Before we start, a little background on this guide. I first started putting this together bit by bit in 2016 when I became increasingly frustrated with answering the same basic questions that kept cycling around within screenwriting communities, but never went into any depth. There was also a complete lack of discussion on areas of craft and career development that I consider essential to breaking in. As the guide has grown in size and popularity, it has gained many fans who’ve found the unique advice to be frank, realistic, and systematic, often leading to a radical change in approach that gets results. Since then, I have built on the bare essentials I cover here tenfold into a fully fleshed-out book published by Bennion Kearny, which contains additional fresh information, along with candid reflections on the mistakes I have made along the way. By purchasing the book, not only do you get a far more thorough guide that’s been proofread by a professional editor, but you also get to help Script Revolution stay free to everyone, since any profits go back into keeping the site running.
I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself, CJ Walley, and share my motivation for sharing my writing process. When I first wrote this guide, I was a nobody, five years into writing with no real success stories to speak of other than a lot of short script options that never seemed to manifest into production. I’m pleased to say that, since then, at this time of writing, I’m proud to have had films featured on KTLA Morning News, written about in US Weekly Magazine, recommended by The New York Times and Collider, reach the top five most popular movies on Amazon Prime, go to #1 on Hulu, and hit #8 on Netflix globally. I get paid to write movies now, movies that get made and get picked up by distributors – the dream has been realised, and I love my new career dearly. It is, quite frankly, a wonderful way to work and live. I believe this demonstrates that my methodology has been effective for me for a long time.
I want you to have this experience for yourself because it is indeed life-changing and incredibly fulfilling even at an indie filmmaking level. But I need to tell you this, too; I tried to give up writing multiple times. I've lain awake night after night worrying that things would never happen. I've been reduced to tears by cruel feedback, which told me I didn't have what it takes. I've felt constantly tormented by the need to write while watching my finances run dry, my relationships wane, and my sanity deteriorate. We do not choose to write; writing chooses us, and it's a heavy burden to carry in a world that has become reluctant to fund unknown artistic ambition. As a result, we have two paths we can take: to try and starve the beast or learn to tame it. The former, the choice to try and stop writing, will only lead to guilt and later regret. The latter, the choice to hone our craft, can only lead to finding our love for it and subsequently the audience we desire. We have to invest effort to see a reward, but it's essential that effort is directed toward becoming better, more entertaining, more emotionally stimulating, more philosophically inspiring writers rather than simply exhausting ourselves with output. There is a creative genius inside you, which is why you're here, while many others are not. However, that genius must be humbled by learning before it becomes empowered with knowledge. To keep churning out material with the belief we have everything it takes and nothing more to discover within the craft, the art, or ourselves is the equivalent of clinging desperately onto the bull and believing it will tire before we do.
The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work - Emile Zola
I am not trying to position myself as a guru nor sell any kind of screenwriting guidance. I want to share my process for one simple reason: I know the struggle, and I’m tired of how opportunists continually exploit it. I’m tired of how that struggle is exacerbated by endless subjective debates that seemingly make any commitment within the craft a crossroads between fame and fortune, or pain and despair. For what it's worth, I often return to this guide and reference it. What I'm sharing with you here is something I still derive a lot of value from and something I'm continually adding to.
In the years since this guide was published online, I'm pleased to say that I've been contacted by many who've found it helpful, and some who've even found it game-changing. That said, I accept there’s a chance that the guidance I’m sharing may be wrong, or worse, damaging. While I sincerely don’t believe that’s the case, it does lead me to open with the best piece of advice I can ever give another screenwriter: never trust a single source of advice. Read, watch, and listen to the many information sources that are out there and reach a considered opinion of your own, preferably the one that brings out the best in you as a writer. And remember, you absolutely do not have to pay to learn or be discovered - I should be proof of that, at the very least.
No Petty Rules, No Silly Formulas
As black and white as scripts may appear, we know that screenwriting is a very subjective medium. I care about good craft and believe it stems from positivity, motivation, building on strengths, and tackling weaknesses. I also appreciate that when we discuss screenwriting, we often narrow the art form down to Western, highly commercial, mainstream feature film writing. I’m not about to get into how many lines I believe an action paragraph should be, nor start claiming I’ve unlocked some sort of secret Hollywood template. What I’m sharing here are my processes, which I believe maximise my creativity. If you read through this and feel it boxes you in, then I’m sorry, but it’s you who lacks the imagination needed to get the most from it.
So Seriously, What the Hell Is Turn & Burn?
Well, it’s all about getting on with writing scripts as efficiently as possible. It’s about asking ourselves the critical questions that guide us, while still encouraging us to put our fingers to the keyboard. It’s a range of tools, methods, and thinking that I’ve developed that I’ve genuinely found useful. It encapsulates the creation and development of a story from theme and premise to structure and scene. The focus is on pre-writing to help brainstorm ideas efficiently and maximise the entertainment factor without getting lost along the way. It’s also not too heavy, as I don’t want to go over the wealth of information that’s already out there. It’s aimed at writers who’ve found themselves in the position I did, feeling they had a strong voice but struggling to get their head around the fundamentals of story mechanics. The intent is to use Turn & Burn as a set of training wheels until the active practice becomes subconscious second nature.
What it isn't is a shortcut. There are no shortcuts. There are plenty of bad turns, circular paths, and dead ends, though, and Turn & Burn is written to help avoid the many pitfalls you can fall into due to being given bad advice or being sucked into destructive groupthink. All said, please understand that finding your voice and honing your craft to the point of working within the film industry demands a tremendous amount of commitment in terms of time and energy. There is a further reading page at the end of this guide, and I strongly recommend that you check it out and take a look at the suggested books.
This guide is presented in book format, which you read through in sequence.