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 […]
StoryLab: A Monthly Subscription Series
BEGINS SEPT 1, 2024 Free to join. Friday, December 13th, 2024. Master your craft. Make your passion your career. Join fellow storytellers. […]
finding the core of your story
Whether you're writing a novel, memoir or screenplay, at the heart of your story lies a dilemma for your protagonist. In this one-hour workshop, through exercises and discussion, you will discover and clarify the central struggle. Remember that character suggests plot. When you connect to your protagonist's dilemma, plot emerges naturally and in the most surprising ways. Running Time: 64 minutes
unlock the story within
Through a series of stream-of-consciousness writing exercises and one-on-one work with writers to illustrate the principles, my Unlock the Story Within workshop will take you to the heart of your story, and help you to clarify what you are attempting to express. Running time: 127 minutes
The 90-Day Screenplay
The 90-Day Screenplay will guide you through the process of outlining your screenplay, writing a first draft, and completing a rewrite, all […]
30-Day Outline
the 30-day outline workshop FALL SESSION | OCT. 8th – Nov. 5TH, 2026 The 30-Day Outline is a Live-on-Zoom workshop with Alan Watt that will […]
Blog
alan watt on writing Recent posts browse by topic Novel & Fiction | Screenplay | Memoir | InspirationRewrite | Dilemma | First-Time […]
Consults with Al
consults with Alan Watt private consultation A1-hour Zoom consultation to brainstorm ideas and explore dilemmas in your story. story consultation A3-Page Outline […]
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, […]
The Protagonist’s Experience
Regardless of the medium, your reader is not interested in what your character is feeling. Seriously. In fact, if you tell your […]
The Creative Process
When my son, Ray, was first learning to speak, there were so many new words each day — the syntax often fascinating […]
Trust
I grew up in a very bright, academic family, but at times I felt alone. My family members were very logical, reasonable […]
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 […]
Choice
Why do we write? Why do we spend months, years, even decades engaged in the solitary act of creating a world on […]
The Arc of a Scene
“I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other […]
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 […]
Our Characters are Malleable
“Nothing changes more constantly than the past; for the past that influences our lives does not consist of what happened, but of […]
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 […]