Go Into The Story

Great Scene: “North by Northwest”

It was one of the scenes which inspired Hitchcock to make the movie.

Screenwriting 101: Lisa Joy

“The most important one of the things about TV is it goes at such a pace that sometimes it can become predictable in some ways because you…

Page One: “Reminiscence” (2021)

Written by Lisa Joy

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Story Prep — Script Diary

A series to help prepare writers for next month’s Zero Draft Thirty writing challenge.

Interview (Part 1): Jonathan Stokes

My interview with the 5-time Black List screenwriter.

What is the difference between Act One midpoint and Act One end?

“Something happens. An event that precipitates a change in the Protagonist’s life circumstances.”

On Writing

“When people talk, listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say. Most people never listen. Nor do they observe. You should…

Page One: “Recount” (2008)

Written by Danny Strong

2022 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Story Prep — “What if…”

A series to help prepare writers for next month’s Zero Draft Thirty writing challenge.

“Go into the story and find the animals”

Writing wisdom from a three year-old boy: My son Luke.

Interview (Video): Bong Joon-Ho

An in-depth conversation with the writer-director of Mother, Okja, Snowpiercer, and Parasite.

Page One: “Red Dragon” (2002)

Screenplay by Ted Tally, book by Thomas Harris

Three Things About Screenplay Structure

Do not let page count concerns stifle your creativity… or your story.

There is no short cut

There is no golden method. There is no guaranteed approach to writing a million dollar spec script. All of that hype is bull shit.

Movie Analysis: “Gravity”

When we think of the movie Gravity, we most likely think BIG. Yet in interview after interview, co-writer and director Alfonso Cuarón has…

Video: “10 Ways to Invest Your Audience in Your Hero”

Another in the excellent screenwriting series Raising the Stakes.

Page One: “The Reader” (2008)

Screenplay by David Hare, book by Bernhard Schlink

Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 5: Reader Identification

Tap into the Protagonist’s qualities which a reader can connect with.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”

Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, and story as psychological journey.

Reader Question: When is the best time to reveal a character’s backstory?

Key character revelations from their past. When? Where? How?

Writing and the Creative Life: Wherein I embrace my messy desk!

For decades, I have waged a relentless war. The battlefield? My desk. Raised a military brat and a Southern Baptist to boot, the message I…

Page One: “Ratatouille” (2007)

Screenplay by Brad Bird, original story by Jan Pinkava & Jim Capobianco & Brad Bird, additional story material by Emily Cook & Kathy…

Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 4: Character = Function

Every character in a screenplay has to be there for a reason. That is their narrative function, who they are and what they do tied to the…

140 Scene-Writing Prompts

At a fundamental level, screenwriting is scene-writing. Use these prompts to improve your scene-writing chops.

Breaking the 4th Wall in Scene Description

To everyone who claims there’s a screenwriting rule asserting we can’t include so-called ‘unfilmables’ in scene description, read this!