Story Analysis Services

Think of Script Coaching as a Master Class in screenwriting - Graduate School for one. Jim delves into every aspect of your script—concept, sequence, structure, scenes, action description, character development, dialogue and more—to help you achieve a polished, ready-for-market script. Whether you want a gentle nudge or a strong backwind while sprinting toward a deadline, Jim helps you cross the finish line.

Script Coaching moves beyond static notes that function like a one-way monologue and taps into your creative potential with a dialogue, a back-and-forth that provides “in-the moment” progress. Jim champions your work, and your potential, as he tailors his collaboration to your individual learning style and shepherds your craft and project to their highest level.

Feedback on several drafts of your script via written notes, phone/Skype calls, emails, optional homework/study, and, depending on geography, in-person meetings.

A typical Coaching scenario entails 30–50 hours of personal attention, including 25–40 pages of notes.

Get two scripts at once as Mentoring, which will have the added benefit of enabling Jim to recognize more patterns in your writing style and add additional insight into your craft, tremendously accelerating your growth as a writer. When you sign up for Mentoring (two scripts), you save up to $2,000 from the price of two services.

You will receive notes on structure, character, story, pace, subplots, theme, dialogue, marketability, and action description. I will even edit a few passages to suggest a more efficient prose style. This service averages 12–16 pages of notes, which include dozens of comments on individual pages plus a several-page essay on big-picture concerns. I offer solutions for most problems that I find. The Comprehensive Script Analysis includes a follow up phone call that allows you to clarify concerns brainstorm solutions, or ask specific questions. Writers who choose to upgrade to my coaching service may deduct this initial cost.

Jim provides a page of concentrated bullet-point feedback and optional follow-up call. The Snapshot Evaluation's succinct clarity gives you a sense of where you are with your script and writing craft as well as a hint of where you should be headed. Consider this as a way for you to see how I approach your material and to get a glimpse of how we might be able to work together to achieve your goals in more of a "Go Big or Go Home" way through the coaching or mentoring process.

Jim analyzes your treatment, synopsis, or outline for a feature-length screenplay. This service averages five pages of notes, questions, and suggestions along with a 20-minute phone call to discuss ideas and brainstorm solutions. This service lends itself to concepts that are more genre- and story-driven.

Limit of ten double-spaced pages.

Whereas most notes focus on the structure of your story, this services provides an assessment of your craft. Jim's book The Craft of Scene Writing which will be released in 2019 by Linden Publishing is the first-ever screenwriting book focusing solely on scene writing. Jim's attention to the minutiae of craft is his specialty. Not every scene will be critiqued, but the feedback and a summary of recurring patterns will evaluate your craft on the spot.

Whether you are writing your spec script or need rush-feedback before going into production, my diverse professional points of view can help you succeed in this competitive field. I work with screenwriters, TV writers, comedians, as well as writers of short form formats including ads, songs and sketches.

I am also available for custom services such as on-set mentoring for directors, script doctoring (hiring me as a writer), or development for comedy routines or one-man or one-woman shows.

We offer a version of the above services for television scripts and analysis of bibles for pilots. You can choose me or one of my associates who specialize in TV projects. Contact me for details on pricing or services.