Shows / The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
Welcome to The Screenwriting Life, a podcast where Oscar-nominated writer Meg LeFauve and Emmy-nominated writer Lorien McKenna discuss not only the craft and business of Screenwriting, but also the emotional life: the ups and downs of being a creative, to remind you that you are not alone and to keep writing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
200 | Discovering & Embracing Your Strengths As A Writer (ft. Showrunner Joey Slamon)
JOIN TSL WORKSHOPS: tslworkshops.circle.so Joey's impressive resume in TV includes shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live, Arrested Development, and I'm Sorry, which she…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
ANNOUNCEMENT: Episode Drops TOMORROW.
Thanks for your patience! Our new episode this week will be dropping TOMORROW in your feed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
199 | The New Look Creator/Showrunner on Finding Empathy for our Characters
JOIN TSL WORKSHOPS: tslworkshops.circle.so Todd A Kessler's newest Apple TV+ THE NEW LOOK is one of Meg's favorite of the year. The show, which chronicles the…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
198 | Girls5Eva Creator Meredith Scardino On How To Become INDISPENSABLE In A Writer's Room
TSL WORKSHOPS IS LIVE!: www.tslworkshops.circle.so Use code "EARLYBIRD" at checkout for $5 off a month for LIFE! (Only lasts until Jul 15). Meredith Scardino…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
197 | Inside Out 2 Director Kelsey Mann and Writer Meg LeFauve on How To Approach A Sequel
When Inside Out debuted, it was quickly celebrated as one of Pixar's masterpieces, earning multiple Oscar noms (including one for our HOST Meg LeFauve!) How…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
196 | Inside Out 2 Writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein
When asked about his first time working in feature animation, Meg's Inside Out 2 co-writer Dave Holstein described the process as: "writing inside a dishwasher…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
195 | Dustin Lance Black: Writing (And Adapting) Compelling Protagonists
TSL WORKSHOPS EMAIL LIST: www.thescreenwritinglife.co/workshops Friend of the show Dustin Lance Black is back to talk about the central lynchpin of a great…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
194 | Romantic Comedy Writing Masterclass w/ Billy Mernit
TSL WORKSHOPS: www.thescreenwritinglife.co/workshops BILLY'S BOOKS: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JSFBR4 The romantic comedy is one of the most…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
193 | Ten Common Traps That Will Kill Your Script (Pt. 2)
JOIN TSL WORKSHOPS: www.thescreenwritinglife.co/workshops We're back with part TWO of our ten common traps that will kill your script. Take notes, TSL Fam!…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
192 | Ten Common Traps That Will Kill Your Script (Pt. 1)
Whether you're a pro or a beginner, there are certain traps as screenwriters that will almost ALWAYS kill our writing. On today's show, we cover the first…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
191 | Writing Visually On The Page (And Connecting To Your Theme) ft. Linda Seger
Linda Seger basically created the job of independent script consultant. After years of exploring, she discovered that her gifts lie in making a good script…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
190 | Getting Candid About The Business of Hollywood (ft. Navid McIlhargey)
Navid Mcllhargey has been a studio executive and producer for over 20 years, and over the course of his impressive career, he has seen the business change…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
189 | Create Your Hollywood Game Plan w/ Carole Kirschner
Carole Kirschner, the director of the CBS Diversity Writers Program & WGA Showrunner Training Program, is passionate about helping creative professionals build…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
188 | Playwriting (and some BTS Behind the Making of Coco) ft. Octavio Solis
Octavio Solis is among the most celebrated playwrights discussing the Latin American experience, but he wasn't always a writer. Octavio began his artistic…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
187 | Writing For Multi-Cam Sitcoms (w/ Lopez vs Lopez Showrunner Debby Wolfe)
Even though Debby Wolfe began her career writing "edgy, brooding feminist shorts" (her words), but really found her lane as a writer when she wrote a Modern…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
186 | A Crash Course For Showrunners (And Their Staff Writers) ft. Jeff Melvoin
Jeff Melvoin is - for lack of a better word - a legend in TV. He's an award-winning television writer, producer, showrunner, and educator who has written…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
185 | Why Tone and Genre ≠ Plot (ft. Cole Haddon)
Cole Haddon is many things: a feature writer, a showrunner, a novelist, but he's grown an incredibly loyal community for his STORY brain, which mostly…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
