Another question you’re likely to be asked is why this story now? This question is asked because audiences (and commissioners) like to find reasons why a particular story has relevance in these (ever-changing) worlds (in which we live in – sorry Paul). Why should this matter when many tales are themselves timeless? In fact, because…
This is a question that you’re likely to be asked at some point. I think anyone who asks you this question is looking for a very specific link between you and this story. The more of you there is in this story, the more truthful, the more meaningful it’s going to be to you. And…
You’ve got your world and the interesting circumstance, you know the medium you’re going to set the story in and which genre it’s going to fall under. You know your main protagonist and your main antagonistic force. It’s time to put it all together. The Elevator Pitch or Log-line, if you don’t know it, is…
You might be wondering why we are obsessed with stories after all. Why do we need to hear and tell tales? What good does it do us? Why do we crave it? There are loads of theories out there about moral instruction, mere escapism or creating moments of social connection, many of which are pretty…
The final part of your recipe is to have a sense of the main conflict that’s going to drive the narrative. You might well have touched on this in coming up with your ‘twist’ in the world idea but it’s worth taking a moment to spell it out. A hero who wants something Your protagonist…
Now you know your medium (script or prose) and your genre (namely the primary feeling you’re promising the audience) you are ready to define the world and the idea. Your World A story needs to be set somewhere. This setting could be a particular location– a hospital, an alien planet, a haunted house – but…
A genre is simply a promise to an audience about how they’re going to feel. Picking a genre and remembering to deliver on it can be really helpful
Getting started when writing can be the hardest part. No it’s not just you. One of my favourite descriptions is from Bill Lawrence in his excellent BBC Maestro course. He describes writing as “something nice to have finished”. But he also describes it as “staring into the abyss.” It can feel like that at times.…
Being creative is hard work. There is an awful lot of resistance. One of the most useful techniques I have learned and built on is to recognise the two modes we humans work in. You will no doubt be familiar with left-brain and right-brain theory. In summary, our left and right brains handle different aspects…
No, not someone to help you communicate with the dead. A medium, like one of the media. If you want a tl;dr: Here’s a chart One of the first things you’re going to have to decide when writing creatively is which medium you’re going to work in. The first thing anyone wants to know about…
