My 3 Favorite Websites I Use to Learn How to Write Screenplays

Combine these three websites and you’ve got a free MFA in TV Screenwriting

Photo by Michael Heise on Unsplash

I love learning how to write screenplays. Spec scripts and originals. Television or features. Writing a screenplay is fun and challenging.

And since I love learning how to improve my writing, I have a handful of website I use over and over again. They have become part of my daily habit, and I recommend them to anyone and everyone who has an interest in writing screenplays.

Here are my favorite websites to learn how to write screenplays:

Website #1: Scott Myers’ Go Into the Story

Scott Myers is a producer, screenwriter, and instruction in the department of Cinematic Arts at DePaul University. He manages a fantastic blog on Medium called Go Into the Story. It’s probably the closest thing to a an MFA in Screenwriting in blog form.

Go Into the Story is loaded with resources, tips, and exercises to improve craft, technique and acumen. He publishes posts several times a day and no two posts are the same. One post could be looking at the first page of screenplay and the next post could be an interview with a working screenwriting and the next one could be a deep dive into the psychological make-up of a character type.

There’s something for everyone, literally and figuratively. My favorite tools and posts are the deep dives into the structure of a screenplay (the website has links to literally hundreds of screenplays) and his posts on the business of screenwriting.

Website #2: WGA Blog

The Writer’s Guild of America has a fantastic blog that has a ton of craft lessons and bite-sized samples of hard to find, hard to get scripts.

Like Go Into the Story, the WGA Blog is loaded with resources and tips for improving craft and technique. There’s not a ton, if any, business of screenwriting posts, but that’s okay. What it lacks in business it more than makes up for with dives into gems of scrips.

I love using the WGA Blog when I’m writing a spec of an existing show. There are two categories of posts - Spec Script Primers and Screenplay Primers that offer snapshots of produced screenplays from current and past TV shows and also movies. Each snapshots gives a detailed analysis of the format, structure, and tone of the script. Perfect for honing your craft and being able to write in another writer’s voice.

Website #3: TV Writing Google Site

I have no idea who runs this site or where it comes from. But it’s AWESOME! It’s not a blog or website with tips on craft or the business. It’s a damn database of hundreds of TV scripts in the US and UK. And it’s got EVERYTHING!

I try to read 1 script a week and this is my go-to spot for TV scripts. They’ve got all the new shows and episodes of old classics. There’s a great section on show bibles and treatments.

So that’s it. Those are my three favorite website I use everyday to improve my craft. I really, truly, honestly believe if you read and used these websites, wrote pages, and watched movies/TV shows, you would easily have the tools and knowledge needed to be successful in the biz.

If you use these website, let me know what you think!