I'm a WGA writer who also teaches screenwriting and television writing in Southern California.
Dialogue is the backbone of every movie. It needs to be believable. It has to define a character without explicitly doing so. It must advance the plot and be entertaining a well. Good dialogue is no easy task. Anyone can write what we call dialogue – the words that are spoken by a character. The … More Dialogue: Overview
Film is a visual medium. But the ideas expressed in a movie come from the characters. And characters are defined by what they do and what they say. What a character says is the thing that gives his or her actions context. Know Who Your Characters Are Language and speech patterns are influenced by many … More On Dialogue
The reason we write scripts is to see them made into movies. The reason movies get made is because an actor or actress wants to be in your movie. So how do we breathe “life” into our characters to make them appealing to both actors and non-actors alike? Give your character signature traits As we … More Make Your Audience and Your Actors Love Your Characters
You’ve thought about your characters. You’ve defined them. You’ve written biographies and histories. They’re 3-dimensional, living beings in your head. All that’s left to do is introduce them to your reader by making them jump off the page. How do we do that…? First impressions Just like real life, when we meet someone in a … More Make Your Characters Leap Off the Page
So, we’ve done a lot of talking about characters, who they are, how they function and what they add to your story. But how do you know you’re on the right track? Here’s a list of questions about your characters. If you can answer all these questions with clear, simple and specific examples, you’re on your … More A Character Checklist
In the 1920, Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic. He was mainly interested in narrative Folk tales as he believe that Folk tales were about the same basic struggles, therefore had the same characters. According with the Propp theory, characters have a narrative function as they provide a structure for the text. Let’s examine how … More Character Functions: Types of Characters
A character lives in the current moment of a story. How they arrived at the point is dictated by their backstory. The events, decisions and choices of their past are what has led them to this moment. The choices that character makes in a story are based on those prior moments plus the ones experienced … More More Character Thoughts: Backstory, Present and Forward
True change only happens when there is a need; and a need is only perceived when there is a crisis. Another way to put it is that change only happens through conflict. Is it through challenges, stresses, trials, errors and setbacks that a character evolves into the person that he or she needs to … More More on Creating Characters: Start at the End
There are many different types of characters in a story. What these characters do and what they represent are the tools the writer uses to argue for your theme and to make your story compelling. To do so, you need to know who they, what drives them, what they want. You must also evaluate them … More More on Creating Characters
Creating a character usually starts with one defining trait. It can be a look, an attitude, an emotion or an action. S/he can be based on someone you know or know of, or the character can be made up from whole cloth. The goal is to create a character who feels real. What makes a … More Creating Compelling Characters
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