Death or Story
@deathorstory.bsky.social
Write your story or die trying. 🤘 Getting professional help with your screenplays & stories is not a sign of weakness. It's a short cut to success. We are Paula Tiberius & Dominique Buda - & work with clients at any stage 🙌🏼
https://www.deathorstory.com/
https://www.deathorstory.com/
Sterlin Harjo doesn't shy away from deep emotional pain. He infuses difficult scenes with love for a profound universality. You don’t just wonder how the characters will get through their trauma - you're asking yourself, "How will I?" #SterlinHarjo #screenwriting #seminoleartist #DeathorStory
November 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Sterlin Harjo doesn't shy away from deep emotional pain. He infuses difficult scenes with love for a profound universality. You don’t just wonder how the characters will get through their trauma - you're asking yourself, "How will I?" #SterlinHarjo #screenwriting #seminoleartist #DeathorStory
A screenplay is not a novel - but it IS a reading experience. We can't get inside someone's head, but we can describe how they look based on their emotional state. Look at this bad versus good example to see what we're talking about!
#screenwriting #writingvisually #deathorstory #screenplays
#screenwriting #writingvisually #deathorstory #screenplays
November 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
A screenplay is not a novel - but it IS a reading experience. We can't get inside someone's head, but we can describe how they look based on their emotional state. Look at this bad versus good example to see what we're talking about!
#screenwriting #writingvisually #deathorstory #screenplays
#screenwriting #writingvisually #deathorstory #screenplays
On occasion of the recent release of Patti Smith’s new book “Bread of Angels,” we are reminded of her words - have the courage to write before you’re ready & be free to write the wrong words until the true ones fight their way out.
#PattiSmith #screenwriting #DeathorStory #poetry #songwriting
#PattiSmith #screenwriting #DeathorStory #poetry #songwriting
November 21, 2025 at 5:37 PM
On occasion of the recent release of Patti Smith’s new book “Bread of Angels,” we are reminded of her words - have the courage to write before you’re ready & be free to write the wrong words until the true ones fight their way out.
#PattiSmith #screenwriting #DeathorStory #poetry #songwriting
#PattiSmith #screenwriting #DeathorStory #poetry #songwriting
Hide all your exposition in conflict, subtext, and relationship dynamics. Let your characters argue, dodge, or posture their way through the facts. In short, avoid information dumps at all costs! #dialogue #deathorstory #screenwriting #subtext #departmentofdialogue
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Hide all your exposition in conflict, subtext, and relationship dynamics. Let your characters argue, dodge, or posture their way through the facts. In short, avoid information dumps at all costs! #dialogue #deathorstory #screenwriting #subtext #departmentofdialogue
Filmmaker László Nemes, known for the Oscar winning “Son of Saul” and now “Orphan”, wants to leave the audience haunted. Sometimes the absence of satisfaction becomes the film’s most powerful thought-engine.
#LászlóNemes #sonofsaul #orphan #bfilondonfilmfestival #screenwriting #deathorstory
#LászlóNemes #sonofsaul #orphan #bfilondonfilmfestival #screenwriting #deathorstory
November 7, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Filmmaker László Nemes, known for the Oscar winning “Son of Saul” and now “Orphan”, wants to leave the audience haunted. Sometimes the absence of satisfaction becomes the film’s most powerful thought-engine.
#LászlóNemes #sonofsaul #orphan #bfilondonfilmfestival #screenwriting #deathorstory
#LászlóNemes #sonofsaul #orphan #bfilondonfilmfestival #screenwriting #deathorstory
Join us DECEMBER 6 to STRUCTURE YOUR SCREENPLAY! www.deathorstory.com/.../structur...
We’ll break down the key beats that give your script momentum and shape - and discuss the larger sequences they're part of to give you two perspectives!
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #writingworkshop
We’ll break down the key beats that give your script momentum and shape - and discuss the larger sequences they're part of to give you two perspectives!
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #writingworkshop
November 4, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Join us DECEMBER 6 to STRUCTURE YOUR SCREENPLAY! www.deathorstory.com/.../structur...
