The Heart of Your Story
I was asked to read a screenplay several years ago. It opened with two minutes during which it explained what a common household device was, showing how it was made in a factory. Then for three more minutes it had characters eating breakfast, talking about their cultural heritage. I began to wonder when the story […]
Writing Stories that Transform Readers, Part 2
Two weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to write a series about how the best stories don’t just entertain readers, they also transform them, helping them to grow intellectually and emotionally. The story takes the reader through a vicarious journey, where the reader’s identity merges with that of a protagonist, so the reader […]
Wearing Your Cape
When we were little kids, the world seemed full of endless possibilities. My mom told me that I could grow up to be a president or a fighter pilot or anything that I wanted. Since all of my superheroes wore capes—Superman, Batman, Zorro—all I had to do was wrap a towel over my shoulders, and […]
Developing Charisma
Over the past three decades I’ve helped a number of writers reach the point where they’ve become international bestsellers, and I’ve spotted a trend. Most bestsellers attract an audience in part because they are charismatic. But what does charismatic mean? Some people think that in order to be charismatic you need to be physically beautiful, […]
On the Power of Literature to Transform Others
Stories can do a lot of things. We use them often to entertain others, sometimes to elevate mood, but sometimes we use them to teach and transform. Indeed, if a story is merely entertaining, if it doesn’t have some deeper meaning, then I often feel that it is a bit lightweight. When judging stories for […]
The Loneliness Problem
I often look for similarities in great stories to see what works. One aspect that I see very often is that powerful stories resolve “the loneliness problem.” Normally, we are never told that our protagonist is lonely, but it’s there in the background: Scrooge is miserly old man in a musty house. Harry Potter has […]
Fixating on a Story
Remember when you were young and your mother or father read a favorite story to you over and over? Or do you recall that one book or movie that you wanted to read or watch again and again? Most people have a few all-time favorites. As a toddler, for me it was “Jack and the […]
Getting the Niggling Details Right
Ernest Hemingway sometimes compared writing to a boxing match, and in a certain sense he was right. Whenever you step into a boxing ring, there’s an excellent chance that you’re going to get punched. In the same way, whenever you write a story, there’s someone who figures you need a beating. It might be a […]
Three Mistakes in Tone
One of the most common problems I see with new writers is a mistake in tone. You know what I mean if you’ve ever played in a band. A new kid comes in, you’re trying to play a song, and he blats out a sour note on a trumpet. The same thing happens in writing. […]
