The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Find yourself asking the question 'Why bother” when it comes to your writing? Creative people are asking that question now more than ever, but bestselling author and world-renowned creativity expert Jen Louden wants you to go deeper and really ask the question, really think about it. On today's show, she walks us through why it's important for us to bother about what really matters, and how asking that question and approaching our writing with "self-compassionate grit" can help us get back on the page. For Meg And Lorien’s Episode of “Create Out Loud”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-out-loud-with-jennifer-louden/id1559415253

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Even though pop culture often draws artists as free-spirited goofballs that "go-with-the-flow" true artistry lies in the art of self-discipline, self-esteem, and BOUNDARIES. The truth of getting work done means being willing to draw boundaries in your own life, around your work, and around your ART. How will you draw boundaries this week?

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This topic comes up ALL the time on our Facebook group, and finally, we have definitive answers, and LOTS of them. How long should my pitch be, what should it look like, what should it actually include. WTF actually is a DECK??? How can avoid nerves for a meeting, what is my responsibility during a general. 

A-List producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor has EVERYTHING you need to know!

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After decades working with writers in this business, Sheila Hanahan Taylor - A-List producer behind many beloved edge-of-your seat genre films like the Final Destination films - has brilliantly assembled a list of common mistakes she sees "rookies" make.

And speaking of genre, Sheila brilliantly counters some of those condescending perspectives with her own experiences as to why genre may be the secret to getting your emerging work of the ground. She will FOREVER re-think the way you think about genre.

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Feeling blocked, stuck, uninspired, or just BLAH? We're here to save the day!

We were initially going to run an episode on boundaries (don't worry, we still will!) but a NUMBER of hurdles interfered with our ability to make that happen, so our intern Jess pitched a great idea to cut together a greatest hits "emergency" toolkit compilation to get you though this week! If you LOVE a highlight and want to listen to the full episode, here are the past episodes we compiled from:

Thank you to Jess Fisher for assembling this episode!

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Marti Noxon is a force in our business. Known for her sharp voice, social commentary, and darkly funny writing, all of which is tied together by a knack for complicated and richly drawn female characters, she's on TV's most important voices.

She's worked on everything from beloved genre projects like BUFFY to prestige crime dramas like SHARP OBJECTS, and she's here today to help us get a full and detailed look at the current landscape for writing in television.

Learn what we REALLY mean when we say story engine, what makes Marti quit reading a sample while staffing, and whether we should pitch with a bible, treatment, or one page when we take a show out. 

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Do you have a pen and paper? Might want to grab them now... Andrew Stanton wrote and directed Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Wall-E, all of which consistently rank among the best films of this century, and best animated films ever made. In live action storytelling, he's become a critically acclaimed director, working on shows like Stranger Things and Better Call Saul. Andrew is considered one of the finest storytellers working in our industry. Andrew has given lectures for TED and Google, and he's joining us today to help us in our own understanding of story.

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We had SUCH a great tangent on last week's episode, that we wanted to feature this conversation as it's own short MINISODE. Do you have a great character want that doesn't feel URGENT enough in your Act I? We're almost SURE it's because you haven't created a clear enough problem for your character yet. Listen to find out EXACTLY what we need...

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What do Voldemort, Regina George, and Hans Gruber have in common? They're great antagonists, of course! Whether it's an action movie, a comedy, or even a contemplative drama, story needs conflict, and antagonists CREATE conflict, so we're going to discuss what makes a great antagonist today on the show.

For NPR's FULL Coverage Of Die Hard: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978734467/die-hard-welcome-to-the-podcast-pal

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Emotionally rich writing has always been a Hallmark for both Meg and Lorien in their writing, and on today's show, we dig into the meat of what makes it work and why. TSL family member Savannah Morgan hooked us up with the London Screenwriter's Festival, and moderated an AMAZING interview w/ Meg and Lorien where they got into all of it. It's an amazing listen!

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