Scott Myers

Screenwriter David Seltzer (The Omen, Punchline) said, “If you go in with formula, you come out with formula.” A reminder that screenplays are stories ... not formulas. gointothestory.blcklst.com/screenplays-... #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

My Go Into The Story interview with Omar Al Dakheel and Elie El Choufany about their 2025-2026 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting screenplay The Washroom. "Movies showed me the potential for fear to become strength, for violence to become kindness." gointothestory.blcklst.com/go-into-the-...

"There are dozens of screenwriting books out there, but you will not find another written with such insight, wisdom, and (dare I say?) love for storytelling and storytellers. Highly recommended!"--Michael Colleary (Face/Off) www.amazon.com/dp/3030796817 #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

4 Tips On Creativity From The Creator Of Calvin & Hobbes: 1. You Have To Lose Yourself In Your Work 2. Create For Yourself 3. Make It Beautiful 4. Every Medium Has Power. Read more thoughts from Bill Watterson gointothestory.blcklst.com/4-tips-on-cr... #creativity #writing #screenwriting #scriptsky

This 36-minute video covers a host of subjects related to the most pragmatic financial aspects of being a screenwriting: Breaking into the business; Spec script options and deals; Pitching and OWAs; Move to L.A. or not. Much more. www.patreon.com/GoIntoTheSto... #screenwriting #scriptsky

Concur!

My blog GoIntoTheStory.blcklst.com with 34k+ articles – FREE! My eBook: “Spec Script Deals: From 1991-2025” – FREE! Now my Patreon. For as little as $1 per month, videos, lectures, office hours, live Zooms. It's Film School on a Microbudget. www.patreon.com/cw/GoIntoThe... #screenwriting #scriptsky

This year is my 11th time at the Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference. Here's my schedule. I've already set several meet-ups. If you see me wandering by, be sure to say hello! gointothestory.blcklst.com/2026-austin-... #AFF33 #AFF2026

Rob Meyer: “Even in an indie film, it’s important to have a logline that people are going to perk up, and say, ‘Oh, that sounds cool.’ Indie films are as much in the mercy of having stuff that sounds good to people in a pitch.” gointothestory.blcklst.com/screenwritin... #screenwriting #scriptsky

Why You Should Write Three Pages of Garbage Every Morning: “Freewriting forces you to keep moving forward, keep creating, without a thought given to quality.” gointothestory.blcklst.com/why-you-shou... #creativity #productivity #writing #screenwriting #scriptsky

Also: UNINFORMED UNTRUTHFUL UNWELL UNINSPIRED UNDESERVING UNSKILLED UNSEEMLY UNSTATESMANLIKE UNSTEADY UNREPENTANT UNWISE UNCHIVALROUS UNINFORMED UNTHINKABLE UNWELCOME UNSRESPECTABLE UNINSPIRED UNSAVORY UNSATISFACTORY UNFIT UNINTELLIGENT UNSKILLED and UNIQUELY ABHORRENT PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY 🇺🇸

Lin-Manuel Miranda: “You write until the rust comes out of the faucet and it’s clear water. Then you write down the clear water.” gointothestory.blcklst.com/on-writing-9/ #writing #screenwriting #scriptsky

“THE PROTAGONIST’S JOURNEY is a wonderful resource for screenwriters at any stage of their careers or, frankly, filmlovers who want to learn how to better think about the art forms they love so much - and create some of their own!” – Cole Haddon (Psalms for the End of the World) tinyurl.com/4ewysjyw

Screenwriter Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Lights Out, Hours, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing) with a series of tweets on writing and time management: Procrastination, Precrastination, and Productivity. gointothestory.blcklst.com/tweetstorm-e... #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

How I teach it: Personal History = Every past event in a character's life. Backstory = Every past event that is carried *forward* into the actual screenplay. Answer the question: Why *this* journey for *this* character. Use that insight to zero in on relevant backstory elements. Serve *that* story.

