Go Into The Story

Update: 2021–2022 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 1 New Script, 46 Total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season.

2022 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Story Prep — Script Diary

A series to help prepare writers for next month’s Zero Draft Thirty writing challenge.

Script Analysis: “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” — Part 3: Characters

A week-long analysis of the script for the hit animation movie. Download. Read. Discuss.

Page One: “High Noon” (1952)

Screenplay by Carl Foreman, based on the magazine story “The Tin Star” by John W. Cunningham

Three Keys to Writing in a Distracting World

I become fully engaged in my writing when I am fully engaged with my characters.

2022 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Story Prep — Index Cards!

A series to help prepare writers for next month’s Zero Draft Thirty writing challenge.

Script Analysis: “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” — Part 2: Plot

A week-long analysis of the script for the hit animation movie. Download. Read. Discuss.

Screenwriting 101: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Ethan Coen: I don’t know what that is, three-act structure.

Page One: “Hidden Figures” (2016)

Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi, based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly

The Protagonist’s Journey: Change Agent

An excerpt from my forthcoming book The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling.

2022 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: Story Prep — “What if…”

A series to help prepare writers for next month’s Zero Draft Thirty writing challenge.

Script Analysis: “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” — Part 1: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

A week-long analysis of the script for the hit animation movie. Download. Read. Discuss.

On Writing

“Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? ‘She drove me to my practice at four in the…

Page One: “The Help” (2011)

Screenplay by Tate Taylor, novel by Kathryn Stockett

Know your genre

If you want to write in a genre, you’re wise to immerse yourself in it.

Go Into The Story Interview: Haley Bartels

My interview with the 2021 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

Great Scene: “Network”

“I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Video: 10 Screenwriting Tips from The Coen Brothers

Joel and Ethan Coen share insights into how they wrote and directed two of their films: Fargo and No Country for Old Men.

Page One: “Heist” (2001)

Written by David Mamet

Reader Question: How to handle the passage of time in a script?

Time management can be a big concern in a screenplay.

Interview (Part 6): Haley Bartels

My interview with the 2021 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

“When something happens… something ELSE happens”

The dynamic dual nature of a screenplay universe.

Video: 10 Screenwriting Tips from Martin Scorsese

Advice from the filmmaker whose film credits include Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, Goodfellas, and…

Page One: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)

Screenplay by Michael Goldenberg, novel by J.K. Rowling

Spec Script Deal: “Galahad”

Stampede Ventures acquires action spec script “Galahad” written by Nick Schenk. Via Deadline: