Published: May 21, 2024, 3 p.m.
John joins Mike Birbiglia on his podcast Working It Out to share direct, practical screenwriting advice that you\u2019ll actually use, whether you\u2019re an aspiring screenwriter or you want to pursue creative work of any kind.
They explore John\u2019s screenwriting process, from defining his expression \u201cbreaking the back of the script,\u201d through the different forms of conflict and navigating the murky middle of the story. John shares the best writing advice he\u2019s ever received, the screenplays everyone should read, what he appreciates in standup specials and why cool people aren\u2019t funny. They also revisit the gains made on AI as a result of the writers strike.
Links:
- Mike Birbiglia\u2019s Working It Out
- Watch this episode of Working It Out on YouTube
- See Mike Birbiglia Live
- The Old Man & the Pool\xa0on Netflix
- Scriptnotes, Ep 179: The Conflict Episode
- Aliens screenplay by James Cameron
- Sex, lies and videotape screenplay by Steven Soderbergh
- Miry\u2019s List
- Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
- Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
- Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription\xa0or\xa0treat yourself to a premium subscription!
- Craig Mazin on\xa0Threads\xa0and\xa0Instagram
- John August on\xa0Threads,\xa0Instagram\xa0and\xa0Twitter
- John on Mastodon
- Working It Out is produced by Mike Birbiglia, Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia and Mabel Lewis. Associate producer: Gary Simons. Consulting producer: Seth Barrish. Video consultant: Graham Willoughby.
- Special Thanks to Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, and Oona. Music by Jack Antonoff and Bleachers
- Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by\xa0Matthew Chilelli.
Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode\xa0here.