The Metamorphosis of Darth Vader: An exploration of how the character transforms from Nemesis (SW:IV) to Trickster (SW:V) to Attractor (SW:VI). Also: Ted Lasso, Iron Man. Upcoming: Obsession. gointothestory.blcklst.com/the-metamorp... #movies #screenwriting #Psychology #scriptsky

Too busy to write? Become more productive with the 1, 2, 7, 14 approach! Read: 1 script per week. Watch: 2 movies per week. Write: 7 pages per week (1 page per day). Research: 14 hours per week (2 hours per day). Details and tips here. www.patreon.com/GoIntoTheSto... #screenwriting #scriptsky

How Much Character Work is Enough? The "iceberg theory" of character development. gointothestory.blcklst.com/how-much-cha... #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

Download "Spec Script Deals: 1991-2025" here. It's 517 pages, includes 2,560 individual deal listings, 96% have loglines or story summaries. A fantastic resource for screenwriters -- and it's FREE! www.patreon.com/GoIntoTheSto... #screenwriting #scriptsky

Theodor Melfi: “If you give an actor an honest role, they’ll want to play it, and they’ll know how to play it." gointothestory.blcklst.com/screenwritin... #screenwriting

Spec Script Deal: "Canopy". Plot: A botanist searching for a rare medical cure in the uncharted Amazon canopy must survive a terrifying, undiscovered apex predator. Writer: Brandon Feldman. Buyer: Netflix. Reported mid-six figure deal. gointothestory.blcklst.com/spec-script-... #screenwriting

Henry Miller: “Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one. The writer lives between the upper and lower worlds: he takes the path in order eventually to become the path himself.” gointothestory.blcklst.com/on-writing-8/ #writing #screenwriting #scriptsky

In the 18+ years I've hosted Go Into The Story, I've interviewed 200+ screenwriters and filmmakers. There are 10 traits and skills I've heard over and over in those conversations which YOU can focus on to develop as a screenwriter. gointothestory.blcklst.com/10-screenwri... #screenwriting #scriptsky

The Unity Arc is the most common narrative archetype and lies at the core of the Protagonist's psychological journey. Here is the latest in my 6-part lecture series on Plot. www.patreon.com/GoIntoTheSto... #storytelling #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

A fantastic group at this year's Black List feature writers lab! The participating writers are great as are their scripts. The mentors are wonderful. Always a delight to spend time with the Black List team. It's exciting to work with this year's cohort! deadline.com/2026/10/the-...

The Business of Screenwriting: Over 100 Go Into The Story articles about surviving life as a screenwriter in the up and down world of the Hollywood film and TV business. gointothestory.blcklst.com/the-business... #screenwriting #scriptsky

"Patel, who was contacted by Yu via cold-email, was hooked after reading his script. “Every once in a great while, you pick up a script that’s filled with humor, heart and teenage angst, and this is one of those screenplays,” Patel said. deadline.com/2026/10/mona... #screenwriting

Zelenskyy might be saving our democracy. The mad genius is bombing Russian data centers linked to FAKE NEWS bot farms. Without them, Putin’s midterm influence will accidentally fall from a 30th floor window. I 💙 Ukraine 🇺🇦

Do you write “high concept” stories or not? And just generally, what are your thoughts about “high concept” movies? gointothestory.blcklst.com/do-you-write... #movies #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

The Curse of Shiny Object Syndrome: "A new idea captures your imagination and attention in such a way that you get distracted from the bigger picture and go off in tangents instead of remaining focused on the goal." gointothestory.blcklst.com/the-curse-of... #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

If the "three finger salute" (Ctrl-Alt-Delete) reboots an operating system, how about that as a metaphor for the Hero's Journey: transformation as rebooting a character's "operating system." Also: Three Act Structure. gointothestory.blcklst.com/ctrl-alt-del... #storytelling #screenwriting #writing

