Writing and the Creative Life: 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently Are you creative? Chances are you do some things differently.
Daily Dialogue — June 28, 2019 “I have never done anything for anybody who couldn’t do something for me. I string along an eager kid with promises I’ll pay him money. I…
Reader Question: How to know which characters to keep and which to cut? If you know a character’s narrative function and that function is essential to tell your story, keep them. If not…
Hero’s Journey as Psychological Journey When we think of the Hero’s Journey, what comes to mind is a geographical adventure. The Heroine starts out in their Ordinary World…
Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 4) “I really think that ultimately any story idea I ever come up with comes directly from an emotional experience. Your stories are already in…
The Business of Screenwriting: Act Two Blues The weird synergy between the Protagonist’s suffering in the middle of their story… and that writer’s life.
Subplots: Part 3 Imagine each subplot. Track each subplot’s ‘plot’. Place subplot beats in appropriate narrative ‘spots’.
Need writing inspiration? Go to an airport All those arrivals and departures represent a non-stop flow of stories.
Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 3) “I listen to people talking about life when I’m out. Little seeds can come out of overhearing people. Even if it doesn’t launch an idea for…
Script To Screen: “The Thin Man” A scene in the first in a series of successful Thin Man movies and, of course, it features drinking alcohol… or the aftermath thereof.
Daily Dialogue — June 26, 2019 “I can’t stay too long, they’ll come looking for me. Dr. Hill… Dr. Hill, there’s a plot. I know that sounds crazy, you’re probably…
Subplots: Part 2 A series on a critical narrative element in any screenplay and analysis of the movies Casablanca, Die Hard, and The Shawshank Redemption.
Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 2) “I devour information like crazy, and I’m always running across interesting ideas. Being open and being curious brings so many great ideas…
Screenwriting 101: John Swetnam “Here’s the problem with most aspiring writers and I had this same issue. We think we’re ready before we are. If you think you’re ready to…
Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: “Get Off Your Ass” Sitting. Typing. Sitting. Thinking. Sitting. Stressing. Sitting. Sitting. Sitting…
The Psychological Subtext of the Call To Adventure At the beginning of the story, the Protagonist is just making do. Then something happens which jumbles their life… and their journey…
Black List writers on the craft: Story Concepts (Part 1) “It hits me. I don’t go looking for them, they come looking for me.”
On Writing “Your characters…are like children. You give birth to these children but you have to send them into the world and then they have to live…
Daily Dialogue — June 24, 2019 “Hello? Hello, Dimitri? Listen, I can’t hear too well, do you suppose you could turn the music down just a little? Oh, that’s much better…
