When I was learning screenwriting, I thought knowing all the rules was the goal. I studied the few resources available and learned what I could, and yet it wasn't enough. And nothing changed until I realized I didn't even know how stories worked.
But so many writers think knowledge is the biggest issue, and they end up trying to fix the wrong things. I ran into this over and over when I taught filmmaking at Pepperdine and started working with screenwriters across the US and beyond. The only thing I've found that consistently works for writers is a three-fold strategy. And Big Red Stripe is all about helping screenwriters learn it.
First, it's knowing how stories work. Second, it's learning how to tell a story in an effective way. And if writers stop there, they might find success, but they won't find fulfillment or satisfaction. That only comes when writers learn to tell stories that matter — stories people actually want to experience, and stories that say something our world needs to hear.
