Go Into The Story

Cameron, I look forward to your analysis of the plot.

As I was reading the script, I kept thinking about John Hughes in reference to Eighth Grade. The movie is a completely different aesthetic…

Learn the craft

Being a screenwriter is much more than just writing a script.

How They Write A Script: Charlie Kaufman

“When I started screenwriting, I never really knew what I was doing, but I instinctively understood how to do it.”

Script Analysis: “Eighth Grade” — Part 2: Plot

Read the script for the hit movie which won the Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay Award.

How to Generate and Critique Story Ideas (Part 2): Halliwell’s Film Guide

What can a writer do with a resource containing 24,000 loglines?

Screenwriting 101: Donald Margulies

“Research can be seductive. Writers try to convince themselves that research is writing but the truth is research is research… But there…

Daily Dialogue — June 4, 2019

“Playing music is supposed to be fun. It’s about heart, it’s about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful, and it’s not about…

This is a wonderful script, so heartfelt and real.

She is dancing her heart out. No one is paying attention. She doesn’t notice. She doesn’t care. Eyes closed. Hips and arms and hair wildly…

Prep work for me at least is a combo plate of thinking *and* feeling.

As a rule, every TV episode is laid out beat for beat before going to script. Somehow people manage to embrace a story’s emotional life as…

Pound Out That First Draft!

Go from FADE IN to FADE OUT in my upcoming online writing workshop. Starts June 10th!

“The only way out is through”

Imagine the process of writing a story as being a journey. Perhaps as you embark on your adventure, you have a map — an outline or beat…

Script Analysis: “Eighth Grade”— Part 1: Scene By Scene Breakdown

Read the script for the hit movie which won the Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay Award.

How to Generate and Critique Story Ideas (Part 1): What if…

The two most important words for generating story ideas.

On Writing

A story is, after all, and before everything else, dynamic: it starts Here, because it’s going There. Its life principle is the same as a…

Daily Dialogue — June 3, 2019

“She was an actress. She did this big movie when she was younger, then she had me. Just the two of us. And the acting wasn’t enough for…

Steven, you’ve contributed a new term to the screenwriting lexicon: Template Guru.

But what about the characters? What about their Psychological Journey? If there is Dialogue, there is Subtext. If there is Action, there is…

Screenwriting News (May 27-June 2, 2019)

The week’s writing deals and movie project news.

To Write, Stop Thinking

Think character. Think plot. Think theme. But when you sit down to write, don’t think… feel.

Go Into The Story Resources

The very best posts and series from the website’s archives.

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The “Interest” [Part 2]

“To inspire emotion in your audience you must have been inspired with emotion yourself… Make yourself feel the things you are writing…

Video: Quentin Tarantino Writing Masterclass (A collection of advice)

A 50-minute video aggregating Tarantino’s ruminations about screenwriting from a variety of sources.

Daily Dialogue — June 2, 2019

Old Joe: Nobody makes strawberry chocolate pie the way you do. Wednesday’s my favorite day of the week, ’cause I get to have a slice of it…

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 393rd installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

This is something you can do because this is something you have done!

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Spec Script Deal: “Don’t Go in the Water”

Universal Pictures acquires horror spec script “Don’t Go in the Water” written by Peter Gaffney. From Deadline: