Scott Myers

“The Story We Know”

Reflections on a poem by Martha Collins.

Interview (Written): The Filmmakers of “Soul”

A conversation with the storytellers behind the new Pixar movie Soul.

Page One: ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Screenplay by William Goldman based on his novel

Why I keep hosting this blog… and a Christmas wish for you

Because of emails like this!

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work

20 writing tips which actually are quite smart… because they work!

“A Wish for Wings That Work”

The wonderful holiday story written by Berkley Breathed, adapted as an animated short feature.

Page One: ‘The Lion King’ (1994)

Screenplay by Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton

Update: 2020–2021 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 3 New Scripts, 16 Total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season.

The Theology of Cinema: Grace

“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us.”

Page One: ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Written by Quentin Tarantino

That's true, Kathryn.

The safest thing to do is write:

Reader Question: Do characters “own” a scene?

Ownership is less important than underlying conflict between characters.

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Plot Backward

You’re doing prep work, breaking the story. Problem is, the story is breaking YOU! The plot is a mess, you can’t figure it out, bits and…

Page One: ‘The Hangover’ (2009)

Written by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Writing Goals: 2021

10-part series for writers to consider what we did in 2020 and will do in 2021.

Screenwriting 101: George Axelrod

“What’s amazing to me is that nowadays everybody in the world is writing a screenplay. A screenplay is the hardest single form there is…

Page One: ‘The Fugitive’ (1993)

Screenplay by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, story by David Twohy, characters by Roy Huggins

Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling

My popular one week online class begins Monday, January 4, 2021.

“Go Into Yourself”

Words of wisdom from Rainer Maria Rilke in his Letters to a Young Poet.

On Writing

“Creativity is paradoxical. To create, a person must have knowledge but forget the knowledge, must see unexpected connections in things but…

Page One: ‘The Florida Project’ (2017)

Written by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch

Sundays with Ray Bradbury

“I can imagine all kinds of worlds and places, but I cannot imagine a world without Bradbury.” — Neil Gaiman

60 Second Screenwriter: Finding Your Voice

A video series addressing key screenwriting concerns in sixty seconds.

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Name That Tune!

Pick songs which speak to the core essence of specific characters.

Page One: ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, characters by Bob Kane