Ed Zwick's new book is an essential read for anyone who wants to tell stories on film

And there's some other great movie-related reading out there right now, too

Let’s kick off today’s newsletter with a little bit of actual news.

I had a conversation with an old friend who is part of the annual SXSW Conference in Austin, and he asked me if I’d like to attend as a Screenwriting Mentor. I told him that sounded great, and now you’ll be able to book time with me if you’re attending on March 11th. I’d be happy to discuss anything you’re interested in during that time, and considering I’ve been working in and around the industry since 1990, I have plenty of experience to share.

I’m also pleased to announce that I made a wee teeny tiny contribution to Empire magazine’s upcoming 25th Anniversary celebration of The Phantom Menace. The good folks over there asked me to contribute some thoughts on what it was like to be writing about movies at ground zero of the Star Wars rumor mill at that moment, and it was fun to take a look back at all of the chaos.

It’s nice to be able to share some things considering how much time it’s taking to bring this new project of mine to life. It’s also important for me to try to keep some perspective on how much time it’s actually been. Considering there was a strike that ate a big chunk of last year’s available working time, I’ve been racing through development so far. It’s hard for me to keep that clear in my own head. I’ve never been part of something that went so well at every step, and one reason that may be true is because I’m being given time and support. There’s no feeling from them that I have to meet some arbitrary deadline. Instead, they’re focused on giving me room to get things right, and the feeling when we all finally sign off is far more satisfying. I’ve spent most of my life thinking about movies as my primary canvas, and retraining my brain to think about story in television terms has been a whole process. I don’t think movies and television are interchangeable, and if I’m going to work in television, I want to think about storytelling specifically in television terms.

One person who seems to know the difference between television and film and who has mastered both forms is Ed Zwick. He’s been responsible for shows like thirtysomething and My So-Called Life and films like Glory and The Last Samurai. A few years ago, Ed joined Twitter, and he started posting threads about his experiences. I retweeted a number of those threads, and Ed started chatting with me in direct messages. I was surprised by how direct and open he was, and he seemed more than happy to discuss anything about his work. The great news is that he decided to take that energy he was using to build those Twitter threads and apply it to writing a book that is part memoir, part how-to-work-in-the-industry guide. He sent me a copy of the book a few months ago, and this week, you can finally pick up Hits, Flops & Other Illusions, which may be the most essential book of its type since Adventures in the Screen Trade.