Write Your Screenplay Podcast
- Épisodes
- 200
- Parution
- mensuelle
- Lieu
- New York, New York
- Dernier épisode
- 3 Nov 2026
À propos du podcast
Rather than rating movies and TV shows like a critic, “two thumbs up” or “two thumbs down,” WGA Award Winning screenwriter Jacob Krueger breaks down scripts without judgment (from scripts you loved, to scripts you hated) to show you what you can learn from them as screenwriters. Plus meet special guests, and get answers to your most pressing screenwriting questions! WriteYourScreenplay.com
Épisodes 200
Furious, Pt. 1: Killer Signals
Your reader isn't trying to read your script. They're trying to decide whether it's worth reading. In Part 1 of this exploration of Liz Meriwether's Furious, Jacob Krueger breaks down how the creator of New …
Notes de l’épisode
Your reader isn't trying to read your script. They're trying to decide whether it's worth reading. In Part 1 of this exploration of Liz Meriwether's Furious, Jacob Krueger breaks down how the creator of New Girl and Dying for Sex uses the opening minutes of a seemingly conventional serial-killer procedural to accomplish something extraordinary: disrupting our expectations, awakening our curiosity, and preparing us for a journey we never saw coming. Through a storytelling technique Jake calls signaling, Meriwether demonstrates how even the smallest, strangest details can convince an audience to stop predicting what comes next – and start paying attention. From the mysterious juxtaposition of a dying man and a woman in a kitty-cat mask, to the unexpected sweetness of a serial killer revealed through a piece of candy corn, Jake explores how specificity, surprising character choices, and carefully constructed contradictions can create mystery and reveal hidden depths. You'll discover how signaling can transform familiar genre conventions into opportunities for surprise, why a great opening doesn't have to give away its biggest twists, and how disrupting habitual expectations can open a state of neuroplasticity – inviting both reader and writer to see familiar material in unexpected ways. Because the secret to hooking your reader isn't simply to shock them or show them something they've never seen. It's to signal that there's more to your story – and your characters – than meets the eye. By remaining open to discoveries you couldn't have predicted, you invite your audience to do the same, transforming passive expectation into active curiosity. And sometimes, all it takes to begin that transformation is a single piece of candy corn.Patriot: What Your TV Pilot Needs To Do Pt 2
Give your pilot everything it needs to take off like a rocket. In Part 2 of this two-part exploration of Steven Conrad’s pilots, Jacob Krueger turns from the slow-burning DTF St. Louis to Conrad’s earlier …
Notes de l’épisode
Give your pilot everything it needs to take off like a rocket. In Part 2 of this two-part exploration of Steven Conrad’s pilots, Jacob Krueger turns from the slow-burning DTF St. Louis to Conrad’s earlier series Patriot to explore the power of dramatic efficiency. Both pilots have the same fundamental needs. But where DTF St. Louis takes its time revealing the strange truths beneath its ordinary surface, Patriot wastes no time launching its characters into trouble – establishing genre, tone, conflict, and the engine of an entire series before we’ve even had time to buckle up. From a disastrous job interview and an undercover agent who sings his darkest secrets, to a family of spectacularly dysfunctional spies trying to save the world, Jake breaks down how Conrad makes every image, action, and cut count. You'll discover why efficiency isn't simply about speed, how specificity and character choices generate momentum, and how a pilot can front-load a major dramatic turning point without sacrificing the emotional depth or structural surprises still to come. For an emerging writer, every page is an opportunity to win – or lose – your audience's attention. You can't afford to wait for your story to get interesting. You need to make every moment count, building enough dramatic momentum to sustain not just your pilot, but your entire series. Because if you want to launch your career, you've got to launch your pilot first – and give it enough dramatic fuel to keep flying after takeoff.DTF St. Louis: What Your TV Pilot Needs To Do Pt 1
In Part 1 of this two-part exploration of Steven Conrad’s pilots, Jacob Krueger breaks down DTF St. Louis to explore what a great TV pilot needs to accomplish – not just as a compelling story, but as a …
Notes de l’épisode
In Part 1 of this two-part exploration of Steven Conrad’s pilots, Jacob Krueger breaks down DTF St. Louis to explore what a great TV pilot needs to accomplish – not just as a compelling story, but as a blueprint for an entire series. You’ll discover: • What your TV pilot needs to accomplish beyond telling a great story • Why established writers have more latitude for a slow burn • How specificity can give even a “normal” opening a little kink • Why you can’t sacrifice what’s working now for a payoff that comes later • How a strong hook establishes the engine of your TV series • How recurring images and callbacks can accumulate meaning through recontextualization • How a midpoint genre shift can deepen rather than derail your story • How “form is function” can turn theme into structure • Why the real mystery in a whodunnit is often the relationshipsChristopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Ending Explained: How Odysseus Broke the World
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey becomes most powerful when its monsters reveal the film's hidden structure. Jacob Krueger explains Circe, Scylla, xenia, the Trojan Horse and why Odysseus must leave Ithaca after …
Notes de l’épisode
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey becomes most powerful when its monsters reveal the film's hidden structure. Jacob Krueger explains Circe, Scylla, xenia, the Trojan Horse and why Odysseus must leave Ithaca after saving it.Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: Which God are you serving? Pt 1
Christopher Nolan's Odyssey keeps the monsters and loses the gods. Jake breaks down what the adaptation sacrifices, what it protects, and how to know which god your own adaptation is really serving.
