Act Two Podcast

When Life Happens, How to Keep Writing

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman have just been side-lined by sicknesses and Tasha is recently back from a month on the road. It's time to talk about how to keep writing during unexpected obstacles. Inertia in the right direction is important, but Life can get in the way. Let's talk practical, real ways to keep going during tough times.

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

RE-RELEASE: How to Stay in Screenwriting Shape

Hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman discuss a blog post by Final Draft about 5 Ways to stretch your Screenwriting muscles every day so you never lose writing momentum, even on days you don't feel like writing.

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Music by 414Beg

Are You Excited? JUNE 2025 EDITION

Summer movies are out! And it's time to see if you're excited about what Hollywood has to offer in June! Some surprises, and some long-awaited blockbusters. What will you be seeing this June?

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Top Tips for Aspiring Screenwriters

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discover a list of top tips for aspiring Screenwriters, according to the New York Film Academy. They disagree fundamentally with some tips, and expound on the practicality of others in the real world. There is advice for up & coming Screenwriters everywhere. Tasha and Josh help translate that advice into real-life scenarios and uses.

 

TWIW: Outlining as a surprising tool for a writer who doesn't outline

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

A Writer's Tools: The Oversized Sketchpad

Host Tasha Huo rants about her oversized sketchpad and the different ways she's used it to help break multiple script ideas. She answers listener questions on using the sketchpad, and, really, just won't shut up about the sketchpad.

 

TWIW: What would Tasha's greatest betrayal of Josh be? / Don't sleep on The Accountant and The Accountant 2

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

8 Famous Improv Moments Writers Can Learn From

Not everything you see on screen was in the script. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down 8 famous improvised movie moments - what made them work, how they changed the scene, and what screenwriters can learn from embracing spontaneity.

Questions or comments? Hit us up at ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist.

Know Your Story

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dig into the importance of: Knowing Your Story. As screenwriters, we all get notes that make us question everything - is the story different now? Is it better? Or just... different? Tasha and Josh break down knowing your characters and ways to stay grounded when the note floodgates open.

Plus: Are You Excited?!

Questions or comments? Hit us up at ActTwoWriters@gmail.com
Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist.

A Screenwriter's Self-Talk Cycle

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about self-talk, the kind that holds us back, and the kind that pushes us forward. How do we recognize and manage those self-destructive thoughts, and how do we start talking kinder to ourselves as writers.

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Writing for the Audience (and not sell out)

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss a hotly debated topic -- writing for an audience (it's not what you think it is). What does it mean to think about the audience when you write a scene and how do you do without compromising your vision as a writer.

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Framing Devices: What They Are and When They Work

What is a framing device, and why do writers use them? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman explore the storytelling tool that bookends so many scripts. They also have a little disagreement about the use of a framing device in White Lotus...

 

Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist