Scott Myers

Interview (Written): Robert Kirkman (“The Walking Dead”)

A Rolling Stone interview with Robert Kirkman, comic-book writer and creator/executive producer of The Walking Dead. When did the idea that dead might rise and walk among us come across your radar? I wasn’t allowed to see horror movies as a kid — my parents would rent them

Daily Dialogue — June 4, 2016

Gertrude: Mr Holland? Glenn Holland: You”re late. And you left your clarinet here the other day. Gertrude: Yeah, um… if you know anyone who wants it… I’m giving up the clarinet. I’m just goofing everybody else up anyway. So, um… I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks

Reader Questions and Answers on Screenplay Format and Style

Yesterday I answered a question about screenplay format — Is there a current screenplay formatting ‘norm’? — and as I always do, I checked the site’s Reader Question archive to see if I’d already covered it and was reminded as I scrolled down the list… HOLY CRAP, I’VE ANSWERED

Interview (Part 5): Elizabeth Chomko (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Elizabeth Chomko wrote the original screenplay “What They Had” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Elizabeth about her background as a writer and her award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 5, Elizabeth describes what it was like to win a

Mickey Fisher on Writing, Selling, and Producing a TV Pilot Spec Script — Part 5

On May 24, 2013, I posted about a TV pilot spec script which had Hollywood all abuzz: Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Hollywood development world — movies and TV — nothing shifts the tectonic plates of The Biz more than a spec script that gets people salivating over it. It’

2016 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 3

For the fourth straight year, June is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a scene-writing prompt. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. Upload your scene here in the comments section

The Business of Screenwriting: When you don’t get the gig

We are seated in the expansive bungalow office of a top Hollywood director and we are having a great time. I mean a really great time. We talk about the business, his movies, our movies, sports, politics. We laugh, he laughs. It is as close to a love-fest as

Daily Dialogue — June 3, 2016

DOLORES UMBRIDGE: Good morning, children. Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. O-W-Ls. More commonly known as OWLs. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe. Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you’ll be pleased to

Reader Question: Is there a current screenplay formatting ‘norm’?

A question via email from Chaz Fatur: Just a quick Q, in hopes for a lengthy A… the whole do or don’t do on properly formatting accentuated words in all CAPS, bold, underline,etc… In your best experiences and what the Industry now sees fit on proper formatting, what

Interview (Part 4): Elizabeth Chomko (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Elizabeth Chomko wrote the original screenplay “What They Had” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Elizabeth about her background as a writer and her award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 4, Elizabeth and I talk some themes at play in

Mickey Fisher on Writing, Selling, and Producing a TV Pilot Spec Script — Part 4

On May 24, 2013, I posted about a TV pilot spec script which had Hollywood all abuzz: Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Hollywood development world — movies and TV — nothing shifts the tectonic plates of The Biz more than a spec script that gets people salivating over it. It’

Scene-Writing Exercises [2016]

Here are 20 scene-writing prompts. At a fundamental level, screenwriting is scene-writing. Here are prompts for the 4th annual series GITS Scene-Writing Challenge. Use these to improve your scene-writing chops. A character has a ‘conversation’ with him/herself in the mirror A character reviews a series

2016 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 2

For the fourth straight year, June is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a scene-writing prompt. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. Upload your scene here in the comments section

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. The Atlantic runs a series called By Heart in which authors share and discuss their all-time favorite passages in literature. Here is one by author Kathryn Harrison: The line also defines writing,

Daily Dialogue — June 2, 2016

EXT. WATERPARK — BUZZARD’S BAY GIFT SHOP — MOMENTS LATER — DAY We STEADY CAM as Owen leads Duncan, now wearing the ill-fitting swim suit, on a “tour of the park.” This is our first real glimpse of Water Wizz in all its glory. Clearly, built in the 80’s and

The Way In

A guest post from Tom Benedek, screenwriter (Cocoon) and co-founder of Screenwriting Master Class: I have been working on a rewrite of a feature script. I am in the planning stagings — criticizing, brainstorming, second guessing. I am trying to crystalize so many important things to help make this story

Interview (Part 3): Elizabeth Chomko (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Elizabeth Chomko wrote the original screenplay “What They Had” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Elizabeth about her background as a writer and her award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 3, Elizabeth and I delve more deeply into her script

Mickey Fisher on Writing, Selling, and Producing a TV Pilot Spec Script — Part 3

On May 24, 2013, I posted about a TV pilot spec script which had Hollywood all abuzz: Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Hollywood development world — movies and TV — nothing shifts the tectonic plates of The Biz more than a spec script that gets people salivating over it. It’

2016 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 1

For the fourth straight year, June is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a scene-writing prompt. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. Upload your scene here in the comments section

Classic 30s Movies: The Entire Series

May has been Classic 30s Movies Month at Go Into The Story. Here are links to all of the movies reviewed during the last 30 days: All Quiet on the Western Front Bride of Frankenstein Bringing Up Baby Captain Blood City Girl Dracula Duck Soup Gone With the Wind Gunga

Daily Dialogue — June 1, 2016

“Scariness is the true measure of a monster. If you’re not scary, what kind of a monster are you? It’s my job to make great students greater, not make mediocre students less mediocre. That is why at the end of the semester there will be a final exam.

Starting tomorrow: The 2016 Scene-Writing Exercise Challenge!

Back for the fourth year in a row, it’s our annual Scene-Writing Challenge! In June, every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want

Interview (Part 2): Elizabeth Chomko (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Elizabeth Chomko wrote the original screenplay “What They Had” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Elizabeth about her background as a writer and her award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 2, Elizabeth talks about what inspired her to write “What

Mickey Fisher on Writing, Selling, and Producing a TV Pilot Spec Script — Part 2

On May 24, 2013, I posted about a TV pilot spec script which had Hollywood all abuzz: Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Hollywood development world — movies and TV — nothing shifts the tectonic plates of The Biz more than a spec script that gets people salivating over it. It’

Classic 30s Movie: “The Informer”

May is Classic 30s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Megaen Kelly. Title: The Informer Year: 1935 Writers: Screenplay by Dudley Nichols, based on a novel by Liam O’Flaherty Lead Actors: Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame Director: John Ford Plot Summary: Driven by desperation,