc “rock.” A script reader can pass on a script, even if it fits the producer’s remit, and is good on many levels. Problems, edits & changes down the line, are not cost effective. if the film were to be made.

Debbie Croysdale That’s a great point — especially around how much can slip through if the underlying structure isn’t doing its job early on.

Edits can refine, but they can’t always rebuild what wasn’t designed to hold in the first place.

That’s where I’ve been focusing more recently — trying to solve problems at the structural level before they show up later as “fixes”.

Appreciate you bringing that angle in.

I have a short with no dialogue, it was my favorite thing to write. What your logline?

Crystal Nadine Rollen

That sounds really interesting, especially with no dialogue.

The logline for mine would be:

A man trapped in a looping office is forced to confront a buried mistake from his past as reality around him begins to collapse.

Would love to hear more about your short as well!

Grady Craig I love your point about micro-leaks and rooting for the “villain”m and that’s exactly the tension I’m aiming to create. The “why” is central, and I’ve been exploring ways to make the audience empathize without tipping the twist too early. Really appreciate your insight

Probably the solution is in the past. If the protagonist character was a victim during his childhood,now he uses the vulnerability as an advantage to become a predator hunting for its prey.

This is a fascinating concept, Yaman! What would make me want to read your script immediately is seeing how you use 'vulnerability' as a weapon without tipping your hand too early.As a screenwriter and Artist-Observer, I believe the key lies in the visual subtext: how the 'predator' performs their fragility for the world. If you can make their weakness feel too perfect to be true, it creates a subtle unease that forces the reader to keep turning the page.I’m looking forward to seeing how you handle that psychological shift in the second act!

Yaman Najm really appreciate the follow up. The idea of gradually reframing earlier actions is where this concept comes alive. If every moment works on its own as believable character logic in the first pass then the rewatch becomes the real payoff. That dual layer is what separates a twist from a revelation.

Grady Craig that point about micro-leaks is sharp. The tiny moments where the mask almost slips but just enough for the audience to feel something is off without being able to name it. That gap between noticing and not quite understanding is what keeps people leaning forward.

Lisa Zambri and your point about rooting for the wrong character is the whole game. The best version of this is when the audience feels betrayed by their own empathy. They chose to care and that choice is what makes the reveal land harder than any plot mechanic could.

The real test for all of this is whether the predator's logic holds up on a second viewing. Not as misdirection but as a completely consistent alternate read of the same scenes. When that works it stops being a trick and becomes something the audience wants to revisit.

yes, it sounds interesting