John J. Strauss: How to Get Staffed in a TV Writers’ Room
Emmy-winning showrunner John Strauss (Arcane, Mozart in the Jungle) on how TV writers get hired, survive notes, and pitch. Watch the full interview.
Kat Khavari: Character, Voice, Creative Audacity
As writer, actor, and Sundance-winning creator Kathreen Khavari joins the Jacob Krueger Studio faculty, Jake sits down with her for a candid conversation about voice, character, creative audacity, and the art …
Notes de l’épisode
As writer, actor, and Sundance-winning creator Kathreen Khavari joins the Jacob Krueger Studio faculty, Jake sits down with her for a candid conversation about voice, character, creative audacity, and the art of paying attention. From overheard subway conversations to guerrilla filmmaking, Kat shares how she created her breakout viral short Brain of Terror by paying close attention to the strange, specific rhythms of real people – encouraging writers and actors to stop waiting for permission to create. Together, Jake and Kat explore the relationship between acting and writing, why compelling characters emerge from strong points of view, how dialogue becomes believable through embodiment and rhythm, and why the artist’s job is not to “know,” but to remain curious. Along the way, they unpack the emotional realities of building a creative career: rejection, collaboration, trusting your instincts, and learning how to advocate for your work before anyone else believes in it. The result is both an introduction to Kat’s perspective as a mentor and artist, and a deeply practical conversation about how curiosity, specificity, and audacity can help you create the work – and career – that feel genuinely your own.Chapitres
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Beef Season 2: Metaphor, Engine, and Breaking the Rules
How do you reinvent a TV series without breaking its engine? Jacob Krueger breaks down Beef Season 2 to explore one of the most difficult balancing acts in screenwriting: evolving a show's engine without …
Notes de l’épisode
How do you reinvent a TV series without breaking its engine? Jacob Krueger breaks down Beef Season 2 to explore one of the most difficult balancing acts in screenwriting: evolving a show's engine without alienating your audience. At first, the second season of Beef appears to deliver the same escalating conflict that powered Season 1 — a small, petty squabble spiraling toward violence. Yet episode by episode, creator Lee Sung Jin subtly shifts the rules of the game until the show operates on entirely new terms, feeling less like a repeat of Beef than the inspired love child of Beef and The White Lotus. Along the way, Jacob explains how metaphor can function as a creative North Star, and why your narrative becomes stronger when you stack the deck against your central argument rather than in support of it.Chapitres
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Amadeus: Turn Intrusive Thoughts into Characters
What are intrusive thoughts—and what are you supposed to do with them as a writer? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger explores intrusive thoughts not as a psychological obstacle, but as a powerful …
Notes de l’épisode
What are intrusive thoughts—and what are you supposed to do with them as a writer? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger explores intrusive thoughts not as a psychological obstacle, but as a powerful creative tool. Because the real challenge of writing isn’t eliminating distraction—it’s learning how to transform what interrupts you into inspiration. Drawing on the film and play versions of Amadeus, Jake shows how Peter Shaffer externalized his own competing inner voices into two unforgettable characters: Salieri, the embodiment of self-doubt, and Mozart, the expression of divine creative impulse. The result is not just great drama—but a blueprint for turning internal conflict into structure, character, and change.Chapitres
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Dying for Sex: A Lesson in Tone
How do you make a devastating story feel funny—without losing its truth? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger explores Dying for Sex, the extraordinary limited series created by Elizabeth Meriwether …
Notes de l’épisode
How do you make a devastating story feel funny—without losing its truth? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger explores Dying for Sex, the extraordinary limited series created by Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock, to break down one of the most elusive tools in screenwriting: tone. Focusing on a single scene from episode 5, Jake shows how the writers take one of the darkest confrontations imaginable—a daughter facing her mother about trauma—and shape it into something that is simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious. Along the way, he explores three key ideas: how juxtaposing tones can deepen emotional impact, why tone is something you layer over your script in rewrites, and how tone is central to a television series engine—helping a show feel both the same and different across episodes. Drawing inspiration from Falstaff’s tragicomic end in Henry IV, Part 2, Tony Soprano’s fractured family, and his own early playwriting misadventures, Jake reveals a powerful truth: Tone isn’t a single instrument you play. It’s something you shape—note by note—until the whole piece sings.Chapitres
