Go Into The Story

30 Days of Screenplays, Day 12: “Looper”

Take up the challenge! Read 30 screenplays in 30 days!

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Advice

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,712 consecutive days and counting.

Daily Dialogue — July 14, 2018

Customer: Just short back and sides please. Barber: How do you do that? Customer: Well, it’s just… ordinary short back and sides……

“Qualify the customer”

A screenwriting lesson from my lowly stint as a salesman at The Guitar Center in San Francisco.

30 Days of Screenplays, Day 11: “The American”

Take up the challenge! Read 30 screenplays in 30 days!

Writing and the Creative Life: “The incurable disease of writing”

“In psychological terms, it seems that drive is more important than talent in producing creative work.”

Daily Dialogue — July 13, 2018

“Bend and snap!”

“Go into the story and find the animals”

Wisdom from the mind of a three year-old child.

30 Days of Screenplays, Day 10: “The Artist”

Take up the challenge! Read 30 screenplays in 30 days!

The Business of Screenwriting: Flavor-Of-The-Week

If you sell a spec script in Hollywood, you will take LOTS of meetings.

Daily Dialogue — July 12, 2018

“This is gonna look so much better. You’re gonna look like a man instead of a little girl.”

I have an extra fond spot in my heart for GQ because I had a meeting at DreamWorks the day the…

You and your husband might check out this series we did on the movie a few years back including a live tweet commentary during a…

Writing the First Draft

4 tips on how to get from FADE IN to FADE OUT in your feature length screenplay.

Good news for screenwriters!

Per a recent WGA report, a decided increase in the number of writers who made money writing feature films in 2017.

30 Days of Screenplays, Day 9: “The Queen”

Take up the challenge! Read 30 screenplays in 30 days!

Script To Screen: “Galaxy Quest”

A fun early scene from the 1999 movie Galaxy Quest, screenplay by David Howard and Robert Gordon, story by David Howard.

Daily Dialogue — July 11, 2018

Lorna: You’re my mother’s hairdresser? George: I do her hair, yeah. Lorna: Are you gay? Did you hear me? George: Yeah. Lorna: Well, are…

Reader Question: How likely is it newbie writers get screwed in rewrite process?

Everybody in Hollywood gets rewritten… and that will likely mean YOU!

Do you know your stuff?

It’s one thing to write a script. It’s another thing to understand the craft.

30 Days of Screenplays, Day 8: “The Social Network”

Take up the challenge! Read 30 screenplays in 30 days!

Screenwriting 101: David White

“‘Breaking in’ is a mirage. What you do is you earn the right to work hard for the next success. Through small successes, you earn the…

Daily Dialogue — July 10, 2018

Cat Man: Check that yokel with the long hair. Deputy: I checked him already. Looks like we might have to bring him up to the Hilton before…

Thanks for your observations, Dave.

Of course, it’s the Job story in its own way and raises the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? Larry’s character lies at…

Reader Question: How do I know when I’ve done enough story prep and can start writing?

There’s no formula, no guideline. But there is your gut, your creative instincts.

“Movies don’t owe anybody a living”

The original quote is about music, but it pertains to all entertainment.