Go Into The Story

On Writing

“The most important thing is you can’t write what you wouldn’t read for pleasure. It’s a mistake to analyze the market thinking you can…

Daily Dialogue — May 24, 2020

“Hey, Sal, how come they ain’t no brothas on the wall?”

Reader Question: What does “literary style” mean in terms of writing a screenplay?

Over time, screenplays have become less ‘scripty’ and more ‘literary’.

Interview (Video): Robert Eggers

Lectures and audience Q&A with the co-writer and director of The Lighthouse.

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: “After the Wedding”

The entire 6 part series delving into the acclaimed drama mystery starring Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and Billy Crudup.

Great Scene: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”

The famous Black Night scene.

Daily Dialogue — May 24, 2020

“Remember.”

Great to hear, David.

Spreading it via my blog and Twitter feed, I hear positive feedback about it quite often.

Vera and John, you both point out a critical aspect of revenge movies: We need to connect to the…

I'm not a big action movie fan, but I did like John Wick. I got the transference of affection for the puppy as symbolic of his deceased…

Laura, what at first seems coincidental turns out to have meticulously planned by Theresa.

A coincidence is only a coincidence if there is no human causality behind it. We may experience those events as coincidence, but once the…

Great catch, Laura!

Question about the ending: What do you think happens? She goes back to NYC, yes? Do you think she connects long-terms with Grace? Or maybe…

There is no right way to write

Learn all you can, but ultimately it’s about your Stories and your Creative Self.

Script Analysis: “After the Wedding” — Part 6: Takeaways

Read and analyze the script for the acclaimed drama mystery starring Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and Billy Crudup.

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Pizza

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 4,391 consecutive days and counting.

How I Wrote ‘Arrival’

A Behind the Curtain video featuring Eric Heisserer talking about how he adapted the Ted Chiang short story into a hit science fiction…

Daily Dialogue — May 23, 2020

“Ah, no wonder you’re extinct. I’m gonna run you over when I come back down!”

Laura, I zeroed in on maternity.

It actually recalls the 1988 movie Stepmom: A terminally-ill woman must deal with her ex-husband’s new lover, who will be their children’s…

I'll go with the final lines of dialogue in the script.

ISABEL (CONT’D)

Movie Story Type: Revenge

There are genres (e.g., Action, Comedy, Drama). Cross genres (e.g., Action-Thriller, Comedy-Science Fiction). Sub-genres (e.g., Romantic…

Go Into The Story Resource: Black List Writers on the Craft

Some of Hollywood’s top screenwriters share insights from my interviews.

Script Analysis: “After the Wedding” — Part 5: Dialogue

Read and analyze the script for the acclaimed drama mystery starring Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and Billy Crudup.

Writing and the Creative Life: There are no useless ideas

“If it is true that the best way to come up with a good idea is to generate lots of them, that means we will intersect with plenty of ideas…

Daily Dialogue — May 22, 2020

“I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth. And indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the…

Go Into The Story Resource: Character Introductions

Everything you need to know about the subject… and probably more.

Script Analysis: “After the Wedding” — Part 4: Themes

Read and analyze the script for the acclaimed drama mystery starring Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and Billy Crudup.