Q&A: Hero Needs and Wants
Q: I really enjoy your seminars and writings on story, but I’m still wrestling with this issue: Should the needs and wants of my protagonist arise from the circumstances of the story?
Q: I really enjoy your seminars and writings on story, but I’m still wrestling with this issue: Should the needs and wants of my protagonist arise from the circumstances of the story?
Q: I’ve read your article on the 5 Key Turning Points of All Successful Stories, and watched your lecture on 6-stage plot structure that’s part of The Hero’s Two Journeys.
Arguably the most important portion of your story is the opening. This is where you must seduce your readers and audiences as you draw them…
Q: When I first introduce a character into a story, must I always give his or her last name? Is the first name enough? Must I name the character at all?
Q: Having recently completed the first draft of my screenplay, I find the 2nd act is a real drag. The movie is about a person told from three distinct memories.
Q: I’m an internet marketer, and during your recent webinar with Andre Chaperon, I heard you say that it’s OK to make things up in a speech or a story.
Have you ever been the last to arrive at a party and the host introduces you, one at a time, to everyone there? So how many of those names are you able to remember?
Your job as a storyteller is to create IMAGES. This is true not just for screenwriters, but for anyone presenting a story to a reader or an audience.
Writing and storytelling are filled with rules and maxims that are presented as unbreakable commandments – but which should occasionally be challenged.
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.
Send your questions to Michael and he’ll create a Q&A Article specifically for your question!