Go Into The Story

“Aristotle”: A poem

This poem by Billy Collins conveys how three-act structure can take a story… anywhere.

Interview (Part 3): Renee Pillai

My interview with the 2019 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

Tweetstorm: Alexi Hawley on surviving as a screenwriter in Hollywood

“This. Is. Not. Easy.”

Daily Dialogue — January 29, 2020

“Mrs. Bates.”

Screenwriting Takeaways from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival

Storytelling lessons from watching 11 new movies in 3 days.

Interview (Part 2): Renee Pallai

My interview with the 2019 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

2020 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 20

A chance for you to work on your dialogue chops and win free prizes!

Screenwriting 101: Stephanie Shannon

“Writing is so hard. To force yourself to sit down and face all your fears and doubts and just dedicate yourself to something that may…

Daily Dialogue — January 28, 2020

“Broke into the wrong God damn rec room, didn’t you, you bastard!”

Glad folks are enjoying this series.

As to Creation, De-creation, Re-creation, that echoes Joseph Campbell’s observation: Destruction before creation (in talking about a person…

Go Into The Story at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival: January 26

Notes, reflections, and screenwriting takeaways from Park City, Utah.

Interview (Part 1): Renee Pallai

My interview with the 2019 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

2020 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 19

A chance for you to work on your dialogue chops and win free prizes!

On Writing

“Writing is too hard to waste on the weirdness of your daily life, or at least on mine. I love to sock the reader into some odd time and…

Daily Dialogue — January 27, 2020

“Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it…

Go Into The Story at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival: January 25

Notes, reflections, and screenwriting takeaways from Park City, Utah.

The Theology of Cinema: Kingdom of God

“When the kingdom really comes, it’s as if the thing you lost and thought you’d never find again is you.”

2020 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Week 4

Writing prompts #14–18. Practice writing dialogue. Win a free class with me.

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: “Hustlers

Read the script for the surprise hit comedy crime drama and analyze all week.

Daily Dialogue — January 26, 2020

“Good morning, Vietnam! Hey, this is not a test. This is rock and roll. Time to rock it from the delta to the DMZ! Is that me, or does that…

Go Into The Story at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival: January 24

Notes and reflections from Park City, Utah.

Script Analysis: “Hustlers” — Part 6: Takeaways

Read the script for the surprise hit comedy crime drama and analyze all week.

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Basement

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 4,272 consecutive days and counting.

Interview (Audio): Craig Mazin

Q&A with the writer-producer of the acclaimed HBO mini-series Chernobyl.

Daily Dialogue — January 25, 2020

Chazz: Okay, lemme ask you a question: whose side did you take in the big David Lee Roth-Van Halen split? Chris Moore: What? Marcus: What…