Torture Your Hero

What makes a compelling hero? A hero is someone you respect, although you may not agree with them, and the surest way to gain someone’s respect is to overcome tremendous obstacles. Read More...

Everybody has Problems

How can you tell a “flat” story with no depth vs. a compelling story that captivates an audience? Count how many of your characters have problems. Read More...

Act II -- the Subplot

By using the classic three Act structure to plan your story, you can clearly see what your hero’s goal is (Act I), how your hero achieves that goal Act III), and more importantly, how the hero changes to be capable of achieving that goal (Act II). Read More...

Acts I and III

The typical three-Act structure of a screenplay makes sense -- right up until you try to write your own screenplay. Since Act II represents the biggest chunk, here’s an idea initially. Just skip it. Read More...

Obstacles

Without conflict, there is no drama. Without drama, there is no story. Without a story, you have an interesting anecdote, but nothing substantial enough to captivate an audience. Read More...

The Four Part Story Sequence

Every story (and every sequence in a story) consists of four basic parts. Ignore these four parts and you risk creating a dull, flat, and boring story. Read More...