What’s a book that’s never been adapted into a film that you feel is perfect for the silver screen?

If Hollywood suddenly gave me the green light for any project, I would write an animated version of TIMBUKTU by Paul Auster, a novel about a dog named Mr. Bones. Auster was a filmmaker, and his prose always has a cinematic quality. I know it would make a beautiful and poignant movie under the right circumstances. I feel like many filmmakers unfamiliar with the book would read it and agree.

Hi, I'm a screenwriter based in Hong Kong, writing in English. I've completed four feature scripts and one TV pilot, mostly in horror, dark fantasy, and drama.

I wanted to share something that might be useful to anyone planning a low-budget shoot, rather than just introducing myself.

What I learned writing a contained horror feature:

When I wrote Mina — a psychological horror about a woman whose perfect skin awakens a dark alter ego — I built it around three constraints that made it "shootable" for a small team:

1. Limited locations. Most of the film takes place in a mirror, a bathroom, a fashion studio, and a single apartment. No crowd scenes, no complex set pieces.
2. Practical horror. The scares come from mirrors, reflections, and skin — things that can be achieved with lighting and simple practical effects, not CGI.
3. One actress carries the film. The entire story rests on one performance. That's a casting advantage for a director who wants to work closely with a single lead.

I wrote it this way on purpose: I wanted a script that a first-time or low-budget director could actually say yes to.

If you're a director looking for a contained horror script to produce, I'm open to sharing the first 10 pages. But mostly, I'm curious how other people here approach writing for budget constraints — what do you cut first when you know there's no money?

Here is the link of the first ten pages. https://drive.google.com/file/d/14490d564Ppsyn9edlF0f1pxx29I6XeVz/view?usp=drive_link

I've gotten one read request out of 12 and it came after a few hours. The rest are crickets and it's already been a week. I guess those are no's, right? Let's rather say that they might be no's or I just have to wait longer. Better to be optimistic, right? And I don't intend on following up, so...

Edit.

ETA: Sorry, I may not have phrased the question properly. What I meant was how long did you wait after sending the query to get a response, not how long you waited to get feedback after sending the script. Although that information is valuable too, if you wish to include it.

Can I be the first to one posting this? The category finalists are announced. And I'm among them in the Short Scripts! I'm stunned. https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/finalists/

I've been waiting for this day, enjoy!

Featured scripts don't require an account to read/download:

• Videodrome (1983) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/videodrome
• Re-Animator (1985) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/re-animator
• Hellraiser (1987) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/hellraiser
• Brain Damage (1988) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/brain-damage
• Society (1989) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/society

More from Script Hive database (account required, but it's free):

• The Brood (1979) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/95940630-0410-4284-b9ac-db866422cce0 
• Altered States (1980) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/7b2c957c-4528-4723-8197-beeaa970979c
• The Thing (1982) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/54feb75c-b1f9-4a2b-abed-39f77b00cf01
• The Fly (1986) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/b52e6709-d031-430e-a13e-7897f0cee813
• Prince of Darkness (1987) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/8976f8ea-b612-4515-b68e-f90b9f774677
• The Blob (1988) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/3e38e51e-935a-45f6-a7a9-660d25c24b54

Posting Schedule:

• Thursday, October 1: Universal & RKO, 1930s
• Monday, October 5: Universal & RKO, 1940s
• Wednesday, October 7: 1950s
• Friday, October 9: 1960s
• Monday, October 12: 1970s
• Wednesday, October 14: Video Nasties (1970s - 1980s)
• Friday, October 16: Body Horror
• Monday, October 19: 1980s
• Wednesday, October 21: 1980s
• Friday, October 23: 1990s
• Monday, October 26: 1990s
• Wednesday, October 28: 2000s
• Friday, October 30: 2010s
• Saturday, October 31: 2020s

I know this is a stretch because it’s a BBC, but maybe there’s a pilot or episode script floating around…?

Hi everyone!

I got asked to give an artist talk about my screenwriting work and I'm quite nervous about it! While I've been working fulltime for the last few years and I do have a specific "niche" I generally work in, I'm really not super successful or have worked on really big projects.

Has anyone had any experience giving these?

The goal is to give a keynote talk for young writers who are all currently working on short films. They asked me to talk about my work, but I dont want to just sum up my IMDB page. In my personal opinion it's not really interesting to just speak about the work you made - they know google. But I'd like to inspire them and maybe help them with storytelling techniques.

Are there any keynote talks that you recommend for inspiration?

Thanks!

I’ve always had a love for films and that’s what I wanted to be as a kid a writer and director, but I wrote this short just to try and get back into things and I enjoyed every second of writing it

Logline: After a drunken night lands him in a cell, Colin scrambles to repair his relationship, oblivious to the fact that he is the one thing that needs fixing.

