The quickest way to dilute a story is to fill it with too many characters and subplots that don’t support each other. This is why less can be more when telling a story. Think of your favorite TV series. After a few years, it tends to peak and then start getting ridiculous, a term known as […]
The beginning and ending of a movie is very similar. In both cases, the villain is trying to accomplish something at the start and by the end of the movie, the villain is about to achieve a goal defined in the beginning. To make your story feel complete, your villain needs to initiate a goal […]
Watch a bunch of strangers in a public place like a restaurant or a coffee shop. Why are some people boring and others fascinating to watch? Beyond their surface appearance, it all has to do with change. The next time you go to a restaurant, watch some people at random and note whether their actions are […]
A big screenplay is nothing more than a single story told through multiple stories. You could start by writing full-length screenplays, but that’s like learning to run by entering a marathon. An easier way is to start with short screenplays, which is like entering short races and training with short runs until you build up […]
In many screenwriting books, they tell you to write a brief character biography of your hero, villain, and supporting characters. The idea is that this information can help you see your character as a fully fleshed out human being. The drawback is that it can distract you from the structure of your story. If you […]