Great to have so many new people here! 👋 I’m putting together a schedule for upcoming Hot Seats on both script and story, plus future guest sessions with writers, agents, and producers. Most events so far have been in the mornings, but I know many of you have day jobs. I’ve got some flexibility and can definitely host sessions at other times. Since I’m on Pacific Time, drop a quick line below and let me know what works best for you: 🌅 Morning: 9–12 🌞 Afternoon: 12–3 🌙 Evening: 6–10 (I’m a night owl, so that’s totally possible too.) Can’t promise I’ll match everyone, but I’ll definitely take it into account as we plan the next few weeks. Thanks! 🙏

We kicked off the 5-Week Forge by talking about the movies we love. Why? Because the movies that matter — the ones that stay with us — didn’t come from writers chasing trends. They weren’t safe. They were personal. Even wild comedies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective or Raising Arizona could only have come from the people who wrote them. Same with Shutter Island, Green Mile. Every movie on that list has such a unique voice. That’s what “write what you know” really means. It’s what makes YOU laugh. What terrifies YOU. What breaks YOUR heart. Over the next five weeks, your job is simple: find the story you need to tell. What keeps pulling you back? What delights you, scares you, makes you feel something real? Drop your ideas below. Start with one if you’re obsessed. Or up to five if you’re torn — we’ll help you find the one that burns hottest. Let’s hear it. What story do you need to tell?

Five weeks to uncover the story your audience needs — and the one that won’t let you go. All right, people — this is our first challenge we’re doing together, in real time. Five weeks of diving into what actually makes a story great. I’ve spent thirty years writing movies — everything from talking babies to ogres in love — and I still ask the same question: Why do some stories stay with us? Not just make us laugh or cry — but haunt us, years later. Over the next five weeks inside The Writer’s Forge, we’re going to dig into that. What makes a story unforgettable? Why does an audience feel something — even in a comedy? Why does a story matter enough to live in someone’s head after the credits roll? 👉 Here’s how we start: 1. Drop your top 3 movies of all time. 2. Tell us why each one hits you — a scene, a moment, a line, a feeling. 3. Then scroll the thread and jump into at least one other person’s post. The goal isn’t to make a list — it’s to figure out what moves us. And to BUILD COMMUNITY so we can SUPPORT each other in this process. I’ll be in here reading, responding, and pulling examples as we go — breaking down what these films do to us and how to find that same spark in your own stories. Doesn’t matter what you write — funny, dark, spiritual, absurd — the goal is the same: Five weeks to build community. Five weeks to find the fire in you. Five weeks to discover the story you NEED to write. Who’s in?? ps... if you have friends who are serious about writing, send this to them. Let's build this together.

Starting a thread where we can share our short films and check out each other’s work!! I know @Erin Lovett and @Mari Robeson had short films but I know there must be more. Drop the link to your short film in the comments!!

And "It's hard work, to go to the blank piece of paper." When the masters tell you the truth, listen. There are so many lies in this space. Promising some sort of easy path to a great screenplay. I promise you, no easy path exists. Yes, you can write something that weighs about the same as a screenplay and is the same number of pages. But if that bastard is dead inside, it's not a screenplay. It's just typing. Your job is to go deep down the rabbit hole your initial idea invites you too. Let it push you and scare you and take you to places you had no idea were coming. That's when you're really creating something special. Watch this and drop a line below about how your characters are growing and maybe even frightening you a little. That's a good sign!