We’ll break down the key beats that give your script momentum and shape - and discuss the larger sequences they're part of to give you two perspectives!
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #writingworkshop
We’ll break down the key beats that give your script momentum and shape - and discuss the larger sequences they're part of to give you two perspectives!
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #writingworkshop
Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻 Let’s analyze Guillermo del Toro’s mad scientist Victor Frankenstein! His wants, his needs, his fatal flaws — discover a man wrapped in irony.
The real question has always been: who’s the true monster here?
#frankenstein #character #screenwriting #DeathorStory #halloweenmovies
The real question has always been: who’s the true monster here?
#frankenstein #character #screenwriting #DeathorStory #halloweenmovies
October 31, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻 Let’s analyze Guillermo del Toro’s mad scientist Victor Frankenstein! His wants, his needs, his fatal flaws — discover a man wrapped in irony.
The real question has always been: who’s the true monster here?
#frankenstein #character #screenwriting #DeathorStory #halloweenmovies
The real question has always been: who’s the true monster here?
#frankenstein #character #screenwriting #DeathorStory #halloweenmovies
Look how Nora Ephron structured Act 2 of When Harry Met Sally! A Squeeze Point 1, Midpoint, Squeeze Point 2, Crisis and Push into 3….works like a charm. If any of these plot points are missing, you can risk marching in place (boring!) or wrapping up two quickly - two deadly sins of screenwriting.
October 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Look how Nora Ephron structured Act 2 of When Harry Met Sally! A Squeeze Point 1, Midpoint, Squeeze Point 2, Crisis and Push into 3….works like a charm. If any of these plot points are missing, you can risk marching in place (boring!) or wrapping up two quickly - two deadly sins of screenwriting.
In honor of the late, magnificent Diane Keaton, here’s a character sketch exploring the wants, needs & flaws of J.C. Wiatt from Baby Boom (1988) -the original shoulder pad-clad career woman who had it all together until a baby lands in her lap!
#DianeKeaton #BabyBoom #screenwriting #deathorstory
#DianeKeaton #BabyBoom #screenwriting #deathorstory
October 21, 2025 at 4:21 PM
In honor of the late, magnificent Diane Keaton, here’s a character sketch exploring the wants, needs & flaws of J.C. Wiatt from Baby Boom (1988) -the original shoulder pad-clad career woman who had it all together until a baby lands in her lap!
#DianeKeaton #BabyBoom #screenwriting #deathorstory
#DianeKeaton #BabyBoom #screenwriting #deathorstory
Bigelow speaks to her new film, A House of Dynamite — an astonishingly unsettling look at how the nuclear threat has faded into background noise of our distracted world. What story feels urgent to you right now?
#KathrynBigelow #screenwriting #screenplays #filmmaking #inspiration #DeathorStory
#KathrynBigelow #screenwriting #screenplays #filmmaking #inspiration #DeathorStory
October 17, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Bigelow speaks to her new film, A House of Dynamite — an astonishingly unsettling look at how the nuclear threat has faded into background noise of our distracted world. What story feels urgent to you right now?
#KathrynBigelow #screenwriting #screenplays #filmmaking #inspiration #DeathorStory
#KathrynBigelow #screenwriting #screenplays #filmmaking #inspiration #DeathorStory
From our Department of Dialogue: Dialogue is behavior, not exposition - when characters stop explaining themselves, we finally get to see who they are. Create stronger, sharper, more authentic dialogue by motivating it with action.
#Dialogue #screenwriting #DepartmentofDialogue #deathorstory
#Dialogue #screenwriting #DepartmentofDialogue #deathorstory
October 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
From our Department of Dialogue: Dialogue is behavior, not exposition - when characters stop explaining themselves, we finally get to see who they are. Create stronger, sharper, more authentic dialogue by motivating it with action.
