So we’ve talked about how Trevor Noah creates the classic archetype of the scampish kid, and he also taps into the universal archetype of ...

Hi guys, I continue to dig through old posts looking for stuff for a new book and re-discovered this forgotten micro-series that  I like ...

Black Panther begins with an exhilarating scene: On the verge of becoming king of Wakanda, T’Challa invites anyone who wishes to challeng...

A lot of people were shocked this was nominated for Best Picture, because the reviews weren’t great, but if you look at my previous Best O...

Hi guys! Sorry, I’d meant to do another book before Christmas but time has gotten away from me. Instead, let’s just have one big blow-out...

What a wonderful film.  Our top two movies are so similar: Both were created by performers who weren’t known as writers or directors but bo...

These posts formed a lot of the backbone of the book, but it’s interesting to check out their original form, and there’s a lot here that d...

Once again, I’ll start with what didn’t work: The Problem: Most of the conflict in this movie is false conflict. We start with a very f...

Hey guys, it seems impossible to go on, but we must go on. Let’s all pretend that my silly little story advice has any meaning in post-apo...

Yesterday we looked at the need for an Ironic Concept . When identifying your ironic concept, it’s tempting to look to the ending and show...

As I organized the book, one thing that become clear was how often I came back to the subject of irony. “Oh, by the way, this element has...

PIXAR had a problem. They had pioneered the idea of computer animation and made some very appealing short films featuring a jumping des...

Usually, when I get an idea, it gets me excited for a very short time, and then it falls apart: I realize that it doesn’t make ...

Yesterday , we were talking about the benefits of being highly critical of your own work.  But how do you keep writing if you’re no longe...

I sometimes get to read scripts long before they’re made, and one of my favorite scripts in recent years was cheekily titled “Fuckbuddies”....

Yet another rule complaining about a recent movie! ( 106 , 110 ) I’ve been a curmudgeonly moviegoer recently! Young Adult is a very ...

Hugo got great reviews, which baffled me. The story is all obstacle and no conflict. An obstacle is anything that makes a task physi...

In the finale of The Big Idea , I concluded that unique characters are overrated, when it’s more interesting to simply write about a uniq...

Okay folks, one last piece of back fill and then tomorrow… the big list! Unique characters are overrated. Does your character feel fami...

My manager, like many Hollywood types, doesn’t communicate very clearly. Once he was quickly summing up the problems he had with one of my...