Scott Myers

Writing and the Creative Life: “Creativity-In-Action”

What exactly is creativity and how do we foster it? This is not only a question of interest to people involved in the arts. There is a lot of energy being dedicated toward its study in business and science. Recently I discovered an interesting overview of these efforts in this

Daily Dialogue — September 12, 2013

MAXIMUS: Quintus, free my men. Senator Gracchus is to be reinstated. There was a dream that was Rome, it shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus Aurelius. QUINTUS: Free the prisoners, …go! Maximus stands, unsteady, as the vision of the wheat field once again comes to him, his

The Quest Writing Workshop — Oct. 17–20 in Santa Monica

Amazing things can happen at a writing workshop. I have learned this from first-hand experience leading dozens of them both online and in-person. Gathering a group of writers, each passionate about the craft and bringing their own unique world view to discussions, the process of brainstorming stories and

Dispatch From The Quest: Waka Brown

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Interview: Daniel Turkewitz — Part 3

It’s always interesting to interview “first-timers,” writers who break into the business by selling a spec script. Such is the case of Daniel Turkewitz, a proverbial overnight success who spent years of hard work before writing “Tranquility Base” which 20th Century Fox acquired in June 2013 for a

Go On Your Own Quest, Week 9: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest starts Week 9 today. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

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 (Telluride Film Festival)

September is Scene-Writing Month: Day 7

As noted in this post, September is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to

Script To Screen: “Barton Fink”

The opening scene from the 1991 movie Barton Fink, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Plot Summary: A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood. FADE IN: ON BARTON FINK He is a bespectacled man in

Daily Dialogue — September 11, 2013

Ilsa: I wasn’t sure you were the same. Let’s see, the last time we met… Rick: Was La Belle Aurore. Ilsa: How nice, you remembered. But of course, that was the day the Germans marched into Paris. Rick: Not an easy day to forget. Ilsa: No. Rick: I

“The Origins and Formatting of Modern Screenplays”

The fine folks over at FilmmakerIQ have put together an informative and helpful video called “The Origins and Formatting of Modern Screenplays.” It’s as much a history lesson on the development of the movie business as tutorial on screenplay format and as such recommended viewing for anyone interested in

Dispatch From The Quest: Sandy Leviton

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Interview: Daniel Turkewitz — Part 2

It’s always interesting to interview “first-timers,” writers who break into the business by selling a spec script. Such is the case of Daniel Turkewitz, a proverbial overnight success who spent years of hard work before writing “Tranquility Base” which 20th Century Fox acquired in June 2013 for a

Go On Your Own Quest, Week 9: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest starts Week 9 today. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Ass Backwards”

Written by June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson Two best friends embark on a cross country trip back to their hometown to attempt to win a pageant that eluded them as children. IMDB Release Date: 30 September 2013 (Video On Demand), 8 November 2013 (Theaters)

September is Scene-Writing Month: Day 6

As noted in this post, September is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to

Special Screening Alert: “WAR GAMES”

Those of you in L.A. may want to consider this special event: REEL TALK’s Anniversary Classics series tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 10th, at Landmark’s Regent Theatre will be presenting a 30th anniversary screening of WAR GAMES, followed by a discussion with director John Badham, writers Lawrence Lasker

Screenwriting 101: James DiLapo

“Emotional authenticity, even with a period piece, is more important than historical authenticity. If you can get the audience to feel as if they are there with the characters in that setting, experiencing the world that they are in, that’s the closest we can come to being there. We

Daily Dialogue — September 10, 2013

As the smoke on the station platform clears, Bobbie sees her father who has just been released from prison. Bobbie Waterbury: Daddy! My Daddy! — The Railway Children (1970), screenplay by Lionel Jeffries, novel E. Nesbit The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is reunion, suggested by Laura Deerfield. Today’s

Style = Voice

How you approach screenwriting style is a reflection of your writing voice. This is the case whether you are intentional about it or not. A professional script reader, who plows through hundreds of scripts per year, will pick up on a script’s sense of style — or lack thereof — from

Dispatch From The Quest: Troy Klith

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Interview: Daniel Turkewitz — Part 1

It’s always interesting to interview “first-timers,” writers who break into the business by selling a spec script. Such is the case of Daniel Turkewitz, a proverbial overnight success who spent years of hard work before writing “Tranquility Base” which 20th Century Fox acquired in June 2013 for a

Movies You Made: “It Felt Good To Have This Pain”

I recently received an email from filmmaker Matt Latham: Hi Scott, I’m a long-time reader. Thanks for the blog and everything that you do! My short film, It Felt Good to Have This Pain, recently won Best Short Film and Best Cinematography at the Fresno Film Festival and

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 9: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest starts Week 9 today. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Morning

Written by Leland Orser Five days in the life of an American couple immediately following the accidental death of their child. IMDB Release Date: 27 September 2013