On October 24, 2019, I presented the Hawley Foundation Lecture at Drake University. It was an update and reexamination of a 2006 speech on professionalism I originally gave at Trinity University, and later that year at Drake. What follows is a pretty close approximation of my speech, but hardly a transcript. It’s long, around 14,000 […]
Film Industry
Hollywood assistants have always been underpaid, but this is different
We asked listeners to write in with their experiences as assistants, focusing on the impact of low wages. What they told us was helpful, sobering and enraging.
Plot Holes
Episode - 384
John and Craig dive into plot holes: why they happen, how to fix them, why not to fix them, and how to turn them into opportunities.
We also respond to listener questions on outlining, servicing many storylines, and what screenwriting challenges go under-appreciated.
Splitting the Party
John and Craig talk about the trope of “Never split the party,” and why, as a writer, you often want and need to divide up your characters to better explore relationships, propel the story forward, give actors something to do, and simply fit everyone in the frame.