The HISTORY of scribbler, PART ONE (Fifth Anniversay Link-stravaganza!)

The end of this month will mark five full years since I began scribbler (originally titled “Uncelebrity” until circumstances inspired a change in format). Since that time, I have constructed over seventy articles detailing my exploration of the dark and hidden corners of screencraft. What began as a loose pile of gripes from a lowly script reader grew into a new method of approach to the cinematic narrative, ultimately leading to the publication of my first comprehensive guide on the subject Screenwriting Down to the Atoms. Today, scribbler remains the only* screenwriting blog on the web dedicated to “Progressive Theory,” with articles that push at the limits of how the craft is taught and understood by challenging old ideas, developing new models, and unearthing discoveries never previously considered.

(*the only one that I know of. And trust me, I have looked. If anyone knows of another, please send me the link. I would love to read it.)

However, one of the difficulties that comes from teaching through a blog is that blogs are by nature a very random method of communication. Like most blogs, scribbler’s monthly articles have little rhyme of reason to their choice of topic other than whatever happened to be on my mind at the time. Some topics are crucial to an understanding of the craft, while others are more trivial. Some are very well-written, while others are a bit rushed. Some articles are difficult to get anything out of unless you first read everything that has preceded it on the subject; articles which are usually buried deep in the blog’s archives. So unless one is willing to go all the way back to the first article and read them all in the order they were posted, it is hard to get the most out of this thing.

So, in recognition of my five-year anniversary I have chosen a selection of what I consider my most useful articles, grouped by subject matter below. I admit I am a little embarrassed by the number of typos and redundancies in some of my early stuff. I was never an English Major and scribbler has never been the most professionally-edited blog on the planet. Luckily, I have gotten better with time. (When I wrote Screenwriting Down to the Atoms, I edited the original manuscript six times to keep it from being blog-sloppy.) Also, some ideas proposed in my early articles turned out to be a bit primitive. Most of the original concepts have been further developed and expanded upon.

Enough self-abasement. Enjoy the articles listed below. Scribble on!

Story Structure

It’s the SPINE, STUPID! (Oct 2009)

The SPINE Expansion Pack: Part I (Oct 2009)

The SPINE Expansion Pack: Part II (Oct 2009)

Plotting by Story Sequences: Quick and Dirty (Jan 2013)

Either Your Script has a GOD, or it Doesn’t: Know the Difference (Aug 2009)

Reconsidering the 3-Act Label (Feb 2012)

Inciting Incident Ignorance (Nov 2011)

I’ve Created a Monster! (The Workings of Acts 2A & 2B) (Feb 2012)

All is NOT Lost (The End of 2nd Act Turning Point) (Sept 2011)

Story Development

STARTING YOUR SCRIPT: The SCRIPTMONK Method (Jan 2011)

Story Time, Story Time! Hooray, it’s Story Time! (Oct 2010)

Things I Learned from DIE HARD: Part II (Dec 2009)

Character

HOW TO WRITE A STORY: A Character-First Understanding (Aug 2010)

Motivationally Speaking (Apr 2011)

Finding Your Character Arc (Sept 2009)

F@#% THE CAT! (Aug 2010)

The Perfect Stranger Syndrome (Mar 2009)

Things I Learned from DIE HARD: Part I (Nov 2009)

Things I Learned from DIE HARD: Part III (Jan 2010)

The 9 Character Alignments (Nov 2011)

Conflict

So What is this “Conflict” Anyway? – Part I: The Theory (Sept 2010)

So What is this “Conflict” Anyway? – Part II: The Practice (Sept 2010)

Forced Decisions (and the lack of free will) (Mar 2011)

Writing the Scene

The “SCENE”: What it is, What it actually does (Dec 2010)

Don’t Pick it Up if You’re Not Going to Use it (May 2010)

The “Atoms of Information” Theory

The Atoms of Cinema (Feb 2009)

Practical Application of the Atoms of Cinema, Part 1 (Apr 2009)

Practical Application of the Atoms of Cinema, Part 2 (Apr 2009)

Practical Application of the Atoms of Cinema, Part 3 (Jun 2009)

Cinematic Algebra, or Things I Learned from DIE HARD: Part IV (Feb 2010)

Story Types

The 20 Common Patterns of Plot (Jun 2011)

The 2(1) Patterns of Plot, Revisted (Jul 2012)

Leone vs. Leone: A Comparison in the Reconciled Rivals Story Type (Oct 2012)

"Sideways" and the Healing Narrative (Dec 2012)

The Taking on the Mantle Story Type – Part I: Crisis of Conscience (Mar 2013)

Theme

Theme & Plot, Theme & Character (Jun 2012)

Dialogue & Description

Getting the Most Out of Your Dialogue (Dec 2008)

Joe Montana and the Art of Good Dialogue (Jul 2009)

How to be a Screenplay Sniper: A Tony Gilroy Guide (Apr 2010)

I H8 VAGUE (Mar 2011)

Rewriting

Understanding Script Feedback: Part 1 (Jun 2009)

Understanding Script Feedback: Part 2 (Jun 2009)

Understanding Script Feedback: Part 3 (Jun 2009)

THIS, is a FOOTBALL!: Rewriting from Scratch (Apr 2012)

Writing Comedy

Laughing at Pain: A Serious Guide to Comedy (Nov 2010)

Comedy Behaving Badly (Dec 2008)

Stop Sucking!

The 10 Worst Ways Your Script Can Suck (Oct 2008)

On Tortoises & Hares (Sept 2012)