One more

I'm also very into animation, and if animators want to go pro, they have online schools like Animation Mentor and iAnimate. They are really rigorous, demanding online schools, but they help get people to pro level. They are taught by people actually in the industry. What's the equivalent for screenwriters? Because I get the feeling there's a lot of... not-so-great teachers out there who had little or no success in the industry and are teaching people the wrong things.

Also, do screenwriters ever do paid mentoring for emerging writers? I ask this because I've heard of animators getting one-on-one mentoring with pros (it's a paid thing), and I just wonder if that kind of thing is done in screenwriting too. Or if it's so competitive that nobody wants to mentor others because it means they might not get work themselves? I'm not asking for that for me right now; I'm just wondering if it's part of the culture to mentor others like that or if its rarely done?

I just finished a draft of my first feature screenplay that I'm comfortable sharing publicly and would love some feedback from fresh readers.

Title: Like a Heathen

Format: Feature

Genre: Supernatural Horror / Thriller

Length: 116 pages

Status: Full draft completed

Logline: In 1985, when a pop star is murdered at a high-school pep rally, trapped students must escape a cult that controls minds through music, before its ritual consumes the entire school.

The story is set at a New England high school and starts with an ’80s teen-movie feel before moving increasingly into supernatural horror. Music is a major part of both the story and the mythology.

This has been through several structural, character, and compression passes, so I’m mostly looking for fresh-reader reactions. I’d especially appreciate feedback on whether the pacing holds at 116 pages, whether the characters and relationships feel distinct and believable, whether the mythology is clear without being overexplained, whether the escalation in the horror works, and whether the major reveals and climax feel earned.

I’m also particularly interested in feedback on the dialogue. Do the characters sound distinct from one another? Does the banter feel natural rather than overly written? Do the emotional conversations feel specific to the characters, and are there places where the dialogue feels expositional, on-the-nose, repetitive, or tonally out of place?

Also interested in anything that feels confusing, overwritten, unintentionally funny, predictable, or just boring. No need to address everything. I’m mainly interested in where your attention drops or something doesn’t work.

Script: Google Drive PDF

Anyone know where to find pdfs of The Shards scripts? All I’ve been able to find are transcripts. Thanks.

Title: Survived By

Pages: 31

Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller

Logline: A researcher’s dark matter data accidentally maps the afterlife. Six months later, she’s in the Situation Room with the country’s most powerful people, watching with horror as her data leads them to conclude that the only mercy left is extinction.*

*Logline is still a major WIP because it's very passive for the protag, but I haven't quite figured out how to word it best yet / what I want to reveal before the story.

Feedback requested: The first act is very procedural/technically dense and I can't tell if I'm jargon-dumping and the reader can't follow the evolution of the central mystery, or if I'm overexplaining things that the reader already understands. Also, the first act is primarily carried by the mystery, which I worry leaves some scenes dramatically inert. I've tried to seed some stuff, but I'm not sure if it's doing enough.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jHOU8lmWN2mizTXAcVnhgLhwaiAjdY0q/view?usp=sharing

tl;dr:

• Can you follow act I? Where is it confusing or redundant?
• Is the investigation itself entertaining?

All other feedback more than welcome! If you took a look, thank you.

As the saying goes: "Write about scars, not your open wounds." Yet right now, I struggle to write about either my scars or my wounds. A while ago my mother was diagnosed with a terminal disease and my entire life is undergoing a profound shift.

I don't want to go into too much detail, but I am accompanying her through her illness. I have to give up a lot because I am taking care of everything because I have already lost my father, and my sister isn't much help.

I keep a journal of sorts to hold on to what is happening. I would like to turn it into a story, but I don't know how. I find it hard to change things or adjust them for dramatic effect, because holding on to the unvarnished reality is far more important to me right now. At the same time, I can't bring myself to write about anything else because everything else seems utterly trivial in light of my mother's situation. I have long struggled with writer's block, and I've always questioned why I should even tell fictional stories in the first place. But now, that feels even truer. I used to be on a good path toward making a living from writing, but now nothing is moving forward.

Hey everyone! I’m looking for feedback on the second draft of my screenplay Maddie’s World, a horror/mystery pilot presented as a late-’90s/early-2000s teen sitcom.

Logline: An airheaded sitcom sidekick begins to suspect something is terribly wrong beneath the laugh track of her seemingly perfect high school life.

The script shifts between bright, multi-camera sitcom scenes and single-camera horror as Bree starts noticing cracks in her reality.

I’d especially appreciate thoughts on:

Does the sitcom dialogue feel authentic to that era?

Is the mystery enticing?

Do the horror moments build tension without revealing too much too soon?

