Promises Conventions Obligatory Scenes and Genre
Grab a coffee, we’re gonna be here for a bit with this one. I was actually planning to put this on my paid member site, Story To Script, but decided […]
Elements
Master Theme, Secondary Themes and Character Arcs
In the article More on Master Theme, I talk about the necessity of running a Master Theme in your story and some of the common mistakes working with secondary themes. […]
Surprise and Foreshadowing
Surprise is the lifeblood of story. In Maximizing your Turns, I talk a bit about foreshadowing your turns—actually foreshadowing the opposite of your turns to make them more dramatic. But […]
Fix your Flashbacks
Building Flashbacks into a story is like setting high explosive charges–effective when used properly, potentially disastrous in inexperienced hands. When I see a script from a new writer that contains […]
How Many Acts – TIP
Stories have a beginning, middle and end. 3 Acts. Like a pizza, you can cut these three acts into as many parts as you want. Run a 4 act, 5 […]
Point of View and Captions
Though captions in modern comics are generally a shadow of their former self, in my book they’re still an indispensable tool for the comic writer. Of course captions (CAP) deliver […]
The Super Trifecta
These days, amateur writers are under the impression that they can write about nothing as long as it’s “written well”. That the story engine is less important than trendy subjects […]
Story Checklist – Updated
You’ll often hear me equate writing to cooking: the right ingredients, in the right amounts, in the right order. The only true failure? A story that doesn’t engage and entertain. […]
Subplots, Parallel Narratives, Ensemble Casts – UPDATED
Subplot, Parallel Narrative, Ensemble Cast. Three narrative story thread structures that can get muddled fast. Keep your scripts sharp and reduce editing by knowing which is which and when to […]
6 Things Done Best In Comics
Comics are an incredible medium, art from the in-between space. Visual like movies, yet driven by words. Pictures powered by prose. Having read comics for over 35 years, I’ve seen […]