How do you keep doing creative work when the world is falling apart around you? To sift through the despair and doubt, John welcomes back legendary Scriptnotes guest, writer-turned-psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo. They discuss the many feelings that catastrophic events can bring up in artists, the personal narratives that often inform those feelings, and how to […]
Psych 101
Something’s Coming
Last week, Dwarkesh Patel put words to an uneasy feeling that resonated with me: I think we’re at what late February 2020 was for Covid, but for AI. If you can remember back to February 2020, both the media and the general public were still in normal-times mode, discussing Trump’s impeachment, the Democratic primaries and […]
What I Learned Writing a Trilogy
Here’s what I wish someone had told me before I started writing the Arlo Finch trilogy.
General meetings don’t have to be general
I like this advice from Jeff Nathanson: It took me well over a decade to realize that general meetings are only general if I allowed them to be. And so, I changed my approach. I figured as long as I’m putting on a clean shirt and meeting with people who have the ability to hire […]
Normal is not an option
The image that accompanies this article on a school reopening protest captures a major mood in July 2020. The photo comes courtesy of Victoria Conti, who is also quoted in the piece: I don’t want my kids to stay in front of a computer all day long. It’s not good for health, for mental health, […]
What is a #writesprint?
A #writesprint is a timed writing session. For a set period — often 60 minutes but sometimes shorter — you sit down and focus all your attention on writing. No checking Twitter. No Googling lyrics. No running to the kitchen for a snack. Just write. It doesn’t have to be screenwriting; you can #writesprint a […]