Scott Myers

Twelve Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking

From Creativity Post: 1. You are creative. 2. Creative thinking is work. 3. You must go through the motions of being creative. 4. Your brain is not a computer. 5. There is no right answer. 6. Never stop with your first good idea. 7. Expect the experts to be negative.

Daily Dialogue — May 8, 2014

Scar: Now you wait here. Your father has a marvelous surprise for you. Young Simba: Oooh. What is it? Scar: If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it? Young Simba: If you tell me, I’ll still act surprised. Scar: Ho ho ho. You are

Reader Question: What does a secondary slugline/shot look like?

Question from @SharkRaygun: Could you give an example of what a secondary slugline/shot should look like in a screenplay? As long as we’re here, let’s review both Primary Sluglines, Secondary Sluglines, and something I call Pseudo-Sluglines. First, there is the Primary or Master Slugline (aka Scene

85 Films Martin Scorcese says you must see

From a Fast Company interview, famed director Martin Scorcese revealed 85 movies “you need to see to know anything”. Here’s the list: Ace in the Hole All That Heaven Allows America, America An American in Paris Apocalypse Now Arsenic and Old Lace The Bad and the Beautiful The Band

How To Succeed At Screenwriting… By Really Trying — Part 3: Write Pages

You may remember a 1967 movie How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Here is the IMDB plot summary: Twenty-seven year old New York window washer J. Pierpont Finch believes he can be a success in the corporate world after he impulsively picks up the book “How to

Movie Trailer: “Palo Alto”

Gia Coppola (screenplay), James Franco (short stories) A dark drama centered on a group of teens with a penchant for finding trouble. IMDB Release Date: 29 August 2013 (USA)

Classic 90s Movie: “The Big Lebowski”

May is Classic 90s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Jonathan Melikidse. Movie Title: The Big Lebowski Year: 1998 Writers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Lead Actors: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited) IMDB Plot Summary: “Dude” Lebowski, mistaken for a

Script To Screen: “Wreck-It Ralph”

A scene from the 2012 animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, screenplay by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, story by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston and Jim Reardon.    Plot Summary: A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc

Daily Dialogue — May 7, 2014

Luke: How did my father die? Obi-Wan: A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was

Write a Worthy Nemesis

If the Protagonist is most often your story’s most important character, the Nemesis is not far behind. Indeed some of the greatest characters in film history have been Nemeses including Darth Vader (Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope), the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)

News sources for researching story ideas

Last week, I posted this: Why I gave away 30 story ideas in 30 days. I asked readers what news sources they used to surface possible story ideas. Here are some of them: Brain Pickings Futility Closet Next Draft Now I know Then Frankie Hollywood weighed in with this: Another

How To Succeed At Screenwriting… By Really Trying — Part 2: Watch Movies

You may remember a 1967 movie How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Here is the IMDB plot summary: Twenty-seven year old New York window washer J. Pierpont Finch believes he can be a success in the corporate world after he impulsively picks up the book “How to

Movie Trailer: “If I Stay”

Shauna Cross (screenplay), Gayle Forman (novel) A car accident lands 17-year-old Mia in a coma and claims the life of her family. IMDB Release Date: 22 August 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Classic 90s Movie: “Saving Private Ryan”

May is Classic 90s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Drew Dorenfest. Movie Title: Saving Private Ryan Year: 1998 Writer: Robert Rodat Lead Actors: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Ed Burns, Matt Damon Director: Steven Spielberg IMDB Plot Summary: Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers

Screenwriting 101: Jeff Morris

“I think quality prep work makes writing the script much easier. My writing is more focused and I know what I need out of each scene going forward.” — Jeff Morris (GITS Interview — July 10, 2009) Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — May 6, 2014

“New, delicious, Soylent Green: the miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world.” — Soylent Green (1973), Stanley R. Greenberg (screenplay), Harry Harrison (novel) The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Lying. Trivia: The word “Soylent” is a holdover from the Harry Harrison novel “Make Room!

Christopher Evan Welch reminds us: “You are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second”

Last night’s episode of the HBO series “Silicon Valley” was, as usual, funny. It was also deeply poignant, featuring the last scene actor Christopher Evan Welch shot for the series before he succumbed to a three-year battle with lung cancer, dying on December 2, 2013. In the weird

Thinking Sci-Fi? Think Lo-Fi!

From Taste Of Cinema: 21 Great Lo-Fi Sci-Fi Films You Need To Watch: Lo-Fi Sci-Fi is an emerging genre of the last decade or so inspired by Mumblecore and budgetary constraints. The name is derived from ‘Low Fidelity’ and ‘Science Fiction’, seemingly meant to convey the

How To Succeed At Screenwriting… By Really Trying — Part 1: Read Scripts

You may remember a 1967 movie How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Here is the IMDB plot summary: Twenty-seven year old New York window washer J. Pierpont Finch believes he can be a success in the corporate world after he impulsively picks up the book “How to

Movie Trailer: “The Fault in Our Stars”

Screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, novel by John Green Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel’s other constant

Classic 90s Movie: “Groundhog Day”

May is Classic 90s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Mary Kathryn Morley. Movie Title: Groundhog Day Year: 1993 Writers: Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis Lead Actors: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliot Director: Harold Ramis IMDB Plot Summary: A weatherman finds himself living the same day

On Writing

“You have to simply love writing, and you have to remind yourself often that you love it.” — Susan Orlean Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — May 5, 2014

Jane: Hi Mr. Reed! Fletcher: Woah! Hey, did you do something to your hair? Jane: It’s a bit extreme isn’t it? Fletcher: No. No, I mean that’s the thing nowadays right? Jane: Well, he said it would accent my facial features. Fletcher: Well, that’s what it

Go Into The Story Week In Review: April 28-May 4, 2014

Links to the week’s most notable posts: 7 things you need to know about the growth of short content 7 in 10 U.S. TV watchers are “binge viewers” A “Star Wars” Day Message from NASA A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 28: The matchmaker for

Interview: Amma Asante

Amma Asante has been an actress, TV writer-producer, and movie writer-director. Her latest is the period piece drama Belle, written by Misan Sagay and directed by Asante. Here are links to the six installments of the entire interview. Part 1: “Everything was alien to me. The TV studio