No matter what the genre, screenwriting is about taking readers on a journey of discovery. But like any journey, the characters and destination will decide whether that trip is worth taking. This live webinar will share a simple story road-map every writer can use to plot a successful course, ensuring their audience enjoys the ride.
Hollywood loves a road trip with well-written characters that jump off the script page. From A-List actors and directors to producers and investors – everyone in the industry knows that a compelling screenplay is the first step to a successful film career, with a concept so new, fresh, and exciting they’re willing to stake their own career on it! In this live webinar, screenwriters will learn through numerous examples the process of creating exciting and multi-faceted characters and storylines industry professionals will take notice.
Few beginning screenwriters take the time to really flesh out their main storylines, let alone the side-streets and detours they should have their characters take to keep their scene progressions exciting and worth turning the page. This live webinar presents a process for creating a roadmap that reads as spontaneous, while also unfolding evolving characters’ story arcs that keep the reader engaged, and turning the page to see what happens next. |
Analyzing the beating-heart of your script can be difficult for any writer when they can get too close to their characters and storylines to see them through an impartial, purely analytical lens. |
The instructor will show how a writer can infuse their characters with “fresh yet familiar” traits that engage the reader in the all-important first ten script pages of their cinematic journey. This live webinar will also cover the relationship between characters, how to effectively create friction and conflict into story beats, and strategies on how to escalate the tension for an ultimately satisfying third-act climax. Several successful film franchise examples will be used to illustrate how a character’s journey must be constantly evolving over the course of the script, to keep audiences turning the page.
Join Jon James Miller, award-winning screenwriter, novelist, and professional story editor, will share what a successful 3-Act “road-map” looks like, and how to write a story rich with fully-realized characters that come alive through their cinematic journey. Also discussed will be how screenwriters can develop their own versatile and unique writer’s voice, combined with exciting visuals, to bring their story to life, no matter what the genre. |
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Narrative techniques to create compelling, cinematic storylines
- How to find your character’s unique voice and internal motivation
- Create a cinematic universe that captures the imagination of your audience
- How to engage and keep a reader guessing the true nature of a character
- Strategies to build reader empathy for even the worst fictional villain
- How to create compelling conflicts and obstacles for your characters to overcome
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| - Writers who want to craft compelling characters and storylines
- Writers who want to take their storytelling craft to the next level
- Screenwriters who want to create stories that will attract A-List talent
- Writers who want to create characters and storylines with franchise potential
- Screenwriters who want to increase their chances of selling a screenplay by creating compelling main characters that inhabit visually-exciting cinematic universes
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Story Beats: What Makes The Heart of Your Script Tick? |
July 30, 2026 • 4:00PM ET |
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Meet Your Instructor: John James Miller
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Jon James Miller started his Hollywood career as a script reader for producers at 20th Century Fox Studios, Paramount Pictures, and MGM Studios. Jon co-wrote Adapting Sideways: How To Turn Your Screenplay Into A Publishable Novel (2010, Komenar Publishing) which chronicled the process of adapting his award-winning screenplay into Looking For Garbo, his debut novel published by Amphorae Publishing Group in 2019. Jon is a frequent contributor to SCRIPT and WRITERS DIGEST Magazine, and available for script consulting services through ScriptXpert at The Writers Store. He is represented by the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
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Active Interest Media
2143 Grand Ave Des Moines, IA 50312 USA
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