Black List Writers on the Craft

In precisely 48 hours from the moment this post goes live, we will learn the names of the writers and scripts which made the 2015 Black List. You may follow the unveiling of the list Monday, December 14 starting exactly at 9AM Pacific on Twitter.

In August, I featured many of the Black List writers I have interviewed, zeroing in on their approaches and insights into several key areas of the writing craft. In anticipation of the roll-out of the 11th annual Black List, here are links to all of those posts.

How do you come up with story concepts?

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 1) — Waiting for inspiration to strike

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 2) — Reading to surface story concepts

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 3) — Sourcing story ideas from the real world

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 4) — Finding inspiration for story concepts from feelings

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 5) — Using questions as a starting point for generating story ideas

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 6) — Assessing and developing story ideas

Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 7) — Honing one’s skill at generating and developing story ideas

What aspects of story prep do you devote the most time and focus to?

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 1) — Research

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 2) — Characters as the focal point of prep

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 3) — Not using an outline as part of prep process

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 4) — “Preliminary” outlines

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 5) — Working with an extensive outline

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 6) — Comprehensive approach to story prep

How do you develop your characters?

Black List writers on the craft: Characters (Part 1) — Real people

Black List writers on the craft: Characters (Part 2) — Brainstorming and asking questions

Black List writers on the craft: Characters (Part 3) — Biography

Black List writers on the craft: Characters (Part 4) — Finding a character’s voice

Black List writers on the craft: Characters (Part 5) — Insider Tips

How do you understand and work with the concept of ‘theme’?

Black List writers on the craft: Theme (Part 1) — What is theme?

Black List writers on the craft: Theme (Part 2) — Begin the story-crafting process with theme

Black List writers on the craft: Theme (Part 3) — Discover theme during the writing process

Black List writers on the craft: Theme (Part 4) — Not come off as “preachy”

Black List writers on the craft: Theme (Part 5) — Being personal

Follow the unveiling of the 2015 Black List Monday at 9AM Pacific on Twitter: @theblcklst.

Hashtag: #BlackList2015.

As usual, I will be updating the list here on the blog live as it rolls out. I’ll also be doing my annual analysis of the scripts on the list, looking for any interesting trends. Plus the return of the ever popular Black List Word Cloud Logline Challenge… with prizes!

The eyes of Hollywood will be on Twitter Monday morning as the Black List team unveils the 2015 annual list. Don’t miss it!