John August

Transcribed

A Box Full of Teeth

Episode - 734

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome back Katie Dippold (Widow’s Bay, Ghostbusters) to ask, what advice would you give to your younger self? They revisit the writers they used to be, offer specific guidance to each one, and demystify everything from “Why isn’t a producer calling me back?” to “Should I join that sorority?”

Most importantly, we look at how Katie turned her former writing sample into the hilarious and spooky new show, Widow’s Bay. We also answer listener questions on calling out stolen ideas and how to pitch yourself when your past work doesn’t line up with your voice.

In our bonus segment for premium members, with the rise of AI, will there still be be movies and TV shows in ten or twenty years? Our best guesses lie just behind the paywall.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-7-26: The transcript of this episode can be found here

Learning Comedy

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes five-time Emmy-winning writer Ali Barthwell (Last Week Tonight) to ask, can writers learn to be funny? Drawing from her time as a teacher at The Second City, they look at what writers can learn from sketch and improv, and how to reliably find ways to make an audience laugh.

We also celebrate the WGA membership’s ratification of the 2026 MBA, the educational future of the Scriptnotes book, and answer listener questions on the first scene of a comedy and when to stop taking assistant gigs and bet on yourself.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Ali shares how she built a thriving writing career without ever having to live in New York or LA.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-4-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Avoidance and Other Anti-Quests

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig flip the idea of motivation on its head and ask, what are your characters running from? Using examples across film and TV, they look at the psychological underpinnings of discomfort, and how to use avoidance as a driving force of character and story.

We’ve also been away for a minute, so there’s a lot to catch up on! We follow-up on where the heck we’ve been, locked pages, a Scottish rap duo, and a new scientific answer for whether one page of script really equals one minute of movie. We also answer listener questions on the afterlife of residuals and writing with a significant other.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we go through their feedback on our first ever video podcast and announce our plans for the future of the show.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-23-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

A Frank Conversation About Screenwriting

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John sits down with the Northwest Screenwriters Guild at an event to promote the Scriptnotes book, and ends up having a poignant conversation about how the career of screenwriting has changed, missteps John made throughout his career, and how his approach to screenwriting has evolved over time.

He also answers questions on kicking bad writing habits, screenwriting careers outside of Hollywood, what to look for in the projects you choose, whether age matters in a screenwriting career, writing your calling card movie, the sidekick problem, and the real story behind the Prince of Persia movie.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John has been hanging out with sketch writers for the last few weeks and is excited to share what he’s learned about writing sketch comedy.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-23-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.