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Jan 31, 2023

John and Craig take a look at ‘writer fingerprints.’ They break down how idiosyncratic choices make up an individual’s style on-the-page and offer advice on how to mimic someone else’s voice.

Follow up includes pet rock, a defense of script consultants, the preface page in Tár, and the anti-“actually”...


Jan 24, 2023

Taffy Brodesser-Akner joins us to discuss her journey adapting her bestselling novel “Fleishman Is in Trouble” into an acclaimed limited series. We chat about drawing inspiration from the familiar, learning how manage others, and presenting multiple sides to a story.

We also answer listener questions about naming...


Jan 17, 2023

John and Craig invite writer/director Sarah Polley to discuss her critically acclaimed feature “Women Talking.” They cover twice-removed adaptations, the world’s best eye-roll, and the power of narration.

We also look at “Run Towards the Danger” — the title of Sarah’s book as well as her personal...


Jan 10, 2023

John and Craig dissect expertise and “why you should think twice or thrice before taking someone’s advice.” They look at how survivorship bias, pride, and luck should factor into how we judge sources of authority.

We answer listener questions on raising kids in LA, writers for videogames, and Megana asks about...


Jan 3, 2023

John and Craig (and Aline!) discuss the elements of quality writing in this collection of craft conversations.

As we work on the Scriptnotes book, producer Megana Rao has been collecting wisdom from the archives to write an introductory chapter to define good writing. In these segments we cover how to find your voice,...