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The TV Bible: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Write One
What is a TV Bible today, and why do you need one to sell your show? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger breaks down the TV Bible not as an industry insider’s document, but as a practical creative …
Notes de l’épisode
What is a TV Bible today, and why do you need one to sell your show? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger breaks down the TV Bible not as an industry insider’s document, but as a practical creative tool for proving that your show actually works. Because the real challenge of television isn’t writing a great pilot. It’s building an engine that can generate story—episode after episode—without losing the spark that made the show exciting in the first place. a Jake explores how TV writing has evolved from the days of syndication to the streaming era, why even strong pilots fail without a clear engine, and what producers, agents, and executives are really looking for when they read your Bible. Along the way, he shows how series like Breaking Bad, Homeland, The Bear, and Seinfeld succeed by delivering a specific feeling that works again and again. If you’ve ever wondered why some shows run for years while others fall apart after a few episodes, this episode offers a clear and practical framework for building an engine that lasts.Chapitres
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In the Blink of an Eye: Discover Your Theme And Trust Your Audience
What happens when you take the structure of a movie you love—and try to breathe new life into it? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger explores In the Blink of an Eye, the ambitious sci-fi drama …
Notes de l’épisode
What happens when you take the structure of a movie you love—and try to breathe new life into it? In this episode of the podcast, Jacob Krueger explores In the Blink of an Eye, the ambitious sci-fi drama written by Colby Day that premiered at Sundance and is now streaming on Hulu. Deeply influenced by Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, the film unfolds across three timelines connected by shared questions about death, evolution, and the fragile miracle of human life. Comparing the two films as a case study, Jake explores three deceptively simple craft lessons: how writers can repurpose the structure of the movies that inspire them toward new ends; why theme only lands when the writer is genuinely wrestling with it; and what you can learn about good dialogue from a family of grunting neanderthals. Along the way, he shows how even strong films with beautiful performances can lose their emotional punch the moment a writer stops trusting the audience.Chapitres
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No Other Choice: Plot vs. Structure (And the Secret to Making Us Care)
Why do we stay emotionally locked into a story even when the plot sounds flat on paper—or morally repellent in practice? In this episode, Jacob Krueger breaks down Park Chan-wook’s darkly hilarious, deeply …
Notes de l’épisode
Why do we stay emotionally locked into a story even when the plot sounds flat on paper—or morally repellent in practice? In this episode, Jacob Krueger breaks down Park Chan-wook’s darkly hilarious, deeply unsettling No Other Choice to reveal the engine that makes it so powerful: not plot, but structure. Using the film’s escalating moral pressure as a case study, Jake shows how structure is built from choices—how characters deal with what happens—and how theme emerges when you drive a protagonist to the moment where they truly feel they have no other choice.Chapitres
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How to Divorce During the War: 10 Craft Lessons from Sundance 2026
What does it actually mean to adapt a story- and how can radically different adaptations emerge from the same source material? In this episode, Jacob Krueger looks at the novel and film versions of Hamnet and …
Notes de l’épisode
What does it actually mean to adapt a story- and how can radically different adaptations emerge from the same source material? In this episode, Jacob Krueger looks at the novel and film versions of Hamnet and the ’90s award darling Shakespeare in Love to show how finding the location of your adaptation shapes character, structure, tone, and theme—and why successful adaptations are defined less by fidelity to source material than by the clarity of your intentionsChapitres
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Hamnet vs Shakespeare in Love
