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.
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In this episode, Meg and Lorian dig into the messy, magical stage of screenwriting: the barf draft — your first complete, unfiltered version of a screenplay.
They share their own writing processes, including what to do when your draft is chaotic, too long, too short, or tonally inconsistent (hello, unexpected aliens!). You’ll learn how to shift your mindset from “fixing” to discovering, how to identify your story’s true form, and how to surface what genuinely excites you.
The episode is filled with real talk about structure, character agency, stakes, and how to reverse outline what you actually wrote. Meg and Lorian also explore the emotional journey of the writer — including why you should celebrate finishing, even when the draft feels like a disaster.
Whether you’re writing your first draft or your fifteenth, this episode will help you find clarity, confidence, and forward motion.
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