Advice — m.a.

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...

Most of a writer's genius comes in the art of the finesse. How finely you craft your project before you let it go is up to each individual writer. As a plot consultant, I developed the Scene Tracker Kit to help writers finesse their scenes. A story comes alive at the scene level for the audience, be it a crowd or an individual reader. Well-written scenes allow both the observer and the reader to viscerally take part in the story. Some people rather enjoy a more distanced, intellectual challenge. Most, however, engage on an emotional level, too. Each scene has...

This year, reviewers have consistently complained about a lack of character emotional development in the movies. At the same time, Hollywood reports a slump in box office sales. Are the two related? Perhaps. Even the top five moneymaking movies for the summer of 2006 were without significant character emotional development. "Although he slams into stationary objects with his customary zeal, Tom Cruise [in Mission: Impossible III] is off his game here, sabotaged by a misguided attempt to shade his character with gray." Manohla Dargis, NEW YORK TIMES Storytelling involves more than lining up the action pieces, arranging them in a...

In every story plot and movie plot, the protagonist (and for that matter, all of the major characters) has at least one long-term goal in the story, and one small goal or more in every scene. Goals give definition to the overall story that unfolds moment-by-moment in scene. Long-Term Goals Every story begins with a protagonist who wants something. Creating this want or long-term goal for the protagonist presents a particular challenge for many writers, but nonetheless is an important issue to address. The long-term goal sets up the forward movement of the story. This is the front story and...

Most writers have a preference for one style of writing over another. Some writers are more adept at developing complex, interesting, and quirky characters. Others excel at page-turning action. The lucky ones are writers who are good at creating both the Character Emotional Development plotline and the Dramatic Action plotline. Become aware of your strength and learn to address your weakness, and you, too, can become one of the lucky ones.Broadly speaking, writers who prefer writing action-driven stories focus on logical thinking, rational analysis, and accuracy. Action-driven writers tend to rely more on the left side of their brain. These...