Sandra O’Donnell
writer | creative consultant
Welcome! So Glad You’re Here
Hi! I’m Sandra, a screenwriter and creative consultant. For more than twenty years, I’ve built my life around stories. I’ve developed novels, represented authors, written screenplays, and read for the Austin Film Festival. And I teach classes in writing novels, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and screenwriting.
Along the way, I’ve learned that every good idea has a natural home. Some work best as a film. Some feel like a book. Some would make a powerful podcast. Some lean toward a YouTube channel. Others belong on Substack. I work with writers and creators who have a story worth telling, and I help them find exactly where it belongs.
Maybe you have a story you can’t stop thinking about, but you’re not sure what it wants to be. A screenplay? A book? Something else entirely? You’re in the right place. That’s exactly where I love to begin.
Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about what you’re making.
Script and Story Consulting
Every story is built from the same essential pieces. When something isn't working, readers feel it long before they can name it. A scene drags. A character doesn't ring true. The ending falls flat. My job is to name it, explain why it's happening, and show you where the opportunities are.
Whether you're writing a screenplay or a manuscript, I read your work closely and give you honest, detailed feedback on the elements that make a story work.
CONCEPT
Is your premise fresh and compelling? Can it be expressed clearly in a sentence or two? I look at the heart of your idea, its hook, and how it might stand out to producers, editors, agents, and audiences.
STRUCTURE
Structure is the architecture that holds your story up. I look at how your story is built from beginning to end, where the beats land, and whether your acts carry the weight they need to. A strong structure keeps the story moving and gives every scene a purpose.
PLOT
Plot is what happens and why. I look at cause and effect, rising stakes, and momentum. Does each event push the story forward? Do the conflicts escalate? Does the climax feel earned and the ending satisfying?
CHARACTER
Readers and audiences follow characters, not plots. I look at what your characters want, what they need, what stands in their way, and how they change. I pay close attention to your protagonist's arc and whether your supporting characters feel like real people with lives of their own.
DIALOGUE
Good dialogue reveals character and moves the story forward at the same time. I listen for voice, subtext, and rhythm. Does each character sound like themselves? Are they saying what they mean, or something more interesting?
OPENING PAGES
You have fifteen pages to hook a reader, whether that reader is an agent, an editor, a producer, or a festival judge. I wrote a book on this, Your First Fifteen Pages, and I give your opening special attention. Does it establish your world, your protagonist, and your story's central question? Does it make someone want to keep turning pages?
THE BIG PICTURE
Finally, I step back and look at the whole. What is the story really about? Are the tone and theme consistent? What's working beautifully, and what needs your attention most?
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
After reading, I’ll send you a written evaluation covering each of these areas, along with an overall assessment of where your project stands and what it needs next. I write my notes the way I'd talk with you across a table, warmly and honestly. I believe writers deserve real feedback, because praise that doesn't help you grow isn't kindness. Every weakness is also an opportunity, and I'll show you where yours are.
