Scott Myers

On Writing

“Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.” — Isabel Allende

Daily Dialogue — April 28, 2014

Commodus: Lucius will stay with me now. And if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die. If she decides to be noble and takes her own life, he will die. [to Lucilla] And as for you, you will love me

Go Into The Story Week In Review: April 21-April 27, 2014

Links to the week’s most notable posts: 9 Pulp Fiction Facts For Die-Hard Tarantino Fans [Video] 10 Ways to Make People Laugh A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 21: Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed A Story Idea Each Day

Interview: Lindsay Devlin

January has turned out to be a reliable month for Hollywood with regard to one genre in particular: Horror. This year was no different when Twentieth Century Fox released Devil’s Due, a movie that thus far has brought in over four times its production budget in box office revenues.

Screenwriting News (April 21-April 27, 2014)

Jenny Bicks adapting Barbie [the doll] movie for Sony Pictures. Andrew Eisen writing drama comedy “Youth in Oregon” for Sundial Pictures. Brooks Elms and Glen Sanders writing science fiction horror “Snowfall” for Gold Circle Films, Clark Baker attached to direct. Evan Endicott writing drama comedy “13th Grade” for Sycamore Pictures,

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 27

This is the fifth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Today’s story: Sperm bank for Nobel Prize winners. The Repository for Germinal Choice, better known as the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank, was founded in 1980 by multimillionaire Robert Graham, inventor of shatterproof eyeglass lenses.

Interview [Written]: Melissa Stack

Studio System News with this interview with Melissa Stack, screenwriter of the movie The Other Woman. Fox’s new comedy, The Other Woman, stars Cameron Diaz as a high-powered lawyer who finds out that her Prince Charming (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is a married serial cheater, so she teams up

Interview [Video]: Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber

Interview with Red and Red 2 screenwriter Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber. Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — April 27, 2014

Blake: You certainly don’t pal, ’cause the good news is — you’re fired. The bad news is — you’ve got, all of you’ve got just one week to regain your jobs starting with tonight. Starting with tonight’s sit. Oh? Have I got your attention now? Good. “Cause

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Nemesis

Our Daily Dialogue theme next week: Nemesis, suggested by Alejandro. Think of your favorite Bad Guys and Bad Gals, pick one of their favorite lines or sides of dialogue, and let’s have at it this week, folks! The usual drill: * Copy/paste dialogue from IMDB Quotes or some other

Write Now! 2014 Conference

I will be appearing in Raleigh, NC at the Write Now! Conference on May 3rd. Write Now! 2014, Triangle Area Freelancers’ seventh annual freelance writing conference, will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at Wake Technical Community College Northern Wake Campus in Raleigh — and it promises to be our

Interview: Lindsay Devlin (“Devil’s Due”) — Part 6

January has turned out to be a reliable month for Hollywood with regard to one genre in particular: Horror. This year was no different when Twentieth Century Fox released Devil’s Due, a movie that thus far has brought in over four times its production budget in box office revenues.

GOT Parody: “Medieval Land Fun-Time World” [Video]

This has been out since October 2013, so why did nobody bring it to my attention sooner?!?! HT to @ArashAmel for the link. Comment Archive

Saturday Hot Links

The 131st installment of Saturday Hot Links. Today: The Stax Records Soul Explosion Edition! 11 of God’s biggest hits at the box office. Related: What Christians get wrong about Hell. Related: What does heaven look like in movies [videos]. How paperbacks transformed the way Americans read. Saturday Night Live

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 26

This is the fifth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Today’s story: Mary Fairfax Somerville: The Woman Who Created “Science”. Not only did Scottish mathematician, science writer, and polymath Mary Fairfax Somerville (December 26, 1780 — November 28, 1872) defy the era’s deep-seated

Interview [Written]: Jim Kehoe & Brian Kehoe

Will Plyler with a good interview at DoneDealPro with screenwriters Jim Kehoe and Brian Kehoe. How do you complement one another in terms of writing? Jim: I’d say that I’m the more analytical one — sometimes to a fault. I have a real problem with plot holes or faulty

Daily Dialogue — April 26, 2014

Burke: You’ve looked around our place. Where do you think we got most of this stuff? Irene: Just guess. Burke: Come on. Adam and Zach look at each other, unsure where this conversation is going. Adam: Sears? Zach: J.C. Penney. Burke: It’s actually from Confederated Products. Almost

“How Hollywood Killed Death”

This. Death in the blockbusters of 2013 played out something like this: “I’m scared, Spock,” Captain Kirk says to his hyperlogical space pal halfway through his four-minute death scene in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” It’s heavy. Eyes are brimming with tears. The score swells mournfully. Kirk dies.

Interview: Lindsay Devlin (“Devil’s Due”) — Part 5

January has turned out to be a reliable month for Hollywood with regard to one genre in particular: Horror. This year was no different when Twentieth Century Fox released Devil’s Due, a movie that thus far has brought in over four times its production budget in box office revenues.

“The key is to view conflict as essential”

The other day, I posted this re Pixar honcho Ed Catmull’s new book “Creativity, Inc.” Subsequently at some point in my daily pilgrimage through social media, I stumbled across this tweet: Of particular note this line: “The key is to view conflict as essential, because that’s how we

Movie Trailer: “Chinese Puzzle”

Written by Cédric Klapisch A 40-year-old father of two, still finds life very complicated. When the mother of his children moves to New York, he can’t bear them growing up far away from him and so he decides to move there as well. IMDB Release Date: 16

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 25

This is the fifth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Today’s story: Baby DJ School. Beat-oriented Brooklyn babies ages 0–3 can learn the basics of DJing thanks to Brooklyn’s new Baby DJ School. The eight-week course will teach babies how

Great Character: Dignan (“Bottle Rocket”)

This month’s theme: Wes Anderson characters. Today: Dignan from the 1996 movie Bottle Rocket, written by Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson. Who “rescues” his friend from a hospital that this friend attended voluntarily? Who prepares for his 75-year life of crime by leading that same friend through a

Daily Dialogue — April 25, 2014

Versace Salesman: Hi, nice to see you. Can I help you gentlemen? Carter Yeah. I’m gonna need black, 42-long, and nothing touches this body but pure silk. And get my partner something from the kid’s department. Versace Salesman: OK, would your partner like to be wrapped in

Want to be a better screenwriter? Learn how actors think

Characters are the players in our stories. They participate in scenes, move the plot forward through action and dialogue, influence each other, evolve and change. Each has their own distinct backstory, personality, world view, and voice. When a writer does their best, digging deep into their characters, tapping into their