Go Into The Story

How to Use Go Into The Story (Part 2): Read Scripts

Some end of the year advice for Go Into The Story readers.

Screenwriting 101: Richard Brooks

“The difference between man (and I mean ‘man’ for men and women both) and all the other animals in the world is that other animals can know…

Page One: ‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)

Written by Christopher McQuarrie

2020 Black List Word Cloud Logline Challenge: Winners!

Some inventive loglines based on key words from 2020 Black List scripts.

How to Use Go Into The Story (Part 1): Watch Movies

Some end of the year advice for GITS readers.

On Writing

“I wake up, write three hours — a thousand words. The next day, I reread that thousand words I wrote yesterday. And then I write my next…

Page One: ‘The Untouchables’ (1987)

Written by David Mamet

Sundays with Ray Bradbury

“I can imagine all kinds of worlds and places, but I cannot imagine a world without Bradbury.” — Neil Gaiman

Dan Harmon, The Hero’s Journey, and the Circle Theory of Story

“To this day, Harmon still studies each film and TV show he watches, searching for his algorithm underneath, checking to see if the theory…

Page One: ‘The Room’ (2003)

Written by Tommy Wiseau

Steven, thanks as always for your reflections.

Thus, the physical journey is about events and interactions which compel the Protagonist to see themselves in a new light, to allow their…

Kathryn, there's no rule on when to introduce a Nemesis.

More important than WHEN you introduce a Nemesis is WHAT the nature of their relationship is to the Protagonist. Bonus points if the…

“The Story We Know”

Reflections on a poem by Martha Collins.

Interview (Written): The Filmmakers of “Soul”

A conversation with the storytellers behind the new Pixar movie Soul.

Page One: ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Screenplay by William Goldman based on his novel

Why I keep hosting this blog… and a Christmas wish for you

Because of emails like this!

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work

20 writing tips which actually are quite smart… because they work!

“A Wish for Wings That Work”

The wonderful holiday story written by Berkley Breathed, adapted as an animated short feature.

Page One: ‘The Lion King’ (1994)

Screenplay by Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton

Update: 2020–2021 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 3 New Scripts, 16 Total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season.

The Theology of Cinema: Grace

“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us.”

Page One: ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Written by Quentin Tarantino

That's true, Kathryn.

The safest thing to do is write:

Reader Question: Do characters “own” a scene?

Ownership is less important than underlying conflict between characters.

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Plot Backward

You’re doing prep work, breaking the story. Problem is, the story is breaking YOU! The plot is a mess, you can’t figure it out, bits and…