When your goal is to deliver a written or spoken story that elicits emotion (as it ALWAYS must be), your story has to include 3 essential elements: character, desire and… read more →
The film THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI includes an early scene where the hero, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) is confronted by Chief of Police Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) about her… read more →
In the outstanding film HIDDEN FIGURES, screenwriters Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi faced the formidable task of immediately introducing their three major characters, and making them unique and memorable. All… read more →
Arguably the most important portion of your story is the opening. This is where you must seduce your readers and audiences as you draw them into the world you’ve created.… read more →
Have you ever been the last to arrive at a party and the host introduces you, one at a time, to everyone there? So how many of those names are… read more →
Your job as a storyteller is to create IMAGES. This is true not just for screenwriters, but for anyone presenting a story to a reader or an audience. Whenever we… read more →
Writing and storytelling are filled with rules and maxims that are presented as unbreakable commandments – but which should occasionally be challenged and violated for the sake of a greater… read more →
James Cameron’s screenplay Avatar is an outstanding example of using many structural tools and devices successfully in one script. In addition to the overall structure of your screenplay – the… read more →
Imagine a story about a soldier, wounded by past battles, who is sent to a hostile, unfamiliar place filled with danger and overwhelming obstacles. He’s a stranger in a strange… read more →
Hollywood movies are simple. Though writing a successful Hollywood movie is certainly not easy, the stories for mainstream Hollywood films are all built on only three basic components: character, desire… read more →
