Scriptnotes Podcast

Why is it so satisfying to watch a highly-skilled character complete their goals? And why can it be equally hilarious to watch an incompetent character bumble through a slew of screw-ups? In this episode, John and Craig discuss how to play with competence in your characters. We also say goodbye to our producer Drew Marquardt with a thoroughly embarrassing exit interview, and reveal our new producer. However, it's not really goodbye, because Drew will be staying on to work with John on an upcoming project (TBA). In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig deliberate on the question: Should you quit LOUDLY? Links: * The attack on competence by Iris Meredith * Scott Tenorman Must Die (South Park – Season 5, Episode 4) * Bartosz Ciechanowski's Curves and Surfaces * Rhubarb Breakfast Dessert by Melissa Clark * Easiest Citrus Roasted Rhubarb by "Kate Cooks" * Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book! * Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! * Check out the Inneresting Newsletter * Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription * Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube * Follow Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok * John August on Bluesky and Instagram * Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!) * Scriptnotes is produced by Meredith Stedman and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Our intern is Lauren Loesberg. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

John and Craig gather our listeners' favorite news articles and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include an underground network delivering menstrual supplies in Minneapolis, a millennial travel group, how the US hacked ISIS, and a fake college squash team. But first we follow up on modern comps, email issues, teaching screenwriting, and what it means to be undeniable. We also answer listener questions on querying reps with a published book and whether writers really need to repeat the plot for a second-screen audience. In our bonus segment for premium members, what do we do with all our old CDs and DVDs? We weigh the pros and cons of physical media. Links: How an errand for a 12-year-old immigrant in Minneapolis became an underground operation by Jasmine Garsd and Sarah Ventre for NPR I Went on a Package Trip for Millennials Who Travel Alone. Help Me. by Caity Weaver for The New York Times How the US hacked ISIS by Dina Temple-Raston for NPR Whitman College: The Best College Squash Team in History by James Zug for Squash Magazine Shipping Out by David Foster Wallace Email deliverability tester Disempowerment patterns in real-world AI usage by Cornell University and Anthropic The world's greatest song that simply shouldn't exist Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book! Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok John August on Bluesky and Instagram Outro by Gloom Canyon (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.