Saturday Hot Links

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone — if possible — Jew, Gentile — black man — white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness — not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men — cries out for universal brotherhood — for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world — millions of despairing men, women, and little children — victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me, I say — do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed — the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

Soldiers! Don’t give yourselves to brutes — men who despise you — enslave you — who regiment your lives — tell you what to do — what to think and what to feel! Who drill you — diet you — treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men — machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate — the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” — not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power — the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then — in the name of democracy — let us use that power — let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world — a decent world that will give men a chance to work — that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world — to do away with national barriers — to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!”

Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: Here is an opportunity to learn about two archetypes that are generally the most important characters in your story — Protagonist and Nemesis — in two upcoming Craft classes I’ll be offering in upcoming weeks:

April 28: Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist

Making your Protagonist “sympathetic” or finding your Protagonist’s “flaw” is all well and good… if you want to write a surface level character. In this 1-week online screenwriting course, you will learn how to dig deep into a Protagonist to discover personality dynamics that can make a multidimensional lead character.

See why the Protagonist represents the very soul of your story and how their psychological journey is the source of the script’s emotional meaning.
Workshop your story’s Protagonist to uncover not only their unique persona, but also how their Want and Need define the narrative arc.

Seven lectures, forum feedback, insider tips, 90-minute teleconference, and the opportunity to workshop your story’s Protagonist [or Protagonists].

Plus if you’re a fan of the movies Bridesmaids, The Social Network and Up, we’ll be using those as our study scripts. They offer a diverse set of Protagonists and yet the approach we will study next week shows how a writer can craft such compelling and different lead characters.

May 12: Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis

There is nothing like a well-drawn Nemesis to enliven a screenplay by functioning as a worthy foe to the Protagonist. In this 1-week online screenwriting course, you will discover key principles to help you craft a Nemesis who goes beyond the stereotypical Bad Guy to a living, breathing, and powerful antagonist figure.

Learn how to think of the Nemesis as a projection of your Protagonist’s shadow and why this relationship is pivotal on so many narrative fronts.
Use proven principles to workshop your Nemesis, discovering their world view, and learning how to embrace it when you write this character.

Seven lectures, forum feedback, insider tips, 90-minute teleconference, and the opportunity to workshop your story’s Nemesis [or Nemeses].

Plus we will be analyzing movies such as Jaws, Fatal Attraction, The Silence of the Lambs, The Apartment, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Die Hard and many others to delve into the subject matter.

You can take just one of the classes, but I crafted them to be partner courses with complimentary content. So register now:

Create a Compelling Protagonist (April 28)

Write a Worthy Nemesis (May 12)

As I always say, you don’t need to spend a dime to learn the craft of screenwriting. Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. That can get you where you need to go.

However I can speak with confidence that SMC courses can expedite your learning process, provide you with key principles and practices which elevate your writing, and give you insights into the business of Hollywood to help prepare you for working in the industry.

As always, I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.

Onward!

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