All stories start from somewhere and that somewhere is your inciting incident. Think of the inciting incident as the big bang of your story. It catapults your characters into the plot, introducing new characters, worlds, and conflict. Every story must have an effective inciting incident, so if you’re wondering if yours is getting the job done, let’s take a look at some inciting incidents of current stories that send their characters into a world full of conflict, drama, and change.
Story Bibles for Features?: How a feature writers can benefit from creating a bible for their films
Sometimes we get lost in our stories, our wonderful imagination runs wild with characters ideas, individual scenes, and crazy plot twists leaving us with a perfect and beautiful world in our head that is so vast that we can’t get everything onto paper. But that’s where TV Bibles come in. TV Bibles are documents used in the TV world to sell a series, but using the concept for features and pilots before outlining can make the writing process more efficient by forcing you to go deep into your story.
Read ‘Em and Weep!: Why reading the trades are important
Reading the trades is one of the most important but also forgotten aspects of becoming a professional screenwriter. If you don’t know the ins and outs of the industry you’re trying to be successful in, you’ll be lost when you get the chance to sit in a meeting with one of the top dogs in Hollywood. So, let’s take a look at what the trades are and why they are important.
The Power of Shorts: How and why you should write short films
Most screenwriters jump straight into features or pilots when they start their journey of learning how to write a script. But an alternative to starting your screenwriting journey is to write a short film. Tackling a 90+ page feature or writing a tv pilot that sets up an entire series can be daunting and difficult for new writers. While telling any kind of story is difficult, a short film forces you to keep things small, intentional, and visual, which are tools you must master in order to become a professional in this business. So, let’s go over the how and why you should try writing short films.
Step into the Dark Side!: How to write an Evil Character
Some may hate to admit it, but EVERYONE loves a great villain. Darth Vader, The Joker, Michael Myers, Thanos, Hannibal Lecter. But how can we get our OWN villains on the list? How can we craft compelling, crazy, sadistic characters that push moral boundaries and make us think about humanity in a different way? It’s easier than you think and trust me, you don’t have to take trips to the dark side. Let’s look at some ways we can create a compelling villain to lift our stories off the page.
First impression is the last impression: How to introduce your characters
Characters. We spend hours trying to crack them, understand their ins and outs, and what makes them tick. But when we hit the page to introduce them to the world…we’re stuck. Character intros take a little bit of formatting, love, and wit. So if you’re struggling with introducing your babies, here are some quick tips to help you out.
Your first few pages are Everything!
Everyone knows the rule: Your first few pages need to grab the reader. But as a writer looking for a way in the industry, your first scenes MUST POP! An exec who reads everything under the sun doesn’t want to see a character go through their morning routine unless it serves the story. Because guess what, they’ve read 10 other scripts like that and they’re laying at the bottom of a trash can. Having a great opening will not only give you a better chance of a full read, but you’ll also stand up against the scripts of seasoned writers, who execs will trust way more than someone they’ve never heard of. So, if you’re struggling with crafting a great opening that’ll get you closer to your professional writing goals here are some tips that’ll help you get your baby right.
Plot Driven vs. Character Driven: Which is better?
Writers tend to gravitate to one or the other when they come up with a new idea. Some can create complex characters but lack the ability to create meaningful conflict for the story to be interesting. While other writers can create high concept page-turning ideas but create one-dimensional characters, making the story fall flat. But great writers can execute both parts of the story to create a compelling narrative. These are the ones who are getting paid to create their own stories or help studios create theirs. So, if your stories are falling a little flat, let’s find out which type of writer you are and address the weaknesses to help you tell a better story.
Why don’t people like my characters?
Because they suck. Kidding… but maybe they do. Characters carry your story. There is no way to get around that. It doesn’t matter if you have the best plot ever. If people don’t like your characters, then no one cares about what they’re doing or how they’re affected by what’s happening in your story. So let’s talk about what makes characters likable.
Movie of the Century… Did you miss it?
Whiplash. My boyfriend made me watch it. I didn’t even know what the effing movie was about. I almost missed it. It was the movie of the century and I almost missed it. (Slaps self in the forehead but not too hard). But Whiplash isn’t the movie of the century for conventional reasons of film analysis. It’s the movie of the century because in 2016 people just don’t give a f*ck about art.