In every scene, characters want something. Unless your scene involves physical action such as fighting or fleeing, most characters have to get what they want through dialogue. Essentially, every character’s dialogue is a sales pitch. Each character is trying to convince others to give them what they want. Some common ways dialogue works as a […]

Many novice screenwriters are too vague. they often write one scene to provide exposition, another scene to reveal a character’s personality, and a third scene to define a character’s goal. Don’t do that. Write tight, focused scenes to keep your story moving along and to do that, start by giving every character in a scene […]

Pick a great movie and chances are good it focuses on a single idea or theme. Then the plot and subplot revolve around different ways of looking at that theme. Once you know your story’s theme, then you can make every character and action emphasize that idea. In “Terminator 2,” the theme is about learning […]

In every scene, characters want something. Without a goal to pursue, a scene serves no purpose. Once a scene establishes a goal for a character to pursue, the next step is conflict. Conflict can come from physical problems but more often comes from another character. Because every scene forces two characters to fight each other, […]

A screenplay is only as good as its weakest scene so it’s crucial that you make every scene important. Two critical elements of every scene are conflict and foreshadowing. In every scene, a character needs a goal, but conflict keeps that character from getting that goal. The pursuit of a goal and the conflict that […]

The phrase “deus ex machina” literally translates as “god from the machine” and is most often associated with ancient plays where the hero would get stuck in a situation that he or she couldn’t resolve so the gods descend from the skies and save him or her. This always creates an unsatisfying conclusion because just […]