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Author: Mike Boas

Writers/Blockbusters: The Conjuring 3

Writers/Blockbusters: The Conjuring 3

Jamie, Jimmy and Bob are cursed with questions while breaking down the script to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Personally, I enjoyed the film — despite the script problems, it had several engaging horror sequences, good acting, and powerful imagery. As a story, if felt more like an episode of a Warrens TV show. (I kept thinking of the X-Files.) So the main characters’ motivations are a little weak, just wanting to solve the mystery of the curse.

Listen to the breakdown at
https://thundergrunt.com/e/writersblockbusters-062-the-conjuring-the-devil-made-me-do-it/

Writers/Blockbusters analyzes The Mitchells vs The Machines

Writers/Blockbusters analyzes The Mitchells vs The Machines

Listen up to hear how screenwriters feel about the hot new animated film from Netflix. Writers/Blockbusters is a podcast where the hosts watch movies and discuss the screenwriting/storytelling tricks/tips that they represent. According to co-host Jamie Nash, this episode might just be the greatest. Check it out:

https://thundergrunt.com/e/writersblockbusters-061-the-mitchells-vs-the-machines/

Outlining, one writer’s approach

Outlining, one writer’s approach

Here’s an article from author Diane Duane about outlining. She learned the discipline of outlining when working in television, where they were a mandatory part of the process of writing. Stories were worked out in writers’ rooms, and although an individual writer would be tasked with drafting each episode. that writer wouldn’t be permitted to just submit a script that hadn’t been through an approval process.

Diane now uses a similar outline approach in writing her novels. Find out more at
https://www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2020/07/25/outlining-one-writers-approach/

Show don’t tell… with subtext

Show don’t tell… with subtext

Here’s an article from Scriptmag about writing with subtext in mind. For example to get across a character’s emotional state, instead of saying “He is stunned,” try “The air rushes out of his lungs.” Describe specific actions, then let the reader (and actor) interpret the state of mind.

More examples at https://scriptmag.com/screenplays/shh-subtext-the-powerful-sound-of-show-not-tell

(Scroll past the first part about teaching to get to the parts about subtext.)