Go Into The Story

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 25

This is the 9th year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

Script To Screen: “Excalibur”

A key early scene in the 1981 movie Excalibur, screenplay by Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman, book by Thomas Malory.

Daily Dialogue — April 25, 2018

“Oh, you believe in Jesus now, huh, bitch? Good, ’cause you ’bout to meet him!”

Some thoughts on the plot of In Bruges:

The Opening: Another movie which drops us into the story in media res. A hit has already taken place and Ray and Ken have made their way to…

Reader Question: How to keep from getting stuck in Act Two?

The answer is almost always this: Spend more time in story prep learning about your characters!

Movie Analysis: “In Bruges” — Part 2: Plot

Watch this critically acclaimed indie movie and analyze it all week.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 24

This is the 9th year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

Screenwriting 101: Justin Marks

“I really think the mark of experience isn’t the ability to write a lot of good pages, it’s the ability to generate shitty pages faster…

Daily Dialogue — April 24, 2018

Jules: You read the Bible, Brett? Brett: Yes. Jules: Well, there’s this passage I got memorized, sorta fits the occasion. Ezekiel 25:17…

Thanks for this, Mark.

Thanks once again for doing the breakdown for In Bruges.

Mark, I concur: In Bruges is a gem of a movie.

It also has that McDonagh ‘thing’ whereby he deftly combines drama, conflict, and violence with humor. A completely engaging movie which…

Dialogue-Writing Workshop

I’m reprising this popular Screenwriting Master Class course which starts Monday, November 28.

Movie Analysis: “In Bruges” — Part 1: Scene By Scene Breakdown

Watch this critically acclaimed indie movie and analyze it all week.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 23

This is the 9th year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

On Writing

“A word about villains. You want to know your villains very well indeed or you’re better advised not to go inside their heads at all. A…

Daily Dialogue — April 23, 2018

“You shoot me in a dream, you’d better wake up and apologize.”

Screenwriting News (April 16-April 22, 2018)

The week’s writing deals and movie project news.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 22

This is the 9th year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Tarantino

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,628 consecutive days and counting.

Interview (Written): Tony Gilroy

The noted screenwriter and filmmaker discusses the screenplay he wrote for the movie Beirut.

Daily Dialogue — April 22, 2018

“I don’t want to talk about time travel because if we start talking about it then we’re going to be here all day talking about it, making…

Are More Women Writers Using Initials Instead of Proper Names on Their Scripts?

It may be one way of getting around unconscious or even conscious bias.

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 338th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 21

This is the 9th year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

Point of Impact: A Conversation with the Writers of the USA TV series ‘SHOOTER’

Tuesday, May 1, 7:00 PM — 8:30 PM, WGF/WGAW Headquarters