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
141 | Television Writing Foundations w/ Javier Grillo-Marxauch
Emmy-winning TV super-producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach is back. This time, he chats about his wonderful essay "WHAT I DO ON THE PAGE." clarifying that…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
140 | Writing/Producing Audio Dramas (And Avoiding Gatekeepers) w/ Susan Busa Leshner
Podcasts are one of the fastest growing mediums today (see THIS SHOW), and they can take on many forms. Today, writer/director Susan Busa Leshner discusses her…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
139 | Body Awareness: A New Way To Think About Our Writing (ft. Karyn Kusama)
Karyn Kusama is known for film classics like Girlfight, Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, and a NEW TV classic, Yellowjackets, which she executive produces…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
ANNOUNCEMENT: TOMORROW (New Date) Join TSL On The Picket Line
TSL-ers are going to be meeting at Disney tomorrow. That's Wednesday, May 24th at 1:00 PM Pacific. Again, Wednesday, May 24th at 1:00 PM Pacific at the Disney…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
138 | Your WGA Strike Questions Answered By Negotiating Committee Members Michele Mulroney and David A. Goodman
It's a scary and unprecedented time for our industry, but we're immensely proud of our guild's fight for the basic dignities of its members: writers. As…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
137 | Stranger Things Writer/Producer Curtis Gwinn on Navigating The Writers Room
Curits Gwinn has worked on some of the most acclaimed shows of the 2010s including The Walking Dead, The Leftovers, and Stranger Things, but he's the first to…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
136 | Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) On Satire In Our Writing
When Charlie got to post-production of his feature writer/director debut, he was crushed to discover that the film simply didn't work. At that point, he was…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
135 | Feeling Your Way Through Early Drafts w/ Kelly Fremon Craig (Are You There God, It's Me Margaret)
How did Kelly Fremon Craig manage to convince Judy Blume to let her adapt Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? Tune in to find out! We're thrilled to be joined…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
134 | Courage And Honesty In Our Writing w/ Rafael Casal
However you feel about Starz' award-winning show BLINDSPOTTING, one thing is for sure, you've never seen anything like it. Today's guest, showrunner Rafael…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
133 | Turning Red Writers Domee Shi and Julia Cho Discuss Personal Storytelling Techniques
Jump behind the scenes with us to experience the highs and lows of producing one of Pixar's most celebrated and subversive films: Turning Red from the minds of…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
132 | The Thematic DNA of Scenes w/ Jane Anderson (+ Musings On Good Dialogue)
Jane Anderson is an award-winning writer of plays, television, and movies, with over three decades of produced material, some of which she herself directed…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
131 | John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) On Empathy In Our Writing And Directing
John Lee Hancock is an award-winning writer/director whose extensive career includes writing and directing The Blind Side, directing Saving Mr. Banks, and most…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
130 | Our Biggest Lessons From Being On Set (Part 1)
Every writer should experience set life at least once in their life, whether they're directing their own work, supervising production on their episode, or even…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
129 | Impressing Industry Executives On The Page and In The Pitch ft. Kelly Edwards
CALL US WITH YOUR PITCHING HORROR STORIES: 440.305.0690 Kelly Edwards' multi-faceted career has multiple phases: she has worked in development, platforming…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
128 | SPECIAL: Writer/Director Roundtable with Just Shoot It Podcast
It's a TSL first as we explore a crossover episode with Matt Enlow and Oren Kaplan of the popular JUST SHOOT IT PODCAST to discuss pitching, free work, social…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
127 | Scaffolding: Building Blocks For Your Career and Your Work
All of us have goals in our career, but how do build the steps to actually get there? Or perhaps more importantly, how do we be intentional about budling the…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
126 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Co-Writer Joe Robert Cole: Letting Emotions Guide Our Writing
Joe Robert Cole, known for marathon writing sessions, has a simple litmus test to assess his own work: how does this make me feel? He calls it "Method…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
125 | The Woman King Writer Dana Stevens on How To Write Character-Driven Action Set Pieces
Though Dana Stevens wrote one of 2022's buzziest and most exciting movies, The Woman King, she has decades of experience in both film and television. On…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
124 | Elvis Screenwriter Jeremy Doner on Writing Biopics (and Avoiding Common Pitfalls)
Jeremy Doner is a co-writer on one of 2022's most exciting movies: EVLIS, directed by Baz Luhrmann. For his work on the script, Jeremy is nominated for an…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
123 | Dustin Lance Black (Milk, Under the Banner of Heaven) On Nuanced Screenwriting and Avoiding Cliches
Dustin Lance Black is an Oscar-winning writer/director, known for writing the films like Milk and J. Edgar, in addition to creating the award-winning 2022…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
122 | What Do Professional Actors Look For In Good Scripts? (ft. Allison Tolman)
Allison Tolman's first major television role made waves in the industry, even scoring her a Critics Choice Award for her portrayal of Molly in FX's acclaimed…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
121 | Sundance Producers/Filmmakers On What Makes Good Writing (ft. Constanza and Doménica Castro)
Constanza and Doménica Castro are the founders of 271 Films, which tells stories that bring meaningful perspectives to an audience, that connect them to their…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
New episode drops TOMORROW!
