I had the idea for Lockdown a few years back when I needed to create a logline for a screenwriting class. The logline I submitted for that assignment goes like this: “After receiving a threatening
Continue ReadingA Logline a Week…
So I’ve been trying to post a quote a week on my Instagram channel. The one for this week was from Ray Bradbury. “Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52
Continue ReadingWhat Type of [Thematic Object] are Your Characters?
One of the podcasts on my rotation is The Screenwriting Life, hosted by Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna and produced by Jeff Graham. In Episode 117, screenwriter Eirene Tran Donohue talks about how to write
Continue ReadingScene-us Interruptus; or Why to Withdraw Early
I was working on a scene last night. It’s a scene where the protagonist meets with his ex and the police about his daughter’s kidnapping. Following this, he kicks into action to get her back.
Continue ReadingFrom Script to Screen: The Expanse
This week’s Scriptnotes episode is a rebroadcast of Episode 224, in which John and Craig discussed several scenes from Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. They discuss the family dinner scene and Miles’ and Fletcher’s meeting in the
Continue ReadingStakes and Structure…
I’m sure I’m not alone in learning about movie structure through the lens of Blake Snyder’s
Continue ReadingPick a Line, Any Line…
So I just watched a YouTube clip of a Brad Pitt interview in which the interviewer asked him about which lines have stuck with him from throughout his career. Pitt made an interesting observation that
Continue ReadingScenes: A Culmination? Or the Process?
The Process. It hasn’t worked out yet for the Philadelphia 76ers and their attempts to build a championship team through high draft picks, but are there lessons for us as screenwriters in the idea of
Continue ReadingWould You Want to Know?
I have been a Scriptnotes listener since the beginning, back when I used to burn it to a CD so that I could play it in my car while driving. It’s only recently, however, that
Continue ReadingPredictability
I’ve only posted a couple of times since life was irrevocably changed nine-and-a-half months ago. I’ve been writing a little– but not consistently– and still listening to the Scriptnotes podcast. While helping to vacuum the house today, I
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