Almost every single screenwriting book and teacher puts the cart before the horse. They show you good screenwriting, and they say: write that.
They analyse TV shows, and then tell you how amazing they are for this or that reason. I call this intellectual entertainment.
They don’t actually show you how to write it. Most of them don’t care if you write anything at all, ever.
They teach you how to analyse existing work, which is useful for once you have your own work to review.
But before you can review – and edit, you need a first draft. And to do this, you need more than just analytical skills.
Having been in this industry for over thirty years, here is what I believe to be your path to becoming a successful screenwriter:
- To learn to intuitively understand what a great script looks like.
- To develop the muscle memory of writing in screenplay format.
- To acquire the talent to translate ideas into the written word.
- To develop the analytical skills to edit and improve your work.
A multi-million dollar industry of screenwriting education products is built on just that last point.
They are all overlooking the first three.
Did you wonder why this is possible?
Because the fourth point is all about entertaining the brain. And it sells.
Perhaps you know the feeling: You read a book or attend a course, and you feel incredibly inspired, hell – you are enlightened!
You just feel that you can do it.
Many miserable months later, you have produced exactly zero screenplays. You feel like a complete failure.
Don’t despair. You’re only one of the hundreds of thousands of wannabe screenwriters who have experienced this.
Traditional screenwriting courses don’t work. And they won’t, ever.
In Immersion, we focus on the first 3 points above. And you’ll be surprised how easy this is, provided you do the right thing.
Welcome to Immersion Screenwriting!