Tweetstorm: Mike Sweeney 0n ‘New Screenwriting Rules’

Back when Twitter was fun, screenwriters would sometimes string together a series of tweets - what came to be known as "tweetstorms." Advice, personal anecdotes, reflections on the craft. It was pretty awesome.

The only problem: Once the tweetstorm came ... it went.

So, I took to contacting the writers and asking if I could reprint their tweetstorm at Go Into The Story. That way, they'd at least be stored where folks could access them in the future.

Here's an example: In 2015, screenwriter Mike Sweeney (@Courier12) who co-wrote (with Nick Creature) the 2013 Black List script "The Mayor Shark City" and the Paramount project Sanctuary, got riled up by something he saw online. Here is his tweetstorm reprinted with permission.

2. Every other action paragraph must be written backwards. Execs alternate reading left-to-right with right-to-left.

3. Concept must be HOT! Must maintain at least 8 on Hellfire Meter with bonus Pitchfork Multiplier.

4. All character arcs must subtend an angle greater than pi radians.

5. It’s not an inciting incident, it’s an EXCITING incident. Explosion before page 10, NO EXCEPTIONS.

6. Three acts is boring. Please begin with a half-sequence, followed by eight quatrains, and conclude with a mondo-piece.

7. Plot must be organic, locally grown, and non-GMO. Farm-to-table your story!

8. Dialogue may only be spoken by ONE CHARACTER in each scene. Choose wisely.

9. Stakes should be high. Entire space-time continuum in peril is good start but THINK BIGGER. Also, steaks should be high for a nice sear.

10. Make main character as likeable as possible. Instead of saving a cat, make them a cat! Everyone loves cats!

As I say: There are no screenwriting rules. There are conventions, patterns, paradigms. Know them, but don’t let them constrain your creativity.

For more on so-called screenwriting 'rules,' check out my 15-part series: LINK.

For all the Screenwriter Tweetstorms I saved, go here.