Story Structure

Showing 441 - 450 of 1516 results

Put Mystery and Conflict in Every Scene

May 1, 2020

The beginning must hook the audience right from the start and the best way to do that is through conflict or mystery. Conflict is about...

Start Your Story After It Already Begins

April 28, 2020

Mystery and conflict form the heart of every scene in a story, but it’s especially important in the beginning to grab our attention and foreshadow...

Make Sure Every Major Character Changes

April 25, 2020

The worst movies are where nobody changes. Just watch a lousy James Bond movie like a “A View to a Kill” and you’ll see that...

Introduce the Hero or Villain First?

April 22, 2020

The next time you watch a movie, look to see how that movie introduces the hero and villain. Most movies introduce the hero first and...

Don’t Forget the Secondary Characters

April 19, 2020

There’s a New Zealand animated film called “Mosely,” which is about beasts of burden that are strong like horses but intelligent and able to talk...

Play With Story Formulas

April 13, 2020

A typical story formula looks like this. A hero pursues a goal and learns from a mentor, gets help from an ally, and with their...

Write Your Screenplay Last

April 10, 2020

If you wanted to build a house, would you rush out and buy some wood and bricks, and start slapping the whole thing together? Probably...

Make Your Hero Face Karma

April 7, 2020

Karma is a concept where if you do something bad to others, that same thing will happen to you as punishment. While this can be...

Your Hero’s Emotional Change

March 31, 2020

What makes a great story is when the hero (and the audience) changes emotionally. Of course, characters don’t change overnight but gradually, and this gradual...

Use the Theme as a Guideline for Conflict

March 28, 2020

What do all great movies have in common? It’s not the direction, special effects, or acting, but the underlying theme that defines the entire story....

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.