by Writing Workshops Staff
3 weeks ago
Aspiring screenwriters often grapple with the perceived constraints of traditional storytelling frameworks. Heidi Lux presents a refreshing paradox: true creative freedom comes not from abandoning structure, but from mastering it.
Heidi, whose credits span the seemingly disparate worlds of Nickelodeon children's programming and satirical platforms like McSweeney's, approaches screenplay architecture not as a prison of convention but as a skeleton key capable of unlocking narrative potential.
"Any style of writing has a structure and set of rules, and knowing those rules takes a load off," Lux explains. "You don't have to sit there wondering where this piece of exposition or that piece of action should go. You know what goes where, which opens up your creativity and allows you to focus on the fun stuff."
Her upcoming one-day intensive workshop promises to transform participants' relationship with the three-act structure, repositioning it from dreaded technical requirement to invaluable creative ally.
Rather than presenting screenplay beats as immutable commandments, Lux reveals them as navigational tools that can help writers chart a course through the notoriously challenging terrain of narrative development, particularly what she calls the "saggy Act II," where many promising scripts lose momentum.
What distinguishes Lux's approach is her emphasis on process over theory. While many instructors dissect screenplays with academic detachment, she acknowledges the inherently messy reality of the creative process. "The inciting incident isn't always cleanly on page 10, and scenes move around all the time," she notes with the world-weary wisdom of someone who confronts these challenges daily.
This practical foundation allows participants to internalize structural principles as flexible guidelines rather than rigid formulas, ultimately serving the emotional journey at the heart of every compelling screenplay.
Writing Workshops: Your seminar positions screenplay structure not as a rigid set of rules but as a tool for liberation. How has your experience writing for platforms as different as Nickelodeon and satirical outlets like McSweeney's shaped this perspective on structure as creative freedom rather than constraint?
Heidi Lux: Any style of writing has a structure and set of rules, and knowing those rules takes a load off, because you don’t have to sit there wondering where this piece of exposition or that piece of action should go. You know what goes where, which opens up your creativity and allows you to focus on the fun stuff. It’s really, really hard to write anything - regardless of form - if you don’t know what you’re doing.
WW: You mention teaching writers how to "use the rules to break the rules." Can you share a moment in your screenwriting career when breaking structural conventions led to a breakthrough in storytelling?
HL: I’m working on an unconventional rom com right now that has a big misdirect. Knowing what audiences expect has helped make that misdirect land. I know which path they’re expecting, so I can lead them down the wrong one on purpose. The only way you can pull something complex off (without it being jarring) is by knowing the rules. There are so many creative storytellers who we think are super outside of the box, but if you look under the hood of their scripts, they’re following the rules hard. They take big swings and those big swings land because they’re familiar with the patterns an audience comes to expect.
WW: The workshop description emphasizes preventing a "saggy Act II"—something many screenwriters struggle with. What's the most counterintuitive advice you give students about maintaining momentum through the middle of their scripts?
HL: I think the saggy Act II comes in because the act itself is a little more nebulous in terms of stroy structure. The beats of Act I and Act III are pretty set (and in some genres like rom coms, formulaic), but in Act II, you get into the “fun and games” section, which isn’t that much instruction to go off of, making it weirdly harder because it’s so open ended! But even though it feels open ended, there are actually structural beats and formulas to turn to that will help you through it. So I guess the counterintuitive advice would be - when it feels as if there are no rules, turn to the rules!
WW: Your background spans both children's programming and adult satire. How does this range influence your approach to teaching structure across different tones, audiences, and genres?
HL: Ultimately, structure doesn’t change if you’re telling an adult story or a kids’ story. The tone, style, and subject matter are what changes. If you have an underlying grasp of structure and story, it makes it easier to work across different genres, because you have a firm feel of the pacing and patterns that all audiences expect.
WW: You're teaching writers to balance structural expectations with innovation. In your view, what's the relationship between mastering traditional structure and developing a distinctive voice as a screenwriter?
HL: Structure and voice are two different things, and you need to develop both in order to have a strong script. Structure is the path of the journey, and voice is the thing that convinces us you’re going to be a good tour guide. One without the other might make for a good script, but if you can pull off both, then you’ll have a great script.
WW: You describe screenplay structure as "the roadmap for your story." For writers who feel lost in their narratives, what's your first piece of guidance to help them use structure to find their way back?
HL: The first thing I would recommend is to go to notecards! I often find that even just going through the script and writing down the gist of every scene is a great way to see what’s missing or what’s a double beat.
WW: Many writing workshops focus on theory, but yours emphasizes process. What prompted this practical approach, and how has it evolved from your experiences navigating both the business and creative sides of screenwriting?
HL: The whole point of learning theory is to develop and support process. But sometimes, focusing on theory too hard can get in the way of process because there’s so much focus on what something “should” be, rather than if it lands or not. Every story beat has a function, and that function is to elicit a certain response in the audience. When we pick apart scripts, I feel like it normally comes from an academic approach - but the writer has a totally different approach when they’re actually writing! It’s messy. The inciting incident isn’t always cleanly on pg. 10, and scenes move around all the time. I’m a writer myself, so I use these tools and get frustrated by these tools on a daily basis, so my teaching approach is to empower other writers to be able to actually use them, too - how does the tool of structure fit into the function of what you’re trying to elicit in the audience?
Learn more and sign up for Heidi's seminar, Screenplay Structure Made Simple (and Fun!), and sign up now!
Instructor Heidi Lux is a produced screenwriter and satirist. Her screenwriting credits include Nickelodeon and Tubi. As a satirist, Heidi is currently a managing editor for The Belladonna Comedy, and has written for McSweeney’s, Reductress, and more.
