Story & Structure · 2 min
Mystery Man vs. Sherlock Holmes: 1-0
Last Tuesday was Australia Day, so that was my excuse for not publishing my own weekly blog post. This week I was going to break down…
The Journal
Vol. 17 · 1,240 entries
26 August 2026
Quote of the day
Take what’s useful, argue with the rest.
Vol. 17
MM on Monday · 11 min
A Screenwriting Revolution!
I’ve been having some revolutionary thoughts lately. And these are beyond the ordinary musings of a screenwriter, such as, “I’d love to see a nuclear explosion…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 31 Jan 10
:: Structure learnable, character not, says Alexandra S. :: Sundance Film Festival Roundup. :: Peter Kim's 3 Rules for Spec Writing. :: Play mind games to write…
Pitching & Selling · 6 min
Agents: Some Fine Print
A few people responded with valid comments to our last article on agents. Rather than a lengthy response in the comments, here are some thoughts on…
Book Reviews · 6 min
Reviewed: Save the Cat!
Jack Brislee reviews “Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need” by Blake Snyder. Michael Wiese Productions. Studio City. California. 2005. 195 pages. …
Stuff · 1 min
What’s the soundtrack to your writing?
For many, music stimulates the Muse. Do you have music in the background (or foreground) while writing? Or are you hell-bent on dead silence? And if…
MM on Monday · 3 min
Flashbacks are Your Friend.
So, the question – what is the point and purpose of a flashback? A flashback is usually a revelation of character, is it not? It shows…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 24 Jan 10
:: Never in cinemas. But read the treatment here: Spider-M4n. :: Subplots: What are they? How can they enhance my script? :: Subplot up close: "Back to…
Uncategorized · 7 min
The Golden Boy of the Black List
Last month THE MUPPET MAN was voted to the top of the industry’s Most Wanted: The Black List. Screenwriter Chris Weekes talks to Karel Segers about…
Book Reviews · 6 min
Reviewed: Writing Dialogue for Scripts
Jack Brislee reviews “Writing Dialogue for Scripts” by Rib Davis A & C Black Publishers Ltd. London 2008. 206 pages. ISBN 978-1-408-10134-6 Price: US $16 ABOUT…
Stuff · 1 min
Next month’s movie: your choice!
Every first Tuesday of the month, we publish a structural breakdown of a popular film. This month we did Avatar, last month you voted for Shaun…
Pitching & Selling · 3 min
The Twitter Pitch
With movie executives making decisions in split seconds and people's attention spans decreasing frighteningly rapidly (is this sentence getting a little long for you, already?) surely Twitter must be offering…
MM on Monday · 16 min
Mystery Man & The Art of Exposition
Let’s cut to the chase. If you have a scene that’s only about verbal exposition, in other words you have a character that’s just verbally explaining…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 17 Jan 10
:: 'Hurt Locker' tops Critics Choice Awards :: Awkward moment: Reitman and Turner on stage :: Oscar predictions - The Screenplay Categories :: ScriptChat at the Golden…
Pitching & Selling · 6 min
Understanding the Agent
Hollywood agents: to trust or not to trust? What is the reality of an agent's role in your screenwriting career? Our Hollywood insider, Steven Fernandez gives…