184 | What Does A Hollywood Studio Reader Do? (TSL Listener Spotlight)
Today is a chance to hear from YOU! We were thrilled to invite longtime listener Jennifer Deaton onto our show to hear about her impressive career in the biz…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
183 | How The Animated Film Industry Is Changing (And Why That Matters Creatively): WAR IS OVER Chat, Part 2
This year, one of the most talked about Animated Shorts at this year's Oscars is WAR IS OVER. The project, inspired by the Music of John and Yoko, is an…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
182 | What Goes Into Creating an Oscar-nominated Animated Short?: WAR IS OVER Chat, Part 1
This year, one of the most talked about Animated Shorts at this year's Oscars is WAR IS OVER. The project, inspired by the Music of John and Yoko, is an…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
181 | Nimona Co-Writer Lloyd Taylor On The World Of Animated Feature Films
Nimona isn't just one of 2023's best animated movies, it's one of 2023's best movies, full stop (and yes, it is Oscar-nominated). Today, we welcome one it's…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
180 | Award Winning "Wingspan" Game Designer Compares Writing To Game Design (ft. Elizabeth Hargrave)
Elizabeth Hargrave's debut board game Wingspan has become a one this century's most definitional games, but her inspiration to create was pretty simple. She…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
179 | Feature Film Story Engine Checklist: 8 Elements To Turn A Situation Into A Movie
STORY ENGINE. Two words we so often dread, but let's be honest: the engine of your story is what POWERS your movie. It's make, or break. And today, we break…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
178 | The Holdovers Writer David Hemingson On Finding Humanity In Our Characters
Despite this being his first produced feature, David Hemingson's script for THE HOLDOVERS is one of the most celebrated of the year, nominated for over 40…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
177 | Past Lives Writer/Director Celine Song: Standing In Your Authority As a Writer and Artist
Hearing Celine Song discuss her authority as an artist is powerful stuff. Despite no feature film directorial experience, she knew she had the secret key to…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
176 | Michael Arndt on Balancing Plot & Emotional Storytelling
We talk about lava, character wounds, and emotional storytelling ALL THE TIME on the show, but it's important to remember: there's more to good storytelling…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
175 | American Fiction Writer/Director Cord Jefferson's Advice For Adaptating Material
Cord Jefferson knows what if feels like to watch a project die. Recently, he had a greenlit show that was so close to shooting that the production office for…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
BONUS: 174 | Jodie Foster on Building Truthful Characters (REBROADCAST)
ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON JUL 26, 2023 Despite being a multiple Academy Award winner, celebrated producer, and feature/TV director, Jodie Foster is still aiming…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
173 | Adam Grant On Practical Ways To Unlock Our Creative Potential
Do you ever feel stuck in your work? Like there's an invisible wall blocking you from generating your best material? You're not alone, and today, we're…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
172 | The Money Episode (Don’t Panic!) ft. Paco de Leon
Don't worry, we hate talking about it too. And yet, Paco de Leon has a way of discussing money that feels safe, generous, and even hopeful. She specializes in…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
171 | Permission To Dream
As we navigate the holidays, it's easy to look back (and forward) on our career and feel a complicated mix of emotions. But at the end of the day, we HAVE to…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
170 | REBROADCAST: How To Write A Christmas or Holiday Movie (w/ Eirene Tran Donohue)
It's that time of year when hundreds of Holiday Movies air on screens all over the world. Whether its Hallmark, Lifetime, Disney+, Netflix, or Apple, or even…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
169 | Oscar Winner Tom McCarthy (Spotlight, Alaska Daily) On Writing For & Working With Actors
Having begun his career as an actor, and then transitioned to an Oscar-winning writer/director, Tom has worn MANY hats in this business. Because of that, he…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
168 | WGA Inclusion & Equity Committee Members Discuss Representation and Authenticity In our Writing
Today we're honored to welcome NINE members from the WGA's inclusion and equity committees in a thoughtful conversation about the state of the industry and…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
167 | Writing For Production On A Microbudget (ft. Jeffrey Crane Graham, aka Producer Jeff!)
