Go Into The Story

Page One: “Emancipation” (2022)

Written by William N. Collage

Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 3: Plot Emerges From Character

No matter what paradigm or theory you use to craft your screenplay’s plot, the single most important thing you can do is this: Start with…

“How to Write Photoplays” by John Emerson and Anita Loos

If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. Loos was one of the most influential writers in the early history of American…

Screenwriting 101: Ron Bass

“Everything I write is in three acts, and I actually start with three pieces of paper. I have some notion of where each act begins and…

Page One: “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” (2021)

Screenplay by Simon Stephenson and Will Sharpe, story by Simon Stephenson

The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling

My one-week online class begins Monday, September 2nd.

Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 2: The Protagonist’s Arc

Transformation lies at the heart of the character’s arc.

Writing Advice from Matt Stone and Trey Parker

A video from over a decade ago resurfaces on social media.

Page One: “The Edge of Seventeen” (2016)

Written by Kelly Fremon Craig

Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 1: Writing Scenes

With every scene, you should ask yourself this question: What is the scene’s Beginning, Middle, and End?

On Writing

“For your born writer, nothing is so healing as the realization that he has come upon the right word.”

Go Into The Story Interview: Jimmy Miller

My interview with the 2023 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

Page One: “Eddie the Eagle” (2015)

Screenplay by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton, story by Simon Kelton

Screenwriting Tip: From Zero Draft… to Hero Draft

“There are no mistakes. There are CHOICES. We have a scene. Or a character. Or a dialogue exchange. Whatever we’re writing, it represents…

Interview (Part 6): Jimmy Miller

My interview with the 2023 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

Great Scene: “Kramer vs. Kramer”

Two scenes making french toast provide signposts to measure the nature of a father-son relationship.

Page One: “Dutch” (1991)

Written by John Hughes

Interview (Part 5): Jimmy Miller

My interview with the 2023 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

A series analyzing Pixar writer-director Andrew Stanton’s TED Talk

“The Clues to a Great Story.”

Script To Screen: “12 Years a Slave”

From the 2013 movie 12 Years a Slave, screenplay by John Ridley, based on a memoir by Solomon Northup.

Page One: “Duplicity” (2009)

Written by Tony Gilroy

If you feel the pull toward creative interests … embrace it.

A quote from a well-known poet reminded me of a critical time in my past.

Interview (Part 4): Jimmy Miller

My interview with the 2023 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

A 10-part series analyzing the Pixar writer-director’s TED Talk

Andrew Stanton is one of the key members of Pixar’s ‘braintrust’ whose screenwriting credits include Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2…

Page One: “Dune” (1984)

Screenplay by David Lynch, novel by Frank Herbert