#Dialogue #screenwriting #DepartmentofDialogue #deathorstory
#Dialogue #screenwriting #DepartmentofDialogue #deathorstory
Jesse (Ethan Hawke) says this to Céline (Julie Delpy) in Richard Linklater's Before Sunset in the context of remembering the sex they had (or didn't have according to her!) 20 years earlier…Use memory to shape your characters!
#beforesunset #RichardLinklater #memory #screenwriting #deathorstory
#beforesunset #RichardLinklater #memory #screenwriting #deathorstory
October 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Jesse (Ethan Hawke) says this to Céline (Julie Delpy) in Richard Linklater's Before Sunset in the context of remembering the sex they had (or didn't have according to her!) 20 years earlier…Use memory to shape your characters!
#beforesunset #RichardLinklater #memory #screenwriting #deathorstory
#beforesunset #RichardLinklater #memory #screenwriting #deathorstory
Did your act one set up the story properly? Is your act two sagging in the middle? What about your act 3? Does it wrap up too quickly? We have solutions to all these common problems at our "Structure Your Screenplay" workshop on Dec. 6/25. #deathorstory #storystructure #screenwriting
October 7, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Did your act one set up the story properly? Is your act two sagging in the middle? What about your act 3? Does it wrap up too quickly? We have solutions to all these common problems at our "Structure Your Screenplay" workshop on Dec. 6/25. #deathorstory #storystructure #screenwriting
Brad Ingelsby — The writer behind Mare of Easttown and Task — offers perspective character work. Notice the small, specific details you “deposit” over time, like pennies into a piggy bank. A gesture here, a choice there, a small truth revealed…
#BradIngelsby #task #DeathorStory #screenwriting
#BradIngelsby #task #DeathorStory #screenwriting
October 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Brad Ingelsby — The writer behind Mare of Easttown and Task — offers perspective character work. Notice the small, specific details you “deposit” over time, like pennies into a piggy bank. A gesture here, a choice there, a small truth revealed…
#BradIngelsby #task #DeathorStory #screenwriting
#BradIngelsby #task #DeathorStory #screenwriting
Did you know your TV show pilot works on TWO different levels? As a stand-alone episode, it has its own structure, but it ALSO serves as the act one for the entire series.
#SomebodySomewhere #screenwritingtips #TVshows #Pilots #screenplays #writingclass #writingworkshops #deathorstory
#SomebodySomewhere #screenwritingtips #TVshows #Pilots #screenplays #writingclass #writingworkshops #deathorstory
September 30, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Did you know your TV show pilot works on TWO different levels? As a stand-alone episode, it has its own structure, but it ALSO serves as the act one for the entire series.
#SomebodySomewhere #screenwritingtips #TVshows #Pilots #screenplays #writingclass #writingworkshops #deathorstory
#SomebodySomewhere #screenwritingtips #TVshows #Pilots #screenplays #writingclass #writingworkshops #deathorstory
Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the great voices in science fiction, understood that words could build new worlds. She also understood that art unflinchingly speaks truth to power. #Resistance begins with words.
#UrsulaKLeGuin #screenwriting #screenplays #inspiration #DeathorStory #TruthtoPower
#UrsulaKLeGuin #screenwriting #screenplays #inspiration #DeathorStory #TruthtoPower
September 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the great voices in science fiction, understood that words could build new worlds. She also understood that art unflinchingly speaks truth to power. #Resistance begins with words.
#UrsulaKLeGuin #screenwriting #screenplays #inspiration #DeathorStory #TruthtoPower
#UrsulaKLeGuin #screenwriting #screenplays #inspiration #DeathorStory #TruthtoPower
NEW WORKSHOP DEC 6, 2025! We’ll break down the key beats—inciting incident, break into two, midpoint, crisis, climax, and more—that give your script momentum and shape. Cement these “rules” in your writer’s toolbox—so you can get creative and bend them in the best ways.
#screenwriting #deathorstory
#screenwriting #deathorstory
September 23, 2025 at 3:02 PM
NEW WORKSHOP DEC 6, 2025! We’ll break down the key beats—inciting incident, break into two, midpoint, crisis, climax, and more—that give your script momentum and shape. Cement these “rules” in your writer’s toolbox—so you can get creative and bend them in the best ways.