Are you invested in Bree, and does the ending make you want to keep watching?
Where does the pacing drag, or the action become confusing?

Are the genre switches confusing?

Any other feedback is welcome, too. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read!

Maddie’s World

Title: Toy Economy

Format: Short Film

Page Length: 10 Pages

Genres: Comedy/ Mockumentary

Logline: In a toy economy, a college student sets out to steal the world's most valuable toy after losing all his savings.

Feedback Concerns: Seeking feedback on the pacing, comedy, and the overall plot, but all feedback is appreciated!

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TmdmVYLfBpJxJ-hkYvH-h2XkSb6_vsBj/view?usp=sharing

Title: The Vix

Format: TV Pilot

Page Length: 42 Pages

Genres: Drama/Comedy

Logline: When a desperate aspiring day trader borrows money from a childhood friend turned small-time criminal, he must convince the man and his crew he can teach them to trade when his debt comes due - despite never having made a real profit himself.

Feedback Concerns: I wrote this over a year ago and recently did a huge rewrite, focusing on more on pacing and cutting back on financial exposition. Looking for any feedback.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iH_spuBYioLeP7xFSPHQ-Qch3mpxkYrz/view?usp=sharing

Hey everyone!
I’ve been working on a feature screenplay and have made several revisions, I’d love to get some honest feedback from the community.

Format: Feature Film
Genre: Dark Corporate Satire / Crime Thriller
Length: 108 pages
Pages for Feedback: 1–10

Logline:
A predatory fast-food giant exploits body positivity to disguise its controversial cost-cutting practices. Meanwhile, a grieving line cook plots violent revenge against the company. A conflicted executive struggles to reform it from within, unaware that his next corporate meal will end in catastrophe.

Script Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18WsELp4g0ugTFNVgXN0fxkF5FFQUdxI8/view?usp=drivesdk

I’m particularly interested in the opening hook, pacing, dialogue, character introductions, and whether the first 10 pages give you a reason to keep reading.

I’m open to any feedback, positive or negative. If something feels confusing, unnecessary, unrealistic, or poorly written, please point it out. I genuinely want to improve the screenplay.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read it. I appreciate it!

This feels like it should be obvious, because in real life, it is. I want a Nintendo Switch, but I need food & water.

But things are a little different in writing, no? The way I understand it, the want is the goal the character is consciously chasing, and the need is the thing they're subconsciously chasing.

In a romance, the leads need to be together by the end of the film. So can it be said that one lead needs the other? Or is that just what they want, and the need is something deeper, like learning to let go of the past?

It feels like the two blur together a lot!

Title: The Frontiers

Format: Feature

Genre: Comedy

Pages: 106

Draft Status: Work in Progress

Longline:

Two guys quickly realize that their friend is in the hands of a drug kingpin after a night of hardcore partying. This will lead to three days of pure chaos, with explosions and bullets flying everywhere.

I posted yesterday. I got some really good advice and feedback. I added the character introductions and shortened the script. I am sorry if I behaved rudely yesterday. It was not my intention. I really care about this script. Please tell me what you think.

Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X2HbaRxpznzvoJpiFbOIvf97bXL_O9UP/view?usp=sharing

SIX

Half Hour Pilot

37 Pages

Comedy/Family

Logline: A father's plan for his next chapter are disrupted when four of his adult children are forced to move back home.

I'm a fairly new writer and have a sitcom pilot that is a little too long (37 pages). Looking to swap with anyone for some initial feedback :) Main concerns: unsure what to cut, worried there is just too much content, worried it's lacking comedic tone

Overthinking has been a running theme ever since I was a child. Im pretty sure being sensitive is related to many people wanting to write in the first place. Any one here took SSRIs for your writing career? How does it work out for you? My therapist recommended me to be open to all sort of help, but I had really bad memories with antidepressants. If anyone could share their experiences or opinions I will be very grateful. Just wanna hear it and wish to discuss more. Thanks!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PBqu5llaMDFsY4vYh5KgXhOtNkbPb0jbfakWZsyAvok/edit?usp=drivesdk

This is a summary/ treatment for BUZZ. A satire film I’m developing. Will move onto beat sheet phase assuming the general plot/ arcs work. Let me know what you think.

FAQ: How to post to a weekly thread?

Feedback Guide for New Writers

This is a thread for giving and receiving feedback on 5 of your screenplay pages.

• Post a link to five pages of your screenplay in a top comment. They can be any 5, but if they are not your first 5, give some context in the same comment you're linking in.

• As a courtesy, you can also include some of this info.

  Title: Format: Page Length: Genres: Logline or Summary: Feedback Concerns:

• Provide feedback in reply-comments. Please do not share full scripts and link only to your 5 pages. If someone wants to see your full script, they can let you know.