Scriptnotes Podcast John August and Craig Mazin

John and Craig finally become writing partners and edit the opening to one chapter of the upcoming Scriptnotes book live on-air. They wrestle with word choices, adapting the phrasing of a spoken conversation and finding a unified voice as they pass the keyboard back and forth.
We also catch up Craig on what he’s missed since he’s been away, follow up on #payuphollywood, and answer a host of listener questions on personal stories, backstories, sharing credit, Lifetime movies, and disliking your protagonist.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig deal out their favorite card games.
Links:
AlphaBirds #PayUpHollywood Scriptnotes Episode 427 – The New One with Mike Birbiglia and Scriptnotes Episode 640 – Can You Believe It? A.I. Needs Copper. It Just Helped to Find Millions of Tons of It. by Max Bearak for the New York Times Love Good Protein Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram, X and Mastodon Outro by Tim Englehard (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John welcomes back Mike Schur (The Good Place, Parks and Recreation) to ask, how do you fix an overwritten script? They discuss ways to rebuild scenes and restore muddy characters that have become burdened by too many notes, all while making sure your script retains its voice.
We also look at the new IATSE deal with the AMPTP, the WGA’s back-pay settlement with CBS, Skydance purchasing Paramount, and follow-up on our idea of keeping pages un-locked.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Mike listen to the AI generated songs named in the RIAA’s current lawsuit and wonder, did they really steal from copyrighted material? (The answer is yes.)
Links:
Mike Schur on Wikipedia Weekend Read 2 IATSE tentative basic agreement David Ellison’s Skydance Taking Over Paramount After $8 Billion Investment by Dade Hayes for Deadline WGA West Reaches $3 Million Settlement With CBS Studios Over Writer Fees and Benefit Payments by Cynthia Littleton for Variety Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Alphabirds Should We Go Extinct? by Todd May Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Vance Lovett (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Jonathan Wigdortz. It is edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome Aline Brosh McKenna to look at what writers mean by a “voice,” and how it develops.
Some screenwriters’ voice develops long before their craft, leading people to label them as “promising” even though the scripts themselves are a mess. Other writers get all the technical stuff right from the start, but have a hard time finding something distinctive about how they write.
From there, we segue into one of the most contentious Three Page Challenges we’ve ever done, with wildly split opinions.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John the Eagle Scout gives Drew practical advice for wilderness camping in 2024.
Links:
Aline Brosh McKenna on Instagram Spy Magazine Recitative on Wikipedia Three pages by James Topham Three pages by Cheryl Laughlin Three pages by Chris Vieira Submit for the Three Page Challenge Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Matthew Chilleli (send us yours!) This episode was originally produced by Stuart Friedel. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and is edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John welcomes Simon Rich (Man Seeking Woman, Miracle Workers) to look at how he crafts a comedic premise. Using his work on SNL, his time writing Inside Out at Pixar and his plethora of short stories, they look at how he develops a funny idea into a story with narrative and emotional punch.
We also follow up on the Harry Potter TV series, and answer listener questions on the downsides of writing in other mediums and adapting your screenplay into a novel.
In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you get your work into magazines? Simon walks through his experience, from rejection letters to being published in the New Yorker.
Links:
Glory Days by Simon Rich “Gifted” by Simon Rich Rocket Dog sketch Howtown with Joss Fong and Adam Cole Dr. Eckener’s Dream Machine: The Great Zeppelin and the Dawn of Air Travel by Douglas Botting Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Eric Pearson (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Jonathan Wigdortz. It is edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John welcomes back Aline Brosh McKenna to help figure out how to say goodbye… in your story. Using examples from some of their favorite movies, they explore how farewell scenes work, what sets them apart from the average see-you-later, and leaving a lasting effect on your characters and the audience.
We also look at the summer box office, George Gallo’s Bad Boys lawsuit, Sony’s purchase of Alamo Drafthouse, and answer listener questions on bad ex-managers, second steps, NDA’s, fairies, and how to take advantage of downtime in LA.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Aline discuss journaling. Should we be keeping track of what we’ve been doing all day?
Links:
‘Bad Boys’ Settlement by Dominic Patten for Deadline Why did Sony buy Alamo Drafthouse — and is it actually a good thing? by Ryan Faughnder for LA Times The Nine Enneagram Type Descriptions Farewell – Casablanca Farewell – Past Lives Farewell – Lost in Translation Farewell – Weekend Farewell – Philadelphia Farewell – The Shawshank Redemption Farewell – Harold and Maude Farewell – Terminator 2 Farewell – The Way We Were Farewell – The Wizard of Oz Farewell – E.T. Farewell – Toy Story 3 Farewell – Dead Poets Society Revival Hub LA Visit Malta Peel off lip stain Dirt Man by Carter Vail, and some of Aline’s favorite remixes, via TikTok Phil Collins’ Houdini Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Eric Pearson (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Jonathan Wigdortz. It is edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

In this compendium episode, John and Craig fast-forward to the third act to talk about endings. How do they work? What makes them great? And how do you fix them when they’re not working?
They look at how to connect your ending to your characters, crafting a twist that surprises (but doesn’t confuse), the function of the climax, the importance of the denouement, and how to make it all satisfying for your audience.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Drew welcome back Megana Rao to ask: do we still need reunions in the age of social media?
Links:
Episode 44 – Endings for beginners Episode 170 – Lotteries, lightning strikes and twist endings Episode 366 – Tying Things Up Episode 392 – The Final Moment Episode 524 – The Home Stretch Too Many Cooks America’s best decade, according to data by Andrew Van Dam for The Washington Post All Fours by Miranda July Callipeg Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!) Segments originally produced by Stuart Friedel, Megan McDonnell and Megana Rao. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.