“In order to share one's true brilliance one initially has to risk looking like a fool." - Criss Jami Writing your first story is sort of like, well . . . there’s a first time for everything. It’s …
Outlining: The Dramatic Question
Your characters are a function of the plot, archetypes that constellate around the dramatic question. Story is essentially an argument with the dramatic question being the thesis statement we are …
Blind Spots in Your Story
It is human to have blind spots, and often convenient to be in denial about certain aspects of ourselves. This is natural, or, at least, common. Humans are not logical, and stories both great and wild …
On Writing Dialogue
“If you have a good ear for dialogue, you just can’t help thinking about the way people talk. You’re drawn to it. And the obsessive interest in it forces you to develop it. You almost can’t help …
Developing Your Writing Technique
Technique develops over time. By reading and writing, we absorb a sense of story structure, cadence, and rhythm. We learn how to create and release tension. We deepen our relationship to our …
Playing on the Page
When there is a story problem you can’t solve, or there appears to be no way out for your characters, remember one thing: It's not your job to solve it. Instead, get excited by the complication. The …
What Happens Next?
The first step in creating a fully alive story is imagining the world. This simply means envisioning your characters in relation to each other and asking, "What happens next?" With each idea or image …
A Screenplay is a Blueprint
A screenplay is the blueprint from which directors take their cues. It is not the screenwriter’s job to provide camera shots — in fact, that is usually the sign of a novice. But it is your job to …
The Power of Curiosity
Story creation often begins with an idea or an image that ignites your imagination. You become curious, wanting to know more, to see how it is going to play out. The desire to write is connected to …
Making the Impossible Possible
Turning the impossible into something possible is the magic of story. We often have an idea of the direction our story is going. But sometimes we discover that it's not happening the way we had …