Go Into The Story

Story and the Question of Self-Identity

Every story inevitably raises this question about the Protagonist: “Who am I?”

Black List writers on the craft: Characters (Part 1)

“If I’m creating a character from scratch, I’ll usually start by thinking about people I know, or I’ll use some version of myself, mining…

On Writing

“I think of acting and writing as pretty much the same thing. It’s all about getting inside the skin of your characters, and seeing where…

Daily Dialogue — July 8, 2019

“…and then I remember to relax, and stop holding on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can’t feel anything but gratitude…

Hollywood’s New Rules of Rom-Coms

So Long, Ice Queens and Gay Best Friends.

Script To Screen: “Tootsie”

“That’s what I said! So if a tomato can’t move, how can it sit down?! I was a great tomato! I was a stand-up tomato!”

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep

“Once I have a solid structure in place, I can go to pages and put all my focus on the emotional arcs of the story.”

Daily Dialogue — July 7, 2019

“Fix the picture!”

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 6)

“Structure is so important in visual storytelling, and your structure lives or dies by your outline.”

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Last Line

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 4,069 consecutive days and counting.

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: What to Write and Not to Write [Part 1]

“It takes hard work to create a new plot, so beware of the one which comes too easily.”

Daily Dialogue — July 6, 2019

“Movietown News presents, ‘Spotlight on Adventure.’ What you are now witnessing is footage never before seen by civilized humanity: a lost…

Maybe not as much as Begelman, but I’ve screwed up plenty of times and I’ve somehow managed to get…

The main thing for a writer is really learn the craft. If you can deliver the goods on the page and do so in a professional manner, the…

I like to think of that end of Act 2 “all is lost” reversal as posing an existential question of…

In almost all movies, at least commercial ones, the Protagonist responds to that existential question by going forward… and if they lean…

The Narrative Imperative of the Hero’s Journey

“The adventure they are ready for is the adventure they get.”

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 5)

“Usually I’ll start with a one page synopsis, just the basic beats of the story. Then I go to note cards, and then I go to a full outline.”

Writing and the Creative Life: The Creative Personality

Creative Personality as comprised of 10 dichotomies. How many do you have?

Daily Dialogue — July 5, 2019

“You needn’t take it any further, sir. You’ve proved to me that all this ultraviolence and killing is wrong, wrong, and terribly wrong…

Creative Writing Tips from Metallica

Three lessons from the heavy metal band’s songwriting process.

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 4)

“I get a general idea of what the beginning, the middle and the end will be. Then I want to plow through the first draft as quickly as…

The Business of Screenwriting: You will fuck up

Take it to the bank, folks. This is a lock cinch guarantee.

Daily Dialogue — July 4, 2019

“Now all the images of horror, the demons of your mind crowd in on you to destroy you.”

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback.

Again thanks. I appreciate your comments. Very helpful in feeding my thought process.

Podcast: “One Heat Minute”

If you’re a fan of the movie Heat, you’ve got to check this out.

Black List writers on the craft: Story Prep (Part 3)

“I’ve found that I’m a terrible outliner. Whenever I outline a story, it invariably changes while I’m writing the script. That’s just the…