John and Craig consider all the words they have to write and ask, how do you know when something deserves your best effort? They offer a useful rubric for deciding when something is worth perfecting, and when over-optimization is a waste of time.

We also follow up on compulsive writing habits, industry euphemisms, back issues, and the impact and legacy of the WGA's 2019 agency negotiations.

In our bonus segment for premium members, it's a new year! John looks back at things he accomplished in 2025 and his goals for 2026, while Craig sighs and gestures in the direction of The Last of Us.

Links:

Jamie Lee Curtis says "Trauma"
Concept Creep: Psychology's Expanding Concepts of Harm and Pathology by Nick Haslam
Young Connor Storrie on YouTube
Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone
Elon Musk announces the Cybertruck
Valentina Vee on TikTok and Instagram
Birth by Madison Karrh
John's What I Did in 2025
Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
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John August on Bluesky and Instagram
Outro by Eric Pearson (send us yours!)
Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.