• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

John August

  • Arlo Finch
  • Scriptnotes
  • Library
  • Store
  • About

Glossary

Hitchcock on MacGuffins

July 2, 2010 Glossary, Video

McGuffin by Hitchcock from isaac niemand on Vimeo.

Any way you spell them, they’re a screenwriting staple. (via [Movie City Indie](http://www.mcnblogs.com/mcindie/archives/2010/06/animating_hitch.html))

On protagonists

June 24, 2010 Glossary, Story and Plot

In earlier posts, I’ve talked about [protagonists and heroes](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/whats-the-difference-between-hero-main-character-and-protagonist) at length. Yesterday [Michael Goldenberg](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0325533/) offered a a new description that I love:

**The protagonist is the character that suffers the most.**

In one sentence, both definition and practical advice. Perfect.

Shoe leather and bric-a-brac

April 18, 2005 Glossary

[Artful Writer](http://artfulwriter.com) has a great list of [shorthand jargon](http://artfulwriter.com/archives/2005/04/test_ms_html.html) from the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker school of comedy. Even if you never end up using the terms, they provide a useful guide to the do’s and don’t-do’s of comedy writing.

While you’re reading up, check out John Roger’s [comedy glossary](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/04/writing-jargon-preservation.html) at [Kung Fu Monkey](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/). (Link via [Artful Writer](http://artfulwriter.com))

Glossary: Residuals

November 4, 2004 Glossary

RESIDUALS
Payments made to a film or television writer when his or her work is sold to another venue, such as a feature film sold on DVD, or a network television episode shown in syndication. These fees are negotiated and collected on behalf of the writer by the Writers Guild of America.

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Newsletter

Inneresting Logo A Quote-Unquote Newsletter about Writing
Read Now

Explore

Projects

  • Aladdin (1)
  • Arlo Finch (27)
  • Big Fish (88)
  • Charlie (39)
  • Charlie's Angels (16)
  • Chosen (2)
  • Corpse Bride (9)
  • Dead Projects (18)
  • Frankenweenie (10)
  • Go (30)
  • Karateka (4)
  • Monsterpocalypse (3)
  • One Hit Kill (6)
  • Ops (6)
  • Preacher (2)
  • Prince of Persia (13)
  • Shazam (6)
  • Snake People (6)
  • Tarzan (5)
  • The Nines (118)
  • The Remnants (12)
  • The Variant (22)

Apps

  • Bronson (14)
  • FDX Reader (11)
  • Fountain (32)
  • Highland (73)
  • Less IMDb (4)
  • Weekend Read (64)

Recommended Reading

  • First Person (88)
  • Geek Alert (151)
  • WGA (162)
  • Workspace (19)

Screenwriting Q&A

  • Adaptation (66)
  • Directors (90)
  • Education (49)
  • Film Industry (491)
  • Formatting (129)
  • Genres (90)
  • Glossary (6)
  • Pitches (29)
  • Producers (59)
  • Psych 101 (119)
  • Rights and Copyright (96)
  • So-Called Experts (47)
  • Story and Plot (170)
  • Television (164)
  • Treatments (21)
  • Words on the page (237)
  • Writing Process (178)

More screenwriting Q&A at screenwriting.io

© 2025 John August — All Rights Reserved.