Light the Spark.
Write the Screenplay.
Make it Happen.
You don't need another book on screenwriting theory.
You need to know what to actually do next.
Maverick Script Code is a 23-move system laid out like a game board. Every square is a specific, named action that takes you from first spark to finished script.
There are four phases:
- Prepare to Write
- First Draft
- Second Draft
- Third Draft
Unlike classic screenwriting we do not begin with
abstract principles to translate into work as well as an absence of "find your voice" platitudes. Just the next move, then the next.
Maverick Action Board
Whether you're trying to break into screenwriting for TV, documentaries, YouTube or cinema or
trying to make a break through and become really good, the challenge is rarely talent. It's more
likely that nobody's ever shown you the actual moves successful scriptwriters often make instinctively.
"Maverick Script Code is unorthodox on purpose. After years in writers' rooms and selling scripts of
my own, I built the playbook I wish someone had handed me at the start. The moves that get
pages written, drafts finished, and scripts into the hands of people who can evaluate and buy
them… plus a few cheat codes I've picked up along the way. If you are serious about the craft - so
am I in making it happen for you."
“I Didn't Learn Screenwriting in a Classroom”
There are probably easier ways to learn screenwriting than being given seven days to write your first two commissioned television scripts. Unfortunately, that wasn't the way it happened for me.
After securing a literary agent, I suddenly found myself commissioned by the BBC to write two episodes of a prime-time television drama. It was the opportunity I had been waiting for, but there was one fairly significant problem. I had never written a television script before. And I had seven days to deliver two 28 minute scripts. There was no time to disappear into books and spend months studying theory. I had to sit down and work out what mattered in terms of characterisation, how scenes are constructed, how dialogue works and so on. Above all, I had to learn how to get from a blank page to a professional script when there is a real deadline pressing down on your shoulder.
I ended up writing the episodes in time and the BBC were happy to produce them. They eventually went out and that first commission led to another and then another. More than 30 years later, I have written for television dramas like Doctor Who, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Angels, developed and written feature screenplays, and created hundreds of scripts for business, training and corporate productions. Along the way, I learnt something important. Screenwriting is often made to appear far more complicated and mysterious than it needs to be.
Why I Created Maverick Script Code
There are thousands of books, courses, videos, theories and opinions about screenwriting. Much of the material is excellent. The problem is that knowing a great deal about screenwriting isn't necessarily the same as knowing what to do next when you are sitting in front of a blank page.
I began wondering whether I could take everything I had learnt from more than three decades of professional writing and turn it into a practical process that anybody could follow.
That became Maverick Script Code.
Learn Maverick Script Code Free
I am currently sharing the fundamentals of Maverick Script Code for free through a complete series
on YouTube. Each episode takes you another step through the process, which is why I encourage
you to subscribe rather than simply watch the occasional video. This isn't intended to be a
collection of unrelated screenwriting tips. Each lesson is part of the complete Code.
If you have an idea you have always wanted to turn into a screenplay, have started scripts but
never quite managed to finish them or simply want a more practical way to approach screenwriting
regardless of your age, then subscribe to the YouTube channel and follow the series from the
beginning. Because the difference between someone who dreams of writing a screenplay and
someone who actually writes one is often simply knowing the next move.
What is Maverick Script Code?
Maverick Script Code is a blueprint for writers who:
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Haven’t yet been paid for their scripts – or not as often as they’d like.
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Feel lost in a maze of books, gurus, and contradictory “rules.”
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Want a lean, commercial approach that respects craft and treats writing as a commercial product.
Instead of drowning you in theory, the system guides you through 23 clear “moves” on an Actionboard – from your first spark of an idea all the way to a commercially‑viable saleable script.
Along the way you’ll develop four core pillars:
Mindset
Stop thinking like an “aspiring” screenwriter and start approaching your writing with the attitude and confidence of a professional.
Motivation
Develop the habits, discipline and momentum that keep you writing and help you finally get that screenplay finished.
Maverick Tools
Discover simple, practical and sometimes unconventional tools to help you develop stories, strengthen characters, structure scripts and rewrite with purpose.
Money (Getting Paid)
Discover where screenwriters are getting paid today, from television and feature films to micro-dramas, branded content and the opportunities emerging beyond traditional screenwriting.
Who is it For?
Writers who start scripts but rarely finished them.
“Nearly there” writers who get good feedback but no money.
Late starters and career‑changers who don’t want to waste a decade figuring it all out for themselves. They want a hedge-cutter in a maze.
Make it Happen
If you’re ready to start thinking and writing like a professional, even before the industry has caught up, start with Episode 1 of the Maverick Script Code on Youtube and sign up for the latest updates on tools and opportunities to write for real projects.
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