A Lesson from the World of Acting
Good storytelling, like good acting, isn’t about certainty. It’s about trusting yourself to take the uncertain path of discovery. Actors and Anticipation Sometimes it’s easier [...]
Conflicted Protagonist, Certain Antagonist
Powerful stories about change start with a struggle between a conflicted protagonist and a definite antagonist. The classic Hollywood story about The Triumph of the [...]
Dithering is not an Action
Make your protagonist active, and wrong. Conflicted, But Not Indecisive Your protagonist needs internal conflict—that’s what gives your story psychological and emotional depth. But be [...]
Don’t Impose your Ending. Discover It.
Don’t decide what your story must say and reverse‑engineer the plot to get there. Embark on a genuine open-ended journey of discovery. Start with a [...]
Doing the Wrong Thing for the Right Reason
How do you maintain a strong moral centre in your story without falling into black-hat/white-hat clichés? One way is to have your characters—on both sides of the fence—do the [...]
Make your Audience Come Looking
Don’t Explain, Reveal. And sometimes, Withhold. This essay builds directly on the principle explored in Don’t Explain, Reveal — that explanation weakens engagement, while discovery strengthens it. Here, [...]
Dump the Ducky
Resist the urge to explain and sentimentalise. Contemporary drama often works hard to reassure us that a flawed character is not evil — that their [...]
Externalise the Last Step
A character’s personal integration, the moment when they finally become whole, is not the end of the story. Until they put the change into action, it’s only theoretical. [...]
Give your Subconscious a Playground
For each project, give yourself an imaginary playground in a secret Imagination Book. Messy, private, driven by freedom and obstacles. When you start a project, buy [...]
Creating the Illusion of Insight
How to write a script that creates the illusion of an inner life through cinematic language and neutral performance. Audiences create subtext when the author [...]
