On Story - Screenwriters and Their Craft

Barbara Morgan cofounded Austin Film Festival in 1993 and has served as Executive Director since its inception. A feature filmmaker and producer, she also developed and produces the TV series On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival.Maya Perez is a producer/consultant for On Story: Presented by Austin Film Festival and a board member of the Austin Film Festival, for which she has also served as Conference Director. She is a Michener Fellow in Screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin until 2015.

• Foreword by Brian HelgelandAcknowledgmentsScreenwriter BiographiesIntroduction by Barbara MorganI. Inspiration A Conversation with Randall WallaceII. Story What Makes a Great Story: A Conversation with Bill WittliffSteven Zaillian on Where the Story OriginatesPeter Hedges on Crafting StoryLawrence Kasdan on Story and ThemeIII. Process A Conversation with John Lee HancockSacha Gervasi on Getting StartedThe Basics with Nicholas KazanAdvice from Bill WittliffAnne Rapp's Writing RoutineCaroline Thompson’s Writing ProcessLawrence Kasdan on the Challenges of WritingIV. Structure Structure and Format: A Conversation with Frank Pierson, Whit Stillman, Robin Swicord, and Nicholas KazanCaroline Thompson on StructureLawrence Kasdan on the Rules of Script FormattingVisual Storytelling: A Conversation with John August, John Lee Hancock, and Randall WallaceV. Character and Dialogue Building Characters and Mapping Their Journeys: A Conversation with Lawrence Kasdan and Anne RappNicholas Kazan on Writing CharactersCrafting Characters: A Conversation with Lawrence KasdanDialogue and Finding the Voice: A Conversation with John August and John Lee HancockVI. Rewriting Writer's Block: A Conversation with Bud Shrake and Bill WittliffBill Wittliff on When to Let Something GoSteven Zaillian on Defining Scenes: What to Keep In, What to Leave OutAnne Rapp on Keeping the Writing FreshNicholas Kazan’s Rewriting ProcessOn Rewriting: A Conversation with Daniel Petrie, Jr., Peter Hedges, and Sacha GervasiLawrence Kasdan on How You Know When You’re DoneVII. Collaboration A Conversation with Steven ZaillianPeter Hedges on CollaboratingLawrence Kasdan on Writing with a PartnerRandall Wallace on Working with Other WritersVIII. Go Forth