Make your story unforgettable. Dive deep into screenwriting craft with Kelly Keough, your award-winning mentor. From the building blocks to winning your audience's hearts, gain top-tier techniques that amplify your story's clarity, appeal, and creativity.
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In my journey, I've discovered that the movie magic lies in the details.
I’m Kelly E. Keough, a screenwriter, author, and instructor covering a vital topic for storytellers and screenwriters not well served in existing media: the micro approach to writing and editing.
Story Waves is a “lesson-letter.”
It’s 101+ concise and impactful top-tier storytelling mini-lessons curated to elevate your screenplay's clarity, boost its commercial appeal, and unleash its full creative potential. I hope you’ll join the Story Waves community and add the pro knowledge to your creative storytelling techniques. Posts 1-2 wk. Story Waves offers the keys to getting your story read beyond page 3.
Story Groups | Workshops | Coaching | Consults | Skill Development
Why Story Waves? Why now?
Surf the Story Waves and take your audience on a ride.
Story Waves is me sharing the “How to Write Stories That Sell” guide I wanted and needed. It’s also the “How to Rewrite Your Story with Accuracy” guide I cannot live without. No more doing scattered edits and drowning in development notes. When I discover a tool that makes the positive changes I desire, I have to tell people about it.
Here’s an example of a STORY WAVE lesson with my unique interpretation:
“Teach. Audiences love to learn.”
“Teaching the audience” is a pro tip and persuasive technique used in the film OPPENHEIMER, where Cillian Murphy, as Oppenheimer, begins teaching Lomanitz, a young quantum mechanics student, by firing off the question, “Is light made up of particles or waves?” Paradoxically, light can be both. Lomanitz is hooked. So are we.
So, after studying and teaching storytelling for 20+ years, diving deep into structure and genre classes, devouring books on character motivation, getting notes from execs, lit managers, dev editors in Hollywood and NYC, and absorbing tidal waves of information on storytelling—this is me curating my expertise and passion and sharing.
I still believe the tsunami approach of mastering all things storytelling is necessary, but I also know that writing also comes in SMALL waves.
I’ll share many more techniques using scripts, TV series, films, and books. I hope my Story Waves supports your writing process to be effective, fun, and exciting.
About Me
I am an award-winning screenwriter and podcaster, a two-time published non-fiction book author, and a produced reality cooking TV series writer/host. Sharing, teaching, and self-publishing is how I became a TV writer/host and the first published cookbook author in the USA in the sugar-free/gluten-free baking space. I am also a best-selling author on DailyOm.com.
Screenwriting and Podcasting Awards
Final Draft’s BIG BREAK Screenwriting Contest, Family/Animated, Quarter Finalist, SWISH, 2023
Silver Winning COVR Visionary Award in Radio and Podcasting, June 2022.
Top 100, EMERGING SCREENWRITING CONTEST, FEATURE FILM, GIRL SQUAD, 2013
Prism Generation Next Fellowship Writing Award, TV SITCOM WRITING, EIC ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES COUNCIL, Burbank, CA
I taught screenwriting and arts entrepreneurship at AMDA in Los Angeles, podcasting at Tufts University, and TV screenwriting at Emerson College in Boston. That’s 27 semesters in a row, helping over 2000 writing students. Now, I hope I get to help you.
I have an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
Genres I love (TV, Film, and Books): Romance, Family/Animated, Rom-Com, Historical Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, True Crime, Crime, Action/Adventure, Western, Performance (sports/music), Thriller, Road Trip, Self Help, Spiritual Memoir, Female Forward, Female Voices, and Everyday Madonnas.
Testimonials
Kelly Keough is a genius! Not only does she take the time to ensure that every writer gets an adequate amount of notes that successfully sets them up for the next draft, but she also uses her industry expertise to bring every script to the next level. I couldn’t recommend her workshops more. ~Zach B.
Working with Kelly Keough is amazing! She has helped me with two of my scripts now and I cannot be more grateful. She always has incredible insight and her knowledge and command of structure are top notch! She’s great at helping you get through writer’s block. Kelly is direct, honest, caring and has a keen intuition that really benefits her clients! Thank you Kelly! ~Beth N.
Kelly Keough is an incredible teacher and writer whose skill and wisdom can only be matched by her compassion and encouraging nature. I was lucky enough to have her as my professor in college and the way that I approach my writing has been forever changed by her teaching. As you can tell from her workshops and videos, she is concise and clear, accomplished and knowledgeable, and most importantly eager to help you succeed and find your voice. ~Emma M.
Coming soon (!) Visit my author website: www.story-waves.com
Story Waves Mission Statement
Story Waves are like drops of water in our great ocean of collective tales and storytelling techniques. Every Story Wave is meant to create a ripple. Behind the ripples are my hopes of bringing beautiful artists and storytellers into this world, one wave at a time.
My Story Waves Stubstack reflects the unique perspective of my studying and teaching storytelling and professional screenwriting experience for film and television since 2000 in Los Angeles and Boston. It is intended to support and educate a diverse range of screenwriters and storytellers. There is no value difference given to the role each writer’s story has chosen for its expression.
Story Waves is a work in progress. I hope to create a better interactive online experience. I hope to keep increasing the screenwriting and storytelling resources to provide an array of support materials that can be given in an “intuitive” chronological order to serve the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of screenwriting. Those who resonate with this material are willing to participate with clear ethical and trustworthy behaviors within all responsibilities of the Story Waves Substack publication.
Please cultivate personal discernment and develop personal responsibility to use what you feel you need and discard the rest!
Happy writing,
Kelly E. Keough