What does it actually mean to adapt a story- and how can radically different adaptations emerge from the same source material? In this episode, Jacob Krueger looks at the novel and film versions of Hamnet and …
Notes de l’épisode
What does it actually mean to adapt a story- and how can radically different adaptations emerge from the same source material? In this episode, Jacob Krueger looks at the novel and film versions of Hamnet and the ’90s award darling Shakespeare in Love to show how finding the location of your adaptation shapes character, structure, tone, and theme—and why successful adaptations are defined less by fidelity to source material than by the clarity of your intentionsChapitres
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5 Steps To Raise The Stakes In Your Screenplay
What if raising the stakes in your screenplay has nothing to do with explosions, danger, or bigger plot events? In this rerelease of a classic episode, Jake takes on one of the most misunderstood producer …
Notes de l’épisode
What if raising the stakes in your screenplay has nothing to do with explosions, danger, or bigger plot events? In this rerelease of a classic episode, Jake takes on one of the most misunderstood producer notes—raise the stakes—and reframes it from the ground up. Stakes, he explains, don’t begin with what happens on screen. They begin with empathy: our connection to a character, what they want, and how hard it is for them to get it.Chapitres
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Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail: A Writer’s Guide to Lasting Change
Every year, writers make New Year’s resolutions with the best intentions—only to watch those resolutions crumble under real life. The problem isn’t discipline or willpower, but the same structural mistakes that …
Notes de l’épisode
Every year, writers make New Year’s resolutions with the best intentions—only to watch those resolutions crumble under real life. The problem isn’t discipline or willpower, but the same structural mistakes that cause character arcs to collapse in screenplays. Learn how to build 2026 resolutions that actually work by drawing on the same techniques writers use to create journeys of lasting change for their characters.Chapitres
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Eddington vs First Blood: Genre Reimagined
What happens when a classic modern “Western” like First Blood is reimagined for a world where moral clarity has collapsed? In this episode, Jacob Krueger analyzes Ari Aster’s Eddington in comparison to First …
Notes de l’épisode
What happens when a classic modern “Western” like First Blood is reimagined for a world where moral clarity has collapsed? In this episode, Jacob Krueger analyzes Ari Aster’s Eddington in comparison to First Blood to reveal how theme drives character, action, dialogue, and structure when adapting within a genre.Chapitres
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Pluribus: Don’t Save the Cat
Pluribus isn’t just a masterclass in character, it’s a study in how the world around your protagonist shapes our empathy. Jake explores how Vince Gilligan uses contrast, irony, and a disruptive structural …
Notes de l’épisode
Pluribus isn’t just a masterclass in character, it’s a study in how the world around your protagonist shapes our empathy. Jake explores how Vince Gilligan uses contrast, irony, and a disruptive structural design in the pilot and second episode of Pluribus to draw us toward a protagonist who isn’t trying to be likable, revealing a deeper craft approach to writing truthful, compelling characters without having to “save the cat.”Chapitres
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Steven Bagatourian: The Fire, The Math & The Voice of the Screenwriter
With the LA Screenwriting Weekend approaching, Jake sits down with writer and teacher Steven Bagatourian to explore the balance between fire, craft, and voice. Together they dig into why instinct needs …
Notes de l’épisode
With the LA Screenwriting Weekend approaching, Jake sits down with writer and teacher Steven Bagatourian to explore the balance between fire, craft, and voice. Together they dig into why instinct needs structure, why structure needs heat, and how the voice you’re seeking often emerges in the friction between the two.Chapitres
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The Studio: How to Introduce Your Main Character
What do bad jokes, fake smiles, and status games have to do with story structure? In this episode, Jacob Krueger breaks down The Studio’s pilot to show how Matt Remick’s first few minutes on screen don’t just …
Notes de l’épisode
What do bad jokes, fake smiles, and status games have to do with story structure? In this episode, Jacob Krueger breaks down The Studio’s pilot to show how Matt Remick’s first few minutes on screen don’t just reveal his character, they build the entire engine of the series. You’ll learn how to dramatize want, play status like a pro, and design openings that echo across every episode.Chapitres
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Rushing: What’s Your Inciting Incident?
Many writers rush to the inciting incident around page 10-12, weakening their script’s foundation. Jake Krueger shows how slowing down and embracing presence can transform your writing and creative journey.
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One Battle After Another: What’s your theme?
In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger analyzes Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, revealing how theme, character development, and structure shape a screenplay’s …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger analyzes Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, revealing how theme, character development, and structure shape a screenplay’s emotional impact. Learn practical rewriting strategies, how to uncover hidden stories, and why authentic character motivation is key to crafting scripts that resonate deeply with audiences.Chapitres
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The Girlfriend: Game and Series Engine
In this Write Your Screenplay Podcast episode, Jacob Krueger analyzes Amazon’s The Girlfriend to explore how the “game of the scene” fuels a lasting series engine. Learn why mirrored perspectives, foils, and …
Notes de l’épisode
In this Write Your Screenplay Podcast episode, Jacob Krueger analyzes Amazon’s The Girlfriend to explore how the “game of the scene” fuels a lasting series engine. Learn why mirrored perspectives, foils, and escalation drive audience engagement—and what happens when writers break the very patterns that hold a show together. Perfect for writers seeking practical screenwriting tools for TV structure.Chapitres
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Weapons: Should You Write a Horror Movie?
Thinking about writing a horror movie as your way into Hollywood? Horror is an $8.5 billion genre hungry for new voices and original stories. In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger …
Notes de l’épisode
Thinking about writing a horror movie as your way into Hollywood? Horror is an $8.5 billion genre hungry for new voices and original stories. In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger analyzes Zach Cregger’s Weapons to reveal why the most powerful horror films are built not on gore or jump scares, but on character dynamics, emotional journeys, and human struggles that resonate with audiences everywhere. Learn how metaphor, allegory, and authentic voice can elevate horror, action, or comedy—and why horror remains one of the most exciting genres for screenwriters today.Chapitres
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K-Pop Demon Hunters: 3 Ways to Elevate Your Writing
In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger explores how K-Pop Demon Hunters transforms a wild premise into a moving story. You’ll discover 3 tools every writer can use to elevate their …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger explores how K-Pop Demon Hunters transforms a wild premise into a moving story. You’ll discover 3 tools every writer can use to elevate their screenwriting: research that makes your world culturally rich and emotionally grounded, themes that turn spectacle into resonance, and characters whose voices and actions carry real emotional weight. Whether you’re working on your first script or refining your tenth, this episode will show you how to bring depth, voice, and authenticity to your writing—without losing the joy of your wildest ideas.Chapitres
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Opus: ‘Elevated’ Horror and Allegory
In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger breaks down Mark Anthony Green’s Opus to reveal how elevated horror and screenwriting allegory can emerge organically from what already exists …
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode of the Write Your Screenplay Podcast, Jacob Krueger breaks down Mark Anthony Green’s Opus to reveal how elevated horror and screenwriting allegory can emerge organically from what already exists on the page. Through deep analysis of character wants, political themes, and mirrored choices, you'll learn how to create meaning without exposition, use your first image to establish emotional stakes and tone, and develop structure that resonates from the inside out. Perfect for writers seeking to craft screenplays that are both emotionally grounded and commercially viable.Chapitres
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Hypnosis for Writers: Break Through Writers Block with Jacob Krueger
Learn a powerful self-hypnosis technique to break through past trauma and writer’s and more deeply connect to your characters and your voice as a writer. Jacob Krueger shares life-changing tools drawn from …
Notes de l’épisode
Learn a powerful self-hypnosis technique to break through past trauma and writer’s and more deeply connect to your characters and your voice as a writer. Jacob Krueger shares life-changing tools drawn from hypnosis, NLP and neuroscience.Chapitres
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Sinners: Theme, Tone & the Sea Change
Explore how sea change, bifurcated characters, and mythic symbolism power the structure and politics of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises …
Notes de l’épisode
Explore how sea change, bifurcated characters, and mythic symbolism power the structure and politics of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/Chapitres
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Adolescence Episode 4: Should You Write a Limited Series?
This episode pulls it all together, with a deep dive into the structure of Adolescence Episode 4 and how it fits into the overall structure and series engine of Adolescence and how to know if your project …
Notes de l’épisode
This episode pulls it all together, with a deep dive into the structure of Adolescence Episode 4 and how it fits into the overall structure and series engine of Adolescence and how to know if your project should be a Limited Series. Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/Chapitres
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