Story and Plot Weekly Email (Page 8)

Finding The Core Belief: The Impact of the Flat-Arc Protagonist

Finding The Core Belief: The Impact of the Flat-Arc Protagonist

Stories where the protagonist remains steadfast in their beliefs and, in doing so, changes everyone around them. This is called in some circles... "The flat-arc protagonist."

How To Incorporate Screenplay Notes From Friends, Writers Groups, and Others.

How To Incorporate Screenplay Notes From Friends, Writers Groups, and Others.

This week is a different kind of development challenge. What to do with notes from friends, family, other writers, coverage, contests, and any other input you get from the various sources.

Navigating Screenplay Development Without Getting Fired.

The Mental Battle

Navigating Screenplay Development Without Getting Fired.

Early in my screenwriting career, I was insecure, combative, and a pain to work with. Here is how I turned that around.

Exposition: Find The Emotional Connection In Your Screenwriting

Exposition: Find The Emotional Connection In Your Screenwriting

The early challenges of sloppy exposition are due mainly to a lack of confidence and trust. Which is also kind of the bad news. It takes time to develop those two things.

Make Your Screenplay More Readable: Write Vertically

Make Your Screenplay More Readable: Write Vertically

Put simply, writing vertically refers to making choices that push the reader's eyes DOWN the page more often than they go ACROSS the page.

Navigating the Rewrite Process: Finding New Perspectives

Navigating the Rewrite Process: Finding New Perspectives

There's nothing magical about the rewrite. It's the same as writing. So don't overcomplicate it, and don't let it intimidate you.

Five Phases of Feature Development

Five Phases of Feature Development

I left my last agents at Paradigm over a disagreement about two spec scripts. I liked them. They didn't.

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