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
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
Hey All, Thanks for allowing me to digress into the business applications of storytelling. Let’s get back to what we intended to do — breaking down screenwriting into snackable bites. So far, we have discussed the issues of plot and structure. But stories are about people doing heroic and noble things. So, which is more … More Plot vs Character
When creating content marking, how do you position yourself or your product? Here are some examples: Monster Under the Bed A woman I know set up a webpage to help raise funds to fight breast cancer. She was looking for a way to inspire people. Using a “Monsters Under the Bed” archetype, she personalized her … More Beyond Movies: Why Stories Matter in Business – What Story are You Telling?
There are many different story genres. And there are even more ways to tell those stories. But if you step back and examine the basic structure of how stories are told, you’ll start to recognize patterns. These basic archetypes capture the broad types of stories we tell and the way that we tell them. … More Beyond Movies: Why Stories Matter in Business – Story Archetypes
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