271 Films Founders Constanza and Doménica Castro coming to you this FRIDAY! Thanks for your patience - it’s worth the wait! Hosted on Acast. See…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
120 | Professional Writers Share What You're Just "Supposed" To Know
There are some lessons that can only be learned through experience, time, and let's be honest - failure. Today, tons of professional writers anonymously share…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
119 | Setting Realistic Writing Resolutions For The New Year
Why is it that the New Year so often invites trepidation, fear, and panic as we consider our achievements as artists? We consider that question today, while…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
118 | SPECIAL: Live Story Workshop From the 2022 Austin Film Festival (ft. Joe Forte)
We’re closing out 2022 with a LIVE panel from our time at the Austin Film Festival. Thanks to Joe Forte for joining! TO JOIN OUR PATREON…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
117 | 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
116 | How To Stay Focused and Motivated Through Rewrites (Pick A Pony)
Diving back into your work after a round of notes can feel overwhelming, especially when we get thoughtful notes that can feel contradictory. How can we…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
115 | Can We Write Characters that Don't Reflect Our Experience? (ft. Dr. Yalda T Uhls)
It's becoming and increasingly common (and important) question: are we allowed to tell stories about characters whose lives don't reflect our own? On today's…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
114 | How Writers Collaborate With Animated Directors ft. Nora Twomey
One of Netflix's most celebrated animated movies of the year comes from our very own Meg LeFauve, whose beautiful script for "My Father's Dragon" was brought…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
New episodes dropping MONDAY!
We have all been very busy so our new episodes for the next two weeks will be dropping on Mondays. Thanks for your patience! Hosted on Acast. See…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
113 | (REBROADCAST) Finding Self-Compassion For Your Writing...And YOURSELF w/ Dr. Kristin Neff
There are few jobs more mentally strenuous than that of a writer. Rejection. Writers block. Notes. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. But today, bestselling author and…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
112 | Finding Conviction In Your Writing w/ Patrick Osborne
Patrick Osborne may have won an Oscar for his short film feast, but finding the conviction to stick to his creative "North Star" while writing is still a…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
111 | Tone In Your Writing: The Definitive Episode (w/ Sheila Hanahan Taylor)
Tone is consistently one of the most challenging things that Screenwriters face. What is it and how do we capture it on the page? We're thrilled to be joined…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
New Episode Drops TOMORROW!
