John August

News

I wrote a book.

Arlo Finch, Author, Books, News

I’m not sure how many screenplays I’ve written. At least 30. Maybe 50.

I have [ten produced credits][imdb], so that means a lot of unmade movies. As much as I love screenwriting, it’s like being the architect for a bunch of buildings that may never get built. Screenplays are transitional documents, plans for making the “real” thing.

Novels, however, *are* the real things. Even if they’re later adapated into movies or TV shows, the books themselves are finished works. They’re permanent in a way screenplays could never be.

So in between other projects, I decided to write one. And now it’s [getting published][quote].

Here’s the key bit from the press release:

> Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, has signed a 3-book deal for a new middle grade series by award-winning screenwriter John August, who counts Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Go among his credits.

> In the first book in the series, Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire, set to be published in early 2018, readers are introduced to Arlo Finch, a young boy who joins a mountain scouting troop and discovers that his fellow campers are not just training in outdoor survival—they are also learning to harness the wild magic that lies deep within the forest. Through treacherous adventures and close calls, Arlo is awakened to his unique destiny and the foundations of the Rangers’ Vow: loyalty, bravery, kindness, and truth.

As a screenwriter who frequently gets sent these kinds of books to adapt, it’s been fascinating to see the other side of the business. I’m asking a ton of questions. I’ll be sharing what I learn here and elsewhere.

Since middle grade fiction readers are not the core demo of this site, I’ve also set up a Tumblr at [arlofin.ch][tumblr] that’s just about the book — and is more kid-and-parent friendly.

If you’re curious about the behind-the-scenes of writing and producing the series, I’ll be starting a sporadic newsletter with updates and sneak peeks along the way. More details soon.

Huge thanks to Jodi Reamer, my agent at Writers House, and my editor Connie Hsu for making this happen. It’s going to be a busy couple of years, but I’m looking forward to the journey ahead.

[imdb]: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0041864
[quote]: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bookmark/big-fish-screenwriter-john-august-912543
[tumblr]: http://arlofin.ch

The Exit Interview

Episode - 259

Go to Archive

Books, Follow Up, Meta, News, QandA, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Story and Plot

In the season finale of Scriptnotes, John and Craig reveal big changes to the podcast.

After five years, a much-loved supporting character is leaving the show. We look back at his time with us, what he learned and what he’ll take with him to his new screenwriting adventures.

Meanwhile, one of the hosts is leaving Los Angeles entirely. We discuss what’s taking him to a different time zone and the impact it will have on the show.

Finally, a fresh voice joins the podcast, bringing an international flavor and a name worthy of NPR.

If all these changes sound scary, please be assured we’ll be back next week with the start of a new season.

Links:

* [Girl Gone Overboard](https://vimeo.com/174427174), cut by Fredrik Limi
* [Stuart Friedel](https://twitter.com/stuartfriedel) on Twitter
* [The Peter Stark Program](https://cinema.usc.edu/producing/)
* [Matt Byrne](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4791766/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1), [Chad Creasey](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548657/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1), [Dana Fox](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1401416/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) and [Rawson Thurber](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1098493/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1)
* [Thomas Barbusca](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4564958/?ref_=tt_cl_t13)
* [The Three Page Challenge](http://johnaugust.com/threepage)
* [Steve Zissis](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1587813/?ref_=nv_sr_1) and [Corey Stoll](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1015684/)
* One of John’s doppelgängers [as Hebrew National’s Uncle Sam](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2j-YzZRAA)
* [Ghostbusters (2016)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm) credits on IMDb
* Gizmodo on [The Six Plots](http://gizmodo.com/data-analysis-suggests-there-exist-only-six-book-plots-1783263768)
* [NaNoWriMo](http://nanowrimo.org/)
* [Godwin Jabangwe](https://twitter.com/itaizhou) on Twitter
* [The Wibberleys at UCLA TFT](http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2015/02/the-wibberlys/)
* [My Dad Wrote a Porno](https://overcast.fm/+FQ0rlFek8)
* [Do irrational numbers like pi disprove humanity being a simulation?](https://www.quora.com/Do-irrational-numbers-like-pi-disprove-humanity-being-a-simulation) on Quora
* [Pastor Evan Mawarire](https://twitter.com/pastorevanlive) on Twitter, and [#ThisFlag](https://twitter.com/hashtag/thisflag)
* Fiddler’s Bistro [chicken kabobs](https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fiddlers-bistro-los-angeles?select=O5lDBWpGnHsPoGEcP69Qxw) and [red pepper dip](https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/fiddlers-bistro-los-angeles?select=0ASoVfJyY3ahUW_S2p3Uwg)
* The phonaesthetically beautiful [cellar door](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellar_door) and [The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IsXKMkDAMQ)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Rajesh Naroth ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_259.mp3).

