Unlocking Hollywood Secrets: Destin Daniel Cretton’s Unconventional Screenwriting Masterclass
Ever find yourself scribbling story ideas on your phone, in a little notebook, or—let’s be honest—even on the back of a napkin, then wondering if all that chaos actually adds up to something worthwhile? Screenwriter Destin Daniel Cretton gets it. He talks about letting stories stew in his head before patching them together with bits and pieces from the world around him—some overheard convo, a fleeting scene on a street corner, the vibe from a grimy coffee shop where the Wi-Fi hardly works. That messy, organic process is where genuine character-driven storytelling takes root. Writing while pacing, stretching, sipping tea—reminding himself to make every scene interesting—Cretton invites us behind the curtain of a craft too often reduced to formulas. So, how do you turn scattered thoughts and daily distractions into a narrative that resonates? Spoiler: it’s less about the perfect setup and more about the relentless pursuit of the story. Let’s dive in, unruly notebook and all.
“I do a lot of writing in my head for a while and then I start outlining and just throwing ideas down on the notes in my iPhone or notes in my little book or whatever I have at the time. Everything that I do I stitch them to the world that I’m thinking of. I’ll just toss in stories that I hear or things that I see and try to work them into somewhat of an outline. If I’m on a deadline, I’ll work everyday, at a coffee shop with bad phone reception and sporadic internet connection. I write, take walks, write more, take more walks, stretch, drink some tea, try to write again. When I start writing, I just have to keep reminding myself to make every scene interesting. That’s basically all I try to do.”
— Destin Daniel Cretton
Go Into The Story Interview, October 12, 2013
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