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The Writer's Forge
600 members • $7/month
249 contributions to The Writer's Forge
13h •
Today’s Premium Coffee & Coaching call was exactly what The Writer’s Forge is built for.
Ian brought in pages from Kilo, his new dive/cartel/family-business thriller. He walked us through how the idea started as messy notes from a real diving story, became a scriptment, and is now turning into actual pages. Then the group jumped in and read it out loud. Chad read Kyle. Elliot Moss read Becks. David Hinnebusch narrated. Pia, Lena, Chris, Thia, and others stepped into roles and helped bring the pages to life. We also heard from Tim Elliott about Son of the 11th Hour, the faith-based independent film he’s executive producing, and then read from his JFK/Lee Harvey Oswald script-in-progress. That’s what Premium is. Real writers, pages and project. Not theory or vague encouragement or "writers" talking about "writing"... some day. Members are bringing in scripts, testing scenes, hearing their work out loud, getting feedback, and helping each other make the pages better while the work is still alive. If you’re a Standard Member and you want to be part of these live coaching calls, table reads, and work-in-progress sessions, upgrade to Premium. This is where the work gets real. Premium Membership available here: https://www.skool.com/the-writers-forge/plans
2 likes • 12h
It was great. Whether your pages are being read or not to me is irrelevant. Being in that room working the story with everyone is priceless.
14h •
Tuesday and Friday Live Premium Coaching Calls
David Stem’s Hot Seat coaching focuses on the high stakes of a script's first few pages. In the film and television industry, readers make formatting and talent judgments within 30 seconds. If your opening pages lack a strong hook, your script will likely be discarded. But as David Stem has said, "Never point out a problem if you can't offer a solution." So, here it is: come and have screenwriting veteran David Stem give you the analysis you need to start writing like a pro. This isn’t pre-recorded videos; this is live with you, your pages, and David Stem, accompanied by the Writers' Forge community. Reach out to me, Anna Fermin, or David Stem directly if you need support or have any questions about bringing your pages to a premium call. Here’s the link to where you put up your casting and your pages. Here’s the link for the Tuesday, June 2nd, Premium Coach Call. Here’s the link for the Friday, June 5th Premium Coach Call.
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1d •
You have an eye for film — rip this apart and help us remove the AI slop
We showed Tom, my business coach, a short AI-made video we put together last night to get his feedback since he has attempted. It was rushed, but his main point was clear: the work has to be good enough that people don’t judge it as “impressive for AI”. it has to just work as a video. I'm not sure if I'm hiding behind "choosing my preferred style of art" to justify NOT being good enough. I’d love more eyes on it from people who understand film, story, pacing, visuals, and taste. Please rip it apart: - Specifically, what makes it feel like AI slop? I dont know, what I dont know. - Is this a quality video production(pacing, transitions, movement, etct) issue or is AI slop killing the video production itself? - What would make it feel more cinematic? Attached below. Honest feedback is more useful than encouragement. 🤟💪 especially you @David Stem @Chad Desrochers
3 likes • 22h
Ok, it looks really good. I didn’t have any “AI Slop” moments. My main comments are primarily on what's being presented on screen and how to give it clarity, which then ups the emotional impact. You have some of the big moments in a story. Here's my breakdown and some suggestions. One thing to consider is that the initial transition from her being bad to good is less effective than if she were adopted, arrived at her new family's home, and created chaos for them. Then, through their "loving her completely without complete understanding," she becomes good. So I'm suggesting this scene be slightly longer, letting that moment breathe a bit, but it would carry more weight when she lets her new parents in and also have a stronger emotional effect on the audience. She hangs up her dark clothes (great metaphor) and embraces their love. Then the "inciting incident": parents frozen, kids taken by the monsters' powers. Therefore, after accepting the call, she puts on her dark clothes, representing her past and those survival skills, but this time for doing good: very Carl Jung, assimilation of the shadow self. She declares war and fails, leading us into the "all is lost moment." The snowman plays the sage character that brings her back from the brink, like Michael Caine’s Alfred to Christian Bale's Batman. Ending with what feels like the start of act 3 The monster's volume is too low; make what he says clearer. With some tweaks, this could be a very effective proof of concept. I like it, and it is an idea that is right up David Stem's alley.
1 like • 18h
@Isaac Tut cheers brother
8d •
Tuesday and Friday Live Premium Coaching Calls
David Stem emphasizes that screenplays cannot be perfected in a vacuum. Getting your pages out of your drawer and in front of others is the definitive mechanism for transforming a raw draft into a commercially viable script. If you’re nervous about bringing pages, that’s a good sign. It means that what you’re doing is important to you, and pushing out of your comfort zone is key to expanding your skills as a writer. Reach out to me, @Anna Fermin , or @David Stem directly if you need support or have any questions about bringing your pages to a premium call. Here’s the link to where you put up your casting and your pages. Here’s the link for the Tuesday, May 26th Premium Coach Call. Here’s the link for the Friday, May 29th Premium Coach Call.
1 like • 4d
@Jason Smith Casino is one of my favorites.
2 likes • 18h
@Valerie Schrementi I completely get your feelings, but in doing this, you improve your chances of perfecting your story. We're all afraid, but if I allow my story to live in isolation, it rots, in my opinion, because it's living in the echo chamber of only one voice. I get others giving feedback, and it can't but improve if I'm willing to hear the notes. Looking forward to your pages!
2d •
Thursday - New Member Call - 10 a.m. Pacific - Drop your pages here 👇 Who's in??
These calls are amazing, not only for new members to meet other members of the community. And see how their lives have changed since joining. Link: New Member Welcome and Coaching But you can also bring your pages and have them read in a table read and get coached live by yours truly. If you've been looking for community and feedback, we gotchu fam! Drop your name below and pages if you want! We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you on board!
1 like • 2d
@David Stem fixed 😄
1 like • 2d
@Maria Piscione you are so welcome and we'll see you next thursday!
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@chad-desrochers-4392
screenwriter I co-host weekly cold table reads where we give analysis and feedback. I also love narrative design for video games.
Active 29m ago
Joined Dec 10, 2025
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