Write Along with David and Cargill

David and Cargill discuss how to get through Act 2 and the Second Act Slump. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other … Continue reading Ep. 60 – False Victory, First Defeat

David and Cargill discuss how to keep on keeping’ on when external factors torpedo something you’re working on. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen … Continue reading Ep. 59 – An entertainer when times are good or a distraction when times are bad

David and Cargill discuss what it’s like to try to be creative in the midst of a pandemic, and how it can sometimes be difficult to satirize something as outlandish as real life. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow … Continue reading Ep. 58 – Satirizing the Unsatirizable

Cargill and David discuss tips for getting a career writing about film. Follow David on Letterboxd Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s … Continue reading Ep. 57 – The Ice Floe

Cargill and David discuss whether or not you should make a trilogy of films and whether paid editors are scams. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter … Continue reading Ep. 56 – If You Want To Make a Trilogy, You Probably Shouldn’t

Cargill and David discuss Cargill’s four favorite films of 2019. Listen to David’s top 10 films of 2019  Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen … Continue reading Ep. 55 – Cargill’s Four Favorite Films of 2019

Cargill and David discuss what the literary equivalent is of “make your own movie” and the pleasures and pains of the vanity press. Listen to our previous episode about this topic here. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us … Continue reading Ep. 54 – Bangin’ on the door waiting for someone to let you in

Cargill and David discuss what happens when you work on a project that ends up getting made by someone else. Cargill’s tweet about Netflix’s Locke and Key Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on … Continue reading Ep. 53 – You’d think there’d be a better communication system

Cargill and David discuss Christopher McQuarrie’s recent advice on whether or not you should try to “win the lottery” by submitting your script to a studio. McQuarrie has since taken down the Twitter thread but many reproductions exist online, including this one. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show … Continue reading Ep 52 – It’s struggling and it’s pain and it’s failure

Franklin Leonard joins the Write Along podcast to discuss the history of The Black List and share tips for screenwriters looking to host their screenplays on The Black List website. Follow Franklin Leonard on Twitter Learn more about The Black List at its official website Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes … Continue reading Ep. 51 – A brief history of The Black List (GUEST: Franklin Leonard)

David is joined by writer/director Vincenzo Natali (director of Cube, Splice, Westworld, Hannibal) to discuss tips for making a low-budget high-concept film. Be sure to check out Vincenzo’s newest film, In the Tall Grass, on Netflix. Cargill will be back for a regular episode next week. Listen to a feature-length commentary of Vincenzo’s latest film, In the Tall Grass, … Continue reading Ep. 50 – One and a half cubes (GUEST: Vincenzo Natali)

David and Cargill discuss their preferred PDF readers and give advice to a writer struggling to make his characters more interesting. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other … Continue reading Ep. 49 – How does this play out?

David and Cargill discuss how to encourage young writers and how to consume media about a genre you’re writing in. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast … Continue reading Ep. 48 – A Private Movie Podcast

David and Cargill share more tips on when best to begin and end scenes. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast Junkfood Cinema. Listen to David’s other … Continue reading Ep. 47 – What you want to avoid is the awkward English goodbye

David and Cargill discuss what happens when you set unrealistic goals and the value of not giving up. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast Junkfood Cinema. … Continue reading Ep. 46 – Everyone has one good story in them

David and Cargill discuss if/when to get permission for copyrighted content in your work. (Note: we aren’t legal experts and you should always speak to a lawyer if you have any questions) Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on … Continue reading Ep. 45 – Music that sounds suspiciously like the music from ‘Drive’

David and Cargill discuss how to approach short stories, and share their favorites. Short stories mentioned: The Labyrinth by Jorge Luis Borges “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. … Continue reading Ep. 44 – Always deliver on your idea

David and Cargill discuss how to make a character likable and touch upon the difference between tropes and cliches. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast Junkfood … Continue reading Ep. 43 – Give them a dog

David and Cargill talk the Pauper Principle and how it can be used to create a connection between your audience and a character in your story. See Cargill’s tweet that spawned this episode. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on … Continue reading Ep. 42 – The Pauper Principle

David and Cargill talk about why voiceover generally isn’t a good idea for horror films, and why your film or story doesn’t need to have revolutionary new ideas to share with the world to be great. See Cargill’s tweet that spawned this episode. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show … Continue reading Ep. 41 – Old wisdom, shared perfectly

David and Cargill talk about how to approach a screenplay when your villain is the protagonist. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast Junkfood Cinema. Listen to … Continue reading Ep. 40 – They’re fine with it

David and Cargill talk about the best way to do “info-dumps.” Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast Junkfood Cinema. Listen to David’s other podcast the Slashfilmcast. … Continue reading Ep. 39 – Bury it in conflict

