The Necessity of an Outline
“The outline is 95% of the book. Then I sit down to write, and that’s the easy part.” – Jefferey Deaver Many […]
How to Master Storytelling: Ask the Right Questions
“It is a parable of art that, to be universal, you must be specific. Otherwise, you are just talking about an abstraction. […]
Asking “Why?”
Always keep your ideal reader close by in your mind asking “Why?” Our subconscious is perfectly designed for this process. It already […]
Why Writers Get Stuck
Einstein says, “You cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem.” Writers often get stuck because […]
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 […]
The Nature of the “Want”
“To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.” – Isaac Newton While exploring the nature of the “want” in your […]
How Do You Identify the Dilemma in Your Story?
At the heart of every story lies a dilemma from which all tensions and conflicts arise. How do you identify the dilemma […]
Make it Dramatic
“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Alfred Hitchcock Story moves as the result of complications that arise, not […]
Everything You Need to Know is Within
“If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.” – Billy Wilder The purpose […]
Shedding the Idea for Truth in Writing
It’s not just first-time novelists or screenwriters that struggle with getting their story from the imagination to the page. Every writer struggles […]
The Lens Through Which You See Your Story
“I find that when I am working I become like an antenna, and suddenly everything relates to my screenplay: a mentioned recipe, […]
No Dilemma, No Story
One thing that has been coming up a lot in my classes is the tendency for writers to “figure out” their plot. […]
Dilemma: The Source of Your Story
At the heart of every story lies a dilemma. It is not a question of whether or not your protagonist has a […]
Writing the Forbidden
“Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are so ingrained in our society we rarely stop to think about it. I can […]
Staying Connected to the Source
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination.” – Albert Einstein The rewrite […]
Reframing Your Protagonist’s Goal
“Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes complete sense […]