Go Into The Story

Great Characters: R2-D2 (“Star Wars” series)

Who doesn’t love R2-D2? The plucky “astromech droid” has a significant role in each of the six Star Wars movies. Indeed it’s arguable the entire saga hinges on this one character. As Wikipedia notes about the first movie Star Wars, Episode IV — A New Hope: Princess Leia

Reader Question: Should I give away my twist ending when I send out query letters?

A question from Courtney: Scott, Per your advice I throttled down over the holidays and sat on my completed screenplay. Now I’m ready to get it out there. I’m not concerned about someone stealing my idea (I’m covered as far as that is concerned) but I am

“Everything is a Remix” — Part 2 (Movies)

So last August, I posted this: This is absolutely worth watching, not only for music lovers, but also per Hollywood’s long history of recycling plots and its current obsession with remakes, sequels, and taking pre-branded brands (e.g., Battleship, Sherlock Holmes) and making ‘new’ entertainment. Everything has been

Trust the process!

As writers, we know it’s inevitable. With every story we write, we reach a point — or several points — where we seem lost. The prospect of success seems distant. And the whole thing just seems so damn hard. In one of the Screenwriting Master Class courses I’m currently teaching,

The Business of Screenwriting: Spec scripts aren’t just for aspiring screenwriters

You may think a spec script is something only relevant to aspiring screenwriters. Not true. Established screenwriters choose to write spec scripts as well. In fact, the top ten biggest paydays for spec scripts per this website are all by established writers. So why would an established screenwriter, some of

Daily Dialogue — February 3, 2011

“Sure, Mohawks has beaten us twelve years in a row. Sure, they’re terrific athletes. They’ve got the best equipment money can buy. Hell, every team they’re sending over here has their personal masseuse. But it doesn’t matter. Do you know that every Mohawk competitor has an

Reader Question: How much of a real life person’s life can I use in a story without getting sued?

Question from Anonymous: Thanks for writing the blog, I have read religiously for the last year and a half.  I have a question for you. I am writing a script based on a relationship I was involved in. How much of a real life person can I use without getting

Exclusive GITS Q&A: Pen Densham (Part 3)

Today I continue with an interview I recently conducted with screenwriter, producer and director Pen Densham who has written the new book “Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing,” published by Michael Wiese Productions. ON STRUCTURE AND THE ORGANIC NATURE OF STORY There are certain formalities that

Which directors give you more bang for the buck?

I get a ton of emails from people and outfits asking me to post things, but I have to confess I’ve never gotten anything like this: A web post about movies from a company called “Sofas and Sectionals.” What conceivable connection? I suppose they figure folks who enjoy movies,

Audio Interview: Joel and Ethan Coen (“True Grit”)

This month, I’ll be posting an audio interview with a notable screenwriter each day. Today:Joel and Ethan Coen about their version of the movie True Grit from an interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross. You can hear it here. An excerpt: You know, one of

Screenwriting 101: Jeanie Macpherson

“Each scene must be a drama in itself. The whole picture must be made up of a series of small dramas. This makes the completed picture a mosaic of little ones. Scenes that have no dramatic value in them, or say nothing, must be eliminated. So the scenario writer must

Michael Arndt to “Snow White”

Per THR: While Universal and Relativity duke it out to see who will be the first out of the gate with a Snow White movie, Disney is taking the stealthy road to its more elevated project, Snow and the Seven. Michael Arndt, who just last week received an Oscar nomination

Reader Question: What are some tips for working with a writing partner?

A question from Dave: I’d love to hear more methods people use when writing with a partner… This is one area I think I have a considerable amount of credibility in that I have had two professional writing partnerships and worked on other projects over the years with a

Exclusive GITS Q&A: Pen Densham (Part 2)

Today I continue with an interview I recently conducted with screenwriter, producer and director Pen Densham who has written the new book “Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing,” published by Michael Wiese Productions. ON HOW HE ENDED UP WRITING “RIDING THE ALLIGATOR” I went to USC

2011: More sequels than ever

From BoxOfficeMojo: In 2011, Hollywood will rely on former glories to a greater degree than ever before. Sequels (including prequels and spin-offs) comprise over a fifth of the currently scheduled nationwide releases, tallying 27. Last year, there were 19, and the previous high was 24 in 2003. Of the

Hollywood Tales

“I came out here with one suit and everybody said I looked like a bum. Twenty years later Marlon Brando came out with only a sweatshirt and the town drooled over him. That shows how much Hollywood has progressed.”  — Humphrey Bogart

Reader Question: Should we be careful about the genre of movies we watch while writing a script?

Question from Zachary: I know you always say we need to read scripts, watch movies and tv, and write pages. It brings me to a question. Should you be watching and reading the subject matter you are currently writing. For instance i am writing a comedy at the moment and

Exclusive GITS Q&A: Pen Densham (Part 1)

Screenwriter, producer, and director Pen Densham has written a book called “Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing,” published by Michael Wiese Productions. A few weeks back, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Pen and we ended up having a terrific wide-ranging conversation about the

Audio Interview: Michael Arndt and Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”)

This month, I’ll be posting an audio interview with a notable screenwriter each day. Today: Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt and director Lee Unkrich (shared story by credit) from a recent appearance on NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross. You can access the interview here. A fascinating

Popcorn Fiction: “You and Hank” by Darby Kealey

A new short story from Popcorn Fiction, the great site hosted by screenwriter Derek Haas: I know crime fans are going to enjoy our new offering this week, “You and Hank” by Darby Kealey. I’m always looking for fresh stories, fresh writing…and when I cracked this open and

On writing

“A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.”  — Eugène Ionesco

A blast of creative juju for all GITS followers

As promised, it’s midnight on the East Coast here in the U.S., so here’s a blast of creative juju! Thanks to all GITS readers — and especially Followers — for your support. I hope this blast of creative juju inspires you to conjure up a great story idea… or

Reader Questions: Next week

I’ve received some questions via email over the last few weeks, so have several posts lined up to go starting tomorrow. If you have something screenwriting related on which you’d like me to respond, please post in comments, and I’ll be happy to provide give you my

1,000?

Okay, I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, but every time I visit the site and see the number of GITS Followers via Google Friends — currently at 996 — I get distracted by this image in my head, seeing that number hit 1,000. So if you aren’

Writing Question: Has writing screenplays affected how you dream?

I saw a Tweet recently whereby a writer noted how the project they were currently writing had crept into her dreams. That happens to me a lot, sometimes to the point where I dream in script form: one side of my dreamscape the action, the other side a script that