Things That Are 'Inneresting' to Screenwriters

This post features:

• A book you’ll want to own
• An elaborate fan letter disguised as a book introduction
• And an announcement about a new offering from Pomonok Podcasts coming in January 2026

LFG!

THE SCRIPTNOTES BOOK

Like many of you, I'm a screenwriter who's a fan of Scriptnotes, "a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters" (or 'inneresting' if host John August is feeling his Colorado accent). August and co-host Craig Mazin, have each been working screenwriters (and sometimes directors, producers, novelists, game and software developers...) for decades.

Throughout that time, they've each generously shared their knowledge of the industry with aspiring screenwriters through their respective blogs, and in 2011 they released the first episode of Scriptnotes.

Fourteen years later, they've compiled not just their own knowledge, but that of the illustrious guests they've interviewed over the years into the Scriptnotes book; sure to be an important and enjoyable addition to anyone's bookshelf – whether you're a screenwriter, a fan of film and TV, or a creative person who's interested in how other creative people create.

The whole thing feels like a casual conversation between itself and the reader, even as it contains other conversations – between John and Craig, and between them and their guests – but while the tone is casual and personal, the knowledge it contains is practical and actionable and divided into easy-to-follow chapters that chart a path from the seed of an idea through the crafting of a screenplay to what happens once the screenplay is written and you have to introduce your narrative baby to the world.

Whether you've listened to the Scriptnotes podcast or not, check out the Scriptnotes book (which I'd recommend buying from Bookshop.org). It'd make a great holiday gift for any creative people in your life – or for yourself!

AN ELABORATE FAN LETTER

Back when John and Craig were working on the Scriptnotes book, I listened to Episode 651: The Live Edit, where they edited a chapter of the book with each other out loud for all to hear. It was an enjoyable and interesting listen...and they talked about another aspect of the book – the introduction.

They had a brief conversation about possibly seeking out someone to write an introduction, and that person would likely have to be a well-known writer who listens to the podcast and whose name would help sell books, etc, etc.

So, of course, I heard that and thought: Or, I could write one. And so I did.

After hemming and hawing about hitting "Send," I sent the following email to the Scriptnotes team:

Hello Scriptnotes team! 

So, I listened to the "Live Edit" episode, and it was genuinely fun to listen to John and Craig live-editing those book pages. I remember John mentioning that you're of course looking for an awesome, famous writer to do the intro/forward for the book to help market it better. Obviously. 

But, if your Top 10 choices fall through, and/or you think it might be fun to have two intros - one by a fancy-pants writer who doesn't need your help, and one from a writer with pants that are way less fancy whom Scriptnotes has helped a great deal, I offer the attached.

At best, it's a genuine contribution. At worst, it's a weirdly elaborate fan letter. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. ❤️

The introduction for the Scriptnotes book is written by John and Craig, as it should be. But if you're curious about my offering, here it is in all it's fangirlish glory.

Yes, I found the right fonts and formatted it the way the sample chapters that were released were formatted, because I'm that level of geek. And yes, I did it in three pages specifically to give myself a "three-page challenge:"

I was visiting friends in New York when I got an email back from John thanking me for sending this, saying that he'd share it with Craig, and calling it "lovely" and "delightful." OK, so I might not be in this book, but John August thinks something I wrote was delightful – so basically, I win.

A NEW SHOW FROM POMONOK PODCASTS

Though my passion as a writer has always been fiction, when I first became a professional writer it was as a pop culture journalist. No one was paying me for my fiction, but I could get paid (sort of) for writing articles for pop culture websites. For over a decade, I've written about film, TV, comics, theater, books, games, etc, usually through the lens of gender, race, class, and disability.

It's an interesting thing to be both a creator and a critic, and I think (hope) this perspective allows me to be thoughtful and insightful about analyzing whatever works I talk about. I've been wanting to do a podcast that marries my love of creating narrative with my love of media analysis, but was having trouble finding a way in. Then, I became a Scriptnotes Premium member. 

 As I've listened to older episodes of the show, I've made note of topics where I felt like either something wasn't brought up that I wish were, or where I've felt that a broke, queer, neurodivergent, Jewish Latina's insight would've been valuable. Also, since they were discussed on older episodes, some topics could stand some updated discussion that hasn't been had on Scriptnotes yet. 

Enter Scriptnotes Notes -- a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters who are interested in the Scriptnotes podcast. (That tagline is unwieldy as hell, I know. It's a work in progress.)

Hosted by yours truly, each 30-minute episode (or an hour for things like deep-dives and interviews) will dig into a topic I've responded to viscerally when listening to past episodes of Scriptnotes and illuminate them in a new way. Sometimes I'll go deep on the topic, but sometimes the topic will simply be the jumping-off point to talk about something different. 

Whether you love Scriptnotes, screenwriting, media criticism, or adorably excited Latinas with ADHD talking about things they like, Scriptnotes Notes is for you!

Coming JANUARY 7, 2025!

If you want to keep up with Scriptnotes Notes, Finding Felicity, and all things Pomonok Podcasts, consider subscribing to the POMONOK PODCASTS paid newsletter, where you'll get early release episodes, up-to-the-minute updates, bonus content, first dibs on screenings/events, and more!