About this episode

John and Craig discuss the mechanics of flash-forwards in storytelling and answer listener questions.

John and Craig go back to the beginning to examine the mechanics of the flash-forward opening — or as it’s known on this podcast, the “Stuart Special.” They look at what makes a strong flash-forward, when to avoid them, and how to pay back the narrative debt they incur. We also follow up on the Scriptnotes survey and answer a massive grab-bag blitz of listener questions including the potential pitfalls of child protagonists, “unfilmable” elements, and how to end a scene. In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you socialize at Hollywood parties? We’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to. Links: The script for episode one of Chernobyl Scriptnotes episode 493: Opening Scenes Greta Gerwig’s Little Women screenplay The Sheep Detectives Scriptnotes episode 731: Avoidance and Other Anti-Quests Sorkinisms – A Supercut by Kevin T. Porter My journey to the microwave alternate timeline by Malmesbury Solasta 2 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…

More episodes of Scriptnotes Podcast

• The One with David E. Kelley · June 9, 2026 · 57 min
• Building Your Audience with Courtney Kemp · June 2, 2026 · 58 min
• Studio-Adjacent · May 26, 2026 · 1h 0m
• The Devil You Know · May 19, 2026 · 1h 19m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Scriptnotes Podcast podcast page.