The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Most of us assume that once a writer sells that spec or books that job or secures representation, they've "made it." Now all they need to do is ride into the sunset and remember to thank their agent when their inevitable Oscar shows up. But of course, much like writer, it's much more complicated than that. Today, Meg and Lorien walk us through THEIR biggest "a-ha" moments after their breaks, what we should lean into, and what we should avoid. Once again, we'd like to thank JESS FISHER who produced this episode while Jeff is getting his feet back on the ground!

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We're back! Meg, Lorien, and Jeff have all been traveling, producing, and on set, and oh, do we have UPDATES. Lorien - who is now entering post on the project she SHOWRAN - answers all of your questions from what kinds of writers she's looking for in the room, and what her expectations for them are once they arrive. 

THANK YOU to our intern Jess Fisher for producing and cutting this episode! You've been a rock for us in some of our busiest times. 

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FOR MORE CREATE OUT LOUD: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-out-loud-with-jennifer-louden/id1559415253

What would it take for you to turn down an offer from JJ Abrams (you know the guy who created Lost among other block-busters)? Ask Meg LeFavue, the Oscar-nominated writer of Inside Out, who had to do just that after committing to her creative calling to become a screenwriter. Meg LeFauve and her frequent writing partner and podcast co-host Lorien McKenna get extremely candid about the challenges and essential importance of committing to your artistic path and sticking with it.

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Writing isn't just about craft and science. It's about translating the highs and lows of being a human being into art, and that journey can be a roller coaster, whether you're an emerging writer or a seasoned pro.

Speaking of seasoned pros, today, we ask them those tricky questions: what brings you the most joy about writing, what pisses you off about writing, and what scene do you want to be remembered by. 

The guests, in order of appearance: 

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Not only is Oscar-nominated writer Vanessa Taylor's resume impressive, it's beautifully varied. Vanessa has written on serialized network TV shows, high-concept prestige premium cable dramas (GOT anybody??), a YA novel adaptation, and even a creature feature love story w/ celebrated filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro (yes, we are talking about The Shape of Water.) But Vanessa sees powerful themes that tie her work together like a commitment to propulsive story engines driven by high-agency characters who tell us WHO they are, through their behavior. Vanessa offers us BEAUTIFUL advice in today's episode, and we can't wait for you to hear it!

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50 Episodes! How did we get here? Hard work EVERY DAY.

Today, we're focusing on the day-to-day, minute-by-minute process of writing. How to we title our documents? How do we comb through our material? How do we edit. All of that gets answered today!

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Little Miss Sunshine's script, penned by our guest Michael Arndt, won almost every major industry award, and for good reason. Its warmth, humor, and surefooted commitment to its themes makes it one of the finest scripts written this century. And SO many of those themes show up in Act 1. Michael has become a bit "obsessed" with act 1's lately, because it's our chance to maximize the "rooting interest" around our hero so that our audience has no choice but to keep watching. FOR MICHAEL'S (AMAZING) WEBSITE: https://www.pandemoniuminc.com/

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To enter contests, or NOT to enter contests? Do I need to live in LA? What if I'm not your run-of-the mill white dude writer? What if I'm OLDER than my competition? All of these questions are answers, no-holds-barred, in today's episode where we take YOUR questions.

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It's a GREATEST HITS Episode. We've had such amazing guests, that we wanted to curate some of their best moments. Enjoy!

1:20 - John August on Important Rules For Worldbuildling (Ep 35)

6:09 - Marti Noxon on Writing Samples That Will Get You Staffed (Ep 40)

9:05 - Sheila Hanahan Taylor On Rookie Mistakes (Ep 42/43)

17:33 - Kemp Powers on When To “Break The Rules” in Your Writing (Ep 36)

20:15 - Andrew Stanton On The Differences Between Storytelling and Writing (Ep 39)

25:31 - Ed Solomon On The Essential Value Of Rewriting (Ep 32)

31:12 - Mike Jones On Overcoming Stage Fright During Pitches (Ep 25)

34:24 - Kemp Powers On Dealing With Bigotry and Racism in Hollywood (Ep 36)

41:12 - Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn On What Makes Great Writing (Ep 23)

Thank you to Jess Fisher for putting this episode together!

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Though best known as one of the Emmy Award-winning writer/producers of Lost, Javier Grillo-Marxuach is a prolific writer of television shows, comic books, movies, and the occasional critical essay. He's a master-storyteller, with a deep understanding of character, no matter how "otherworldly" the project. Today we're going to deep dive on longform character development and Javier's philosophies on "operational theme." And of course, we'll be answering your questions!

Check Out Javi's Website: http://okbjgm.weebly.com/

Follow Him On Social: @OKBJGM

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