John August

Words on the page

The Conflict Episode

Episode - 179

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Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed, Words on the page

Craig and John discuss conflict — why it’s bad in real life but essential in screenwriting. We define six forms of conflict common in movies, then look at ways to sustain conflict within a scene and throughout a story.

We also look briefly at Whiplash, both the conflict between its two main characters and the controversy over whether it should be considered an original or an adapted screenplay.

If you can spare the ten seconds it takes, leaving us a rating on iTunes is a great way to help others find Scriptnotes. Thanks!

Links:

* [Academy & WGA At Odds Over ‘Whiplash’ Screenplay](http://deadline.com/2015/01/academy-and-wga-at-odds-over-acclaimed-whiplash-screenplay-will-it-hurt-oscar-chances-1201341846/) on Deadline
* [Snowpiercer: Left or Right](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X05TDsoSg2Y) on YouTube
* [Star Trek: The Next Generation In 40 Hours](https://medium.com/@MaxTemkin/star-trek-the-next-generation-in-40-hours-c4a6762cbd3) by Max Temkin
* [Weekend Read now has 21 award season scripts](http://johnaugust.com/2015/weekend-read-for-your-consideration) (and counting)
* [Sous-vide cooking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide) on Wikipedia
* [Sansaire](http://sansaire.com/) home sous-vide macine
* [Slow-poached eggs](http://momofukufor2.com/2010/01/slow-poached-eggs/) from Momofuku
* [Spoiled Brats: Stories](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I828AYK/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Simon Rich, and its short story [Gifted](http://nypost.com/2014/12/28/in-book-excerpt-ex-snl-writer-takes-aim-at-proud-nyc-parents/)
* [Rate us on iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496?mt=2) and help new listeners find Scriptnotes
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Jason Young ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_179.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_179.mp3).

**UPDATE 1-15-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-179-the-conflict-episode-transcript).

Doing, not thinking

Film Industry, Follow Up, News, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Words on the page

John and Craig start the new year by discussing Chuck Palahniuk’s advice to avoid thinking verbs. Then it’s a new round of the Three Page Challenge.

We also do follow-up on the Sony hack.

Links:

* [The Year of Outrage](http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/12/the_year_of_outrage_2014_everything_you_were_angry_about_on_social_media.html) on Slate
* [North Korea responds with fury to US sanctions over Sony Pictures hack](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/04/north-korea-fury-us-sanctions-sony)
* The LA Times on [The Interview’s opening weekend](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-box-office-the-interview-unbroken-into-the-woods-20141229-story.html#page=1)
* Chuck Palahniuk [on thought verbs](http://litreactor.com/essays/chuck-palahniuk/nuts-and-bolts-%E2%80%9Cthought%E2%80%9D-verbs)
* Three pages by [Mike Litzenberg & Bridge Stuart](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/MikeLitzenbergBridgeStuart.pdf)
* Three pages by [Meredith DePaolo](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/MeredithDePaolo.pdf)
* [Dunning–Kruger effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)
* Three pages by [Mimi Jeffries](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/MimiJeffries.pdf)
* How to [submit your three pages](http://johnaugust.com/threepage)
* [D20 Critical Hit Mini Cake Pan](http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1cd7/?srp=5) and [Death Star Ice Mold](http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f0b6/?srp=3) on Think Geek, and [Smarf L’Héroïque](http://shirt.woot.com/offers/Smarf%20L’H%C3%A9ro%C3%AFque?ref=cnt_ctlg_dgn_2) on Shirt.Woot
* [Critical Hit LED D20 Die](http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/deaa/) on Think Geek
* [Vitamin D3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D) on Wikipedia
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes editor Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_178.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_178.mp3).

**UPDATE 1-8-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-178-doing-not-thinking-transcript).

Don’t use “thought” verbs

Words on the page

I love Chuck Palahniuk’s [advice to writers](http://litreactor.com/essays/chuck-palahniuk/nuts-and-bolts-“thought”-verbs):

> From this point forward – at least for the next half year – you may not use “thought” verbs. These include: Thinks, Knows, Understands, Realizes, Believes, Wants, Remembers, Imagines, Desires, and a hundred others you love to use.

Palahniuk argues that every time you use one of these verbs, you’re robbing yourself of the chance to describe something fully — to show rather than tell.

> For example: Waiting for the bus, Mark started to worry about how long the trip would take..”

> A better break-down might be: “The schedule said the bus would come by at noon, but Mark’s watch said it was already 11:57. You could see all the way down the road, as far as the Mall, and not see a bus. No doubt, the driver was parked at the turn-around, the far end of the line, taking a nap. The driver was kicked back, asleep, and Mark was going to be late. Or worse, the driver was drinking, and he’d pull up drunk and charge Mark seventy-five cents for death in a fiery traffic accident…”

In screenwriting, we’re already forced to do a lot of this self-restriction, since we can’t directly state characters’ inner lives. And Palahniuk’s absolutism isn’t always suited for screenplays; there will be times when a parenthetical (realizing) is exactly what you need.

Still: it’s great advice.

Cutting Pages and Fixing Holes

Film Industry, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Words on the page

It’s a clip show! John and Craig discuss cutting pages from your script, fixing plot holes, and what we’d do if we ran a studio. We’ll be back with all new episodes in 2015, the year of post-outrage rationality.

Links:

* Episode 28: [How to cut pages](http://johnaugust.com/2012/how-to-cut-pages-2)
* Episode 27: [Let’s run a studio!](http://johnaugust.com/2012/lets-run-a-studio)
* Episode 59: [Plot holes, and the myth of perseveraversity](http://johnaugust.com/2012/plot-holes-and-the-myth-of-perseveraversity)
* [The Year of Outrage](http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/12/the_year_of_outrage_2014_everything_you_were_angry_about_on_social_media.html)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes editor Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_177.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_177.mp3).