Scott Myers

30 Things About Screenwriting: Write what they’re buying or sell them your dream

Let’s consider this a response to a reader question because I get this type of inquiry pretty regularly from aspiring screenwriters via email. It takes different forms: What type of stories should I focus on? I have a lot of story ideas: How do I know which one to

On Writing

“Let me ruin storytelling for you: if bad things are happening now, good things will happen by the end. The opposite is also true. The End.” — Seth Lochhead (via Twitter)

Daily Dialogue — July 6, 2015

“There’s this guy, see. He takes a trip to Europe. It’s his first vacation in a long time. He sees the sights, you know. He has a real good time. Anyway, after a while he decides to call home. He gets his brother on the phone, and the

Go Into The Story Week In Review: June 29-July 5, 2015

Links to this week’s most notable posts: 30 Things About Screenwriting: There is no right way to write 30 Things About Screenwriting: Screenplays are stories, not formulas 30 Things About Screenwriting: Learn the craft 30 Things About Screenwriting: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. 30 Things About Screenwriting: The

Screenwriting News (June 29-July 5, 2015)

Paul Thomas Anderson adapting “Pinocchio” for Warner Bros. Colin Bateman and Nick Hamm writing “The Journey” for IM Global. Abi Morgan adapting military biography “Ashley’s War” for Fox 2000. Andrew Niccol adapting board game “Monopoly” for Lionsgate.

30 Things About Screenwriting: The importance of a strong story concept

If you write a spec script based upon the first story idea that comes into your mind, that script likely won’t sell. Why? Because almost assuredly, it is not a strong story concept. It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of a story idea to the eventual success of

Interview (Video): Jesse Andrews and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”)

Dave Poland (DP/30) interviews Jesse Andrews, novelist-screenwriter and director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon about their movie Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl movie website here. For other DP/30: The Oral History of Hollywood interviews, go here.

Daily Dialogue — July 5, 2015

“I have a drinking problem? Fuck you, Peck, you’re a Mormon. Compared to you we all have a drinking problem! What the fuck is this? Whose ass did I fail to kiss?” — Burn After Reading (2008), written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen The Daily Dialogue theme for the

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Subtext

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Subtext. “It’s a hard grape to grow, as you know. It’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s, you know, it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it’s neglected. No,

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: Barney’s Version

This week, we have been reading, analyzing, and discussing the script and movie Barney’s Version, screenplay by Michael Konyves, novel by Mordecai Richler. IMDb plot summary: The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky. Monday: Scene-

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 193rd installment of Saturday Hot Links. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Jurassic World’s Massive Success. The ‘Jurassic Park’ Theme at 1000x Slower Speed Is Absolutely Gorgeous. How do so many white, male indie directors leap to big blockbusters? Guide to Indie Movies You

30 Things About Screenwriting: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages.

You can learn pretty much everything you need to know about screenwriting by doing these three things: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. I coined this triptych nearly four years ago and it seems to have caught on. Here’s why: Why watch movies? Because to be a good screenwriter,

Interview (Written): Jesse Andrews (“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”)

Indiewire’s Anne Thompson interviewed novelist turned screenwriter Jesse Andrews, who adapted his own book “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” for the screen. The movie won both the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury and Audience prizes. How did you get to write the screenplay? I wrote

Daily Dialogue — July 4, 2015

Dowager in Cab: I’ve never gone this way before. John Winger: Well, I’m sure there are a lot of ways I’ve gone that you haven’t. Dowager in Cab: What is your name? (reading the license) John Ringer? What kind of a name is Ringer? John Winger:

Go Into The Story Movie Analysis: Jurassic World

Starting Monday, we begin our next installment of the Go Into The Story Movie Analysis series: Jurassic World, screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, story by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, characters by Michael Crichton. To date per Box Office Mojo, Jurassic World

“There are no original story ideas, only original ways to tell them”

Last week, we had a terrific discussion about the movie Ex Machina. In it, Marija Nielsen made this comment: My takeaway is that this movie beautifully demonstrates my belief that there are no original story ideas, only original ways to tell them. We should always look for various ways into

Script Analysis: “Barney’s Version” — Part 5: Takeaways

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Psychological Journey Friday: Takeaways Today: Takeaways. This

30 Things About Screenwriting: Learn the craft

Here’s one big problem with most of the screenwriting approaches I see floating around: Their focus is almost exclusively on writing a screenplay. Obviously this is important. You must be able to translate your talent, voice, and vision for a story onto the printed page. A script not only

Great Character: Lt. Col. Wilbur “Bull” Meechum (“The Great Santini”)

In the 1979 movie The Great Santini, there is a character very near to my own life experience. The film was based on a novel by Pat Conroy (“The Lords of Discipline,” “The Prince of Tides,” “My Losing Season”) and Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur “Bull” Meechum was based on Conroy’s

Daily Dialogue — July 3, 2015

“In case I don’t see ya’… good afternoon, good evening, and good night.” — The Truman Show (1998), written by Andrew Niccol The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Quitting. Trivia: Part of the original screenwriting deal called for Andrew Niccol to have his directing debut, but Paramount executives later

Interview: Marc Hofstatter (Indiegogo)

Since the concept of crowdfunding has taken hold over the last few years, particularly in relation to movies, TV, and web content, I thought it would be a good idea to talk with Marc Hofstatter who is Head of Film at Indiegogo. Here are links to the two installments of

Script Analysis: “Barney’s Version” — Part 4: Psychological Journey

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Psychological Journey Friday: Takeaways Today: Psychological Journey.

30 Things About Screenwriting: Screenplays are stories, not formulas

William Goldman has famously written, “Screenplays are structure.” That is true in a tangible sense because at some point, a script becomes a blueprint for the production of a movie. And in a very real way, everything hangs on the structure of the narrative — how one scene flows to the

The Business of Screenwriting: Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 14]

Spec scripts, that is. I’m guessing that perhaps 90% of the people who follow this blog at some point in their lives will write a spec script. And the other 10% are involved in buying and selling them. In light of that fact, last year I interviewed a top

Daily Dialogue — July 2, 2015

CALVERA: We have a saying here. “A thief who steals from a thief is pardoned for one hundred years.” Alright, what does that leave? Only one thing. I pardon you. Ride on. ADAMS: Just like that? CALVERA: Si, just like — I’ll make it easy for you. You want food?