Scott Myers

Rewriting Your Script (Part 1): Set It Aside

In November, upward to 1,000 writers — myself included — took a crack at pounding out a script as part of the Zero Draft Thirty Challenge. Many of them reached FADE OUT / THE END. They’re probably like me, staring at my 86 pages of diamonds-in-the-rough amidst pages

On Writing

“If you want to write, you can. Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent, whatever that is. Who am I? What right have I to speak? Who will listen to me if I do? You’re a human being, with a unique story to tell, and you

Daily Dialogue — December 7, 2015

Scott: Hey, Barabbas. Bernard: Bernard! Scott: Bernard. Can we take a direct flight back to reality, or do we have to change planes in Denver? Bernard: Uh, Larry, take Charlie here and get him some chow. Scott: No, Larry, don’t do that. Charlie! Bernard: He’ll be okay. Follow

Busy December Schedule at Go Into The Story!

December is always a busy time here on the blog as we round out one year and prepare for another. This month promises to be even busier, so I thought it would be a good idea to lay out our calendar and highlight some of the special upcoming events. Writing

How They Write A Script: George Axelrod

For about a decade during the 50s and 60s, screenwriter and playwright George Axelrod was one of the hottest and most prolific writers in Hollywood. His movie credits include The Seven Year Itch (1955), Bus Stop (1956), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Paris — When It Sizzles

Screenwriting News (November 30-December 6, 2015)

Kristina Lauren Anderson’s 2014 Black List script “Catherine the Great” going forward with Gil Netter Productions and Barbara Streisand directing. Carter Blanchard adapting short film “Uncanny Valley” for Ground Control. David DiGilio adapting “The Stars My Destination” for Paramount Pictures. Jacqueline Fitzgerald comedy “Hooking Up” with Wonderland Sound and

Interview (Written): Julia Hart (“The Keeping Room”)

The Mary Sue interview with Julia Hart, screenwriter of the feminist Western The Keeping Room, starring Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, and Sam Worthington, directed by Daniel Barber. TMS: Where did the original idea of this story come from? Hart: My dad is from Texas so I spent my summers in

Interview (Written): David Simon

It still ranks as perhaps the very best nonfiction book I’ve ever read: “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets”. Written by then Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon, he would go on to become one of the most important forces in quality TV with notable series including Homicide, The

Daily Dialogue — December 6, 2015

“This car. Goeth would have bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people. Ten more people. [removing Nazi pin from lapel] This pin. Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would have given me two for it, at least one. One

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Misunderstanding

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Misunderstanding. The plot summary for the wonderful new romantic comedy Man Up: “Through a misunderstanding, a single woman takes the place of a stranger’s blind date, which leads to her finding the perfect boyfriend.” Misunderstanding exists as a narrative device throughout the

Inside Out: Emotional Theory Comes Alive

An excellent exploration of the emotional and psychological terrain in Pixar’s Inside Out from The Nerdwriter: Video gets right one of the key points the movie makes which is that while we may compartmentalize aspects of our psyche, in reality they are fluid and organic in nature. So whereas

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 215th installment of Saturday Hot Links, the week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and more. 2016 Writers Guild Awards: Nominations Announced For Television, New Media, News, Radio and Promotional Writing. Oscars: Breaking Down 7 Grim Themes of 40 Contending Screenplays. Announced: The 2015 Hit

How They Write A Script: Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson has written novels and short stories, as well as screenplays for both film and television. Notably he is among the few writers who contributed to Rod Serling’s classic television series “The Twilight Zone” (1959–1964) almost as prolifically as Serling himself. He wrote about fifteen scripts for

Interview (Written): Cary Fukunaga (“Beasts of No Nation”)

A Writers Guild of America East interview with Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre, True Detective) on the movie Beasts of No Nation which he wrote and directed, based on a novel by Uzodinma Iweala. After TRUE DETECTIVE, what attracted you to doing BEASTS OF NO NATION? Was this a project you

Daily Dialogue — December 5, 2015

BARNEY THOMPSON: It must be difficult to let go of something so beautiful. You know, Darryl also drove Miss Vivian home yesterday. — I’ll take care of it. EDWARD: Thank you, Mr. Thompson. — Pretty Woman (1990), written by J.F. Lawton The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Regret, suggested

Reader Question: Is the use of symbolism a good thing?

Reader question from Piotr: Hi Scott, I am writing an action spec script. In one of the early scenes, the protagonist watches two goons shove a third guy into one another, throwing a punch with each shove. This is meant to symbolize the fact that the protagonist bounces between two

Reflections of Black List Los Angeles Mini-Lab Writers

On the weekend of November 20–22, four writers gathered in Hollywood for an exciting event: The fifth Black List Mini-Lab. The writers — Corey Bodoh-Creed, Chloe Hung, Sabrina Siebert, and Mary Unser — had been selected on the basis of scripts they had uploaded to the Black List website

How They Write a Script: Ted Tally (“The Silence of the Lambs”)

Ted Tally is yet another screenwriter who started out as a playwright. His film credits include White Palace (1990), The Juror (1996), All the Pretty Horses (2000), and Red Dragon (2002). Tally received the WGA and Academy awards for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for his

Spec Script Deal: “Forgive Me”

Amazon Studios acquires 2014 Black List spec script “Forgive Me” written by Max Hurwitz. From Deadline: Chronicles the story of legendary newscaster Mike Wallace. While he was building TV news empire Sixty Minutes, he also struggled with a major chemical depression that he kept secret from friends and family until

Script To Screen: “The Third Man”

Occasionally I like to feature excerpts from screenplays from eras gone by. First I happen to love all movies, including old ones. Second it’s interesting to compare how screenplay style has changed over the years. Today we take a look at a scene from the 1949 movie The Third

Daily Dialogue — December 4, 2015

CONRAD: Something happened. BERGER: What? CONRAD: It’s… BERGER: It’s what? CONRAD: God. I need something. BERGER: What do you need? Tell me. CONRAD: It just keeps coming. I can’t…I can’t make it stop. BERGER: Don’t try. CONRAD: C’mon. I gotta get…I gotta

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

Yet another reason why if there is any individual worthy of being considered a screenwriting ‘guru,’ I think it’s Carl Jung. This simple statement — “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — describes the Protagonist’s story to a tee. Life leading up

Video: “2015 Salute to Cinema”

If you’re a movie fan, there are plenty of reasons to love this time of year. Lots of different types of movies in theaters. Scripts available by studios and production companies. Different awards outfits with their respective nominations and winners. Then there are videos like this from Ben Zuk:

How They Write A Script: Terry Southern

From the excellent book “Backstory 3: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1960s”: From 1962 to 1970, Terry Southern was the screenwriter who most embodied the sixties zeitgeist. He was an icon who entered the film world with underground cult status as the writer, behind Candy (co-written with Mason Hoffenberg)

Writing and the Creative Life: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling (Part 2)

In Part 1, we considered a Harvard Business Review article about the influence of stories on the brain. My thoughts on the article: For years, I’ve used the term audience identification. Something about your story, most particularly involving your Protagonist, must resonate with a reader. What that boils down