Go Into The Story

Reader Question: How do you know when your script is ready to send out?

Tough question, especially for writers who may NEVER think a story is “done.”

Great Scene: “Die Hard”

Hans Gruber turns Trickster when he meets McClane for the first time.

Page One: “Cabaret” (1972)

Screenplay by Jay Presson Allen, based on the play by John Van Druten, stories by Christopher Isherwood

You should enjoy today's Meg LeFauve (Screenwriting 101) post:

"So the next step is I open a new document and do what I call a barf draft. I just puke it all out. I don’t stop. I don’t worry if it’s…

Pound Out That First Draft!

Go from FADE IN to FADE OUT in my upcoming online writing workshop. Starts August 29!

Interview (Part 1): Tara Tomicevic

My interview with 2021 Black List writer for her script “Thicker Than Ice.”

How to Decide Which Story to Write

Are you trying to figure out which of one or more stories to write next?

Screenwriting 101: Meg LeFauve

“I just open a document and start brain dumping anything I can think of, all my questions, all my inspiration, all my ideas. Then I go back…

Page One: “Popeye” (1980)

Screenplay by Jules Feiffer, based on characters by E.C. Segar

Jeff, so great to hear from you!

Consider how much joy you’ve experienced in your writing. Cannot quantify the personal value of those moments of creative inspiration.

This tweestorm by screenwriter Justin Marks is about as good a thing on this very subject as I've…

https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/tweetstorm-justin-marks-on-exposition-26caf4ad2d6b

Michelle, I highly recommend A Year With Rilke.

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-year-with-rilke-anita-barrowsjoanna-macy?variant=32207475572770

How to Break Into the Film Industry Without Any Connections

The screenwriters of the smash hit movie A Quiet Place share the ins and outs of their journey to Hollywood.

Go Into The Story Interview: Murder Ink

My interview with Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana, and Jana Savage, the writing team behind the 2021 Black List script “Homecoming.”

Why You Should Write Three Pages of Garbage Every Morning

“Freewriting forces you to keep moving forward, keep creating, without a thought given to quality.”

Page One: “Precious” (2009)

Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher, novel by Sapphire

On Writing

“I think humans are the most interesting thing I know about. They’re inexhaustibly interesting. And I think one of the great beauties of…

Sundays with Sidney Lumet’s “Making Movies”

A weekly series featuring reflections on filmmaking by one of the truly great movie directors.

Interview (Part 6): Murder Ink

My interview with Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana, and Jana Savage, the writing team behind the 2021 Black List script “Homecoming.”

Great scene: “The Usual Suspects”

The ‘big twist!’ Is there any movie ending more satisfying than a scene sequence where you realize the writer has totally played you, set…

Interview: Alli Haapasalo

A conversation with the director of Girl Picture, winner of the Audience Award for World Dramatic Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film…

Page One: “Poltergeist” (1982)

Screenplay by Steven Spielberg & Michael Grais & Mark Victor, story by Steven Spielberg

The Protagonist’s Journey: “We are not prisoners of that room”

A reflection on Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet”

Interview (Part 5): Murder Ink

My interview with Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana, and Jana Savage, the writing team behind the 2021 Black List script “Homecoming.”

Reader Question: What are some keys to a great opening scene?

Or how to grab the attention of a script reader right away?