The midpoint is the most arguable of the story points in the classic three act structure. It’s the axis upon which the second act revolves, it clarifies the arc, the stakes, and the tone of the exploration of the script.…
Think of a common object, something tangible, smaller than a garbage can, the kind of object you can buy at a store. For instance: hairspray. Say one thing about the object’s appearance. Something specific, but still in the realm of…
Beginning writers struggle to write good scripts. I posit that they struggle to write good scripts because they struggle to write second acts. Further, I posit that they struggle to write second acts because they struggle to write scenes.
Q: What do you think makes a great antagonist? Do they always have to have a legit reason (at least to them) of why they are doing bad things? Is it as simple as having a few quirks that people…
When people write loglines or a “premise test,” they often write one that misses the meat of the story. Stories aren’t just about the setup of an idea, it’s about the execution of that idea. That execution occurs in the…
When I’m coaching a client, I usually run into some version of this conversation:
Story coaching is the best, most efficient way to get better as a writer. It begins when a writer hires me for a specific project. They’ll tell me what they want to accomplish and what’s preventing them from executing it…
Question: Should I write a Story Map before I begin writing a draft? Answer: Sure, if you can. But you’re going to run into a problem. If you can’t tell your story in 75 words, you can’t tell your story.…
Story Maps are one of the greatest resources on ScreenplayHowTo. They provide a great way for a novice writer to get a handle on the many moving parts and information that’s included with a screenplay. Story Maps are wonderful tools. I…
