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Mar 29, 2022

John answers listener questions on craft and industry. When are you ready to send a script? How do you rewrite scenes during production? Is it cool to take a picture with your celebrity crush on set? John offers professional advice for writers on the page and in real life.

We follow up on screenwriter dexterity (typing...


Mar 22, 2022

John and Craig investigate backstabs and double-crosses onscreen and share how writers can set up plot twists on the page.

We answer listener questions on imposter syndrome, negative feedback, and hear about John’s journey to find the right ergonomic keyboard. We also follow up on meet-cutes, charismatic...


Mar 15, 2022

John and Craig breakdown the ideal attributes of the “screenwriter” character. Looking at the ratio of craft to charm, they debate which combinations lead to success in Hollywood.

We also host a round of the Three Page Challenge. Samples this week range from stories on earthquakes to community theatre, but all...


Mar 8, 2022

John and Craig bump into/trip over/spill coffee on the ‘Meet-Cute.’ They look at the history and mechanics of that moment when two lead characters meet each other in a romantic comedy, with advice to writers on how to keep it fresh.

We answer listener questions on packing for set, branding yourself as a writer, and...


Mar 1, 2022

John welcomes writer/director Leigh Whannell (Saw, Upgrade, Invisible Man) and astrophysicist/science consultant Dr. Erin Macdonald (Star Trek) to explore the science of sci-fi. They follow the evolution of an idea through the brainstorm to edit phase, advising how to titrate the proper amount of fact to fiction...