Scott Myers

Part 5: If you are a beginning screenwriter…

Recently I received an email from someone who wants to begin the process of learning the craft of screenwriting. I started my response with the advice to use this blog as a free resource. After all, there are over 13,000 posts in the archives… Then it dawned on me:

Movie Analysis: “The Martian” — Takeaways

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of

Rod Serling on Writing: Part 11

Part 11 of a 16 part series featuring the master storyteller on video. Ever since I launched Go Into The Story, I have regularly gone down the Internet’s rabbit hole in search of unique video clips featuring renowned writers. In 2010, I hit the Mother Lode: A series of

STORY BEATS — Movie plots beat by beat

As faithful GITS readers know, we began a collective project this year, as part of a our bi-weekly Script Reading and Analysis series, to generate Scene-By-Scene Breakdowns. And thanks to some outstanding and wonderful members of this humble screenwriting community, we now have 27 breakdowns for movies

Daily Dialogue — October 16, 2015

Dorothy Michaels: Excuse me, I’m wondering if you can help me? I’m looking for the Russian Tea Room. George Fields: This is the Russian Tea Room, right here. You’re standing in front of it. Dorothy Michaels: Oh well, my stars, so it is. Well, this is very

Who’s with me to pound out a script in November?

Okay, here’s where I’m at. I am just now returning to the land of the living after a relentless two week stint on my seeming death bed with a virulent head cold slash virus slash Bubonic Plague. I never get sick. It’s like my body knows I

Part 4: If you are a beginning screenwriter…

Recently I received an email from someone who wants to begin the process of learning the craft of screenwriting. I started my response with the advice to use this blog as a free resource. After all, there are over 13,000 posts in the archives… Then it dawned on me:

Movie Analysis: “The Martian” — Themes

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of

Rod Serling on Writing: Part 10

Part 10 of a 16 part series featuring the master storyteller on video. Ever since I launched Go Into The Story, I have regularly gone down the Internet’s rabbit hole in search of unique video clips featuring renowned writers. In 2010, I hit the Mother Lode: A series of

Writing and the Creative Life: The act of writing provides health benefits

Just the other day, I posted my response to this reader question: The road from unpaid screenwriter to paid screenwriter is long, winding and unpredictable. It’s not certain that you’ll ever be one. How can one keep yourself motivated? I wish I had stumbled across this Scientific America

Daily Dialogue — October 15, 2015

Lola: [looks horrified] Burgundy. Please, God, tell me I have not inspired something burgundy. Red. Red. *Red*. *Red*, Charlie boy. Rule one. Red is the color of sex! Burgundy is the color of hot water bottles! Red is the color of sex and fear and danger and signs that say,

Reader Question: How do you deal with disappointment?

Question via the blog from Eric Harris: How do you deal with disappointment? Eric went on to elaborate: Since you seem to always have a healthy attitude towards the craft, I thought you’d be a perfect person to ask. Of course, there are different scenarios a writer can face:

Part 3: If you are a beginning screenwriter…

Recently I received an email from someone who wants to begin the process of learning the craft of screenwriting. I started my response with the advice to use this blog as a free resource. After all, there are over 13,000 posts in the archives… Then it dawned on me:

Movie Analysis: “The Martian” — Characters

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of

Rod Serling on Writing: Part 9

Part 9 of a 16-part series featuring the master storyteller on video. Ever since I launched Go Into The Story, I have regularly gone down the Internet’s rabbit hole in search of unique video clips featuring renowned writers. In 2010, I hit the Mother Lode: A series of

Great Scene: “American Beauty”

Today’s great scene comes courtesy of writer Alan Ball and the fantastic dark satire he wrote American Beauty (1999). This is a hauntingly beautiful moment and drives home how even the most mundane events — such as a plastic bag caught up in the wind — can translate into powerful drama.

Daily Dialogue — October 14, 2015

WITCH KING: Fool, no man can kill me. Die, now. EOWYN: I am no man. — Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien The Daily Dialogue theme for the week:

Part 2: If you are a beginning screenwriter…

Recently I received an email from someone who wants to begin the process of learning the craft of screenwriting. I started my response with the advice to use this blog as a free resource. After all, there are over 13,000 posts in the archives… Then it dawned on me:

Spec Script Deal: “Ascension”

Twentieth Century Fox acquires science fiction spec script “Ascension” written by Shannon Triplett. From Deadline: It’s a big sci-fi action disaster tentpole that follows a scientist who must save the world after gravity is erased from the Earth’s atmosphere. So to the people spouting the conventional wisdom

Movie Analysis: “The Martian” — Plot

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of

Rod Serling on Writing: Part 8

Part 8 of a 16 part series featuring the master storyteller on video. Ever since I launched Go Into The Story, I have regularly gone down the Internet’s rabbit hole in search of unique video clips featuring renowned writers. In 2010, I hit the Mother Lode: A series of

Screenwriting 101: Robert Mark Kamen

“If you’ve got craft, you got game. If you got game, you can write your way in and out of anything. Writing is the best gig in the whole business, as far as I’m concerned. It’s the only job where you don’t have to wait for

Daily Dialogue — October 13, 2015

Chris: You don’t really like wearin’ that stuff, do you, Dad? Daniel: [as Daniel] Well, some of it’s comfortable. No! It’s a pain in the padded ass! — Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), written by: Randi M. Singer and Leslie Dixon The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Cross Dressing.

Ticket Giveaway: “The Psychology of Story-Telling” with Lindsay Doran

She’s known as “The Script Whisperer” and unlike so-called screenwriting gurus, Lindsay Doran has the street cred to back it up. To wit: Back by Popular Demand! On October 29 at 7:30 pm at the Writers Guild Theater, Lindsay Doran may change everything you think you know

Part 1: If you are a beginning screenwriter…

Recently I received an email from someone who wants to begin the process of learning the craft of screenwriting. I started my response with the advice to use this blog as a free resource. After all, there are over 13,000 posts in the archives… Then it dawned on me: