Go Into The Story

Screenwriting 101: Destin Daniel Cretton

“My motivation has never been to break into the business. Maybe that has allowed me to ignore a lot of the things. There’re a lot of people…

Page One: “Sixteen Candles” (1984)

Written by John Hughes

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Day 26

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.

Deep Focus: Film School on the Cheap

Resources put together by members of the Go Into The Story community.

Reader Question: How do I handle characters speaking in a foreign language?

Indicate the foreign language, but use English instead.

On Writing

“The reason that I am so interested in outlining…is that it serves what I’m trying to achieve in the novel. One of the things I’m…

Page One: “Sinister” (2012)

Written by Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill

Do you write “high concept” stories or not?

And just generally, what are your thoughts about “high concept” movies?

Why read scripts?

You watch movies, write pages, but admit it… you don’t read enough scripts.

Scene Description Spotlight: “Wall-E”

I have discussed the writing style of the Pixar film Wall-E before: here, here, and here. On the subject of scene description, here’s a…

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Day 25

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.

Page One: “Sling Blade” (1996)

Written by Billy Bob Thornton, based on his play

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Day 24

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.

“How to Write Photoplays”

A series exploring the 1920 book by Anita Loos and John Emerson reveals a wealth of tips which contemporary screenwriters can use.

“How to Write Photoplays”

A series exploring the 1920 book by Anita Loos and John Emerson reveals a wealth of tips which contemposcreenwriters can use.

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Loos & Emerson (1920)

In my ongoing research into screenwriting, I discovered the book “How to Write Photoplays,” written in 1920 by Anita Loos and her husband…

Great Scene: “Léon: The Professional”

Actually three scenes because they are all intimately linked.

Video: “7 Ways To Do Bad Exposition”

Another in the excellent screenwriting series Raising the Stakes.

Page One: “Sing Street” (2016)

Screenplay by John Carney, story by Simon Carmody

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Day 23

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.

How to build a powerful Nemesis?

Some keys for crafting a worthy Nemesis.

Reader Question: How to convey a character’s emotional state in scene description?

How much latitude does a screenwriter have to editorialize in scene description?

Writing and the Creative Life: The incurable disease of writing

“In psychological terms, it seems that drive is more important than talent in producing creative work.”

Page One: “Sin Nombre” (2009)

Written by Cary Joji Fukunaga

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Day 22

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.