Working your Stereotypes
Being ‘stereotyped’ is often seen as a bad thing, particularly in scripts and books. Then there’s Christopher Vogler, who theorises that there are eight ‘archetypes’ – the mentor, the hero, the ally, the herald and so on and so forth. For my part, I think that these eight have limited use. There are far more [...]
Selling your USP
I talk so much about sticking to the rules, I thought it was about time I gave an example of when breaking the rules works. A warning, though – if you haven’t seen Jurassic Park (what planet have you been living on exactly?) and don’t want it ruined then this post is not for you…
100 Ways to Cook an Egg
My first proper foray into storytelling (not counting two ‘books’ I wrote when I was six about doppelgangers – although I’m fairly sure I didn’t know what that word meant back then) was a script on Anne Boleyn. Anne’s story had caught my imagination when I was very young and she quickly became – and [...]
Stacking the Evidence: Writing Crime Shows
Cop shows are all the rage at the moment, both in the UK and overseas. A good cop show is a little gold mine: it can run and run and it doesn’t need to be big budget. Also, it doesn’t require audiences to tune in every week, so if someone joins the series half way [...]
Ticking Clocks
It’s widely acknowledged that you’ll only keep your audience interested in a story if the stakes are high. What do we mean by that? Well, you’re more likely to want to know the outcome of, say, a life saving operation than a conversation about what you had for dinner tonight (unless the dinner was laced [...]
Plot 101
Today I’m going to write about a very basic plot point. I say basic, but it’s surprising how many scripts I read where the writer has forgotten about it entirely. What am I talking about? Making your protagonist active.
The Power of Ghosts
This week I’m focusing on how absence can be a powerful thing in film. The dead hold a lot of sway over characters, whatever the genre, and usually they are integral to the character completing their quest.
Opposites Attract
The phrase ‘opposites attract’ is bandied about a lot in real life, and it’s very rarely the case. On screen, however, it’s a different story. People with opposite viewpoints, ideals and ambitions get together all the time in film, TV and literature, and somehow these stories are both believable and compelling to watch. However, there’s [...]
Perceptions: Plotting Your Characters
One of the common mistakes first-time writers make is to create characters that are too self-aware. It’s an easy thing to do: as a writer, you know your characters inside out – their motivations, their weaknesses. That can often come across on the page, with heroes spouting on about their psychological demons. If you think [...]
Premise: the Engine
Warning: if you haven’t seen Legally Blonde, please be warned that there be spoilers ahead. The premise is the most important aspect of every film, TV show or stage play. It is the engine that powers the rest of the car. The tyres and steering wheels of character, theme, plot and structure all rely on it. [...]