I'm working on course work for the What Film Schools Don't Teach - Emotional Authorship Intensive that's coming up next week. This is going to be an in-depth seminar about how to create primal, visceral characters audiences and readers connect to on a gut level, drawing on my 25+ years of selling scripts to every major studio. If you haven't joined already, there are still a few spots open! So, I'm doing a deep dive this week on that. What are you cats up to? Goals? Deadlines? Holidays coming up, so let's focus in and keep progress up during this busy time!

Sunday Blessings fellow writers So its like ugh writing my scripts in Google Docs...am I the only one?? What screenwriting software do you use(if any)?? Is it free or paid??

December is a month when too many writers go to war with themselves. We look at the year, decide we “didn’t do enough,” and suddenly want to finish strong with some massive push… right as the holidays knock every routine sideways. Then the guilt kicks in. Not writing enough. Writing too much and missing family moments. Either way, we lose. But if you shift the mindset, December can be a powerful month — not because you grind harder, but because you get clearer and more present. My daughter just headed back to NYU after Thanksgiving. We had a great visit. I was genuinely present, and I’m grateful for that. Now I’m back at the desk setting my December goals — for the work and for my life — and I want this community thinking the same way. Here’s the frame: 1️⃣ Pick one North Star for your creative work. Something meaningful enough that hitting it would feel like a real win. A draft. A rewrite milestone. A character breakthrough. One thing that moves your story forward. 2️⃣ Pick one North Star for your life. Something simple but intentional: being present with family, slowing down your mornings, protecting one night a week from screens, finishing the year grounded instead of frantic. Not everything — just one thing that matters. 3️⃣ Break both goals into small, doable moves. Weekly checkpoints. Daily actions that fit inside December, not some fantasy sprint version of it. Write a page. Make a call. Take a walk. One beat at a time. 4️⃣ Grant yourself the grace to hold both. You can honor your work without disappearing into it. You can show up for your people without abandoning your creative life. This isn’t a tug-of-war — it’s a rhythm. So here’s the invitation: What are your December goals — for writing AND for your life? Drop them below. Name the big ones that really matter to you. Then break them into small moments you can actually execute. If you want help shaping them, tag me — that’s what I’m here for. Let’s close the year intentional, grounded, and present on both fronts.

Hope everybody's having a wonderful holiday. My daughter is in town, visiting for the first time since she went off as a freshman this year to NYU. So, I am busy with family goodness. And just wishing the best for all of you! 🙏 It's been great developing this community with you over the last couple of months and I"m excited and grateful for what we are building TOGETHER! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 David

Good people — strong week in here. Story sessions were sharp, the Hot Seats brought clarity, and I saw several of you crack open moments you'd been stuck on for a while. Now I want the pulse check: What were your wins this week? Big or small — pages, clarity, a scene that finally clicked. And just as important: where did you struggle? Craft, consistency, overwhelm, character work — whatever slowed you down. That's what tells me what you need next. I've been staring down the blank page for 25+ years. The fight is real. But if you've been around here for a while, you know what I preach — that's the job. Anybody can write when inspired. Real writers show up through the doubt and the procrastination. Drop your updates below, so we can keep building something here together that powers us all through blocks to breakthroughs.