Go Into The Story

Page One: “Unstoppable” (2024)

Screenplay by Eric Champnella and Alex Harris and John Hindman, book by Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy

The Business of Screenwriting: The Birth, Life, and Death of a Movie

It’s 1997. My writing partner and I are seated in a screening room on the Paramount lot. We are there with a handful of studio execs…

Go Into The Story Interview: Justin Marks

My in-depth interview with the screenwriter of The Jungle Book and showrunner-writer of the hit TV series Shōgun.

Page One: “Heretic” (2024)

Written by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods

Prosody: The Secret to Memorable Writing

Another in the excellent screenwriting video series Raising the Stakes.

On Writing

“You have to be reckless when writing. Be as crazy as your conscience allows.”

Page One: “The Order” (2024)

Screenplay by Zach Baylin and Gary Gerhardt, book by Kevin Flynn

Reader Question: “What should I do if a project sells similar to a script I’m writing?”

Before you jump, step back from the ledge, and consider the following.

Screenwriting 101: Jon Boyer

“A bad script written is still better than an amazing one that isn’t.”

Page One: “All We Imagine as Light” (2024)

Written by Payal Kapadia

Reader Question: Is it realistic to expect a career as a screenwriter?

My response to an email query.

Video: Reckless Creatives Symposium

Two hours of yours truly answering questions about character-driven screenwriting and storytelling.

Page One: “Sing Sing” (2023)

Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, story by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar & Clarence Maclin & John Divine G Whitfield

12 of the Most Popular Go Into The Story Articles from 2024

Jump-start your screenwriting in 2025 with inspiration from these articles which generated the most buzz on my blog.

“This is the true joy of life…”

A wise quote from George Bernard Shaw.

Page One: “Babygirl” (2024)

Written by Halina Reijn

2024 Go Into The Story Highlights: Interviews with 2023 Black List Writers

To date, I have interviewed 85 writers whose scripts were named to the annual Black List.

2024 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 2 New Scripts, 54 Total

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

Page One: “The Brutalist” (2024)

Written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold

2024 Go Into The Story Highlights: Interviews with 2023 Nicholl Fellows

I have interviewed every Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting recipient since 2012 including last year’s winners. Via the Academy:

Reader Question: What is life really like for a beginning screenwriter?

Some things to expect when you break into the business.

Page One: “Queer” (2024)

Screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes, novel by William S. Burroughs

What if…

Perhaps the two most powerful words in the creative process.

“The Story We Know”

Reflections on a poem by Martha Collins.

Page One: “Nightbitch” (2024)

Written for the screen by Marielle Heller, novel by Rachel Yoder