Story and Plot Weekly Email (Page 11)

The Protagonist's Most Important Trait: Resilience.

The Protagonist's Most Important Trait: Resilience.

By the end of your story, your protagonist should demonstrate resilience. I know, I know. How interesting could it be if every protagonist had this exact same trait? It turns out, it's very interesting.

The When And The How Of Landing An Agent.

The When And The How Of Landing An Agent.

Getting representation is a process, like most things, dominated by economics. That is, the allocation of limited resources. Yours and theirs.

Character is story. Story is 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 of Screenwriting

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.

The Midpoint

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

Tools For Character-Driven Dramatic Questions

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...

The Dramatic Question

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.

The Magic Why

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...

Four Questions For Any Character Piece

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?

The Big Picture - Four Throughlines

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.

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Act 2

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Act 2

It is the last Tuesday of July and, therefore, the last entry in our unofficial series on character. Last week we covered character in the opening pages, and now I want to take you to one of my favorite topics... Act 2.

Define The Character Early

Define The Character Early

We are still on character and dialogue this month, but today it's just character. And specifically, character in the first ten pages. We all know how crucial the opening of our screenplay is. We hear it again and again.