John August

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Something Very Bad is Going to Happen

Episode - 732

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Scriptnotes

John welcomes writer/showrunner Haley Z. Boston for a post-mortem on her terrifying new series, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. They look at how the series evolved from initial idea through production, her experience as a first-time showrunner, the special relationship between women and horror, and how she constructs terror on the page.

We also chart her early career, and answer listener questions on splitting scenes and how to handle an overwhelming amount of development notes.

In our bonus segment for premium members, it’s spoiler territory as we look at what we can learn from the clever red herrings and misdirects of the series.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

Avoidance and Other Anti-Quests

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig flip the idea of motivation on its head and ask, what are your characters running from? Using examples across film and TV, they look at the psychological underpinnings of discomfort, and how to use avoidance as a driving force of character and story.

We’ve also been away for a minute, so there’s a lot to catch up on! We follow-up on where the heck we’ve been, locked pages, a Scottish rap duo, and a new scientific answer for whether one page of script really equals one minute of movie. We also answer listener questions on the afterlife of residuals and writing with a significant other.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we go through their feedback on our first ever video podcast and announce our plans for the future of the show.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-23-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Writing effective transitions (Encore)

Scriptnotes

John and Craig connect the dots on transitions and how they can be just as important as the scenes themselves. They look at how to get your scenes flowing into one another, the many different types of transitions, when to use “CUT TO,” and how to use your cuts to tell your story.

We also discuss those shots we no longer need to see in movies, and use a lawsuit filed by two GI Joe writers to examine some common issues created by prewriting.

In our bonus segment for premium members, the Olympics are coming to Los Angeles and we have conflicting feelings!

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

A Frank Conversation About Screenwriting

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John sits down with the Northwest Screenwriters Guild at an event to promote the Scriptnotes book, and ends up having a poignant conversation about how the career of screenwriting has changed, missteps John made throughout his career, and how his approach to screenwriting has evolved over time.

He also answers questions on kicking bad writing habits, screenwriting careers outside of Hollywood, what to look for in the projects you choose, whether age matters in a screenwriting career, writing your calling card movie, the sidekick problem, and the real story behind the Prince of Persia movie.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John has been hanging out with sketch writers for the last few weeks and is excited to share what he’s learned about writing sketch comedy.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-23-26: The transcript for this episode can be found here.