Story structure formulas don’t workLearn a better process for creating entertaining, meaningful fictionOct 25, 2024Oct 25, 2024
What’s missing from the concerned reaction to the U.S.Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity certainly has many troubling implications, but what seems absent from the…Jul 2, 2024Jul 2, 2024
How healthcare and SaaS companies can produce conversion-optimized contentAre you happy with the results of your company’s content marketing?Nov 10, 2023Nov 10, 2023
Why a 30-day all-in vegan diet is the health experiment everyone should tryWhether you’re vegan-curious or consider a vegan diet something you’d never do, for the sake of your health, you should try a vegan…Oct 24, 20232Oct 24, 20232
Why a vegan diet is better than the Mediterranean dietFor six years in a row, U.S. News and World Report has ranked the Mediterranean diet as the best overall diet. But is it the best diet for…Aug 18, 20232Aug 18, 20232
The Federal Government Needs Better Processes and ManagersA Perspective from a Lowly Government Contractor on the Perspectives that are Strangely Absent from the Executive and Legislative BranchesAug 19, 2021Aug 19, 2021
Why Everyone Needs to Stop Using the Word ‘Loser’We need to add the word “loser” to the list of words that are unacceptable for people to say if they wish to appear educated and sensitive…Apr 24, 2020Apr 24, 2020
COVID-19 Messaging Has a Narrative Problem — And There’s A Simple FixThere is a reason the markets continue their roller coaster ride, with dramatic drops and rises. The messaging coming out of the White…Mar 18, 2020Mar 18, 2020
Published inAscent PublicationThere is Only One STEM Subject We Need More of in Primary and Secondary EducationAnyone who has gone to school has either asked or heard the perennial lament of all school students: when are we ever going to use this?Nov 1, 2019Nov 1, 2019
The Key to Making Characters Seem AliveThe difference between a generic, lifeless character and one that seems alive is the level of specificity in how the writer portrays the…Jul 11, 2019Jul 11, 2019
How to Avoid an Unearned Character ArcIf there is one note on a finished script that I fear more than any other, it’s this: “the ending is unearned.”Jun 14, 20191Jun 14, 20191
The Three Main Building Blocks of PlotIn other posts, I’ve argued that the plot formulas and story beat systems out there don’t work. So what is a helpful approach to plot? The…Feb 19, 2019Feb 19, 2019
A Reformulation of Three-Act Story StructureThere are various explanations of three-act story structure out there, and I find most of them unhelpful, including this basic one. I’m…Jan 22, 20193Jan 22, 20193
Why On-the-Nose Dialogue is Actually GoodIn a series of screenwriting classes I took over the last few years, one of the ideas my instructors continually impressed was that most…Dec 3, 20181Dec 3, 20181
5 Story Design Lessons in Saving Mr. BanksSaving Mr. Banks is a great film and script to study because it contains important lessons on story design and screenwriting. Here are…Nov 14, 2018Nov 14, 2018
The Case for Conceiving the Climax FirstAccording to the well-known Chinese proverb, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”Sep 18, 2018Sep 18, 2018
