Go Into The Story

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: “The Lighthouse”

The entire 6 part series delving into the hallucinatory horror movie.

Spec Script Deal: “16 States”

Lionsgate acquires horror thriller spec script written by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. Via Deadline:

Daily Dialogue — April 12, 2020

“I’m listening to the fucking song!”

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 11

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…

Script Analysis: “The Lighthouse” — Part 6: Takeaways

Read and analyze the script for the hallucinatory horror movie.

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Bath

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 4,349 consecutive days and counting.

Interview: Bong Joon Ho

A half-hour conversation with the writer-director of Parasite.

Daily Dialogue — April 11, 2020

“Fredo, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you or what you do. I don’t want to see…

I bolton, good work here.

Protagonist: Young (as you suggest), the outsider who best represents the audience experience. Also, as you note, he’s the character with…

I bolton, first off, I’m glad you have embraced the practice of reading scripts and watching movies.

Re identity as a theme: I believe that lies at the heart of most every movie, an existential question for key characters, especially…

Lois, thanks for those comments.

In our current cultural climate, the propensity of entitled people to perceive themselves as victims, then project their negative personal…

Lois, your query about how Todd Phillips knew this?

An insight I’ve been trying to absorb into my own daily practice of being: We are more than our thoughts.

Beyond Spellcheck

Its / It’s. There / They’re / Their. Your / You’re. These mistakes drive script readers fucking crazy.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 10

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…

Script Analysis: “The Lighthouse” — Part 5: Dialogue

Read and analyze the script for the hallucinatory horror movie.

Writing and the Creative Life: Get a Mentor

A mentor can help you manage the ups and downs of learning the craft and a writing career.

Daily Dialogue — April 10, 2020

“Come on.”

Writer Resource: The Fabrics of Our Life

A writing metaphor inspired by my wife who has been sewing masks in response to the current pandemic.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 9

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…

Script Analysis: “The Lighthouse” — Part 4: Themes

Read and analyze the script for the hallucinatory horror movie.

The Business of Screenwriting: If it ain’t got no soul, it ain’t gonna sell

The time the legendary musician Taj Mahal laid words of wisdom on me.

Daily Dialogue — April 9, 2020

“Oh, I’ll never leave Montana, brother.”

The Business of Screenwriting: If it ain’t got no soul, it ain’t gonna sell

The time the legendary musician Taj Mahal laid words of wisdom on me.

Reader Question: Do I HAVE to use INT/EXT — LOCATION — DAY/NIGHT in scene headings?

Wherein we consider selling scripts, shooting scripts, conventional wisdom, and writing whatever the hell we want.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 8

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…