David and Cargill discuss the importance of writing for an audience and why artistic narcissism is one of the biggest sins a writer can commit. Check out Cargill’s tweets spawning this conversation here and here. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. … Continue reading Ep. 38 – When your PB&PL stand fails

David and Cargill discuss why many faith-based/Evangelical films aren’t any good, and what makes a good Christian film. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other podcast Junkfood Cinema. … Continue reading Ep. 37 – The struggle, not the reward

David and Cargill discuss how to pace scenes and how to get in and out of them. Later, they chat about Danny Boyle’s new film Yesterday and what we can learn about paying off premises. Read Cargill’s tweet that prompted this discussion. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. … Continue reading Ep. 36 – Stay for the romance

David and Cargill discuss why mental health should be the number one priority of all writers, and why Cargill lives nocturnally. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on Twitter @davechensky. Listen to Cargill’s other … Continue reading Ep. 35 – Days of rest

David and Cargill discuss the rules you can’t break in Hollywood scripts, and when it might be acceptable to try. Here’s Cargill’s tweet that prompted this episode. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. ind more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Follow Cargill on Twitter @massawyrm. Follow David on … Continue reading Ep. 34 – The sin of Moses

David and Cargill respond to an email about how to write when you feel like you have nothing to say. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

David and Cargill discuss how to write fights and action scenes. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

David and Cargill discuss the characteristics of an unlikable protagonist, and why/how it’s different than an anti-hero. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

David and Cargill discuss how to balance competing tones in a single work. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill and David talk about what it means to fail and how to keep going despite failure. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill shares tips for how to approach a writing partnership. To learn more about the Gottmans’ principles, go to https://www.gottman.com/. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill shares tips for how to pitch your movie to a producer. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Pitching your film in a room with a producer can be a challenging prospect. But how do you even get to the point where you can even deliver a pitch? In this episode, Cargill and David discuss some possible paths to the room where it happens. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more … Continue reading Ep. 26 – The room where it happens

Cargill and David discuss how being more social and gregarious can benefit your creative career. Here’s Cargill’s tweet, where writers can follow each other. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill and David discuss tips for getting out of the Second Act Slump. Check out Cargill’s initial tweet on this topic here. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill and David discuss some of the things to consider when you’re adapting the story of a real-life person. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill and David give some tips for writing a horror film. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill and David discuss some approaches to writing naturalistic dialogue. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:  

Cargill and David discuss the importance of networking at festivals, and when you should consider abandoning a story. Read up on why I will not read your script. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:  

Cargill and David respond to several of your emails, including tips on screenwriting software, when/how to use physical descriptions, as well as what makes a great ending. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download or play below:

Cargill and David discuss the importance of having an easily remembered pen name, and dive into the four major components of character. You can read more about these components in the writings of K.M. Weiland. Can you structure characters? The Lie Want vs. Needs The Ghost Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more … Continue reading Ep. 18 – A bad play where the heroes are right

Cargill and David discuss things to avoid when handing out scripts, and whether you can use words like “Camera” or “We see.” See the following tweets referenced in today’s episode: Jim Bond’s original tweet Rian Johnson’s response James Mangold’s response Guillermo Del Toro’s response Craig Maizin’s response Cargill’s tweet Email us with your questions/thoughts at … Continue reading Ep. 17 – A roadmap to art

Cargill and David discuss if/when/how you should option another piece of work that you’re interested in adapting. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download this episode or play below.

Cargill and David discuss the difference between 1D, 2D, and 3D characters. Check out Cargill’s tweet on the subject. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download this episode or play below.

Cargill and David discuss some tips for how to make a low-budget movie that all takes place in one location. Check out the Smithsonian Magazine article where Teller shares his secrets. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download this episode or … Continue reading Ep. 14 – The premise is the special effect

Cargill and David discuss when something is considered plagiarism. Also Cargill shares the story of an inspirational friend. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download this episode or play below.

Cargill and David discuss how to make internal conflicts interesting, and how the audience perceives it when that doesn’t happen. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download this episode or play below.

Cargill and David discuss their top 10 films of 2018, and Cargill dives into how Bodied is a great example of translating painful experiences into art. Watch David’s top 10 films of 2018 on YouTube Watch the music video for Look What You Made Me Do Watch the music video for Bad Blood Watch Bodied … Continue reading Ep. 11 – Write your pain

Happy New Year! In this episode, Cargill and David discuss the circumstances under which you should kill your characters. Email us with your questions/thoughts at writealongpodcast@gmail.com. Find more episodes of this show at writealongpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter @writealongpod. Download this episode or play below.