Story Structure

Showing 1381 - 1390 of 1516 results

Watching Old Movies

November 27, 2010

Many aspiring screenwriters watch the latest releases and then get influenced by them. The drawback is that they tend to churn out scripts that are...

The Four-Part Story Structure

November 22, 2010

Screenplays aren’t divided into three Acts, but four. Each Act tells a mini-story all by itself which strung together creates a coherent whole. In outlining...

The True Meaning of Horror

November 16, 2010

Today’s movies seem to rely too heavily on special effects, which act like fireworks to capture the audience’s attention through sheer pyrotechnics. But after these...

Four Stories in One

November 11, 2010

Most screenwriters come up with a story and then try to write it down as a screenplay. Inevitably, they run out of ideas about halfway...

When Everything Falls Apart

November 6, 2010

The four Acts of a screenplay (Act I, IIa, IIb, and III) correspond to the four parts of a story where part I is about...

Completeness

November 1, 2010

A great story answers every question and fulfills every implied promise. A bad movie doesn’t. Here are some examples of what completeness means. There’s a...

On the Nose Without a Backstory

October 27, 2010

One mistake novice screenwriters make is that their writing is too “on the nose.” That means characters say and do exactly what they want, which...

The Bigger Story

October 22, 2010

How do you get your story off to a running start from the first minute? You start with a bigger story initiated by your villain....

Nothing is Normal

October 17, 2010

What makes a great movie is a solid story, but what can spice up a solid story are interesting scenes. The key to making an...

The Purpose of a Villain

October 11, 2010

I recently read a screenwriting book that said the villain needs to keep presenting obstacles in the way of the hero. On the surface, that...

About Wallace Wang

First place winner in Scriptapalooza’s 2023 screenwriting competition for the supernatural horror screenplay titled “Nightmares From a Past Life”. Author of “The 15 Minute Movie Method”, “Story Starter”, and “Writing Scenes for Screenplays” in addition to over 50 computer books. Writer of “Three of a Kind”, a situation comedy produced by San Diego State University’s film class that won a student Emmy award. Designer of the board game “Orbit War”, published by Steve Jackson Games, that simulates satellite warfare in the near future.