This week, producer Jeff walks you through how he got his film Always, Lola from idea to distribution with a VERY low five figure microbudget...and you can…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
166 | A Happy Thanksgiving Throwback To Our First Episode
Happy Thanksgiving TSLers! Enjoy this throwback to our very first episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
165 | Michael Arndt's Act 1 Masterclass (REBROADCAST)
To prepare for his upcoming appearance on our show, TSL is proud to rebroadcast a classic, Michael Ardnt's Act 1 Masterclass. Little Miss Sunshine's script…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
164 | The Morning Show Showrunner On Incorporating Real World Events Into Our Writing (ft. Charlotte Stoudt)
The Morning Show is one of TV's most discussed shows, and season 3 showrunner Charlotte Stoudt recognizes it's cultural foothold. For her, the idea of…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
163 | Screenwriting: Joy, Pain, Legacy (2023 Guest Supercut Pt. 2)
In our time time-honored tradition of asking the same three questions at the end of every show, we wanted to put together a supercut of some great guest…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
162 | Screenwriting: Joy, Pain, Legacy (2023 Guest Supercut Pt. 1)
In our time time-honored tradition of asking the same three questions at the end of every show, we wanted to put together a supercut of some great guest…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
161 | LIVE Stephen's College Story Workshop + Writing Exercises for Act 2
We're back for another story workshop, plus some amazing suggestions for writing exercises to help crack act 2. Join our patreon…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
160 | Documentary Filmmaking (And Writing) w/ Monique N. Matthews and Linda Goldstein Knowlton
Believe it or not, documentary filmmaking has lots in common with traditional narrative feature filmmaking...tune in today to learn why, with two award-winning…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
159 | Writing For Video Games & Interactive Screenwriting w/ Shanon M. Ingles and Stephan Bugaj
Throughout the 21st century, video games have become one of pop cultures most valuable mediums, and their narrative ambition grows with each passing year…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
158 | Mail Bag
Today, we do one of our favorite things: answer YOUR questions. As is always the case, a theme emerged across your questions and our conversation, which boils…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
157 | (REBROADCAST) The Definitive Lava Episode
TSL was on set this week! (Exciting - more soon)...but because our bandwidth was stretched a bit thin, we're going to be rebroadcasting a fan favorite: the…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
156 | SPECIAL: The Elevator Pitch + Austin Film Festival Prep Workshop
The Austin Film Festival is known for many things — but few are as legendary as its annual 90-Second Pitch Competition, where writers have just 90 seconds to…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
155 | 6 Essential Strategies To Tackle a Rewrite
There is nothing worse than writer's block when facing a rewrite, but there's hope! Today we discuss 6 Essential Strategies To Tackle a Rewrite. JOIN OUR…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
154 | How To Prioritize Multiple Projects As A Writer (ft. Ted Hope)
We're back for part two w/ super producer Ted Hope! This week, we talk about some of Ted's top pieces of advices for living a successful creative life, and…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
153 | Is My Script Ready To Send To Producers? (ft. Ted Hope)
You finally get the meeting, make the connection, and a bigshot producer is excited to read your script. But you panic. Is it good enough? Is it READY? Today…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
152 | The Movies That Made Us Writers
Every writer can point to a movie that made them say: "THIS. This is what I want to do." And today, Meg, Lorien, and Jeff share the movies that turned THEM…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
151 | Rethinking Screenplay Structure w/ The Nutshell Technique (ft. Jill Chamberlain)
Though it can sometimes feel like a prison, screenplay structure is actually a very freeing element of the story process. Jill Chamberlain, a veteran script…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
150 | How To Say Yes To Yourself as a Writer (ft. Showrunners Kat Likkel and John Hoberg)
As collaborators and showrunners, Kat Likkel and John Hoberg know that shutting down ideas is never helpful. This was only emphasized when they joined Pixar's…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
149 | Moving On and the Wisdom of Stephen Sondheim
**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EPISODE WAS PRE-RECORDED & PRECEDED THE 2023 WGA STRIKE.** In today's TSL epsiode, Meg gets personal about her lava, and how a recent…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
148 | Jodie Foster on Building Truthful Characters
Despite being a multiple Academy Award winner, celebrated producer, and feature/TV director, Jodie Foster is still aiming for a singular goal: to tell truthful…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
147 | Elemental Co-Writer Brenda Hsueh On Balancing Comedy and Drama In Our Writing
Though she got her start in multi-cam sitcoms, it was a bold sci-fi dramedy rom-com that made Pixar interested in hiring Brenda Hsueh to co-write Elemental. On…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
146 | Screenwriting/Storytelling Archetypes: Using and Subverting Them (ft. Jessica Bendinger)
With hits like BRING IT ON and STICK IT, writer/director Jessica Bendinger is known for her subversive and surprising takes on female girlhood, using…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
145 | Our Biggest Lessons From Being On Set (Pt. 2)
Hi all! Today, Savana and Jeff revisit their conversation from part one of their conversation about SET! Today we discuss some of the most essential vocabulary…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
144 | Where To Begin As A Screenwriter (Pt. 3)
We bring our "beginning" miniseries to a close with this instant TSL classic, wherein Meg gives many pep talks. JOIN OUR PATREON…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
143 | Where To Begin As A Screenwriter (Pt. 2)
In our continued conversation about where and how to begin as a screenwriter, we take your (excellent) questions! We talk about outlining, cards, character…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
142 | Where To Begin As A Screenwriter
So you want to be a screenwriter. Now what? Today we discuss some of these important questions to ask before you jump into a draft - questions that are JUST as…