Go Into The Story

100s of Writer Interviews

You can learn a lot from professional writers talking about their craft.

Script To Screen: “Being John Malkovich”

The 7 1/2 floor scene from Being John Malkovich (written by Charlie Kaufman). Setup: Craig (John Cusack) goes to an unusual office for an…

On Writing

“Writing is really just a matter of writing a lot, writing consistently and having faith that you’ll continue to get better and better…

Daily Dialogue — November 27, 2017

“The Defense Department regrets to inform you that your sons are dead because they were stupid.”

Kristina, yes.

So circling back to the original post, oftentimes we can raise the stakes of the story by digging deeper into our Protagonist’s…

Reader Question: Does a Mentor character always have to be right?

What if the Protagonist has to turn away from logic and follow their heart?

Hollywood Tales

“Virginia. 1990. I’m thirty-five years old, married with two very young kids. No one’s asking, but I get an idea for a love story where the…

Screenwriting News (November 20-November 26, 2017)

The week’s writing deals and movie project news.

Script To Screen: “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America”

One of countless scenes of inspired stupidity in the 1996 animated comedy Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.

Interview (Video): Michael Arndt

In conversation with the late Syd Field.

Daily Dialogue — November 26, 2017

CLEMENT MATHIEU: You must know a song, right? MONDAIN: Yeah, but… CLEMENT MATHIEU: But what? MONDAIN: You won’t like it. CLEMENT MATHIEU…

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Airplane

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,481 consecutive days and counting.

Script To Screen: “Batman”

The Final Struggle in the 1989 movie Batman.

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 317th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Transcribe Screenplays

If it worked for Johann Sebastian Bach and F. Scott Fitzgerald…

Interview (Audio): Dee Rees

Conversation with writer-director of Netflix movie “Mudbound”.

Daily Dialogue — November 25, 2017

DREY: How come you’re not eating with the teachers? DAN: Just… I felt like being alone. DREY: I know what you mean. DAN: You do? DREY…

Reader Question: How to raise the stakes in the plot?

One suggestion: Focus on and elevate the Protagonist’s psychological stakes.

Update: 2017 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 1 New Script, 18 Total!

Get these PDFs now before the links disappear.

Interview (Audio): Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan

Conversation with the writer-director and star of ‘Lady Bird’.

Script To Screen: “Barton Fink”

The opening scene from the 1991 movie Barton Fink, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.

Writing and the Creative Life: To Write, Stop Thinking

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

Daily Dialogue — November 24, 2017

“So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, ‘What about the strain on our resources?’…

Update: 2017 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 1 New Script, 17 Total!

Get these PDFs now before the links disappear.

Interview (Written): James Mangold

An in-depth conversation with the co-writer/director of ‘Logan’.