DIALOGUE vs. ACTION: Tell Don’t Show
Writing and storytelling are filled with rules and maxims that are presented as unbreakable commandments – but which should occasionally be challenged.
MICHAEL HAUGE is a story expert, author and lecturer who works
with writers, filmmakers, marketers, business leaders and public speakers,
both in Hollywood and around the world.
Q&A: Why Would Anyone Want to Hear About Me?
Q: I am trying to incorporate personal stories into my speeches. But a voice in my head keeps asking, “Why would anyone be interested in hearing YOUR life story?”
STORY MISDEMEANOR: No Invisible Information!
A screenplay can ONLY include what the audience will see and hear on the screen. No background information, no author’s asides, no character thoughts or feelings.
STORY STRUCTURE: Superior Position, Foreshadowing and Ticking Clocks in AVATAR
James Cameron’s screenplay Avatar is an outstanding example of using many structural tools and devices successfully in one script.
Clothes Make the Girl: WORKING GIRL
Brief, vivid descriptions of the characters and settings in your screenplay, novel or presentation create a vivid movie in the mind of your reader or audience.
LOVE STORIES: The 4 Rules of Romantic Triangles
When the hero or heroine of your love story or romantic comedy is choosing between two lovers, you must be careful not to lose sympathy for your hero.
Arenas and Finish Lines: AVATAR and THE HURT LOCKER
I find it fascinating that Avatar and The Hurt Locker – the two movies that duked it out for the 2009 Best Picture Oscar® – have so many common plot elements.
STORY STRUCTURE: Structuring TV Episodes
Many of you have asked how effective the elements of my 6 Stage approach to plot structure are when applied to one-hour dramatic television series.
STORY STRUCTURE: The 5 Key Turning Points of All Successful Screenplays
Though writing a successful Hollywood movie is certainly not easy, the stories for mainstream Hollywood films are all built on only three basic components: character, desire and conflict.
STORY STRUCTURE: Novel Structure vs. Screenplay Structure
The term ‘Story Structure’ simply refers to the sequence of events in a story. A writer’s or filmmaker’s goal has to be to create an emotional experience for the reader or the audience.