The Coen Brothers and the Long Shadow of Authority Figures If there is one thing about the craft writers hear ad nauseam, it’s this: There is no drama without conflict. And there is no story…
Movie Story Type: Buddy Picture In Hollywood movie circles, there are genres like Horror or Science Fiction, cross genres like Action-Thriller or Drama-Comedy, and…
Daily Dialogue — October 6, 2019 Student: [V.O.] One fine day… I went out with an old man. He’s studied noodles for 40 years. He was showing me the right way to eat them.
Character Type: Orphan “Without parents to help shape the child’s sense of self, the Orphan grows into adulthood with a pronounced need to answer the question at…
Daily Dialogue theme next week: Golf Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 4,160 consecutive days and counting.
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: How To Begin [Part 1] “A good beginning, the value of which appears to have been sadly underrated by most amateurs, makes a photoplay nearly as salable as a good…
2019 Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference Schedule The annual event in Austin, Texas runs from October 24 through October 31 and I’ll be there for my 5th appearance.
Non-Linear Storytelling in ‘Pulp Fiction’ “Tarantino, whether intended it or not, hit upon non-linearity as the only way he could tell one particular storyline involving the fates…
Writing and the Creative Life: What to do when you feel out of touch with your creative energy When a creative spark seems so very far, far… FAR… away…
Daily Dialogue — October 4, 2019 “Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another. Man, in his weakness and shortsightedness believes he…
The First Draft is a Journey of Discovery “As a writer, when you put something down, you make something happen.”
The Business of Screenwriting: Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 1] “What exactly is a spec script? How did they come into being in the first place? What are some of the things that can happen with a spec…
The #1 Reason Why You Won’t Finish A Screenplay A 6-minute video featuring… me, reflecting on the importance of ‘breaking story’ and working up an outline.
Daily Dialogue — October 2, 2019 “Nonsense, young lady. You’re going to start your day with a nice, big breakfast. Here’s some pancakes… eggs… sausage… some good crisp…
Writing Mantra: On the other hand… One of the best ways for writers to combat the dreaded Voices Of Negativity.
Style = Voice Style goes beyond mere ‘scene description’. It goes to Narrative Voice. My one-week online class Core IV: Style begins Monday, October 7.
Screenwriting 101: Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith “You can’t write a movie without watching tons of movies and deconstruct them and what makes them tick. I find it helpful because when I…
Daily Dialogue — October 1, 2019 “Raising daughters is like cooking a meal. You lose your appetite by the time you’re finished.”
2019 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge: Day 30 One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity.
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![The Business of Screenwriting: Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 1]](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/29/8f29b0a7-49e5-431c-a9bb-3ade9c0a785e/content/images/size/w600/2026/08/1_X6sroJandhivoQz79SO7zA.jpg)