Thanks for your patience! Editing now, and new episode drops tomorrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
110 | Advice For Script Readability (And Other Musings) - MAILBAG
Today, we take more questions from our brilliant listeners about: script readability, pilot v. feature format, and how to (as always) mine more emotionality…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
109 | Your Ultimate Guide To Writing Labs and Retreats
Meg and Lorien are BACK from their labs (Africa and Italy respectively - casual), and they have LOTS of thoughts. We discuss how to be great mentors, and of…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
108 | The Importance of Flexibility as a Writer/Director w/ Matthew Gentile
Matthew Gentile has wanted to be a filmmaker since seeing Dog Day Afternoon as a 12-year-old. After graduating from AFI and winning an Emmy for his short…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
107 | Writing Your Main Relationship And Why It Matters (Mailbag)
Lorien is still living her best life in Italy, so Jeff and Meg hit the mic to take YOUR questions, wherin we discuss main relationships, subtext with your…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
106 | (REBROADCAST) Andrew Stanton's Storytelling Masterclass
Do you have a pen and paper? Might want to grab them now... Andrew Stanton wrote and directed Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Wall-E, all of which consistently…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
105 | Writers Groups w/ Nicholl Winners Alisha Brophy and Scott Miles
How did one writers group produce 3 Nicholl winners in 6 years? Hard work, dedication, and a highly conscientious and regimented approach to getting shit done…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
104 | The Future Of Storytelling (Metaversal Writing & VFX) w/ Ben Grossmann
What is the Metaverse, and why does it matter? Ask Ben Grosmann... In 2013, he was nominated for an Academy Award for the film Star Trek Into Darkness. In…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
103 | Adapting Material (Books, Biographies, and Intellectual Property)
Whether it's the logistics of procuring rights, the challenging of changing an ending, or the fear of meeting that author who originated the story you're…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
102 | Creating and Healing Wounded Characters w/ Studio Exec Turned Coach Jen Grisanti
Jen Grisanti thought she had her dream job as a studio exec at Paramount/CBS, but when her contract wasn't renewed AND she was working through a very public…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
101 | Comedy Legend Dan O'Shannon On What Makes Our Writing Funny
Dan O'Shannon has worked on some of American television's most iconic shows in history, but for him, every new project is a refreshed exercise in humility and…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
100 | 100 Lessons We've Learned About Writing
Yes. That's right. Today we're bringing you ONE HUNDRED lessons we've learned about writing, in honor of...yes, that's right, our 100th episode!!! Enjoy!…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
99 | Thoughts On Loglines, Antagonists, and Microbudget Filmmaking (Patreon Preview)
We wanted to give our listeners a preview of our PATREON, so you'll hearing three bite-sized samples for some of our workshops. If you're interested in joining…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
98 | The Definitive Lava Episode
There may be no topic we discuss more on this show than Lava, so we decided to put an episode together unpacking the entire volcano. Hosted on Acast. See…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
97 | Checking Back In + The Importance Of Meeting Your Own Needs
We're BACK. After vacations, appointments, film festivals, and, oh yeah, writing, Meg, Lorien and Jeff check back in to discuss what they've been learning…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
96 | Dig Deeper: 7 Tips To Discover What Your Story is REALLY About
Thanks to our intern BORIS for cutting together another great BEST OF episode. Today we feature clips from the following episodes: 88 | Alex Kurtzman & Jenny…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
95| LIVE Q&A From The SLO Film Festival
Enjoy our final panel coverage from our time at the SLO film festival! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
94 | Short Films: Writing, Shooting, and Using Them For Your Career (LIVE From SLO)
Many writer/directors have gotten their starts with short films. Today we discuss what makes a great short, and how they can help (and not help) advance your…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
93 | LIVE Story Workshop From the SLO Film Festival (Plus a Q+A)
Another WONDERFUL story workshop from Meg + Lorien. To see Jeff's film in CLEVELAND on 7/6 @ 7:30pm, buy tickets here…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
92 | Writers Rooms: Getting Granular w/ David F.M. Vaughn
David F.M. Vaughn, award-winning actor, director, composer, and writer, is obsessed with getting detailed about the behind-the-scenes aspects of this sometimes…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
91 | How To Vacation As A Writer
Writing can feel like a never ending grind, but we of course need to find the space to take a vacation. Today we talk about how and WHY it's essential to our…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
90 | Finding The Thematic “Thesis Statement” Of Your Script w/ Maggie Cohn
Maggie Cohn and her co-showrunner Antonio Campos knew that in adapting one of the most popular documentaries of all time (The Staircase), they had to have…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
89 | Helping Writers Get Repped, The Personal Logline, Taking Meetings, and More w/ Joey Tuccio
For Joey Tucccio, the founder of Roadmap Writers, "you're a human first, and a writer second." Excelling at your craft has as much to do with your…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
88 | Alex Kurtzman & Jenny Lumet: Why Destabilization Is Essential For Your Writing
Both Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman are giants in our industry, and yet, they’re the FIRST to admit that every project is a brand new journey filled with…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
87 | SNL Alumnus Anna Drezen On Balancing Emotional Truth and Intellect In Your Writing
Despite having written for multiple scripted series, SNL, and now Showrunning her own animated series, the essence of good writing remains simple for Anna…
- The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
86 | Dr. Strange 2 Writer Michael Waldron On Emotionally Authentic Writing
Whether it's a gritty wrestling drama like Heels, an animated satire like Rick and Morty, or a blockbuster romp through multi universes like Dr. Strange in the…