Smoose Entertainment

Lessons from the Trenches - Read Good Scripts

I’ve been busy lately, but I’m back! One of the things I’ve been doing has been reading good scripts. And if I’m being honest, it was something that I was neglecting for a bit.

If you want to be good at anything, you need to learn from others who are good at it, and the best way to do that is to expose yourself to what those who have gone before you have done. It follows, if you want to be a screenwriter, you’ve got to read scripts. A lot of scripts.

So don’t neglect that. If you want to be a screenwriter, read good scripts. If you want to be a film director, watch good movies. If you want to be a professional ballplayer, watch a lot of baseball. If you want to be the best postman, well, shadow some great postal workers.

- Adam Smestad
Stories about being human.

Lessons from the Trenches - What would the Character do?

Working on this script - a cosmic horror. I’m writing this pivotal scene where things take a big turn. I wrote my first draft, but very much in line with what the genre typically dictates. It felt - cliched. Unoriginal. Not in line with the rest of the script. Couldn’t figure out why.

Then I went back and revisited the characters involved and it hit me - the character that is in control in this scene - that is not how he would act. So I thought: “What would this character actually do here?”

That made the rewrite so much easier. It almost, as the saying goes, wrote itself. So don’t forget, when you’re stuck, it’s a good idea to let the characters show you what they would do sometimes.

- Adam Smestad
Stories about being human.

Lessons from the Trenches - Stick With Your Theme.

Working on this script, and I was coming up on this story beat in my outline, but as I was writing it, I realized that this beat did not match my theme. In fact, this moment would have inverted the theme.

By way of background, this script deals with the theme of visibility. The protagonist prefers to remain in the shadows, unseen, outside of visibility, while our antagonist thrives by dragging the protagonist into the light, making him visible. This story beat, however, involved the protagonist being disturbed by a light source that wasn’t reaching him - the opposite of what would make him comfortable.

So I retooled, and now I have a better moment that fits the story and fits the theme.

Lesson - stick with your theme. That will help develop your character and motivate the story.

- Adam Smestad
Stories about being human

Filmmaker Thinking Out Loud - Flawed Characters.

What makes a really compelling character? Obvious flaws. There’s a reason why I - and I would argue, the majority of film and literary audience members - prefer characters like Batman, John McClain, Indiana Jones, etc. to your typical, Steven Seagal-unstoppable-badass characters. And that reason is that the former are flawed.

They are human, they struggle with things. They feel like people we know or people we can be in different circumstances. They are average people in extraordinary circumstances, and we can watch them rise to the occasion, overcome their flaws, and win in the end. I mean, what’s so entertaining about watching some perfect fighter win yet another battle? Isn’t that what they are supposed to do?

- Adam Smestad
Stories about being human.

Thoughts about stories and writing - Expanded thoughts on why do I write dark stories.

To each is own, first and foremost, but I remember a conversation with a very successful screenwriter and producer. He focuses on family friendly, very upbeat and positive films and television. He said he wants to put positivity out into the world. Light not darkness.

I thought about that a lot and I think there is positivity in horror and dark stories. The positivity comes from the characters finding strength and fighting against their monsters and demons - literally and figuratively.

I think this gives inspiration to people who may be struggling with their own inner monsters and demons. When you can inspire people and show them how to overcome their inner turmoil... well, what could be more positive?

- Adam Smestad
Stories about being human

Writing lessons from the trenches - Worldbuilding.

Working on a screenplay of mine, in the early pages and there’s a lot of world building. It got me thinking.

World building isn’t just for sci-fi or fantasy — it’s for every story. The who, where, and when shape everything: what your characters want, what they’re afraid of, what options they even have, and what choices feel “true” in the moment.

When the world is specific, it stops being a backdrop and starts acting like a character — applying pressure, offering temptation, creating limits, and forcing decisions. The more real the world feels, the more the story can breathe.

Adam Smestad
- Stories about being human.

The Writing Process - Just Get Started

A few thoughts from today on my writing process after a long, and rough, weekend. Honestly did not want to write today. Had a lot going on and wasn’t really in the mood, but consistency breeds excellence, so I wanted to at least put down some words.

So I cleared my schedule, got rid of distractions, opened my laptop and stared at my script. Then the ideas came - and I was swallowed in the process and the fun of the creativity.

When you find something that gives you joy, even when you don’t want to do it, that joy will still come through.

So all you need to do is take that first step. The process will take it from there.

Adam Smestad
- Stories about being human.