THE SCRIBBLERS TOOLBOX
"An ever-expanding collection of tips, tools, observances, and topical ephemera for my fellow scribblers to peruse, apply, disseminate, or disregard."
Jesse Alexander
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Adapt or Die
From the writer's room of iconic TV shows to the uncharted frontier of next-gen gaming, change is the only constant in the entertainment racket.
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The Great LLM Showdown
I ran some self-assessments of the big LLMs like Gemini, Claude Opus, ChatGPT, Deep Seek, and Perplexity to evaluate their strengths and stretches re creativity and wordsmithing.
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My Scribbler’s Strategy for LLM Collabs
After years of working in writers' rooms on TV shows, I've had an epiphany about effectively collaborating with Large Language Models (LLMs): the dynamic mirrors that of a showrunner working with a room of specialized scribblers.
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Decluttering for Scribblers
Too many scripts sag under the weight of pointless scenes, overexplaining dialogue, and characters that don't pull their weight. If Marie Kondo can transform our closets, why can’t we apply that magic to our screenplays?
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Hook, Line & Fantasy
There's a secret weapon in the war for eyeballs and attention - the core fantasy. That ineffable desire that pulls people in and keeps them coming back for more.
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The Art of The Deal
Negotiation is a skill you can master even quicker than saving the cat. We’re going to class with three heavyweights of the winning trade - Donald Trump (The Art of the Deal), Chris Voss (Never Split the Difference), and Robert Greene (The 48 Laws of Power).
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Scribbling Villainous Orgs: NASA to Manticore
When you spend years creating villainous organizations—shadowy spy networks, rogue agencies, secret societies—you start to notice something. The most outlandish ideas, the ones that feel like pure sci-fi or paranoid conspiracy, often have real-world precedents.
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Sage Scribbling Structure
Great stories don’t just appear out of thin air. They’re designed and built. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed when crafting your screenplay, you’re not alone. Thankfully, some of the greatest minds in storytelling have mapped out frameworks to guide us.
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Is 2025 the year AI scribbling levels up?
The squeeze is coming for mid-level scribblers - the workhorse scribes of TV shows who churn out solid, reliable scripts on time and within the budget. In 2025 AI is getting scarily good at matching tone, working within the canon constraints of show bibles, and incorporating creative notes from above. Uh-oh.
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The Myth of Authorship in the Age of AI
The myth of the lone creative genius has always been how we market films, books, and video games: one name, one vision. But are AI tools pushing this marketing myth into an authentic attribution?
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How did Anime Shape MBJ’s Creed 3?
When Michael B. Jordan stepped into the director’s chair for Creed 3, he brought more than just his talent as an actor and filmmaker, he brought his lifelong love of anime.
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Why do Anime Characters Resonate?
Imagine a quiet evening, the glow of your screen pulling you into another world. You laugh, cry, and cheer for characters who aren’t just on a journey, they take you along for the ride. But have you ever wondered why anime characters feel so relatable, even when they’re battling titanic foes or navigating fantastical worlds?
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Anime’s Emo Blueprint
If you grew up glued to the screen, wide-eyed at the emotional depth, breathtaking visuals, and powerhouse storytelling of anime, guess what? You’ve already been building a creative superpower that can set you apart in the world of filmmaking.
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Is AI the New Thief of Joy?
As artificial intelligence reshapes how we create, a question lingers: What happens to those magical moments of flow when the tools we use are so fast, so powerful, that they replace the slower, deliberate processes we once relied on?
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The Q&A
The Q&A interrogation framework is a powerful tool for scribblers. It can reveal character backstories, deliver twists, and frame high-stakes action, all while keeping the audience guessing. When done well, it can elevate a story, but when misused, it risks undercutting the tension.
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Future-Proofing Filmmakers?
The rise of artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of creativity. For filmmakers, the impact feels both exhilarating and daunting. With AI-generated scripts, deepfake technology, and automated editing tools, it’s easy to wonder: what role do storytellers have in this brave new world?
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Robert Eggers’ Scribbling Secrets
Robert Eggers uses research, personal voice, and bold choices to make his work unique and unforgettable. Let’s unpack his scribbler’s toolbox to see what we can gank that will power up our own creative process.
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Game Dev Hacks for Hack Scribblers - Like Me!
I’m a big fan of the indie game developer Thomas Brush. I enjoyed Pinstripe, a thoughtful and evocative narrative title he created. Though I don’t make games, I find his YouTube channel is filled with wisdom nuggets applicable to the scribbling craft.
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First Five Pages
The first five pages of a screenplay are your make-or-break moment. This is where you hook your readers, establish your story’s identity, and deliver enough intrigue to make them want more.
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AI needs You
The approaching onslaught of AI-generated slop might initially devalue the market for makers, but a scarcity of quality, intentionality, and cultural relevance will generate value for standout scribblers who find ways to stay in the game.