The Nature Of Conflict (Part 1)
Everyone knows conflict. It’s the drum beat of our lives many day and the lifeblood of our writing always. Audiences are a hundred times more interested in any work of fiction if there’s conflict. Even most non-fiction pieces revolve around interesting, read as conflict-filled, moments. But how do we set up and maximize conflict in […]
How To Layer Your Screenplay Scenes
Scene layers is the key to really elevating the success of your scenes by making them work harder. 1) Plot, Character, and Theme The highest form of scene incorporates the techniques already discussed and layers of the holy trinity of any story. I’m pretty sure everyone knows what plot and character is but […]
5 Techniques To Make Your Scenes Pop
What I know about scenes from years of writing and teaching scriptwriting is a lot. I’ve written hundreds of scripts, both produced and unproduced, and I’ve been teaching this stuff for 25 years and counting. But what I don’t know about scenes is at least as much as I do. Scenes are perceived to be […]
Where To Start A Screenplay (Part 2)
Why Now? Note also the timing of the event which is a crucial part of all this. In Star Trek: Discovery, the Klingons, who are the antagonists in the first season, are ready now to start unifying the 24 houses. This agenda of their ascendant leader, T’Kuvma, will become the drum that beats under the first […]
Where To Start A Screenplay (Part 1)
Where do you start with a story? I’ve heard the ending, a character, a concept, and so on. Certainly, if you’re writing to sell like most scriptwriters, concept is key. A high concept is better – the elevator pitch as it’s sometimes called. But starting at the ending presupposes certain factors have to be in […]
