Go Into The Story

Page One: ‘The Hangover’ (2009)

Written by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Writing Goals: 2021

10-part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.

Screenwriting 101: George Axelrod

“What’s amazing to me is that nowadays everybody in the world is writing a screenplay. A screenplay is the hardest single form there is…

Page One: ‘The Fugitive’ (1993)

Screenplay by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, story by David Twohy, characters by Roy Huggins

Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling

My popular one week online class begins Monday, January 4, 2021.

“Go Into Yourself”

Words of wisdom from Rainer Maria Rilke in his Letters to a Young Poet.

On Writing

“Creativity is paradoxical. To create, a person must have knowledge but forget the knowledge, must see unexpected connections in things but…

Page One: ‘The Florida Project’ (2017)

Written by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch

Sundays with Ray Bradbury

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

60 Second Screenwriter: Finding Your Voice

A video series addressing key screenwriting concerns in sixty seconds.

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Name That Tune!

Pick songs which speak to the core essence of specific characters.

Page One: ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, characters by Bob Kane

Writing Realistic Dialogue

Using Idioms, Slang, Contractions, and Declinations.

Update: 2020-2021 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 2 New Scripts, 13 Total

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

Writing Goals: 2021 [Part 10] — Trust the Process

10 part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.

Page One: ‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)

Written by John Hughes

“Earn this.”

When it comes to a scene where a character makes a critical choice, it’s imperative that you — as the writer — have earned that moment.

Writing Goals: 2021 [Part 9] — The Only Way Out Is Through

10 part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.

The Business of Screenwriting: Hip pocket representation

The gray area between being signed by an agent… and kinda signed.

Page One: ‘The Big Sick’ (2017)

Written by Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani

Writing Goals: 2021 [Part 8] — First Draft

10 part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.

Spec Script Deal: “Tin Roof Rusted”

TriStar Pictures acquires comedy spec script “Tin Roof Rusted” written by Michelle Harper. Via THR:

Christmas 2020

An animated short by screenwriters Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles.

Page One: ‘The Big Short’ (2015)

Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, based on a book by Michael Lewis

Analysis: 2020 Black List

A deep dive into the scripts named to this year’s annual Black List.