John August

Transcribed

When Good Enough Isn’t Enough

Episode - 719

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig consider all the words they have to write and ask, how do you know when something deserves your best effort? They offer a useful rubric for deciding when something is worth perfecting, and when over-optimization is a waste of time.

We also follow up on compulsive writing habits, industry euphemisms, back issues, and the impact and legacy of the WGA’s 2019 agency negotiations.

In our bonus segment for premium members, it’s a new year! John looks back at things he accomplished in 2025 and his goals for 2026, while Craig sighs and gestures in the direction of The Last of Us.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-22-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

No Worries if Not

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig circle back on all the euphemisms and stock phrases that float around Hollywood. Using some favorite examples, they attempt to define and demystify the current industry-speak so everyone is looped in when we come up for air after the holidays.

We also wrap-up 2025 with a look at Scriptnotes by the numbers, check-in on Disney’s deal with OpenAI, follow up on that director who scammed Netflix out of $11 million, and answer listener questions on the guilds’ involvement in video podcasts and reps who won’t send out co-written scripts.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig navigate how to deal with difficult collaborators.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-21-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

The Screenwriting Life: The Craft Lessons That Matter Most

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

In a Christmas crossover event, John and Craig join Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Lorien McKenna (Tab Time) on their podcast, The Screenwriting Life.

We talk about why rigid structure can miss the point, how theme emerges from character, what fear and denial really look like on the page, and how writers can survive rejection without letting it define them.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John breaks Drew’s heart with his lovely memories of Rob & Michele Reiner.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-2-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Personality Typologies

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome back screenwriter Mike Makowsky (Death by Lightning, Bad Education) to ask, how do you dramatize a historical event that no one’s heard of? They look at the dramatic engine behind the Garfield assassination, the long journey Death by Lightning had to getting made, and the importance of finding great stories in obscure history.

We investigate the peculiar habits and compulsions of our own writing practices, and see how personality typologies can help figure out what makes our characters tick. We also follow up on a certain orange book, breaking into Hollywood in your 30’s, and offer our thoughts on the impending sale of Warner Bros.

In our bonus segment for premium members, which TV shows had the best “coaching trees”? We marvel at the writers’ rooms that launched the most successful writers today.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-2-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.