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
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
For all of you who are wondering, “Hey, what happened to discussing screenwriting?,” don’t worry. We’ll get back to it soon. This is the second installment in a brief digression away from screenwriting into how to use storytelling to enhance your content marketing and business presentations. Plot and Story. Every good story has an arc … More Beyond Movies: Why Stories Matter in Business – Plot and Story
I started this website to share what I know about screenwriting. We’ve barely gotten started. There is a lot more to come about all aspects of the writing process — characters, dialogue, imagery and metaphor, conflict and how to put it all together. But a conversation I recently had with some friends who asked for … More Beyond Movies: Why Stories Matter in Business
Hey All, I am now offering Script and Screenwriting Consultation Services for Film, Television, Digital and Other Dramatic arenas. What I offer… As WGA writer with 20+ years of professional experience and 5+ years of writing instruction in classrooms and privately, I work with writers and producers to solve concept and script issues at all … More Screenwriting Consulting Services
Getting Busy In this 4-Act structural scenario, “Act Three” is the latter half of the old Act Two. This is the section of your story from the midpoint up to the events that make the end inevitable. This is the period in which the main character comes to understand what it is that s/he must … More Screenplay Structure (Part #4)
Making Friends and Learning Things in a Four-Act Structure If you consider the midpoint of your story as similar to a plot point that turns an act from one to another, then the midpoint of your screenplay can serve the same function. Instead of the structure of your story being three acts in which … More Screenplay Structure (Part #3)
The Midpoint Shift As we discussed in my last blog, every story has three acts — a beginning, middle and end. But an interesting thing happens in a film script, there is a shift at the midpoint of the story. Often, this “Midpoint Shift” is when the hero goes from flailing against the conflicts she … More Screenplay Structure (Part #2)
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