no one is doing it like jd vance, a loser across three continents in a single weekend

Maybe go outside and look at actual birds? Just for a few minutes. birdigogame.com will still be there.

Splashdown of lunar capsule with orange parachutes against deep blue ocean

Incredible.

This is my favorite download of 2026.

Thank you!

WGA folks, check your email for details about the 2026 MBA.

It’s wild we use Roman numerals for anything.

“It’s a number, but you have to think about it!"

And: @BarnesandNoble is running a huge preorder sale. If you want to preorder Wolf's Belly and get 25% off, join their free rewards program and use code PREORDER25 at checkout. #BNPreorder
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolfs-bell...

Wolf's Belly An engaging and surprising retelling of Little Red Riding Hood that follows Lu (aka Little Red) and her grandmother into the wolf’s belly—a magical dimen...

I have a new book out this summer! Wolf’s Belly is a graphic novel illustrated by the incredible Simón Estrada. us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

I keep thinking about the politically agnostic people in Minneapolis who were radicalized by ICE’s presence and began actively protesting them.

I wonder if putting ICE in transient places, where Americans from all over can see their aggressive (and often illegal) actions, may just backfire.

You can listen now. No non-book spoilers

Screenshot from podcast player with episode description reading: John welcomes back Drew Goddard (Project Hail Mary, High Potential) to ask, how do you turn the beats of your story into full scenes? Using Drew's script for The Martian, we look at how he translates moments in a book into scenes in a movie, the freedom Drew finds in a beat sheet, how beats are approached in a TV writers room, and his advice to a staff writer struggling with a draft. We also dig into Drew's process for adapting Project Hail Mary, choosing what to cut, and his eloquent defense of double-spacing in a screenplay. He's even kind enough to help answer listener questions on how to recharge your brain and how to indicate you wrote the most on a co-written script. In our bonus segment for premium members, Drew shares his outlook on the current TV landscape, including the big mistake he sees young writers make in their spec pilots.

This week’s Scriptnotes has Drew Goddard talking about Project Hail Mary. I love the movie (10/10) and our conversation about turning beats into actual scenes. Premium episode out now. Regular episode tomorrow.

Birdigo is good, and I’ve nearly completed all of the challenges in it, I think… but also it’s made me loathe the letter J.

Even if it’s not in the official script, the writer will often write dialogue for the scene so the actors have specific things to do and say. These could be pages handed out on the day of shooting.

Select a letter — or two if it’s about transforming one into the other. Then tap the song you want to use.

The only trick is selecting the letter(s) first.

The “shield” is intolerable here as well.

“Parents tried to shield their children from water. Instead they died of dehydration.”

That’s what the @nytimes.com headline here says. Both “shield” and “instead” appallingly reinforce anti-vax attitudes and frames.

This game is a banger. I am
enjoying the inherent ridiculousness of trying to win a word game by replacing my
entire deck with wildcards.

But seriously: If this merger happens, there are going to be so many brilliant marketing and distribution people laid off. Start a new division! Make money!

Netflix Walks With A Cool $2.8 Billion Breakup Fee: Who Gets What In New Paramount-WBD Merger Proposal Netflix will walks away with a hefty $2.8 billion breakup fee as Warner Bros. Discovery shifts to Paramount and M&A drama accelerates.

Hilarious thing to do with $2.8 billion: start a theatrical distribution business. deadline.com/2026/02/netf...

v early in Mamdani’s term in office but hard to escape conclusion that he’s causing a lot of snowfall

Working on it! The game is done, but we can’t get it approved by Google.

Birdigo, our acclaimed Wordle-meets-Balatro game, is out today on the App Store! No ads. Just pudgy birds. @gameteam6.com apps.apple.com/us/app/birdi...

Melrose and La Brea is just a river right now.

We should send it out wider. I’ll DM you a link.

Scriptnotes book by John August and Craig Mazin

Done. This might be my new favourite book on writing. Maybe only tied with @stephenking.bsky.social’s. Very honest, very straightforward, and very practical. It’s about the job and not about dreaming of the job title. Thanks @johnaugust.bsky.social and @clmazin.bsky.social

Did you read the bonus chapter? We cover a fair amount of that.

Just played a(nother) fun game of Swoop with our family, thanks to @johnaugust.bsky.social mentioning it on Scriptnotes.

It’s a quick, easy card game, ages 7+ (officially) for 3-8 players, though you can expand up to 12 if you buy an extra deck. It’s a little like Uno. Recommended.

The concept of “lying under oath” is up for grabs right now. All the Trump SCOTUS judges did it about Roe. Kennedy did it to get his post. If one of these fuckers isn’t prosecuted it will be crystal clear that there are zero repercussions for doing so, and everyone will lie forever.

#170. Gamblers and You Hi everyone, It's been a weird one!!! Just bleak news stories wall to wall (including the impending lack of news stories being written and reported for The Washington Post thanks to hundreds of layof...

"Gambling should be something you have to hide from your wife and children. It should not be an activity that Kevin Hart begs you to do at every commercial break.” www.thatsmarvelousnewsletter.com/170-gamblers... @joshgondelman.bsky.social

No son, they are not "magically delicious." The workers made them delicious. This is a slogan meant to mystify the social conditions of labor