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Show, Don’t Tell

February 13, 2016

One of the more common writing rules is “Show, don’t tell.” That means let the audience experience the emotions of a scene rather than just...

Creative Exposition

February 10, 2016

In the old days, stage plays used to provide exposition by having a maid and a butler set a table and chat about the main...

Every Scene Adds New Information

February 7, 2016

Every scene must be interesting but it must also do more by providing us with new information. When you combine interest with new information, each...

Make Every Scene Interesting

February 4, 2016

Take any screenplay turned into a great movie and rip a scene out at random. Then study that scene. Chances are good that simple scene...

Rile Up the Emotions

February 1, 2016

Nothing makes a scene more interesting to watch than something that stirs up the emotions. The simplest emotion to stir up is the threat of physical...

Unity of Story

January 28, 2016

Every movie should really tell just one story. If you’re telling a mystery, every subplot should also be a mystery. If you try telling different...

Making Exposition Interesting

January 25, 2016

One hallmark of a bad movie is that at the end, the villain has to explain everything for the benefit of the hero and the...

Make Each Character Interesting

January 22, 2016

Your main characters should always be interesting in some way. That doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be likable, but that they need to grab...

Recycling Story Plots

January 19, 2016

Many people worry about creating original stories that have never been told before. That’s pointless. The real secret is not to create an original story,...

Creating Sympathy for the Hero

January 16, 2016

Nobody will care about your story if they don’t like your hero. Even if your hero is actually the villain, you must make the hero...

The 15 Minute Movie Method