**UPDATE 2-22-23** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptnotes-ep-259-the-exit-interview-transcript).

The Gold Standard

Asides, News, Random Advice, Rant, Scriptnotes

In this special mini-episode, Craig and John tackle the gold standard and why economists think it’s a flat-out terrible idea.

We don’t discuss screenwriting at all, so feel free to skip this one if monetary theory doesn’t interest you.

This episode is mostly to verify that minor changes to our workflow haven’t messed up the Scriptnotes feed. If for some reason this episode doesn’t show up in your regular podcasting app, please let us know at the ask@johnaugust.com account (and re-add it in iTunes).

Next week, we’ll be back with our long-anticipated interview with Lawrence Kasdan.

Links:

* [Gold standard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard) on Wikipedia
* [ProCon.org weighs the pros and cons of the United States returning to a gold standard](http://gold-standard.procon.org/)
* The Atlantic on [Why the Gold Standard Is the World’s Worst Economic Idea, in 2 Charts](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/why-the-gold-standard-is-the-worlds-worst-economic-idea-in-2-charts/261552/)
* Huffington Post on [Ted Cruz’s gold standard policy](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-gold-standard-republican_us_571196bfe4b06f35cb6fbac6)
* [Debt: The First 5,000 Years](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1612191290/?tag=johnaugustcom-20), by David Graeber

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_gold.mp3).

The One with the Idiot Teamster

Directors, Film Industry, Follow Up, News, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome writer-director Lorene Scafaria to talk about her new movie The Meddler and some of the unique challenges faced by female directors.

She joins us as we play a new round of How Would This Be a Movie, tackling global hums, killer grannies and airport conspiracies. We also discuss movies that are often used as shorthand in Hollywood, from Raiders to Die Hard to Midnight Run. (But never The ‘Burbs.)

Next week we’ll be making minor server changes. If for some reason the next episode doesn’t automatically appear in your podcast app next Tuesday, you may need to resubscribe. Sorry, but it will be worth it to listen to special guest Lawrence Kasdan.

Links:

* [Subscribe to the Scriptnotes mailing list](http://eepurl.com/bVzXVv) and stay up to date on live shows, bonus episodes and more!
* John’s blog post on [why he’s voting no on WGA Amendment 1](http://johnaugust.com/2016/why-im-voting-no-on-amendment-1)
* The [Scriptnotes Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scriptnotes) is ready for your edits
* Lorene Scafaria on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1032521/), [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorene_Scafaria) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/LoreneScafaria)
* The Meddler on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Meddler) and [Rotten Tomatoes](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_meddler_2016/)
* New Republic on [The Hum](https://newrepublic.com/article/132128/maddening-sound), and [12 hours of the Taos Hum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WXUOLHp54w&feature=youtu.be)
* mental_floss on [the Denver Airport](http://mentalfloss.com/article/61740/5-weird-conspiracy-theories-surrounding-denver-international-airport), and RationalWiki’s [Denver Airport conspiracies](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Denver_Airport_conspiracy_theory) page
* The Star on [the Internet Black Widow](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/04/12/internet-black-widow-breaches-three-conditions-of-release-from-prison-police-say.html), and her [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Ann_Shepard)
* [Film Dialogue from 2,000 screenplays, Broken Down by Gender and Age](http://polygraph.cool/films/), A Polygraph Joint
* [Thanks For Ruining Another Game Forever, Computers](http://blog.codinghorror.com/thanks-for-ruining-another-game-forever-computers/), by Jeff Atwood
* Los Angeles Times on [Escape Rooms](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-escape-room-boom-20160417-story.html), and [Escape Room LA](http://escaperoomla.com/)
* Omaze and The Meddler’s [Call Your Mother shirt](https://www.omaze.com/meddler), benefitting [Hope North](http://www.hopenorth.org/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_246.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_246.mp3).

**UPDATE 4-22-16:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptnotes-ep-246-the-one-with-the-idiot-teamster-transcript).