Go Into The Story

Daily Dialogue theme next week: School

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,474 consecutive days and counting.

Character Type: Rookie

Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class know how fascinated I am…

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 316th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

The Poetry of Screenwriting

When writing scene description, think poetry instead of prose.

Essential.

For context, understand that I have been doing this for over 30 years and teaching for over 15. In that time, I’ve intersected with quite…

Interview: Sean Baker

Writer-director of the outstanding indie film ‘The Florida Project’.

Daily Dialogue — November 18, 2017

“Woooo-hoo-hoo! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Yeaaaah!”

6 Old Grammar Rules That Are Finally Going Out of Style

Writers should feel free to write stories how the stories need to be told.

Reader Question: Do Nemesis characters necessarily HAVE to suffer in the end?

Are there stories which can work without the Antagonist getting their comeuppance?

Interview (Written): Richard Linklater and Darryl Ponicsan

Co-writers of the Amazon Studios movie Last Flag Flying.

Script To Screen: “Argo”

A dramatic scene from the 2012 movie Argo, written by Chris Terrio, book by Tony Mendez, magazine article by Joshuah Bearman.

Writing and the Creative Life: The Joy of Running… Creatively Speaking

In 1978, a medical doctor Thaddeus Kostrubala put out a book called “The Joy of Running”. Here is some background on Kostrubala:

Daily Dialogue — November 17, 2017

“Put that thing back where it came from, so help me, so help me, so help me, goodbye. Put that thing back where it came from, so help me…

Update: 2017 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 3 New Scripts, 15 Total!

Get these PDFs now before the links disappear.

Spec Script Deal: “Take Back the Night”

New Regency acquires thriller spec script “Take Back the Night” written by Ryan Riley. There are no plot details.

Reader Question: Can writing a character bio get in the way of one’s creative process?

What if the bio veers away from the writer’s take on the character?

Script To Screen: “American Psycho”

A scene from the 2000 movie American Psycho, screenplay by Mary Harron & Guinevere Turner, novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

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.

Daily Dialogue — November 16, 2017

Man: Hey, there’s the award-winning scholar! Woman: We’re all very proud of you, Ben.

The Value of Working with a Mentor

Receiving professional guidance and honest, informed, helpful feedback.

Reader Question: What’s the scoop on writer’s residuals?

Residuals! We LOVE residuals! It’s like free money!

Black List Writers on the Craft

Some of Hollywood’s top screenwriters share insights from my interviews.

Script To Screen: “American Beauty”

One of the most memorable scenes from the 1999 movie American Beauty, written by Alan Ball, a plastic bag dancing in the wind.

Great Scene: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”

A brilliant cinematic moment in Spielberg’s classic science fiction movie.

Daily Dialogue — November 15, 2017

When trying to get out of The Dump, Joy looks at the blue Core Memory and looks at a forgotten memory.