How To Trick Your Brain Into Writing Better Stories - RJ Daniel Hanna

Our two new books... STORY QUESTIONS is currently 10% off! - and 17 Steps To Writing A Great Main Character - Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube here: 0:00 - I Thought You Had To Be Crazy To Be A Filmmaker 13:04 - I’ve Submitted 10 Times To The Nicholl Fellowships, Here’s How I Won 35:01 - The Writing Process I Use To Discover What A Screenplay Is Really About 45:14 - One Truth No One Can Teach You About Screenwriting 1:05:47 - How To Trick Your Brain Into Writing Better Characters 1:21:38 - 3 Rules For Writing A Great Scene 1:33:43 - How To Find The Right Actor 1:39:11 - How To Film A Movie In The Mountains 1:50:38 - Everyone Who Wants To Be A Filmmaker Should Also Have A Practical Industry Job 2:05:18 - What I Wish I Knew About Making Money As A Filmmaker Maybe it was growing up in Arkansas as a Canadian, or the summers in rural Ireland with his grandparents, but Daniel has always been drawn to out-of-place characters, strange environments, and the unique rhythms of how people talk. He just completed post on his horror film “Succubus,” starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette, to be released in 2024. Crossing over 500 screens in the U.S. and beginning its run in the U.K. is his feature “Hard Miles,” starring Golden Globe-winner Matthew Modine and Oscar-Nominee Sean Astin, which has won multiple awards and screened at prestigious festivals including Chicago International, Heartland Film Festival, and Cinequest. Prior to that, Daniel directed the true-story feature “Miss Virginia,” starring three-time Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba, Oscar-Nominee Aunjanue Ellis, and Vanessa Williams. The film was listed as a New York Times and USA Today Must-See Fall Movie, won the Audience Award at The Naples Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release, cable premiere on BET, and streaming deal with Netflix. As a writer, Daniel is a winner of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, as well as the Slamdance, ScriptPipeline, and Screencraft writing awards. He also explores storytelling as an editor, with ten features under his belt, including horror film “What Lies Below,” starring Mena Suvari, which hit on Netflix, and “Supercell” starring Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche, and Skeet Ulrich, which hit on Hulu. Daniel hopes to continue telling cinematic, character-driven stories long past the time any sane person would have retired. CONNECT WITH HARD MILES MORE VIDEOS WITH R.J. DANIEL HANNA

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How To Trick Your Brain Into Writing Better Stories - RJ Daniel Hanna is an episode from Filmcourage by FilmCourage.com.

This episode is 02:20:06 long.

This episode was published on Nov 6, 2025.

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