Story Structure

Showing 161 - 170 of 1516 results

Write Better Stories by Pretending You Have No Money

July 17, 2023

Look at the recent box office failures like “The Flash,” “Solo,” “Terminator: Genisys,” or “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” All of these movies...

Outlining a Story Easily with the Four D’s

July 13, 2023

You can divide every story into four parts: Act I, Act IIa, Act IIb, and Act III where each Act is roughly the same length....

Create Tension in Act II with an Unsolvable Dilemma

July 9, 2023

Many writers say that the middle of a screenplay, Act II, is the hardest part to write. That’s because it’s usually easiest to start an...

How to Write Subtext in Dialogue to Create Greater Conflict

July 5, 2023

Every story is about conflict. Although most people associate conflict with fist fights, gunfire, and explosions, most conflict occurs through dialogue even if a gun...

Create Tension with Emotional Dilemmas

July 1, 2023

In every story, the hero should be caught in a dilemma. That dilemma forces the hero to either stay stuck in their dead end life...

How to Spice Up Dialogue Like a Sales Pitch

June 24, 2023

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...

Give Characters a Clear Goal in Every Scene

June 20, 2023

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...

Every Great Movie Revolves Around a Single Idea

June 16, 2023

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...

How Characters Use Dialogue as a Weapon to Get What They Want

June 12, 2023

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...

How to Identify a Weak Scene

June 8, 2023

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...

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.