Advice — expert series

In real life, some people skate from one success to the next. Others hit a flat-line long before they ever actually die. Unlike people, all story characters suffer both ups and downs throughout the entire story. These reversals play out in three major plot threads: Dramatic Action, Character Emotional Development, and the Thematic Significance. In other words, a story presents challenges that force a character to rethink her views and show what the ultimate transformation means overall. Three Major Plot Threads Plot Thread One Dramatic Action filled with conflict, tension, suspense, or curiosity provides excitement. The Dramatic Action plotline gives...

How many times have you heard someone say, "I have a great idea for a movie," and then never do anything with it? They don't remember it later or they never actually put words on paper. On top of that, there are many people who think they have a good idea for a movie - and it's really not. It all starts with the idea but there's much more to it. It's not as easy as people think. Most people do not realize the time and effort it takes to flesh out an idea, from the inception of an idea...

In last month's excerpt from my book, A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation, we discussed a few of the dangers of underuse of the period, as well as the role that context plays in punctuation. In this, the final installment, we'll continue examining the pivotal role of context, and take a look at what your usage of the period might reveal about you. In the hands of a master like Shakespeare, the context of period placement and sentence length takes on layers of meanings--indeed, is taken to a whole new level. Let's look, for instance, at...

Henry Ford said, "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're right." He knew that the mind is a key component to success. Are you using your mind to fund your film? My job is to read hundreds of film proposals for the Roy W. Dean film grants. I stay in touch with many applicants, even those who don't win, to follow their progress. Some projects are so heartfelt and the filmmakers so determined that I just want to help them in some way. You would be shocked at how many brilliant films are never made...

All great stories have the same structure (see my articles on The Essence of Story and Beyond Theme: Story's New Unified Field) which, for the purpose of this article and in its simplest form, can be summarized as follows: A threat, either agent or perpetrator, creates a problem that brings about a change to a state of misfortune and is the main source of resistance that opposes the action when someone tries to solve the problem and restore a state of good fortune. In stories that end tragically it's the reverse - the story starts in a state of good...