Inside the Celebration: What Secret Surprises Are Hidden in ‘Happy Birthday, Go Into The Story!’?
Sixteen years, 6,210 days, and more than 6,000 posts later—what’s the real story behind a blog that’s kept the lights on this long? When I launched Go Into The Story back in May 2008, I was a TV producer with zero clue that this little corner of the internet would morph into a hub influencing thousands of screenwriters worldwide, including myself. Crazy, right? Was it sheer persistence, a lucky break, or maybe just stubbornness that fueled this marathon? From breaking in without a formal film school background to becoming an associate professor and an Amazon bestseller author, the path has been as unpredictable as a well-crafted screenplay twist. But here’s the kicker—the blog’s real MVP has never been me. It’s always been you, the readers, the scribes burning the midnight oil chasing storytelling magic.
This isn’t just a celebration of endurance; it’s a reflection on connection, growth, and keeping the creative fires alive—even when life throws a wrench in your typing fingers for two months! With over two million unique visitors last year alone, Go Into The Story continues to be more than a blog; it’s a community, a workshop, a mentor standing right beside you. So, what’s the secret sauce behind this unlikely success? Maybe it’s that blend of passion, hustle, and sheer love for the craft that makes all the difference. Or perhaps it’s just a well-worn blogging T-shirt and the willingness to show up—even when the muse plays hard to get.
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Launched on May 16, 2008, here we are 6,210 days of blogging later… but what does it all mean?
Seventeen years ago, I was a TV producer and had no idea that in August of that year, I would begin an eight year stint as a visiting lecturer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in their Writing for Screen and Stage program.
I couldn’t fathom that a few years later, I along with my friend and fellow screenwriter Tom Benedek would co-found ScreenwritingMasterClass.com.
I could never have imagined I would become an assistant professor (now an associate professor) at the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts in Chicago where I am today.
It wouldn’t have remotely occurred to me how today, I would have written The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling, an Amazon 5-Star rated #1 Best Seller.
Or that I would have been invited as a guest speaker, presenter, or mentor at writing events in Canada, England, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Greece.
But with all that, perhaps the most surprising revelation of all is the longevity and impact of Go Into The Story.
I have blogged here over 6,000 days, my consecutive day streak broken only because of shoulder surgery which meant I couldn’t type for two months. Even with that lapse in content, the site had 2M+ unique visits last year.
Through my partnership as the Official Screenwriting Blog of the Black List, I have been a mentor and workshop facilitator at every one of their feature writer labs and mini-labs, all twenty-three of them.
In 2018, Go Into The Story was named “Best of the Best” Scriptwriting Website by Writers Digest magazine.
Yeah, Go Into The Story has been good to me… but that’s not the reason I started the blog, nor continue to host it today.
That reason is you.
Having been a complete Hollywood outsider with nary a sniff of a film school education, I broke into the business by selling a spec script…
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