Go Into The Story

On Writing

“‘Character is Fate,’ said Heraclitus in 500 B.C. or thereabouts. But ‘Our characters are the result of our conduct,’ added Aristotle a…

Page One: “The Cotton Club” (1984)

Screenplay by William Kennedy & Francis Coppola, story by William Kennedy & Francis Coppola and Mario Puzo

The Hero’s Journey as a Short Film

Pixar shows it’s possible to adapt the Hero’s Journey in short form storytelling.

Script To Screen: “Flight”

A scene from the 2012 movie Flight, written by John Gatins.

Page One: “To Catch a Killer” (2023)

Written by Damián Szifron & Jonathan Wakeham

What about the Protagonist and the inciting incident?

“Something. Happens. In my view, that is the essence of an inciting incident.”

Script To Screen: “Frozen”

A scene from the 2013 animated movie Frozen, screenplay by Jennifer Lee, inspired by the story “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen…

Page One: “A Time to Kill” (1996)

Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, novel by John Grisham

Is there a rule as to how many “cuss words” can be used in a script?

Delving into the sometimes mysterious world of the MPAA ratings system.

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.

Page One: “Anger Management” (2003)

Written by David Dorfman

2024 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge!

One month. Fade In. Fade Out. Write an entire zero draft.

Script To Screen: “Get Shorty”

A scene from the 1995 movie Get Shorty, screenplay by Scott Frank, book by Elmore Leonard.

Page One: “Red Heat” (1988)

Screenplay by Harry Kleiner & Walter Hill and Troy Kennedy Martin, story by Walter Hill

Five Primary Character Archetypes

Learn about a story’s Family of Characters in my upcoming one-week online course which begins Monday, February 13th.

Screenwriting and Historical Accuracy

When writing a movie based on actual historical events, how accurate does a screenwriter have to be?

Page One: “Mean Streets” (1973)

Written by Martin Scorsese and Mardik Martin, story by Martin Scorsese

160 Scene-Writing Prompts

At a fundamental level, screenwriting is scene-writing. Use these prompts to improve your scene-writing chops.

Screenwriting 101: Daniel Kunka

Screenwriter Daniel Kunka wrote a spec script called “Lift” which sold to Netflix and made the 2021 Black List.

Screenwriting 101: Scott Frank

“It has to come from character. I’m always going back to the people. Why character? It’s about what makes a person a person. What do they…

Page One: “Passengers” (2016)

Written by Jon Spaihts

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 20

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

On Writing

“When we’re under the spell of a compelling story, we undergo internal changes along with the protagonist, and her insights become part of…

Page One: “Pariah” (2011)

Written by Dee Rees

Script to Screen: “Poor Things”

This week, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science announced its nominations for this year’s Oscar ceremony and Poor Things was…