Your villain’s goal needs to threaten the hero and the hero’s loved ones. Not only does this ratchet up the suspense, but it also makes us want to cheer the hero even more. In any good story, the focus isn’t just on the hero’s actions but also on the villain’s actions. Flipping back-and-forth between the […]

Rather than try to write a coherent story divided into three monolithic acts, break your story into eight separate 15-minute segments. Then link them together where the ending of one segment opens the beginning of the next segment. If you break your big story into eight separate 15-minute segments, you’ll be able to focus on […]

Think of any story’s villain and you think of someone frightening like Hannibal Lecter from “Silence of the Lambs” or Darth Vader from “Star Wars.” But the secret to making a frightening villain isn’t necessarily sheer power or insanity, but by mirroring the hero. What’s the most frightening villain you can think of? It might […]

There are four phases of every story. First, the hero has a problem and a goal. Second, the hero achieves initial success. Third, the hero experiences setbacks. Fourth, the hero faces a confrontation. Hulu, YouTube Movies, and Crackle are three movie sites that typically offer B-grade films, but occasionally they offer older feature movies worth […]