Screenwriting : I Started a Small Project Reading the WGA's List of 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century by D.L. Holmes

Hey, fellow screenwriters!

I've been mostly absent on Stage32 due to struggling with some personal troubles as well as writing troubles. No matter how many ideas I'd have for scripts, I couldn't get them to work once I sat down to write. In frustration, I decided that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to go back to basics for a bit and see if that helped.

That was what prompted me to start reading all the scripts in the Writers Guild of America's list of 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (*so far). But as I moved from script to script, I realized there were some valuable nuggets across many of them that had escaped my attention before. Sometimes, taking the time to pore over a script helps to see it in a new light.

To that effect, I opened a Substack account to write and share my notes, thoughts, and lessons learnt from readings these screenplays, starting all the way from #101 to #1. Some of the scripts in the WGA's list aren't always discussed in forums (for example: it's hard to find many pieces talking about LARS AND THE REAL GIRL or LEGALLY BLONDE); but that's what makes them excellent choices for learning more about screenwriting.

I hope anyone reading this essay and the rest to come will find something useful to apply in their own journey as a screenwriter, as I have been. I'll be publishing these essays on Substack every Tuesday and Thursday. The posts are free, so if you find these valuable, do hit the Subscribe button.

Enjoy!

https://open.substack.com/pub/thescriptbyline/p/wga-101-greatest-scripts...