Gather around the campfire, kids, and I'll tell you about a platform called "Vine" that came and went, where people would upload six-second clips that made you laugh or educated you.

I had Vine for one reason. I wanted to be a screenwriter, and there was a professional who dropped screenwriting knowledge in six-second clips named Brian Koppelman. I went to film school and paid a lot of money for the same lessons Koppelman was dropping for free. They taught me a lot about story and brevity, and were the highlight of my writing education.  

Well, Vine tragically left this streaming earth, and it was a real bummer. I wanted to revisit those lessons, and there were times I thought I could have used the wisdom. Well, I was scrolling Reddit this morning and saw that user taylor-hamilton had compiled almost all of Koppelman's six-second advice into a PDF of info. 

I am publishing the first 10 here, but there are hundreds more if you check this post. 

Check Out This Collection of Brian Koppelman's Six-Second Screenwriting Tips

  1. All screenwriting books are bullshit. ALL. Watch movies. Read screenplays. Let them be your guide.
  2. "Write what you know" works, but it’s limiting. Write what fascinates you. Write what you can’t stop thinking about.
  3. The so-called "screenwriting guru" is really the so-called screenwriting conman. Don’t listen to them if you don’t know their movies.
  4. In what I thought was the beginning of a serious, heartfelt convo, I told my dad I wanted to be a writer. He looked at me and said, “You wanna write? Write.” Still the best advice.
  5. Calculate less. Don’t try to game the market. Write what you want to write. And drink plenty of coffee.
  6. Of the many supposed rules of writing, the only one that’s legit is "write every day."
  7. There’s a whole industry of bunko men who say that writing needs to be learned at some course. Don’t believe it.
  8. The moment your screenplay leaves your hands it becomes a commodity. So while it’s with you, treat it like a piece of art.
  9. Instead of reading screenwriting books, read about your subject. The subject that fascinates compels and interests you.
  10. With writing gurus, it’s all about the HOW. How do I write this? What writers should think about is WHY. Why do I need to write this now?

Check out the whole list here! 

What's your favorite bit of advice? Let us know in the comments.

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