Screenwriting from the Inside Out: Think and Write like a Creative

Professor Craig Batty, Executive Dean (Creative), University of South Australia.

Author of The Creative Screenwriter and Writing for the Screen: Creative and Critical Approaches.

In this book, Margaret McVeigh takes our hand to guide us through the journey of creating and facing the challenges of being a creative screenwriter. And she accomplishes this by moving beyond mere personal reflection to allow us to truly comprehend what happens when we create a story. She expertly combines her acknowledged experience in the field with the most recent scientific advances in the psychology of creativity, sharing tools that screenwriters (and all writers) can easily use to construct creative and meaningful stories.

Andreia Paula da Costa Valquaresma. Assistant Professor. University of Maia, Portugal.

Co-author. McVeigh, M., Valquaresma, A. & Karwowski, M. (2023). Fostering Creative Agency through Screenwriting: An Intervention. Creativity Research Journal, 1-14.

Reading Screenwriting from the Inside Out from Margaret McVeigh has been like falling in love. You don’t know what’s happening, but you are sure “this is the way it has to be”. By putting together screenwriting, neuroscience, and creativity the book enlightens not just the mind but also the heart. After reading it, you will understand what it means for writers to write with the blood of their veins.

Dr. Carmen Sofia Brenes. Independent Researcher. Chair. SRN (Screenwriting Research Network) 2018 – 2020. Author of Fundamentos del guion audiovisual, Tema e trama di un film, Recepción poética del cine.

“This is the book the screenwriting community has been waiting for. Skilfully combining creative practice with creativity research and innovative pedagogies, it fills a major gap in screenwriting scholarship. It serves as a best-practice model, appealing to writers of all types and career stages.”

―Professor Craig Batty, Executive Dean (Creative), University of South Australia.

“In this book, Margaret McVeigh takes our hand to guide us through the process of being a creative screenwriter. She combines her expertise in screenwriting with the most recent advances in the psychology of creativity, sharing tools that all writers can use to construct creative and meaningful stories.”

― Andreia Paula da Costa Valquaresma, Assistant Professor, University of Maia, Portugal.

“Reading Screenwriting from the Inside Out by Margaret McVeigh has been like falling in love. You don’t know what’s happening, but you are sure ‘this is the way it has to be’. By combining screenwriting, neuroscience and creativity the book enlightens not just the mind but also the heart. Reading it, you understand what it means for writers to write with the blood of their veins.”

― Dr Carmen Sofia Brenes, Researcher, Chair, SRN (Screenwriting Research Network) 2018-20.

This book provides aspiring screenwriters with a practical and informed way to learn how to think and write like a “creative”. It stands apart from, yet complements, other screenwriting “how to” books by connecting the transdisciplinary academic fields of screenwriting, film studies and cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Using a stepped approach, it shows the writer how to understand that how we think, shapes what we write, so that we may write better.

Margaret McVeigh PhD is Head of Screenwriting and Contextual Studies at Griffith Film School, Griffith University, Australia. Margaret has successful industry experience in screenwriting, publishing and public relations. She is a recognized international expert in screenwriting and creativity and has run creativity workshops around the globe. Margaret’s passion is to enable the writer to use an integral knowledge of craft and creativity to tell inspiring and empowering stories.