Writers on Writing: Revitalizing the Batman Franchise with Batman Begins
David Goyer, who co-wrote Batman Begins with director Christopher Nolan, reflects on the creative choices he and Nolan made in bringing the darkest of the DC Comics’ characters to life.
4 Lessons Writers Can Learn from ‘The Good Place’
The success of NBC's The Good Place relies on its flawed but lovable characters, charming humor and, especially, its game-changing twists. Here are some hands-on lessons you can learn from the show’s terrific writing.
How to Use Acting Techniques When Writing a Character’s Emotional Journey
You may have the most intriguing story ever printed on a page, but ultimately we will care about the story because we care about the players in it and their journeys. In order to do that, you the writer must first create that emotional journey for each character.
5 Tips for Writing About an Established Relationship
Whether the relationship is healthy, codependent or even antagonistic, established relationships have a few unique things in common.
Creating Emotional Frustration in Your Characters
Using emotion to create strong, emotional characters and move a plot is critical for any writer in any type of genre. Knowing what kind of emotion to use and how to use it is a different matter, however. And while our fictional characters experience the same wide range of emotions that we...
Two and a Half Men: Giving Characters Tangible Wants & Conflicts
I often talk in my TV-writing classes about the importance of giving characters TANGIBLE wants, obstacles, conflicts, etc. In other words, we sometimes give our characters internal objectives and obstacles– like the desire to find love, absolve guilt, give forgiveness, be at peace, etc.– but it’s important to find physical, tangible,...
Give Your Characters A Personality Test!
Special thanks to Russell, a loyal reader who turned me on to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, as talked about recently on The Thinking Writer, film exec/producer Jon Deer‘s screenwriting site. Basically, the Keirsey Sorter categorizes personalities into basic archetypes, and as Russell and Jon point out, it’s a great tool for...