Some years back, I ran a weekly series called "Sundays with 'Conversations with Wilder'. I went through the excellent book featuring conversations between the great filmmaker and Cameron Crowe. Wonderful anecdotes and reflections. gointothestory.blcklst.com/sundays-with... #movies #screenwriting

Can a Protagonist evolve into an Antagonist? Look at it in Jungian terms because the Protagonist has not confronted their “shadow,” that inner power takes over. gointothestory.blcklst.com/can-a-protag... #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

What is your daily writing “workout” routine? Sage advice from A Quiet Place and Heretic screenwriters Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. gointothestory.blcklst.com/what-is-your... #screenwriting #writing #scriptsky

Thanks, Meg! Right back at you. I love your Unsub series.

“Scott Myers illuminates techniques for character development that not only kickstart creativity, but enable writers to deepen their work and craft gripping, emotionally satisfying stories. - Meg Gardiner, author UNSUB novels, co-author "Heat 2: A Novel" tinyurl.com/4ewysjyw #writing #screenwriting

Christopher McQuarrie: "Screenwriting tip: It’s as simple as giving them exactly what they expect in a way they’ve never seen before.” gointothestory.blcklst.com/screenwritin... #screenwriting #scriptsky

If you're a Sorkin fan, check out this video analysis of the opening from The Social Network. The scene accomplishes multiple goals and propels the Protagonist (Zuckerberg) into his journey. How 8 1/2 script pages resulted in a 5-minute movie scene. www.patreon.com/GoIntoTheSto... #scriptsky

Protagonist: Ordinary character. Extraordinary situation. #screenwriting #scriptsky

I just heard a doctor get asked what the lived experience of long covid is like for patients and he said “imagine a few months after a covid infection you go to a party and you can’t remember anyone’s names” and to me, this is like describing having cancer as “imagine you have a mole that’s itchy.”

A screenwriting tweetstorm from May 2015 by studio exec Jeff Willis. Pretty much everything a screenwriter needs to know about QUERY LETTERS. gointothestory.blcklst.com/tweestorm-je... #screenwriting #scriptsky

Spec Script Deal: "This Land Is Our Land". Described as an "elevated thriller script". Writer: Casey Giltner. Buyer: Sony Pictures. 22nd script deal in 2026. There were 21 script deals year-to-date in 2025. gointothestory.blcklst.com/spec-script-... #hollywood #movies #screenwriting #scriptsky

"There are dozens of screenwriting books out there, but you will not find another written with such insight, wisdom, and (dare I say?) love for storytelling and storytellers. Highly recommended!"--Michael Colleary (Face/Off) tinyurl.com/4ewysjyw #screenwriting #scriptsky

Henry Miller: “What the budding artist needs is the privilege of wrestling with problems in solitude—and without a master. He must learn to think and feel for himself, to trust his own impulses, and to be brave enough to make mistakes.” gointothestory.blcklst.com/on-writing-6/ #writing

I like to think of Carl Jung as our most important "screenwriting guru" as his theory of Individuation mirrors the Protagonist journey found in most movies. Here is a Go Into The Story 5-part series on Jung's theories and their relevance to storytelling. gointothestory.blcklst.com/reflections-...

Primetime: More movies like this, please! Excellent across the board: Directing, cinematography, acting, screenplay. Look forward to reading the script. Protagonist is Chris, but narrative also explored Andie Bender and Dan Plum storylines. Definitely award-worthy film!

My conversation with Neil Drumming who is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and journalist. We discussed his first feature film Big Words. gointothestory.blcklst.com/go-into-the-... #movies #screenwriting

My blog Go Into The Story has 34k+ articles on screenwriting and the creative life. It’s FREE! My eBook “Spec Script Deals: 1991-2025” includes 2,560 individual deal listings. It’s FREE! Consider subscribing to my Patreon site. Thanks. www.patreon.com/cw/GoIntoThe... #screenwriting #scriptsky