Go Into The Story

Page One: ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, novel by Cormac McCarthy

Theme = Meaning

More than just the moral or premise of the story, theme can best be understood to be about what a story MEANS.

On Writing

“I have a mantra in class: ‘Readers do no work.’ If you’re James Joyce or Toni Morrison or any other writer lavishly blessed with the…

Page One: ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Written by Dan Gilroy

Sundays with Ray Bradbury

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

Interview (Audio): Scott Frank

An in-depth conversation with the writer-director of the Netflix limited series The Queen’s Gambit.

Page One: ‘Network’ (1976)

By Paddy Chayefsky

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Free Association

Sometimes if you’re stuck in your writing, it’s best just to cut loose.

Taika Waititi Christmas Commercial

The New Zealand filmmaker puts his spin on the Hero’s Journey.

Page One: ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ (1939)

Screen play by Sidney Buchman, story by Lewis R. Foster

If you’re stuck in your writing…

A modest suggestion on how to find inspiration on the page.

Writing and the Creative Life: Something is Better Than Nothing

“No matter what you write, good or bad, it’s an improvement to a blank page.”

Page One: ‘Moonlight’ (2016)

Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, story by Tarell Alvin McCraney

Reader Question: Is any exposition scene a “crock of shit”?

“Exposition is critically important. However, poor handling of exposition can be lethal to creating drama and sustaining a story’s pace.”

The Business of Screenwriting: Never forget who the star is

“It’s no surprise that William Goldman began his excellent book ‘Adventures in the Screen Trade’ with a chapter titled ‘Stars.’ Of…

Page One: ‘Midsommar’ (2019)

Written by Ari Aster

So-Called Screenwriting Rule: Do not use ‘we see / we hear’

The narrative form we call a screenplay is an organic entity, changing radically over the years. As we have discussed, during the era of…

Writing Mantra: “The story rules”

The first and last commandment of writing.

Page One: ‘Michael Clayton’ (2007)

Written by Tony Gilroy

The Importance of Theme in Writing a Screenplay About an Historical Figure

“You may very well have to shape the details and contour of your central character’s life-story to make it a movie. As they say in…

Screenwriting 101: Tess Morris

“You have to be persistent, you must not give up, and you must find all sorts of ways not to give up. Because it’s a terrible job for your…

Page One: ‘Memento’ (2000)

Screenplay by Christopher Nolan, short story by Jonathan Nolan

Reflections of 2020 Black List Feature Writer’s Lab Participants

Writers who participated in this year’s Black List Feature Writer’s Lab reflect on their experience.

Don’t stand in water where you should be fishing

I use fishing as a metaphor for one’s approach to screenwriting. Seriously.

On Writing

“A narrative voice allows you to say things you couldn’t otherwise. It frees you from the prison of the ego and the limitations of…