#screenwriting #deathorstory
#screenwriting #deathorstory
Have you seen “Spinal Tap - The End Continues” yet? It’s out in theaters this week! In honor of that 40-years-later sequel, let’s take a look at how the midpoint works in the original 1984 mocumentary “This is Spinal Tap!”
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #midpoint #spinaltap #mockumentary
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #midpoint #spinaltap #mockumentary
September 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Have you seen “Spinal Tap - The End Continues” yet? It’s out in theaters this week! In honor of that 40-years-later sequel, let’s take a look at how the midpoint works in the original 1984 mocumentary “This is Spinal Tap!”
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #midpoint #spinaltap #mockumentary
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #midpoint #spinaltap #mockumentary
Film Director Mike Mills, known for intimate, deeply human films like 20th Century Women, Beginners, and C’mon C’mon, is getting at the core magic of story telling. You create, you share, then you let the audience finish the story as it lands with them.
#MikeMills #screenwriting #DeathorStory
#MikeMills #screenwriting #DeathorStory
September 16, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Film Director Mike Mills, known for intimate, deeply human films like 20th Century Women, Beginners, and C’mon C’mon, is getting at the core magic of story telling. You create, you share, then you let the audience finish the story as it lands with them.
#MikeMills #screenwriting #DeathorStory
#MikeMills #screenwriting #DeathorStory
DAY 12! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Final Tip: Happily Ever After! This is non-negotiable - the two leads must end up together in a freeze-frame of loving perfection. Find the best HEA!
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
September 14, 2025 at 2:14 PM
DAY 12! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Final Tip: Happily Ever After! This is non-negotiable - the two leads must end up together in a freeze-frame of loving perfection. Find the best HEA!
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
#DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
DAY 11! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: SOFT CRISIS! Every story needs a crisis, but in a Christmas romance movie it can't be anything tragic or horrific... #DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
September 12, 2025 at 2:55 PM
DAY 11! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: SOFT CRISIS! Every story needs a crisis, but in a Christmas romance movie it can't be anything tragic or horrific... #DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
DAY 10! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: CHRISTMAS COMES LAST! Christmas comes at the end of a Christmas romance movie. Full stop. Embrace this organic ticking clock! #DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance #ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
September 11, 2025 at 3:54 PM
DAY 10! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: CHRISTMAS COMES LAST! Christmas comes at the end of a Christmas romance movie. Full stop. Embrace this organic ticking clock! #DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance #ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
DAY 9! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: TIE YOUR THEME TO CHRISTMAS! Consider themes like "family is more important than money" or "Love is about showing up." #DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance #ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
September 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
DAY 9! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: TIE YOUR THEME TO CHRISTMAS! Consider themes like "family is more important than money" or "Love is about showing up." #DeathorStory #screenwriting #Christmasromance #ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
DAY 8! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: VILLAINS! Don't be afraid to give your villains an arc. It can add a heartwarming element to have the villain redeem themselves. Remember the Grinch! #DeathorStory #Christmasromance #ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
September 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
DAY 8! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 pro tips in 12 Days! Today: VILLAINS! Don't be afraid to give your villains an arc. It can add a heartwarming element to have the villain redeem themselves. Remember the Grinch! #DeathorStory #Christmasromance #ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
DAY 7! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 tips in 12 Days! Today: Don't Forget Christmas! Every home should have a tree with presents underneath, twinkle lights galore, snow globes, mistletoe, stockings hung on the fireplace.
#screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
#screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
September 8, 2025 at 3:33 PM
DAY 7! How to write a Christmas Romance movie - 12 tips in 12 Days! Today: Don't Forget Christmas! Every home should have a tree with presents underneath, twinkle lights galore, snow globes, mistletoe, stockings hung on the fireplace.
#screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies
#screenwriting #Christmasromance#ChristmasMovies #RomanceMovies