Character Character is story. Story is character. Here are three character questions I ask to help nail down the underlying needs that drive a character’s transformation.
The Mental Battle The Mental Battle of Screenwriting Screenwriting is difficult. But, once we accept this — that it is difficult — and we abandon the idea that if it is difficult, something must be wrong… well, then we just… go on.
Structure The Midpoint An event at the midpoint of the movie that reverses what was previously believed to be true, changes the stakes, or otherwise creates a new environment or given circumstances for the protagonist
Character Tools For Character-Driven Dramatic Questions Last week, I wrote about plot-focused dramatic questions and how they can make your job much easier. But not every story wants one...
Structure The Dramatic Question The dramatic question is one of your best tools for your story structure. So much so, that two of my three primary goals in the "pre-outline" phase of any project.
Story The Magic Why I want to talk about perhaps our greatest weapon in the creative and emotional battle we call screenwriting. I happen to think it's our greatest weapon in any endeavor...
Character Four Questions For Any Character Piece Sometimes you have a character in mind. No situation, no world. You don't even know what the character will do, let alone what they want. It's just the character. What exactly do you do with them?
Structure The Big Picture - Four Throughlines After focusing the last two weeks on Act 1 and Act 2, I want to talk about the big picture. If you've taken any of my classes, you know I emphasize simplifying the process whenever we can.