“Philosophical movies … ugh! Even the name sounds boring.” That’s what many people think of movies that discuss philosophy. Unlike action movies or comedy movies or romantic movies, philosophical movies are not considered an attraction for mainstream audiences. Most of the time they become a modest success or a disastrous financial failure. Even a cult …
An inciting incident is an unforeseen event that takes away the equilibrium that the protagonist has in his life. It’s the earthquake that destroys his house, the winning lottery ticket that makes him rich or the love interest that locks eyes with him at a party. Everything starts with a character living in a “normal …
If you’re a fan of romantic movies you’ve probably wondered if your favourite one can pass the Bechdel test. But what is it? It’s pretty simple, to pass the Bechdel test means to follow those three rules: 1- the story must have at least two women (with names) in it 2- the women must talk …
Suspension of disbelief is essentially what allows fiction to be entertaining. Thanks to it, the audience member of a Shakespeare play can enjoy the show without asking the person sitting next to him “Are those people crazy? Why are they talking to each other like that?”. It allows the reader of a book to let …
It’s easy to be confused about what the show don’t tell technique is or how it works but, surprisingly enough, it’s even easier to put it into practice. Many make it sound like a complicated and difficult because it implies cutting out the dialogue and only “showing” the action. But that’s not what it is. …
Example of the Show don’t tell technique – Drive Read More »
The central theme or idea of a story is the message that the writer wants the audience to understand after watching his movie or reading his book. Some believe that a story should not have a central theme or idea at all, that it should be written just to entertain. But the truth is that …
Often when talking about a fictional character we end up saying that this character’s weakness and and his flaws make him impossible to like. But this is just not true. A character’s weakness is exactly what makes him special in the eyes of the people who are watching him. It’s what makes the audience empathize …
So, you want to use Chekhov’s gun principle in your story? Well, first you should know what it is and why it’s important. The term we use “Chekhov’s gun” comes from a quote of the russian writer Anton Chekhov that goes like this: “Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say …
What are we talking about when we say “three dimensional character”? What is a “dimension” anyway? Many writers are scared of the idea of writing boring one dimensional characters, and yet when asked what those are, they struggle to provide a clear answer. That’s because there isn’t “one” answer. Everyone has a different definition of …
Multi-dimensional character meaning and how to write it-Part 1 Read More »
It’s not a secret that the main characters of the movie three billboards are not exactly “good people”. Mildred has humiliated an innocent man in front of his town and his family because he can’t catch the culprit of a crime; Dixon is a man who uses his power as a police officer to torture …