John August

QandA

What is good writing?

Episode - 239

Go to Archive

Formatting, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Words, Words on the page

It’s an all-craft episode as John and Craig discuss what they mean when they say good writing.

Quality isn’t an objective measurement but rather a subjective experience. It’s the relationship between the reader and writer. From vulnerability to voice, consistency to surprise, good writing shares many characteristics with good acting.

We then look at three new entries in the Three Page Challenge, trying to apply what we just discussed.

Links:

* Marcus Geduld looks at [how you differentiate good acting from bad acting](http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2014/09/10/how_do_you_differentiate_good_acting_from_bad_acting.html?wpsrc=fol_tw)
* Michael Tabb on [The Concept of Premise](http://www.scriptmag.com/features/script-notes-where-story-begins-premise), and [John’s response](http://johnaugust.com/2016/the-premise-or-whats-the-point)
* Paul Rudnick’s [Libby Gelman-Waxner](http://paulrudnick.com/secret/libby-gelman-waxner/)
* Three Pages by [Joey Perotti](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/JoeyPerotti.pdf)
* Three Pages by [Amanda Marín](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/AmandaMarin.pdf)
* Three Pages by [Josh Corbin](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/JoshCorbin.pdf)
* [Submit your Three Pages here](http://johnaugust.com/threepage)
* [Creatures avoiding planks](http://otoro.net/planks/)
* AskMen on [beard oil](http://www.askmen.com/grooming/appearance/best-beard-oils-reviewed.html)
* [#masculinitysofragile](https://twitter.com/hashtag/masculinitysofragile) on Twitter
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Daniel Green ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_239.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_239.mp3).

**UPDATE 3-3-16:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptnotes-ep-239-what-is-good-writing-transcript).

The job of writer-producer

Film Industry, Follow Up, Producers, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Dana Fox joins John and Craig to discuss her role as both screenwriter and producer of How to Be Single. Like Simon Kinberg and Chris Morgan, Dana is one of a handful of feature writers taking responsibility for delivering not just the script, but the finished movie.

We look at how and why she made the transition, and the differences between a feature writer-producer and a TV showrunner. We also discuss the challenges Dana faced in this role, from studio politics to pregnancy, and whether she’d do it again.

Our postponed interview with screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan is now scheduled as part of a WGF/Nicholls event. Details in the link below.

Links:

* Dana Fox on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Fox), [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1401416/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/inthehenhouse)
* [DSM-III-R](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders#DSM-III-R_.281987.29) and [DSM-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5) on Wikipedia
* The New York Times on [The Fempire](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/fashion/22fempire.html)
* [How to Be Single](http://howtobesinglemovie.com/) is in theaters now
* Modern Farmer on [Cow Tipping: Fake or Really Fake?](http://modernfarmer.com/2013/09/cow-tipping-myth-or-bullcrap/)
* [farmersonly.com](http://farmersonly.com/), and [their YouTube page](https://www.youtube.com/user/FarmersOnly)
* [Spectra S1 breast pump](http://www.spectrababyusa.com/#!products/cjg9), and [on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DBKFFJM/?tag=johnaugustcom-20)
* [The Katering Show](http://thekateringshow.com/) is fantastic
* [The Great British Bake Off](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013pqnm)
* [Sky Guide](http://www.fifthstarlabs.com/#sky-guide)
* [Get tickets now](https://www.wgfoundation.org/screenwriting-events/wgfestival-2016-craft/) to see John and Craig interview Lawrence Kasdan as part of WGFestival 2016
* [USB drives with the first 200 Scriptnotes are available now at the John August Store](http://store.johnaugust.com/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Adam Lastname ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_238.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_238.mp3).

**UPDATE 2-26-16:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptnotes-ep-238-the-job-of-writer-producer-transcript).

To Kill a Mockingbird

Author, Books, Words on the page

Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird, died today at 89.

Everyone reads To Kill a Mockingbird in high school or college, right? For years, I recalled it being on a summer AP English reading list. I no doubt rushed through it to get to Heller or Dostoyevsky.

But last year, as the controversy over Go Set a Watchman started bubbling up, I began to wonder: did I actually ever read Mockingbird? Like a lot of great books, it had permeated American culture so thoroughly that I could fake my way through a conversation about Atticus Finch without first-hand knowledge the book he appears in.

Sadly, discussing things you haven’t read is an important skill in Hollywood.

I bought and read Mockingbird this year over the Christmas holiday. Spoiler: it’s terrific. Through cultural osmosis, I already had some sense of Atticus, Scout and Boo Radley, and the trial at the center of the book.

What I hadn’t anticipated was how smart and funny Lee’s writing would be. She manages the difficult feat of telling the story from the perspective of a willful six-year-old tomboy while vividly painting in the details of Maycomb, Alabama. As the reader, you understand the complicated lives of the adults even while the young protagonist is annoyed and baffled by them.

Lee’s scene work is terrific — a nighttime walk back from school is harrowing — but her transitions are remarkable. She can thoroughly document a moment down to each scowl and scrape, then zip through months in a sentence. This ability to stretch and compress time is so much harder than Lee makes it look.

To Kill a Mockingbird is usually studied for its themes and cultural issues, but I’d urge you to read it — or re-read it — just for the writing.

Sexy But Doesn’t Know It

Follow Up, Producers, Screenwriting Software, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Words on the page, Writing Process

John and Craig look at how to introduce characters in a screenplay — and how to avoid being mocked by a Twitter feed for it. We go back through previous Three Page Challenges and several of the screenplays nominated for awards this year to examine trends and techniques.

We also discuss writing two projects at once, and offer follow-up on previous topics including screenwriting software, top-100 lists and our favorite Australians we’ve never met.

Links:

* [The Katering Show](http://thekateringshow.com/) is fantastic
* [Notes for last week’s release of Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.2.1](http://support.screenplay.com/filestore/mmsw6/docs/MMSW_6214_ReadMe.pdf?utm_source=Email_marketing&utm_campaign=Wednesday_February_10_2016&cmp=1&utm_medium=HTMLEmail)
* Ross Putman’s [@femscriptintros Twitter feed](https://twitter.com/femscriptintros)
* [mberry Miracle Fruit Tablets](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LXYA5Q/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) on Amazon
* [Christians Against Dinosaurs](http://www.christiansagainstdinosaurs.com/)
* [Poe’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law) on Wikipedia
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Adam Lastname ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_237.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_237.mp3).

**UPDATE 2-19-16:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptnotes-ep-237-sexy-but-doesnt-know-it-transcript).